Going Colorful...

Today was busy, busy, busy - the last teaching day of our big, multi-subject co-op. We still have our end of year picnic in 2 weeks, but at least I can cross off one of my teaching responsibilities for the school year.

There was definitely no drawing time today, so I dusted off this old relic from about 4 years ago. This was before I seriously returned to art and illustration; an exploratory work with colored pencil (this blog's needing some color these days). The expressionistic color palette that I've mentioned is obvious here.

Anyway, now that the anatomy studies are done, I've decided to abandon working from books or from doodled inspirations at the moment and look more at the real world for a while. The bookstore where I work is located in a mall, so there's an abundance of subject matter there that I never really considered. So, now on my breaks, I just step outside of the store and draw what I see - people, clothing displays, mall foliage (is that stuff real?).

Switching Gears...

I've been working a lot in pencil recently, expanding my horizons a bit more with my "comfort" medium. While I've always enjoyed working in pencil, I am able to work more quickly and decisively with it.

I've completed the anatomy studies now, having done the muscles of the face and neck at work the other night. I think that's all I'm going to do on that subject for the moment. Eventually, I might find a resource that will show the muscles from different angles and in different poses - particularly the arms and legs.

I don't know how artists are content working in a single style or medium. Too much of one thing gets a little dull after a while, and I'm looking forward to branching out. I'm anxious to work with other media and explore different approaches, different looks. Switching to ink, I played around with some quick doodles just for fun today.

I've heard that some illustrators sometimes "discover" a character in their sketchbook - that it starts as a doodle or something random. Then, as the character develops, its story can evolve into a picture book idea. I'm hoping that something like that will happen with something I've drawn, but so far nothing has really struck me in that way.

A More Formal Look at Color...

I’m a little tired of working with pencil at the moment – as much as I enjoy the medium, it's too much of the same. It’s time for a little color.

I used to paint with oils in college, but those materials are long gone. I like oil paints, though - the textures and the smells. However, dealing with disposal of the chemicals and having kids around has encouraged me to give acrylics a try (and they're taking some getting used to).

One of the things I’ve wanted to do is make a color wheel. I’ve been wanting to understand color a lot more than I do and explore more color options. As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to fall back on the familiar bright, expressionistic color palette that I was so enamored with in college (and it was easy). And, the natural colors that I want to use now require less “out-of-the-tube” and more thoughtful mixing. I have done some simple color mixing swatches with some of colors, but it’s time to take it further. I feel like I’m back in Color Theory 101, but this time it's not just another exercise to get through - I know what I need to focus on and where I want to go with it.

I started this exercise last night by creating a series of circles for my color wheel and dividing it into 12 sections for primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. I figure I'll work with complementary pairs at a time. I still struggle with the quick-dry of acrylics, so this way I can quickly work from the same mixture all the way across the circle.

OOOoooooo, I’m looking forward to painting!

Cool, Clear, Water

YEAH! Finally - time to work (AND I got some housework done, too). I just went ahead with the things I knew I wanted in the picture - the edge of the pool and the bag with the towel. I don't know if I'm done - I feel like I should still add something, but nothing works. Because of that, drawing was a little more frustrating than joyous today. I'm just stuck.

Part of the problem is that I started with no background in mind and placed the figure directly in the center. Had I put her off to one side, some of the other things might have worked a little better (like a chair or a gate in the background). The things that I tried only looked crowded and competed with the figure.

I think I did alright with the edge of the pool. I really went into this with no clue on how to render water. I browsed a few garden magazines at work that had pools in them. The details that stood out were the change in value that happened above and below the water line and the shadows and/or reflections. I tried to capture the essence of that with the pool tiles. I changed value at the water-line and made the tiles more fuzzy-edged below. I also included a reflection of the pool's overhang, since I noticed that in pictures as well.

One of the goals for this drawing was to stick to lighter values overall and to have more of a directed light source. Again, I'm not sure how successful I was - if I pushed the contrast enough to suggest a bright light.

