Illustration Friday - Entangled

When I saw the prompt entangled, I immediately thought of a thicket of bushes in my backyard. The tangles have long fascinated me, and I have been wanting to draw them for some time now. This prompt was a good excuse. I drew from life for about an hour and then switched to imagination. I developed the drawing in pencil and at the end added some colored pencil, colored pen, and pastel pencil. I left part of the drawing undone, because I think it looks more interesting that way.

Illustration Friday - Unbalanced

On Wednesday evening of last week, Mrs. Thea Gilberston from the town of Franklin was ajudged insane by Judge J.D. Perry and was taken to Mendota State Asylum on the Thursday afternoon train by Sherriff Buckley (Badger State Banner, April 13, 1893).

The above quote is from the wonderfully strange Wisconsin Death Trip by Michael Lesy, which chronicles crime and insanity in the 1890's in Wisconsin. I drew this portrait from imagination in pastel and charcoal on a watercolor-toned board and then adjusted in Photoshop Elements.

100 Heads: Head #45

This is a drawing of Bernini's Tomb of Pope Alexander VII [detail of Charity]. Actually, I thought I was drawing Bernini's Madonna and Child, based on this article on Britney Spears. As I was drawing it, I thought it was awfully sensuous to be a Madonna and Child. And now I know it is not a Madonna! Lesson: Do not take art history lessons from articles on pop stars. Graphite over pastel on card stock.

100 Heads: Head #44

Another version of Michelangelo's statue Madonna and Child. Graphite over blue pastel.

100 Heads: Head #43

Angels we have heard on high.

I had fun experimenting with my Christmas cards this year. This angel is based on a photograph of a statue of an angel, but the final artwork doesn't look anything like the photograph. I started by applying blue pastel to a cream card and then spraying with matte fixative. I drew the angel using mechanical, 5B, 9B, and Ebony pencils. The surface was rough and hard to draw on, but the finished product has a unique look.

Illustration Friday - Plain

According to my Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Plain People are members of any of various Protestant groups (as Mennonites) esp. in the U.S. who wear distinctively plain clothes and adhere to a simple and traditional style of life excluding many conveniences of modern technology (as motorcars)

This pastel painting of an Amish woman is based on a painting I did last summer while visiting my parents in Vernon, New York. The subject is an Amish woman figurine. You can see the original painting here.

2007 Retrospective

This is a pastel and charcoal drawing I did for a WetCanvas Weekly Drawing Thread challenge earlier in the year.

What did I accomplish in 2007?

I started using the Internet and my computer for art. I now use a scanner, a digital camera, and Photoshop Elements as art tools. From January through May, I participated regularly in the WetCanvas Weekly Drawing Challenges and in the WetCanvas Scavenger Hunts. The focus of the Weekly Drawing Challenge is to draw from a photograph, and the focus of the Scavenger Hunt is to draw from life. In September, I started a blog so I could participate in the Illustration Friday (IF) and Everyday Matters (EDM) group.

My overall 2007 goal was to be more creative and open to experimentation. I am happy with my progress. I started out 2007 copying photographs and objects from life, and I ended 2007 rarely copying. I credit Dodson's Keys to Drawing With Imagination with helping me to use my imagination. Before doing the exercises in his book, I never drew from imagination. Now I am very comfortable doing so.

IF has also helped me tap into my creativity. The IF weekly prompt is very open-ended and enables me to be creative on a weekly basis. Outstanding artists participate in IF, and viewing their work is very motivating and inspiring. IF also shows me what I don't know. For example, for one prompt, I wanted to draw a barbaric horde. I quickly realized I hadn't the foggiest idea of how to draw a horde. I am learning that illustration requires excellent drawing skills. Drawing from life and studying masters is useful for representational illustration. For example, Goya excelled at drawing and painting masses of people; his techniques may be applicable to barbaric hordes.

There are also many excellent artists in the EDM group. I am inspired every time I look at the EDM Superblog.

I wish I had painted and used color more in 2007. Working full time, occasional work travel, and two children make painting a challenge. I can sit with my kids in the living room and draw in the evenings, but can't sit with them and paint, due to the mess. I can draw in a hotel room, but not paint. Maybe I need to look into a small travel set of paints and try them out.

A few details for my records. I worked through the following books:

1. Keys to Drawing With Imagination by Bert Dodson (Chapters 1-3).
2. Design: Principles and Problems by Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher (Chapters 1-4).
3. Art of Still Life Drawing by Sterling Publishing Co. (I skipped around).
4. Pastel Workbook by Jackie Simmonds (All chapters).
   

I took an oil painting class offered by a Continuing Ed program.

I used pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, oils, watercolors, and collage in my art work.