Nautical Nonsense

-indian ink, watercolor, prismacolor-

This image had originally been only the two black outlined fish. The point of the project was to utilize a ripped piece of cardboard as our own makeshift brush and experiment with ink to create different strokes. I eventually noticed a repetition of certain lines and dots and saw the potential of creating two different fish. I felt like I was done experimenting and put the image away. However, I stumbled upon it a couple months later and decided to try to expand on it. I started by adding color to the fish, so they became orange and yellow. Then I tried to create a washed out blue/green background to represent the water. I created a heavy dark blue outline in watercolor, then took a straw and blew hard so that it'd create splattered like lines. Then on a separate paper I made the orange fish and octopus, cut it, then pasted it onto this image appropriately. 

Update: I'm proud to say I submitted this, Strike a Pose, and What's the Buzz to the OC Fair and they all received awards! This one and What's the Buzz got a red ribbon which is like a grouped second place award, while my Strike a Pose drawing got a blue ribbon which is like a grouped first place award!!!

Any comments, questions, suggestions? Comment below!!!

Don't Stop Moving

-black and white charcoal, and conte-

So I'm a bit of a scatterbrain and slightly unorganized as quoted by my mother, but art turns me into a completely different person. I like knowing exactly how my piece's composition, color, etc. will all be.  I always need to sketch thumbnails, practice a bit, and maybe plot out a few reference points. I'm not very spontaneous which is why this year I worked on a lot of experimental media and tried to break through that barrier. With this piece, I was forced to stand up and keep my arms in continuous motion. I literally had to just put the charcoal to paper and start doing something, absolutely anything, without stopping; and I better not stop unless it's for a good reason like switching out colors. I felt pretty bada** jumping straight into it and living life on the edge not knowing what would come out from my spontaneous art.

Any comments, questions, suggestions? Comment below!!!

Strike a Pose

-cardboard, tracing paper, charcoal, gesso-

Pop that leg! I don't think I've had as much fun with observational drawing as I did with this one. Seeing my elderly art teacher suddenly grab a stool and box, strike a sassy pose, then tell us to draw her was absolutely hysterical. The pose was enjoyable at first, until she realized that she would have to remain like that for the duration of the time we'd be drawing her. 

I constructed my own canvas out of various cardboard materials and tracing paper, then splattered some gesso onto it as well to give a bit of contrast for when I'd draw with the charcoal. It was fun trying to adjust to drawing and smudging along the cardboard surface since it worked a lot differently than it would on white paper, especially on the raised surfaces. After finishing with the proportions and shading, I felt as thought the image still lacked depth and character. To fix that problem I went back in with a white charcoal pencil to emphasize the highlights and contrast it with the shadows. This was just a simple figure drawing, but the little idea of drawing it on cardboard made it much more interesting.

Any comments, questions, suggestions? Comment below!!!

What's the Buzz?

-spray paint and black fine point sharpie-

The beginning of this had been done as an experimental project with various colored paints in spray bottles. I had laces, shapes, wires, etc. to lay against the paper and spray to create various images or textures. I specifically used this one material which was a metal roll of patterned holes as my stencil for the majority of the image. I could cut a piece of the roll as large or as little as I desired. I experimented with the placement of the stencil and came up with an interesting composition. The colors began to layer, but eventually layered too much thus leading me to the idea of turning the colored puddles into drizzling drips.

After I was done experimenting I wanted to expand further with the image. Actually, this had not been my first spray painted image. It's about my third or fourth. After I created a few, I looked at each one and evaluated which one would be fit to serve as a decent background. I chose the one above because of the patterned holes that reminded me of honeycombs. I started with the honeycomb idea and further developed it until it became the product above! I definitely learned a lot about flexibility and that not all the best products come from perfect planning, but stepping out of your comfort zone and allowing creativity to flow; a simple but commonly overlooked statement.

Any comments, questions, suggestions? Comment below!!!