I just had an idea - maybe a simple pair of discarded flip-flops on the left might be the final touch. What do y'all think?

Anyway, it was a very hot day here today and my studio is not climate controlled (the garage). Perhaps this was a bit tedious because I wished I was about to jump in a pool. I guess that's why this song popped into mind.

More muscles...

Yesterday at work, I completed another anatomy study. I would still like to do the facial muscles, but I'd like to take some time now to work on other things. I don't work on Sundays, so tomorrow is open (Ok, after some housework, grading a few papers...ugh!).

I really like the shapes and patterns of the torso muscles - the way they wrap around the body, the symmetry.

I found the arm muscles particularly challenging this time. There's lots of them, for one thing. Also, the book I was working from - the one that had the clearest images - did not show the entire arm. It had a picture of the upper arm, and then 3 pages later it had the lower arm. So, I had to put the two sections together in the drawing. And, it appeared to me that the lower arm in the book was turned at just a slightly different angle than the upper arm. I hope I managed to get them together correctly.

Spring Fever

Aahhhhh, spring! It was a beautifully warm day and none of us felt like doing schoolwork today - spring fever big time! Of course, we had to anyway. But, things are winding down. The kids' P.E. co-op is finished, and science and history are almost done. Math and writing will continue into summertime (as usual - we take our time in those areas).

Anyway, the picture I posted today is from my sketchbook and I had autumn in mind when I did it. However, seeing just a couple of leaves starting to appear on the tree in our front yard reminded me of it.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to work on the Bathing Beauty, but I hope to spend some time on it this weekend. I don't have the background issue solved, but I do have some ideas that I want to pursue. It's a drag, however, when there's no time to actually do the things I have in mind.

Another thing that's aggravating me is that I wish I could participate in the whole Illustration Friday thing. I think it would be fun. But, I'm one of those that likes to "stew" on a concept for a while. I don't usually have an image pop into my head right away. Of course, I don't have time for that thinking process to happen before the next Friday comes around. Perhaps when summer comes...

Background Setting - The Saga Continues...

I spent what little drawing time I had today trying to figure out the setting for the bathing beauty in my sketchbook. Here, I've uploaded an only slightly better picture than before (although not much).

I tried a couple different things in the background - lounge chairs, a pool. There didn't seem to be a good place for the horizontals to pass behind the body, and whatever I did put in seemed to compete with the polka-dot floatie that I happen to like.

So, you can see in this picture that I've roughly sketched in the edge of the pool in the foreground and I like that a little better. I also have a bag and towel that I may, or may not keep in the scene. Seeing it on the screen, I feel like it should be moved closer to the figure. Also, if I keep it, I feel like there needs to be something else in the scene as well...but what?

Of course, these days it seems like unexpected challenges creep into my drawings beyond those I originally set out to explore. I suppose that's just where I'm at in my studies. I'd love to be at the point where I have so much experience that I can just follow an idea to it's completion. Is there such a point? However, in this case, I've never rendered water in a pool, so that's something new I'll have to explore.

I do enjoy solving the puzzles that each drawing presents. I just wish I had more time.

Bathing Beauty...What To Do About the Background?

One of the things on my list of self-imposed "assignments" to do was a drawing with a limited value range, since I tend to use the full range of 6H to 9B. I attempted one in the dark range, which I recently shared. Now, I'm working on one in lighter range.

I had intended to do one of swimmers/beach-goers all standing in a cluster. I envisioned that they would be of various body types from short and squat to tall and lanky, various ages from child to grandparent, all with summer accessories (floaties, towels, snorkels, masks, goggles, etc.). But, as I started working on it, I focused in on one little girl figure and decided to just go with her.

I'm showing her in a couple different stages. Sorry the 2nd picture is pretty poor - it was photographed indoors. I'll have to repost that picture when I get a better one.

