I've been finishing up this image for the last week or so. I had tried this idea out last year with some pretty mixed results... mixed meaning, well.. kinda shitty and overworked...so here's another attempt.
A little something I wanted to make note of involving the process on this one...
When I sat down to draw this, I grabbed a blank sheet to scribble on a bit to warm up my hand. What I ended up doing on it was blind contour drawings of the reference I'd printed out. I just focused on the contours in the ref and felt them out on the paper getting a feel for the rythm and flow. It ended up being a really enjoyable exercise and I think it'll become a regular thing. I loved the feeling of just putting down the lines without getting all tight and overworking them.
When I'm warmed up for the real drawing, I've absorbed the contours and have the reference images more in my head - my lines are then more likely to keep some of that looseness. I'd recently read Itten's Design and Form and thought his thoughts on warming up and preparing for work were gold.
From Johannes Itten's "Design and Form"
"My first morning periods in class begin with relaxation-, breathing-, and concentration exercises to establish the intellectual and physical readiness which make intensive work possiblee. The training of the body as an instrument of the mind is of great importance to a creative person. How can a hand express a characteristic feeling in a line,when the hand and arm are cramped..."
There's a few other real pearls in there too. I found his Art Of Colour to be a worthwhile read as well.
The expression on the girls face is really lovely mate. Brilliant stuff.
ReplyDeleteSpectrum, maaaaaan what an honor! Although i can see why they choose your work.
ReplyDeleteHey Jake! How ya doin'? Thanks very much for the kind words!
ReplyDeleteManuel - Thanks very much for checking out my work, Cheers!