Yes, it has been a while since posting a "serious" blog post. This one was started on Tuesday. It is now Friday. This is not A Good Thing. but on we will go -
Last week I was playing around with using up art supplies - cheap red craft paint, to be exact. It got poured on another sheet of paper intended for the making of more Hearts. But it was a bit thickly applied - so I grabbed the ever- present small sketch book (this one is 7" x 5") and mooshed it onto the other red sheet. Just to see what would happen.
This happened:
It stayed that way for a bit. Monday late afternoon I went to fav Stillwater, Minnesota coffee shop - The Daily Grind. Always carried: laptop computer, headphones, bag of art supplies, sketchbook and other papers, wallet, money for a $2.00 de-caf (sigh).
The place is usually quieter than in the morning and I feel no guilt if staying for a big chunk o'time. The barista hands me that cup with the Buddha quote and elephant image. I settle in.
I've been working on a series of real rabbits photographed by a friend "out East." She has kindly given me permission to use her images as inspiration. Thank, Friend!
An image is pulled up on laptop. And gets enlarged to a size that will fit pleasantly on the sketchbook page. There is no pressure to succeed. But I want to respect rabbit and friend, so will try to create a drawing that will at least be O.K. I use drawing pens and my fingers to set down basic measurements. Oh, and that handy metal ruler that most often stays in computer/art supply tote. Doesn't everybody carry a foot-long metal ruler?
Basic shapes appear:
Chatting with barista is a given. She is taking a class in Photography. Real film. Real darkroom. Playing with chemicals and light. This gives me some hope for the future - embracing whatever is needed to get the results one hopes to create! She is having fun shooting coffee beans and the various machines that go into making a cup of coffee. We talk about tones and composition. I recall my own time in college darkroom. One class was enough for me.
Anyway, out came the small tin container holding gouache and watercolor paints. I'd left favorite pointy-ended water brush at home - gasp! - so had to tackle painting with a small broad-tipped brush. On to the challenge of controlling colors and marks! Lots of people know that drawing and painting eyes is one of my favorite things to do. So this is the first thing tackled on this bunny. Gouache is relatively forgiving. I don't rush things. Still playing with colors. And trying to get shapes more correct. So much looking and comparing. Depicting a 3-D subject on a 2-D surface is always interesting. So much "lying" on the paper.
Here we go!
When steering toward relative reality it is important to keep checking back at reference source. I see flaws in my drawing, but because this is "art' and not scientific illustration I correct some things and let other mistakes stay. Exact color is not important to me. I want to experiment with making marks. Even with that "giant" brush the eyes' tiny "twinkle" is achieved. Whew. We need all the twinkles we can get. Go ahead. Draw some eyes. paint some twinkles. The brush is used both wet and in a dry-brush fashion - something a bit hard to do with a water brush. "Don't squeeze the barrel! Don't squeeze the barrel!" White fur around the eye is created by layering white and almost white (dirty white) gouache. Gouache is somewhat opaque, but sometimes not as opaque as one would wish. I like the look of the red paint partially visible "in" rabbit's body. There are decisions that will have to be made... Danged decisions...
Suddenly, it is almost time to close the shop. Sigh. I'd gotten into that lovely "zone." It was so much fun to focus for two hours. Jazz, a short chat, some creating. But stuff started has also got to stop. it was fun while it lasted. And this bunny is different on this morning I'm typing. For better? For worse? For practice. For flow....
(WAY larger than actual image - haha.) And, yes, current image is not shown and is more complete, though perhaps not as "successful." So it goes...
Fare-thee-well,
Sue
