Chocolate labs in tones of pink and orange
My latest finsihed/sketch study for my next animal in chairs piece. Obviously they are not yet sat upon a chair. I've sketched a few various chairs, but not sure which I'll use.
I'm obsessed with chairs and they often appear in my work
So I have a cadre of sketches and tear sheets and copies in my binders of chairs, both to dream of having in my real life and many that simply end up in paintings/artwork.
This pair started out with the humble beginnings of sketched lines and shapes
Next we have the build up of their forms. I often try to give some life to the eyes at this point as it helps me to get their 'stare' right. It's as if they are asking to be brought forward into existence.
Here we see the under layers off and get a view of the scratchy lines and curvilinear forms that start to take the shape of organic creatures
I often like this stage as it always recalls to me the joy , in art school, when we were given short periods of time to do life drawing or we had to finish a piece without lifting the pen. There is a freedom of movement born in such exercise and I still do them today. This was not done that way, but I can see the benefits of having done it for years in my linework. It's simple , but to me if I were to add some simple colour in photoshop I think it could almost stand on it's own.
Adding pops of color to my sketched layers always amuses me
And I think, with some tweaking, it'd make some lovely graphics for something...but I digress; on with the sketch:
Here we see all layers present as I give definitive pencil lines to the top layer
Now with the under layers off, we have the final Penciled layer for the study. This, of course, will be shut off in the final colored piece when I do the layer if inking. For now, however, I love pencil sketching.
Despite my doing these penciled layers on my Wacom tablet to me, I still work the same way I did with pencil and paper, only now instead of 'onion skin' paper taped on top of one another, I can simply shut off layers. Or instead of having to erase and lose your original rough lined sketch, each iteration is preserved.
another moment when old ways and digital meld rather happily I believe
Then I begin to play with color and shadow and light. I decide at these watercolor stages what the final piece may be color wise. As we've a pair of chocolate labs, I cannot help but play on that color range in oranges and pinky-reds.
A dash of other tones to give it a pop and Study is done
This will help me decide which chair to place them upon. Tho, of course, I'll change my mind a few hundred times I'm sure, but a sketched and saved chair can always be adjusted for another animal to sit upon.
I think one of the many benefits of life as an artist is one is allowed to chop and change and never settle upon one thing
The freedom of indecision can be a powerful thing if used correctly, or at least that is what I tell myself and my piles of random studies and paintings made and set aside.
My final joy in sketching new pieces is the GIF
I'm really not sure why it gives me so much pleasure, but having all those layers saved, as I sketch and adjust and erase, just cry out to be made into these little animations. It can make a few days in the studio feel magical when it just pops up in a matter of seconds from lines and circles to somewhat recognizable characters in color.
I keep saying I'll make all these GIFs into #nft one day and perhaps I will, but I refer anyone calling me slacker to my previous quote about artists and our 'joy of indecision'.
Artists are also experts at excuses
We have those piled up in the studio as well, be careful, you might upset a stack of them and they'll be all over the floor in a trice.
Thanks for coming along on this little journey of the sketch that will be a pair of dogs in a chair.
I hope you get a moment to indulge in your own passions and to find a moment to create or enjoy creation in what ever form you most love. And of course, always remember to stay creative.
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