Rainbow Bisque

This is a preview of a vector project I've been working on. It was awesome to pick up the stylus again and pull on some anchor points.

I didn't want to pass up this great pose of a girl with a long shirt on the beach. It was fun to try and capture the weight and motion of the scene. The contour hatching on the legs seems a bit too heavy in places, but the hair is just what it needs to be.

I spent the week trying out a thin pen to create my portraits. Unlike my favorite felt pen, the narrow tip of the Micron pen forced me to be more careful and conservative with my lines. I often found myself practicing each stroke before I committed it to paper. Of course, this means it is much more difficult to finish a drawing in 10-15 minutes. I LOVE the way my hatching looks with this pen, though!

I am beginning to find a lot of success with paper that already has charcoal markings on it. These seemingly random textures and tones allow me to work without the stress of an empty piece of paper. The marks also serve as a way to add visual interest and design.

I think my sense of scale was a little off as I was drawing this one. She is wearing a puffy shirt, but I may have over-puffed it. The diagonal movement and the feeling of wind pushing past the model made this a fun drawing. Plus, I learned I can apply pressure to the side of my pen for more subtle hatching.

I am beginning to get a better grasp on my personal style. Lines are an important element in my work. I shouldn't find that too surprising since cartooning was what got me into art in the first place. I am trying to step away from contour lines as much as possible, but in twenty minutes I just cannot seem to build tone as quickly as I can draw lines.

I could not pass up this great pose. The drawing got away from me in a couple places - but the interaction between the knee, elbow, hand and hair really comes through. It sort of looks like she is wearing a diaper, though.

A more-or-less finished drawing on top of a very unfinished one. I wasn't sure where I was going with this one, but I really like the way it turned out. The pinkie finger seems a little messed up, but the knuckles definitely stand out.

My decision to stick with charcoal continues to pay off. I have been very happy with the work I bring home every week. It is a great thing, to look at where you started and see how far you have advanced. It is an even greater feeling to know there is so much more road to travel. This piece was done mostly with eraser on pre-toned paper. Some of the critique I received on this drawing leads me to think that a more random and uneven tone will produce more lively lines and shapes. Next week, I will try doing just that.

I spent some extra time beyond my usual fifteen minutes to add another layer of dark graphite. The result is ... different. Without access to the original photograph, I had to try and remember what all of my marks meant. So, this guy's hair and hat are all one piece. Wait a sec ... oh, that's what that is supposed to be. It was nice to be able to take the drawing a little closer to done. I haven't sat down and done something like this for a long time.

I toned my paper last night, hours before I even thought about starting my drawing this morning. That left me with an entire 15 minutes to draw this portrait. Wish I had time to apply another pass of dark grey and fill in the hair. Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt a full figure (hopefully).