It reminded me of my youngest daughter a couple years ago. We were visiting a water park and she had put on every floating device she could get her hands on. She had water-wings, a tube floatie, AND a life jacket. The lifeguards had gotten a chuckle out of it - no one would have to save her from drowning!

Anyway, I'm sure you'll notice that it's just a little girl in a big white space. I'm at a loss for what to put in the background. Palm trees, lounge chairs, a pool, the ocean. It's so difficult sometimes to picture the background when it's completely blank. Other times, I know exactly what should be back there. Something I have to work out...

The History and Science Fair...AT LAST!

I somehow survived the world's busiest weekend! I won't go into all the details, but this is my first opportunity to sit down at the computer since Friday.

The History and Science Fair took place yesterday evening - the culmination of weeks of work on projects, papers, and crafts. Still, it was a lot of fun. Needless to say, I didn't work at all on any drawing, but I'd like to share my the kids' projects.

My 5 year old daughter did her display on "Plants." Hers was the basic stuff - seeds, roots, leaves, etc.

My 9 year old daughter did hers on "Bobcats" and made a box diorama to go with it. She's very creative and crafty, so I really didn't have to help her at all. She even had birds suspended on little threads, flying across the scene.

My 12 year old son did his on "The D-Day Invasion." He's always had a fascination with different periods of military history - right now it's World War II. So, he built a pretty elaborate model out of chicken wire and plaster cloth with bunkers and Hedgehogs made out of balsa wood.

Then, our history CoOp had a display. Our group (really it's just 2 families) has been studying Ancient Greece, so we had pictures of our activities (such as our "Olympic Games") along with some of our crafts (Red Figure and Black Figure Pottery, etc.). We also had some food samples: barley stew, bread, and olives. The display was entitled "My Big Fat Greek Project" and the girls even dressed up - it was fun!

One of the things that is fun at this annual event is that each of the 22 exhibitors submitted a question for a "scavenger hunt." So, the visitors can search for the answers on each of the displays and collect a prize. In these pictures, the kids are working on their scavenger hunt questions at my son's display (the yellow one) and my daughter's display (the red one).

Just a note of interest, the little boy dressed up in the Abe Lincoln outfit spoke during the optional oral presentation part of the evening. He's only 6 years old and he recited the Gettysburg Address from memory. Apparently, he has a real knack for memorization! I was impressed! And my kids complain about memorizing the preamble to the Constitution...

Ahhhhhh...Peace and Quiet (and Back to the Book)

It's almost 1:00 a.m. here and I got home from work about a 1/2 hour ago. I should go to sleep since tomorrow is our day to finish all projects for the History and Science Fair, and I would probably fall asleep pretty quickly. However, there's something about being the only one awake - quiet, uninterrupted time - I just have to enjoy it for a little bit.

So, what's the first thing I do when I get home? I head to the sketchbook to try to fix some of those things I was lamenting about in the last post. As tired as I was of working on it, I knew that some of the things that bothered me could be changed. Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

A flat head can easily be fixed (if you're a drawing anyway). And, I happen to really like the result of drawing with an eraser - the soft smudginess of it.

A mouth can be fixed as well. And, that reminds me...I had to rush my daughter off to soccer practice right after my last post when my aggravation was still fresh. As a drove, I kept looking in the rear view mirror to see what my mouth looked like open, in surprise. It was only after my daughter said, "Mom, what are you looking at?" that I remembered I wasn't alone in the car.

So, I took a photo of the changes I made so you can see the difference (before on the left, after on the right). It's still not perfect - not something I look at and say "slam dunk" or anything. But, at least the figure has taken a small step toward something a little more natural. I think it's better, but I don't know. Maybe some of you liked it better before (?).

Here it is so far...and so far YUCK!

Well, I was unable to sleep yesterday morning - woke up when my husband got up for work and couldn't go back to sleep. But, that turned out to be good since I was able to spend a good hour working on my drawing before the kids woke up. It's inventory day at work, so I don't have to go in until 7:00 (and stay until midnight), so I was able to work on it even more.

