We are officially in the thick of it all now, aren't we? Thanksgiving is over, we're stuffed and a little disgusted with ourselves, and vowing to never eat again; while at the same time are looking at cookie recipes and stopping for that seasonal foo-foo coffee drink with the whipped cream on top while out shopping because, after all, its just once a year. Yeah.
I'm cooking up some new art with a teapot theme. This little guy was a test piece to work out some fiddly materials / technique ideas. Part of me wants to go back to watercolors, alone. The other part of me is such a diehard colored penciller now that no matter how I start out, I break out the pencils at some point.
I'm working on illustration board now, instead of paper. I did some fiddling with my water soluble pencils (Inktense and Faber Castells) and had a nice "watercolor" painting going. Then of course out came the Lyras and Pablos.
I'm trying to get myself to shift from "render it out completely" like I do when I'm doing one of my realistic drawings, to being more illustrative. I have to consciously "think" one or the other, or I find myself falling into old habits. Decorative illustration and realistic rendering are closely related, but not the same thing.
If we could do one of those x-ray things they do on daVinci's paintings, we'd find at least 3 completely different versions of this, on different layers! To most of you, this probably looks like everything else I do, and you most likely glazed over at my whole explanation of it all. But if you're a fellow artist, you can relate. Experimenting with your materials and techniques never goes away. Leonardo did it too! Sadly, sometimes it didn't work out (like the Last Supper). But I think I just made myself feel a little better about my own wanderings.
Hope you're all enjoying this little "in-between" week, to rest from one holiday and gear up for another. I will be tucked in working, and also having some yard chores done before the big rains start up. Right now I'm going to go fix a new cup of coffee (no whipped cream), and get back to it.
4 comments:
Palimpsest teapots? :)
I say hooray for experimentation! I think that there is a luminosity that shows up from your layering of the different media. And even if all viewers can't tell exactly what you did, if it enriches the process for you, it's worth it.
The teapot series sounds wonderful, and very fun to draw! You'll have a great time thinking up variations on the theme! Good for you for recognizing areas where you want to venture into new territory. I love this little teapot, and I'm looking forward to the next!
Wow - so love this new teapot series (especially being a big tea fan). Fantastic - and kudos to you for trying out new techniques. I can totally relate as I am trying to use more watercolor in my traditional colored pencil illustrations.
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