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Right now I'm working through some materials that teach life drawing. I'm doing this so that I can draw better cartoons. But before I get to life forms, it says I'm supposed to practice using different strokes, pencils, pressures, etc.
Here is a sample of a fun way to create highlights gently using a kneaded eraser. Clearly I'm no expert in drawing plants!
Here's a quick shot of a drawing exercise today, turned watercolour painting:
Cellphone snapshot of a drawing today
The exercise instructed me to start with a stick figure, which I took as an opportunity to draw an unfortunately weary human form. Then add mass, and colour, with light and shadow.
I didn't get so far as adding light and shadow specifically, but I did add an ominous tornado-like dark force at left, creeping up behind the poor traveller. Oddly enough, he seems to be heading into the light.
The paper was quite wet upon finishing, and I added some sprinkles of salt to try out the technique of using salt to add a textured look to watercolour washes. I sprinkled three areas - both of the red patches of background, plus the blue tornado element. I suspect the blue was nearly dry, as the salt had little, if any effect.
Note that my teen drawing was often creepy like this - some deformation but still recognizably human. This drawing takes anatomy more seriously though, to coincide with the thorough discussion of anatomy in the drawing books I've read recently.
This time, instead of starting with the feet, I started with the head; I really wanted the figure to not be completely in profile, and here he is turning away slightly so we see the back of his head and just a hint of an eye and nose. Then the basic pelvic shape, then the legs hanging off awkwardly, with dainty slow steps beneath.
I think he looks stable on his feet, but that crazy life-adjusted back curve tells a story that this person is not the same man he was years ago...although it still was just a drawing practice exercise!
Also note that his feet are able to articulate. I wonder if I drew that so prominently, at a time when I've broken some toes in my foot and can't make that shape with my own foot (yet?) !
This exercise reminds me that I love to make drawings of figures doing things. Sports is ideal for me, and I've done lots of that in past (not recently). And I also have fun using my imagination to create unlikely or unlikeable situations for the characters. Or maybe exciting and positive situations too. We'll see what happens at my next practice session, I guess!
Fiverr.com is keeping me really busy with app reviews. I love that computer geeky stuff, too, but I felt a little weird the past few days to not have much time to work on drawings.
So tonight at 11:00pm I blocked out a little time and no pressure to make a little progress on my sleek cat drawing idea that I started recently.
Cat looking a little more colourful after 20 min
I feel good that I made some progress. I still need to define in my mind how elongated I want her to be, and what kind of muscle tone I want to portray. I'm definitely leaning towards the clay sculpture look that I love so much.
Thoughts about transitioning from traditional to tablet drawing
While working with Corel Painter for this drawing this evening, I discovered a pastel drawing tool that feels very much like traditional Pan Pastel. It was Real Soft Pastel brush. I managed to get a real soft imprint as though I was using a sponge with Pan Pastels, especially when holding the pen in an overhand grip.
This pen grip doesn't always work with the graphics tablet, and works a lot better if you tilt the tablet so that the pen is making adequate contact at an angle. It effectively makes you notice how your whole arm is moving, rather than just your wrist. I prefer to not rely on my wrist, as I'm looking for soft, sweeping movements of course for my kitties.
I don't see any discussion online so far in my travels about how to transition from traditional drawing methods to a drawing tablet. I don't really want to give up my spontaneous and freely-moving arm gestures; a lot of comments online about Wacom tablets indicate the users are adopting a handwriting grip when using the pen.
I'd love to hear opinions on how people hold their drawing tools, whether pen, pencil, brush, or digital tools. Even my drawing books don't address this much, except for the one I'm currently reading. It's called Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Solarski and it goes into some good detail about how to hold a pencil in various ways for drawing.
I got an idea to use the idea of a cat to portray a glitzy glamorous personality, to be interpreted whatever way the viewer likes, using pastel.
The visual style I want to use is the same one that dominates my mind but I work hard to get close to it using pastel. I believe acrylic would get to the effect quicker, but I enjoy using pastel, and now my Wacom tablet more than acrylics which are more costly in terms of preparing a surface and potentially ruining brushes.
I've decided the illustrative effect that I am most enthusiastic about can be described as claymation or china doll appearance, but in paint or pastel, which looks kinda like what these artists produce:
1) Will Terry, whom I found by accident online today. My favourite image of his is a good example of that 3-D clay sculpture look I enjoy. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and I believe it is a great way to portray cats. I believe cats belong on a pedestal. I'm sure my cat theme in my drawings tells a lot about my personality.
2) Jaime Zollars is another artist I found in some book in the past and I made a note of the name. My favourite image looks so serene and emotional.
3) Shawna Erback, found on Fineartamerica.com. My favourite image is video-game-lifelike even though you can't see the girl's face.
4) basically the entire graphics in the movie trailer The Boxtrolls, showing on TV right now!
I started this cat image as a digital painting. I've gotten as far as a pencil sketch. She'll have a glaring stare at the viewer, to say 'leave me alone while I'm washing.' I'm pretty sure every hair will be in place, except maybe a tuft that is disturbed currently by her tongue. And she'll have a pretty bow or bell on her collar. It might just be my most challenging personal project yet!