I'm not sure I'm done, but I'm a little weary of working on it. I'm not really thrilled with the result - there are several things about it that make me cringe. For one thing, I'm not a big fan of the character. He's nothing I spent time developing - just a quick figure and his head is kind of flat. I don't like the mouth for some reason - can't quite figure out why. Note to self: study expressions of the mouth more.

The bottle was the original part of the doodle and it goes off the edge (which I normally wouldn't have done).

Of course, the main purpose of this drawing was to explore darker values and facial expressions, so I guess there was some success. I did learn a lot about the eyes and details that make them express surprise, and to keep a thin area of white above to show they are focused downward. That may seem pretty basic to some, but I always seemed to make the eyes of my characters focusing ahead and I didn't quite pay attention to why. So, at least I got something out of this drawing. That's what it's all about.

Oh well, the list of things to practice grows even longer!

This May Take a While...

OK, the original doodle that I left in the drawing is a bottle shape. Of course, it had to be an unusual bottle shape - like a perfume bottle or flask-type thingy with some sharp "shoulders." With my desire to work in darker, dramatic values it's taken some thought to try and figure out how the shadow would fall across the front. And, since it's a made-up shape, I don't have anything like it in the house to shine a light on and see.

I think I figured out something that looks right, however it took me most of my free time today (Tuesdays and Sundays are the 2 days I don't work). Needless to say, I haven't made much progress on the overall drawing.

Guess you'll all just have to wait.

(I'm pretty happy with the facial expression at least - on the figure, not the bottle)

Facing Expression and Body Language (Naturally)

I've started a new doodle in my sketchbook that's presented a new challenge for me. Normally, I'll just let the doodle lead until it's done. But, because I want to study more a focused aspect of my drawing (in particular using only the darker end of the value scale and more dramatic light), I've attempted a takeover. I spent almost an hour trying to render a hand - in a rather complicated pose - only to decide that the idea really wasn't going to work in the drawing at all. Since I was quite happy with how the hand turned out, I couldn't bring myself to erase it until the next morning.

But, I kept the original elements of the doodle and started considering other images to include. I ended up placing a figure in it (more than just the hand, anyway) and stumbled upon yet another part of illustration I've been needing to explore - facial and body expressions.

There are so many variations that the face and body can put together! Some are easier to convey. However, to create certain feelings, moods, or reactions in a character that seem NATURAL and fluid is the issue at hand.

I've included a past sketchbook page from a few months ago where I scribbled out some basic facial expressions. But, for the drawing I'm working on now, I'm having to rework things to express the right reaction throughout the body without it coming across as 'wooden.'

I'll share when I get somewhere with it. However, the History & Science Fair is on Saturday and my kids each have different displays they're entering. It's going to be tough to carve out time this week.

Anatomy Update and a Possible Trip to Body Worlds

I have currently been working on the muscular system for my anatomy study. I wouldn’t exactly call it an “in-depth” study because I can really only spend 15 minutes at a time while on break at work.

I’ve enjoyed working with the muscles more than bones. There are so many bones requiring small or narrow shapes, and I could sit there for hours figuring them all out. In that case, only having 15 minutes is probably a good thing. It forced me to really focus and analyze quickly.

Drawing the muscles has been less of a chore, and it’s been interesting to see what actually makes all the bumps and creases that I observe while drawing the surface. I can now see the muscles as shapes that fit together like a puzzle. And, in doing this, drawing the figure is less daunting – all those peaks and valleys are starting to make sense.

I shared bones of the skeleton (frontal), hand, and foot before. So, here’s a rear view (although I made the pelvis to big and I haven’t yet adjusted it). Also, here are the muscle studies I’ve done so far (frontal views).

