Developing into colour

I have worked mostly in black & white and in greyscale using graphite, black ink and water colour. However, I have now started to develop my work into colour. I have used the artists Mihaela Zovea and Jessica L. Harris as my inspiration. Mihaela work on vintage surfaces in ink such as old letters and Jessica on vintage sheet of music in biro and watercolour/ink. Both draw birds. I really like the idea of drawing a bird upon a sheet of music, it is as if your drawing is coming to life. Singing to you perhaps. In response to both of these artists I have created a small painting of a robin which visited my garden on an old sheet of Christmas music which I have tea stained before hand.

I have used drawing ink to create this piece. I have used lighter colours such as yellow for the base and then worked over this with primary colours such as red and blue. These combine to make secondary colours such as orange and green. This enables me to control the tone of the drawing. To add in further detail to the picture, I have worked into it using a black fine liner pen. This allows me to bring out details such as the delicate feet and claws and the sharpness of the beak and eye. 

In the style of... Loui Jover

To refine my ideas of silhouettes further, I have looked deeper in to the artist Loui Jover. His primary media is ink but he also uses oils. He prefers to draw on adhered sheets of vintage book paper as the words provide a sort of 'fusion'. Although the words are completely unrelated to the drawings themselves, they still provide a sort of depth and meaning. 

I have created my artist research page on a coffee washed A1 background with collaged pieces of the financial times which has also be stained with tea. This is my interpretation and response to his work. Within the page I have drawn the two birds which I practiced before onto the page. However, instead of drawing them in complete black, I have watered down certain areas in order to allow the words to shine through. This makes the birds look more 3D. It gives them a form, a shape. I like how the robin is perched onto the picture, it really brings the page to life. 

I would perhaps like to take this even further by drawing a different animal or animals on a larger scale! This would perhaps be even more powerful to the eye. 

Playing around with Silhouettes

As a new technique, I have tried to stretch my ability to just using black ink on paper. To influence me I have used inspiration from Loui Jover who paints mainly with blank ink on vintage paper. His pieces are big and powerful. They have meaning. I like the idea if drawing on a different surface, especially something old and vintage. Therefore I have created a few of my own drawings in his style. I have used black ink on top of the financial times news paper which has a lovely orange/pink tinge to it. To make this look even older I have also added a light coffee wash. 

I have firstly experimented with birds in my small sketch book. I have tried to bring out as much detail as possible, especially in the feet. This still makes the bird look lifelike and 3D. To make it even more realistic I could add the details in the feathers and how in areas they may be slightly ruffled. 

This is my favourite piece. This bird looks as if it is about to take off, it's hanging from a bird feeder and has a sense of movement. To take this drawing to a new level and to show off the art of silhouettes I hung it in front of my desk lamp. 

This brought it to life! It almost looks like the sun in hanging low in the background. I can visualise a warm, sunny morning. The light brings out features you perhaps wouldn't be able to see when the image is stuck down. For example I can now see where the birds feet are hooking it on to the bird feeder.

 To experiment further I could perhaps try different tones of black in order to let in more light and show off more of the animals features. I would perhaps add a splash or a drip to give it power. I like how the words show through in the background, they really help to make the bird stand out.

Artist research number 1.

I have completed my first A1 research page on the self taught pencil artist, Nolon Stacey. Around the photographs of his art work I have written phrases and words about them and how they make me feel. I have then linked these works to make, almost a web of ideas which I can take further towards my final idea, piece or pieces. 

On this page I have also included photographs of my own and small sketches from these. These will be included in my own response to his work. I have already show the sketch of my own dog but I have recently added that of the squirrel which payed me a visit. I like where I have put him on my page, it looks as if he is about to walk on to it.

This photograph was again taken with my own camera and I really managed to capture the structure of his feet. These were quite interesting to draw. His fur looked soft but the grey flecks make it look coarse. In my drawing I have added darker tones and lighter tones. His eyes are very big and they give him a sense of innocence. I have tried to express this in my drawing. 

A faithful friend.

Here I spent an hour drawing from this photograph which I have taken of my faithful chihuahua, Minnie. I took this while I was laying on the floor as I wanted to get down to her level. I managed to capture her just as she began to sleep. I think this picture has character. I like the way her chin is resting on her paws.

I wanted to capture her innocence in my drawing which I have done in the style of Nolon Stacey. I found her paws difficult to master and the direction of the hair was a little tricky. I think I could perhaps work into this one to make darker tones, I may do this at a later date.

My first sketches...

After looking at the works of Nolon Satcey, a self-taught pencil artist I decided to draw a few sketches of my own in the style of his work.

Shown here is a photograph of my cat, Molly taken with my own camera. I wanted to capture her soft features and her piercing green eyes. These contrasted well with the darkness of her fur. I photoshopped this picture in order to emphasise these colours.

Here is a close up of my own sketch in response to Nolon Stacey. I have used only pencil to create texture in the fur. I used a B and 2B pencil for lighter tones and a 5B and 8B pencil for darker tones such as the pupils in the eyes. 

This is just one of my responses to this artist which I will continue to use to influence my work. I will upload some more as they are drawn.

A Humble Visitor

I've started to brain-storm and gather a few images which I have taken over the weekend including this little squirrel..

He perched on the wall giving me enough time to take a picture of him before he scuttled off.

He was picking the nuts up from the floor and grasping them with both hands. The Red flecks in his face and under arms complement well with his grey winter coat.