I might also want to create a copy using pan pastels. I think the glow of white paper underneath the light dusting of pastel pigment would look seriously vibrant and engaging.
This post is a catch-up to get my blog caught up to my Facebook and Twitter feeds.
During the past few days, I've finished several pieces, and used my cell phone to get them quickly announced on Facebook, Youtube, etc. It's just so easy to do it that way. However, the blog here allows a more thorough explanation and the ability to label my posts. So here goes.
First of all, I created and completed a pastel cat painting recently that I want to show off. I like the drawing it's made from, and I made two copies - one for pastel and one for watercolour. The watercolour is still in progress today.
Pastel cat painting by Heidi Bada
Watercolour version still in progress
I also recorded a bit of commentary regarding the pastel version which was uploaded to YouTube:
I really like how the first version worked, made from a sketch done earlier today as an experiment and test of my memory of cat features. It turned out so likeable, that I want to wait till tomorrow to make some copies. My method is to tape it to the window and trace onto watercolour paper taped over the initial good drawing. It's quite late now, so I'll wait for daylight.
Meanwhile, I made a video (in two short parts) that show the work off a bit. I plan to make a watercolour with traditional washes, to practice my watercolour paint handling, and a pastel version using my new Pan Pastels, and also probably a charcoal drawing or ink version.
I'm still not sure which media I'd like to specialize in, so I feel compelled to try all with this cute drawing of a cat.
I like this little drawing I made at a cafe. I was trying to keep my people-drawing skills active. Doing it reminded me that I feel comfortable drawing people, even when they're not in intense action.
Here's a screenshot of the work in progress, on a bigger sheet of paper now. The original was about 4x5" at the cafe, and now it's 8.5x11" on watercolour paper.
Ink drawing of Cafe Guy, copied from sketch book
I actually made two copies at the larger size. The first was drawn simply from the original as a model, and without precise scaling. The result is very close to the original little sketch. By the way, the guy left while I was drawing - he was a cafe customer and I hoped he was merely gone briefly to the bathroom - but really only the table portion was missing, so I turned it into a ledge. He never returned, anyway, so I stand by that decision.
The other large copy was made by tracing the first enlargment, after it was inked. The violet ink I chose was barely visible when blank watercolour paper was laid over the enlarged, inked copy, taped to the window. This copy was also inked.
One of these larger copies will become a hard pastel illustration, and the other a watercolour. I'm in the mood for lively, fanciful colours and backgrounds lately, and this subject gives me lots of opportunity to play.
Some of my thoughts were captured on video using my cell phone, soon after making the first enlargement, and they are shared below. I hope my video comments throughout this blog will give you insight into how I work, and get the results I do.
I'm always learning more, don't get me wrong! It's been a while since I had full-time creative work. I miss it and want to get there again, using the internet regularly to share work, and push myself to ever-greater skill. The quality of illustration I see online these days, and now digital arts too, humbles me but also thrills me.
I like this sort of line illustration. It reminds me of doodling during high school math class, or drawing objects under force in high school physics. I recall very much having notebooks full of doodles that didn't relate at all to what I was supposed to be doing, as well!
Since my last office work position ended earlier this year, I am confident to keep practicing the excellent training I've had in live classes, and tutorials found online. The techniques are out there for all of us to practice and experiment with. I'm just relieved to find sites like fiverr.com that let me offer skills for convenient sale! Find me there- my handle is "Island Geek" and I have 100% 5-star ratings, and a 3% world domination value!
I've been putting off commenting about drawing because I wanted to be sure that people hang onto my photography interests. Rest assured, I take all my interests fairly seriously. I simply don't limit myself to just one tool.
Today, I've finally finished a drawing in pastels with a golf theme. It's the second sports drawing I've made this summer. I spent so much time learning Photoshop as a goal, or re-learning it, that I now want to rekindle my old skills in illustration.
My very first paid gig, even before paper routes was actually a drawing. My first paid employment was as a sports illustrator, but the first thing I did for money besides household chores, was a bizarre drawing gig.
A lady in the neighbourhood commissioned me to draw a life-sized portrait of someone in her family who was becoming famous for his car racing successes. A local hero! I barely remember it, except I think the gig paid $50, and I recall people saying that I had drawing prowess at the time. I was about 13. I guess I doodled even then, not just in high school. I know for sure I was doing drafting for a hobby, using Autocad, but that's another story.
So today I was proud to finish my drawing. It uses a combination of hard and soft pastels. It's very close to what I intended, which was to practice pastel techniques I've learned in the book Pastels Unleashed by Margaret Evans. I also wanted to explore drawing sports, like I did as a teen.
Here's a snapshot taken with my Google Nexus phone (sorry about the vignette):
Golfer drawing in pastel by Heidi Bada
The book covers things like glazing and creating atmospheric and perspective effects. I enjoyed trying the techniques, and I'm sure this won't be my last sports image using pastels.
More of my comments about this drawing are found on my Youtube channel below, in two parts.