Since we’re on the subject, there’s a human body exhibit that just opened at the Los Angeles Science Center called Body Worlds. I guess it’s been somewhat controversial, although I don’t know those details. It consists of actual plasticized human bodies, showing the different systems. My son’s Science Co-Op is will be studying the human body for the rest of the year, and we’re trying to decide if it’s worth it to take the trip (about 2 ½ hours away – gas prices currently about $3.85/gallon here for the “cheap” stuff).

I’d love to take my sketchbook, but it’s hard to sit and draw when I also have to monitor my younger kids. Maybe I could leave the youngest at home – or take daddy along. Anyway, has anyone seen this exhibit? It’s been touring worldwide.

Direction, At Last

I realized during this last doodle that I was in a "valley" in terms of my drawing. I had finished up some projects from before, I work on anatomy studies while on break at work, but I didn't have a specific focus at home.

I started the doodle because I wanted to keep drawing. But, it didn't feel like anything special - just business as usual - lacking direction. I was reminded of cable news anchors - they keep on reporting the news even when nothing new has happened. But, when some big news story breaks, there's new energy and excitement as if there's no end to what they could discuss and analyze.

That's how I feel now, because I'm suddenly flooded with possibilities. In my next few drawings, I'd like to explore value a bit further. I've done a lot with full value ranges, but I'd like to put some limits on that and see what happens (I know in theory - just haven't had the opportunity to practice it).

Also, I'd mentioned being interested in color. There are a lot of great articles on James Gurney's blog, Gurney Journey, that I would like to explore further. I was running low on some of my acrylic colors which I just replaced today. So, I think I can finally go forward with some of the color wheel studies that I've wanted to try.

Here is just a goofy painting I did just to try out the acrylic retarder I picked up (my painting skills leave a lot to be desired). The instructions really emphasized not to mix more than 30% retarder to paint, so I tried not to overdo it. While it extended the drying time a bit for the paint on the palette, it really didn't extend it very much on a whole. Of course, that's probably because I didn't have a lot of paint, so I was working thin.

Ta Daaaa!

So, here it is – my latest sketchbook doodle.

As you can probably see, it has some characteristics that are definitely “me.” However, as I noted before, I was pleasantly surprised to see this Art Deco-esque sort of character emerge. She’s a little more sophisticated than some of the other characters that I’ve worked on recently.

Of course, probably the first image I saw in the lines was cat-like (what’s with the cats already?!?). So, I played around with other lines until something else started coming through. My daughter said she was mermaid-like at the beginning, but she turned into “Mother Nature.”

I really couldn’t think of a good background, and I was afraid that the small details in the foreground would get lost (like they did for the clowns). So, she stands alone. Her pose reminds me of a conductor of an orchestra, and I could envision her having animals and birds around her. The animal studies I work on would come in handy for this. It’s definitely something to think about for a future completed work. But, that would require a large chunk of time – better left for summer.

Back to the Doodleboard...

I started a new doodle in the sketchbook today. It feels like it's been a while as I spent most of March turning some past doodles into more complete works. I've got more to do before I share, but seeing this one unfold has been interesting.

As I began, it was hard to get focused since we were at my son's science co-op (several families working out of the same book who get together to do the labs). It wasn't my turn to teach this week, so I was able to take a few minutes and draw. Shortly into it, I was quite surprised because what was coming out seemed like quite the departure - it had a distinct Art Deco feel and I'm not sure I liked it. But, I feel that way about a lot of my doodles in the early stages (like the tiger). I tell myself to just stick with it and work it through, and I can usually take it somewhere I really like. We'll see...

In the meantime, I'll just share a couple pictures of 2 of my kids at the outing we took with friends to a Nojoqui Falls not far from our home. They were dry in these pictures, but by the time we left...

How Could I Forget About the Tiger?!

