Wisdom - Sketches and Line

Lately I've been inspired by the lovely ink and watercolor work of a number of artists. Paired with experimenting with anatomy, I've started a painting utilizing ink and watercolor:



And the sketch:



I'm aiming for more control with my watercolors. Previously I was putting watercolor over detailed graphite drawings, but I also like the effect of watercolor over black ink. The line drawing was done with a G-nib and Holbein black ink.

Goshawk in the Pines

Here is the second of the pair of paintings based on an inspiring quote by Helen Macdonald on her blog Fretmarks, which reads- "And then I thought, decidedly, yes. Goshawks are water. Falcons are air and hot stone. Goshawks are water and wood."



Below is the graphite drawing. Rick Lovell, an illustrator and an instructor of mine at SCAD-Atlanta, pointed out a confusing 'connection' of tail with branch which you can see below. I fixed this previous to starting the finished painting.



I'll admit, although falcons are my favorite raptors, I like this painting more. The falcon painting, which can be seen in my previous post, was on hot-press watercolor paper, whereas the goshawk painting is on cold-press. Hot-press is much smoother and thus is wonderful for tight details, but it comes at a price; paint seems to 'slide' on the surface and doesn't soak in as well. Perhaps I simply need more practice using it. Regardless, I like the way I was able to control the pigment in the goshawk painting better.

Sepia watercolor practice, two watercolor paintings

From most recent to oldest, here are two paintings and a watercolor study I've completed within the past month:

Sky Painter
Watercolor on hot press arches, 4X9 inches


This painting was partially inspired by a quote I read on Helen Macdonald's blog, Fretmarks. The entire blog is quite interesting, though the post linked above, containing the quote, is one of my favorites.

"And then I thought, decidedly, yes. Goshawks are water. Falcons are air and hot stone. Goshawks are water and wood."

The next painting will be the same dimensions, but will feature the goshawk, with water and wood.


Ambition's Flaw
Watercolor and white gouache on cold-press Arches, 8X11 inches


Looking back on the palettes I commonly use, purple and pink are two colors that are definitely lacking. This seemed like as good an excuse as any to experiment with those poor, neglected colors.


Harris and Girl
Sepia watercolor on cold-press arches, about 9X12 inches


Using only one color is a good way to focus on control of the medium and light and dark without having to concentrate on colors. This was an exercise mainly in value in watercolor.

To the Sky - Finished painting and progress images

As can be seen in my previous entry, I posted four progress steps for a painting titled "To the Sky." This is the completed painting:



This was primarily an exercise to push contrast. I noticed much of my previous work was lacking in contrast, falling either too light or too dark with not much variation between. While I definitely still see room for improvement, I was able to iron out some difficulties and definitely have ideas on how to improve for next time.

Although I included them in a previous post, I think it's worth posting the progress images here to show the steps leading up to this painting.

Thumbnail sketch:


This is where I figured out my composition and the basic figures. This was not my first thumbnail, as I did quite a few before settling on the composition and poses.

High contrast study:


Before even putting paint to paper, I wanted to determine the areas of light and dark. Anything below 50% is black, and anything above 50% is white. I still need practice on this, but I was able to figure out the basic areas of shadow.

Final pencil drawing:


This is where I fleshed out figures, forms, and details. The full tones will come with watercolor and not with graphite, so this is why this version is so low-contrast. There are many areas where I do not want graphite showing through the watercolor, and some areas where it's desirable.

Color comp:


A bit of digital color over the pencil drawing helps me decide my colors and detail the contrast a bit. For this, I wanted the vibrant blue of the sky to compliment the yellow and orange tones of the gryphon and cloak. These colors aren't meant to be a set in stone, however. Often I deviate slightly from the color comp if I find certain colors work better with the watercolor; digital color never quite works the same as watercolor.

More pen sketches

12/15/09 Edit - I added a color comp to the gryphon rider images below

Here are some more quick pen sketches I did to include with calendar orders. These are my favorites out of all of them:

A peregrine with a huge head. Since these were quick sketches, often my bird anatomy gets wonky. They're all fun, though, and great exercises in hatching:



Possibly my favorite out of all of them. A Gray Crowned Crane:


It would make sense that if a burning phoenix landed on a branch, that it would catch fire too!


Anthros are something I haven't had much practice with, but they're pretty fun to draw! This is someone's eagle-anthro character on DeviantART. When they bought a calendar, they requested I draw their character:


After spending some time on ConceptArt.org, I've been really trying to do more figure drawing, and practicing contrast. When I was at SCAD, I took an amazing class taught by professor Shawn Crystal called Drawing for Sequential Art. The class primarily taught constructive figure drawing, and a large portion focused on breaking things down into pure black and white. I've strayed a bit too far from that, and I need to get back into practice. Today, I did some more sketches and decided to try to practice contrast in color.

Color can be extremely tricky if you have difficulty with light and dark. Yellow does not necessarily always equal 'light,' and purple does not always equal 'dark.' Taking a painting into Photoshop and desaturating it can show you just how 'muddled' your tones can get!

Below are three preliminary steps for a piece I'm working on before I even touch color, and then a digital color comp. Thumbnail sketch, tonal study, and then the full pencil drawing (color comp added 12/15/09):



Usually I try to get the composition down in the thumbnail stage, but as I was doing the final pencil drawing I felt there needed to be something in the middleground to the right. I'm also trying to experiment with compositions that fall out of my comfort zone. Instead of placing the subject smack-dab in the middle, what about having a large expanse of sky? The subject still falls within the 'focus' area of the rule of thirds, but I wanted there to be a feeling of vastness. It will definitely be a challenge.

Two ink drawings and quick figures

Each year I make a calendar and offer it for sale, and this year my calendar features the paintings I created for my thesis. On my DeviantART account, I posted a calendar sale where if you order a calendar directly through me, I will sign it and include a small pen drawing of your choice. The calendar is also $5 cheaper than if you buy it directly through DeviantART, so it's a better deal all around.

Here are two of the pen drawings that were requested by people who ordered a calendar:

Snow leopard/peregrine falcon gryphon:


Osprey - I was going for an Audubon-esque, moment of suspension pose. If I could do it over, I would have given it more of an angle (and fixed that beak!) but it's serves its purpose as a simple pen sketch, and I'm sure the person it's meant for will like it all the same:


After some anatomical frustration, I decided to just get back to basics and do a night of figure studies and gestures. Here's a page of simple figures, references from stock photos:



Poses referenced from the following stock photographers:
Top left - Chamberstock on DeviantART
Top right, bottom left - Torino Stock on DeviantART
Bottom right - Mjranum Stock on DeviantART

I truly wish I had access to live models; drawing the figure from photographs is never the same as having a real person right there. Luckily, I have a friend who has volunteered to pose, and we're playing with the idea of starting up a figure drawing group.

Blue Falcon Leather and Feather Mask

After making all these masks, I figured I should wear one for Halloween. Except, the mask I wanted to wear (my Dusklight Raven Mask) was bought by someone else who had the same idea! No matter, I went and made a personal mask all my own:











Hand-tooled and hand-shaped 7-oz leather, painted with acrylics, and adorned with feathers. None of the feathers here are from actual birds of prey - they're all pheasant, chicken, and rooster plumes.

I hope I find a fun excuse to wear it on Halloween!