Tuesday, January 03, 2006

So what did you do today?

Well, besides getting caught up in all kinds of artsy stuff, playing with a current project, planning my portfolio upgrade, I also decided I needed to redo an illustration of mine.
I'm coming to grips with the fact that my style is very cartoony. I can accept that. What I have a hard time dealing with is how flat and/or muddy my work often becomes after I paint it. It loses that refreshing breath of livliness it has when just a pencil drawing. I know this problem has its roots in the fact that I've never been properly trained to paint. I kind of picked up a brush and said, "What would this look like in color?" Jeez, I was scared. I think that fear has interfered with me learning basic principles.
So I looked at the work of one of my favorite artists, Holly Hobbie. What did I love so much about her work? What made it so fun to look at? I examined it, sketched it, then tried to replicate her watercolor work using her illustrations as a guide. I felt like I was back in high school art class, where you have to copy the techniques of a master to create your work.
Anyway, I saw what I was missing. I often go from thumbnail sketch straight to painting. I skip that step where you enlarge the basic idea, add the details and the depth, etc. I looked at an illustration I did a couple of months ago, and decided I liked the concept, but not the execution. Perfect opportunity for a re-do! So here's my start: (click for enlarged version.)

I can already see how much easier it will be to paint this. Having the values and depth all laid out for me will be a less frustrating, I can tell. I'll update this post once I finish painting. Wish me luck!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!