It just occurred to me that there's one drawing from my sketchbook that I haven't shared yet, and it's a really important one. As I was working on this one, I started to think "Hey-it would be great to do this kind of thing for a living!!!" The wheels started turning and I really started to consider seriously working toward a career in illustration. After all, the kids will eventually grow more independent and move on from homeschooling. Then what? How great it would be to spend the time I have while they're still young improving skills and building a portfolio. And, when they're a little older, I might have something worth presenting. Of course, finding the time is another story...



Anyway, this tiger drawing began as a doodle - I think with one of the elliptical lines around what became the eye and the straighter line that defined the left edge of the nose. What's funny is that the cat-like nose came into being almost immediately. But, I resisted - I didn't want to do a cutesy kid-like cat. So, I kept erasing and changing the doodle in the hope that it would start to become something else.

However, this tiger was determined to exist. After several changes that went nowhere, I finally gave in and went with the original image. Funny thing is, it's probably one of my favorite drawings in the sketchbook. It helped me to get past some of ideas that kept me from pursuing illustration in the first place - to not worry about what category my work fell into and just let it develop in its own way.

Dem Bones

My first figure drawing class is probably the only other class that, had I been the teacher, I would have handled a little differently. My main criticism is that we never did any anatomy studies – one would think that would be standard. I know that other instructors did require anatomy studies, and I took those instructors later in my education. But, I guess by that time they assumed we had all done it.

I do remember my instructor, a visiting artist from England, came into class one day after her review. She ranted that she had been criticized for not teaching “certain things” (not named) that she was never told she was supposed to teach. Fair enough – a lack of communication.

Of course, there was no one tying my hands behind my back, keeping me from doing it myself. But, as I mentioned in the previous post, I didn’t exactly have the spare time or the drive to pursue more projects beyond what I already had to do.

Anyway, that was then and this is now. So, for the last couple of break times at work, instead of drawing from an animal field guide, I grabbed an anatomy book off the shelf. I started with the basics – overall skeleton, hands, and feet. I only get 15 minutes to work on this stuff, so it’s a little rough. But, it does add to my understanding – in particular, the way the bones of the lower arm are turned when it’s in a relaxed position (shown in the arm on our right). The other thing I noticed was how long the bones of the pinky are. One often thinks of the pinky as the smallest digit. But, when you look at the bones that make up each finger (sans all flesh), it's longer than the thumb.

There are some more bone studies I want to do, but I’m looking forward to doing the muscle studies. That will be quite useful for capturing the fleshier parts of the figure. Then I’ll be able to put it all together in my work.

Trip Down Memory Lane (and at least one more cliche included)

I was trying to remember my first studio class at CSULB – the basic drawing class. My professor was big into the whole right-brain drawing thing. So, there were lots of exercises in negative space, drawing an object hidden inside a paper bag by using touch, etc. Now and then, I do refer back to negative space when I’m stuck on a particular shape or angle, but it’s really not my way of working.

Then there was a series of exercises involving drapery done with contour lines – black and white charcoal pencil on gray paper. It was tedious at the time, but a neat result. And, I do think I handle drapery pretty well.

I find it a little odd, however, that throughout my formal education (where drawing was concerned), that I had so little experience with materials other than pencil and charcoal. I realized later that other instructors had covered a wider range of materials in the basic class. For me, chalk pastels came into the mix only occasionally, and I never crossed paths with pen and ink until I recently picked them up myself (a recent experiment with pen from the sketchbook).

Now, if this sounds like a complaint, it’s definitely not! As I became familiar with the department and professors, there were plenty of opportunities to get more out of my education. And, I’ve come to understand that the greater responsibility of education actually rests on the one BEING EDUCATED and less on the educator. You could have the best teachers in the world and still get very little out of it if you don’t take charge of your learning (“You can lead a horse to water, but…). I could easily go on about this, but I’ll refrain for now.

Anyway, I know I avoided teachers under whose wing I might have grown the most. With a full load of classes that demanded equal attention, an outside job, and the distraction of a far-to-busy social life, my goal was to just get through it all and move on – that was how I’d gotten through my entire education and had done well enough. I wasn’t particularly interested in challenging myself then.

