5-Minute Sketch and a Few More Hours

In this practice effort, I surprised myself with being able to capture the 'bones' of the source image in this 5-minute sketch with my Muji pen.

Two to three hours later, the bones were fleshed out (a cute turn of phrase, don't you think?). The two masked constructed beings are supposed to have head covers of burlap. To suggest that, lines were used to simulate the fabric and its areas of dark and light.

After finishing the three figures, the background was completely white and didn't look right. So, I added marsh grasses behind the figures. They ended up competing with them. So a light wash of tan was added to the grasses, to tone them down, but that didn't help.

Next, an Inktense pencil was used to create a black border around the three subjects while allowing for a slight aura of white. Even with this change, the remaining grasses were still competing for attention. So those too were covered -- this time with charcoal grey. This solution worked far better, but still looked unfinished. The next idea was to use black Posca pens to unify the background with dots. I started with small dots around the subjects-- that wasn't enough. So they were added all over.

I like how it came out. What I'm most intrigued with is the contrast between those dots and the lines used to suggest burlap in the head covers. Plus, they come across having very different textures.

The specific things I like about this practice piece is the sense of story going on, the movement suggested by the central figure's hand, and the depth that comes through by the dark framing the figures that subtly shifts through a gradation to lighter areas along the edges of the image.

An additional lesson from this effort is that I took some risks that didn't work out. But through continuing to work, then assess, make changes, then reassess, etc., the changes led to a result that is far better and was totally unexpected.

When you work, do you take risks? Do you have to be in a certain frame of mind to take risks? Have taking risks resulted in improvements to pieces you were working on?

Comments

Introducing 'Kaleidoclown'

For fun, I've drawn one of my own photos (yes, I was dressed in a clown outfit) and added a wild and crazy background to accompany it for today's practice effort. As part of sketching the piece, it was split into four sections with two opposing diagonal lines. In terms of color choices, I've worked with color gradations for some shape sections. Can you believe, there are five major shapes in this effort? There really are -- circles, squares, trapezoids, triangles and spirals. I think the substrate is Biengfang Watercolor Paper (140 lb.). The materials used were Ohuhu markers, Micron 01 pigment ink pen, some red Stickles glitter glue for the nose, and a white Posca pen (for white dots on the face and to highlight eyes) and a yellow one (for yellow dots in the center of the flowers on the hat). There was no intention in working on this piece other than to have fun...and based on how it looks, I'd say well done!. One thing I learned is that blending with the Ohuhus i

New Project in Progress

I'm working on a new project with multiple layers and shapes of different colored organzas. It is an interpretation of lighting on an ice rink...from a show I recently saw. There is a lot more stitching to do, but I like how its coming along. I'm learning organzas are not easy to work with especially when you layer them and have overlaid edges. The fabric also tends to ravel easily. This post also linked to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com .

Announcing new book - The Soliloquies of A Wayfaring Trio!

I'm so delighted with my new book -- that I designed, wrote and illustrated, and is now in print thanks to Blurb! 'The Soliloquies of A Wayfaring Trio' was a months-long effort this year. I had no plan to create a book when I started reading unpacked journals from years ago. Those journals -- started in 1979 -- was at a time when life was about to serve-up some dramatic changes including a solo move from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. I wasn't writing poetry then. In fact, I had never written poetry before, and it was only through those journals that I started writing creatively. In 1981, that creative writing began with prose (one to four sentences in length). While taking a 10-month journey to Europe (1982-3), poetry in free verse form started showing up. An edited version of one of the poems written during that trip appears in the latest book and is titled 'A Day at Nea Kameni' (a location in Greece). Thereafter, and in looking back, new poems s

Cay Denise

Search This Blog