It seems as if I have reached my 80th post since it all started just over two years ago with some clothes-wearing bears. Back then I'd just gotten back into regular art production, having left it behind for four years while I studied English literature at university. Though I'd never really liked watercolours much before, they were the only colouring method I had on hand, so I picked them up and man - I've not looked back since.
Two-ish years, two shows and most likely more than 100 paintings of strange creatures later, watercolours are my dearest friend, providing me with glorious washes and intricate detail and the most curiously luminous colours a girl could ask for. So thanks for being you, watercolours - thanks a bunch!
Phew, That was more than enough sentimentality, don't you think? To cut the sugar of my ode to art & watercolour-y goodness, allow me to show you some sketchbook experiments I've been performing in recent weeks.
The subject?
PEOPLE.
Can you even believe it? Look around you! These are PEOPLE in Victorian clothing! No animals in sight!!
I made the tough (for me...people are way more intimidating to draw than animals/birds/etc.) decision to have the main characters for the next show/book be Victorian humans, as they'd give me more leeway in the curious creatures their imaginary studies could cover (on that note, there will be more detail about my current project coming in future entries...man, I'm excited for this one!!).
These characters are all culled from Flickr, which holds a rich collection of scanned vintage photographs, many of which contain the most incredible faces - stunning beards, whimsical moustaches, elaborate hairdos and glorious noses abound, along with a plethora of delectable dresses, waistcoats, military jackets and suits, everything providing fodder for a whole new artistic direction!
After making myriad sketches, I've developed just enough confidence to begin transferring my favourite faces over to watercolour paper, where they'll eventually become pieces for the next show. Below is a wee timeline of one such piece:
This is the sketchbook version of an as of yet unnamed woman, dressed in the regalia of a secret society (which you will hear more about in later entries!).
And here's the current progress of the 'good copy' - initial washes complete, ready for layers and miniscule detail!
So that's a peek into my sketchbook's most recent denizens - please do stay tuned, as I have another entry coming up quite soon, which will contain more peeks into the new project as well as a few more details about the project's theme and such.