However, with distance between my college years and the present, it is a very different story. Now, I am quite determined to work through any lack of experience I may have with different media and master it.

This could get ugly - beware of more sickly blue pigs!

The Lesser-Known Sick Little Pig

OK, I'm past my moment of self-doubt, but still it's been a rough week! While I haven't exactly been sick for the past month, I haven't exactly been healthy either. I've been drained of all energy with sniffles for a day, sore throat on another day - nothing that sticks around for any length of time or escalates into a cold or flu. Nothing just floors me or is excuse enough to step away from what needs doing and crawl into bed. Yesterday, my voice just up and left (sigh).

Needless to say, those spare moments that I normally would have crammed with doodling or some creative effort have been spent lying down, trying to regain some energy for my evening job. I did, however, make it out to the studio the other night and, at least, did a little drawing. The subject: farm animal; the medium: chalk pastel.

Even though I've expressed my desire to work with more natural colors, a blue pig immediately popped into my head. Soooooo, I went with the old familiar expressive color palette. It's kind of a stange little picture and, in retrospect, it reflects back on my own health and attitudes in recent weeks - the little pig sure looks sick (color, pose and facial expression - or lack of).

Of course, I chose the color, but I find this little pig representative of some other realizations about my drawing skills that I've been pondering recently and will elaborate in the near future. For now we'll just say that chalk pastel is not a comfortable medium for me. But, realities such as that are what drove me to create my little drawing game - it would force me work with materials outside of my comfort zone.

OK, trying not to get discouraged...

Browsing all of these art blogs and their links has been a rollercoaster ride. On the one hand, I see a lot of nice work that encourages me - makes me think that my own abilities are just as good, just as worthy of someday being published. Then, I come across a string of absolutely amazing work that is, well...humbling. There are A LOT of people out there, trying to do the same thing as me.

Here's the part where I try to put things in perspective: I have to keep reminding myself of where I am at the moment, fully acknowledging that I'm not anywhere near "ready" to start pounding the pavement with a portfolio. And, most of the people whose work I admire so much are at that point. I've only just determined that this is a serious pursuit, and I'm really just starting to develop my skills as well as my own voice.

I just need to keep working in earnest and see what comes out - learning what I can from those who are ahead of me. In the meantime, I'm reminded of my main focus (and inspiration) at this stage - they are the "here and now," while illustration is for farther down the road.

A Study in Backgrounds

One of the areas in need of work that I failed to list on my things "to do" is to practice background work. Whether my images are doodles or preconceived, it's easy for me to become completely preoccuped with the subject itself and treat the setting as an afterthought. The temptation is to complete the subject and move on to something new. But, needless to say, ignoring the background isn't going to help me in the illustration world.

The image shown here was started as a doodle but with the intent to place whatever evolved into a setting of some sort. The inspiration for the doodle came from a metal spiral handle on a condiment caddy at Carl's Jr. (the spiral line on the ear of the dog). Once I knew what the subject was going to be, I placed the fence behind it. I almost stopped there, but since this was an exercise in backgrounds, I opted to push it further. I then added the structures behind the fence, the overhanging foliage, and defined the foreground detail.

I was pleased with the background overall - the scale and value of the buildings really sets them off in the distance. However, if I was to redo this as a final work, I would give the dog more of a dynamic pose. This is one of those situations where, since it started as a doodle, certain aspects of the drawing were committed before I really realized what it was going to become. In this case, the stiff pose was unchangeable.

Now, one more thing I've come to realize about backgrounds is that some images are better off WITHOUT them. I mention in the intro to this blog that I would include my "failures" as well as successes throughout my journey. So, begrudgingly I post the original doodle drawing that became the plant-like clownish characters of a couple posts ago. Wanting to practice backgrounds, I created one for these characters. The detailed folds really competed for attention and the vine-like linework of the drawing were lost in it.