“There comes a point (and it comes very soon sometimes) when, unless he is very firmly convinced that there is something in his idea, it is better to abandon it and start afresh.”
Lewis F. Day | pattern designer
Pattern Design, Dover Publications, Inc., pg 205
This image is a preliminary experiment for the A-line series I did for a faculty art show last fall. I have always liked it and felt that it was a good match for this weeks Illustration Friday.
In photoshop, I use a layer for each color. I am using the multiply mode on each layer so that the colors look like they have been overprinted. I added a slightly different texture to each layer so that the color would build up in a more natural way. I started each layer with a solid block of color and then used the eraser tool with a hard edge brush to remove the area that I didn’t want to print. It makes it feel like a woodblock print.
Layer 1 is a white background layer.
Layer 2 | Light green
Layer 3 | A light green with a different texture
Layer 4 | a light green to darken some of the areas
Layer 5 | a light blue for softness
Layer 6 | main line layer in blue
Layer 7 | a gradation from blue to green
Layer 8 | A light blue that adds a halo
Layer 9 | the flowers and a bit of shadow inside the bell of the instrument
It looks like that for the time being, the drawings resemble plants and trees. I have discarded several attempts since the last post because knowing I was planning on posting the drawings I tried too hard to be different. I also found myself worried about what my blog viewers might think. And, I don’t know why I let that worry me because my viewers consist of a few close friends.
This small tree is nothing unusual but it was a few moments enjoying the experience with the inner critic turned off.
Tree | pen & ink | 1.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches tall
A Spotted Snake coloring page for use at home or in the classroom. Click on the image to download a pdf file and then print.
Drawing without a preconceived idea is a meditation for me. It puts me in a mental state of tranquility. There is no pressure that the final drawing will result in a work of art. The risk is small because if it doesn’t work the garbage can is right next to my desk. I enjoy watching the lines build and experiencing the discovery during the process. It is relaxing and satisfying.
Once the drawings are finished I have tried to find value in them and other than the experience, but I can’t. I have thought about selling them but placing a monetary value on bits of paper and lines of ink is a challenge that I have yet to achieve. So for now they are just paper and ink. The drawings are an artifact of a moment of peace, calm and relaxation.
Growing | pen & ink | 1.25 inches wide by 6 inches tall
“I know very well that knowledge gained in practice can be only very partially conveyed in words.”
Lewis F. Day | pattern designer
Pattern Design, Dover Publications, Inc., pg vii
“By all means break the rules, and break them beautifully, deliberately and well.”
Robert Bringhurst on the rules of typography from Elements of Typographic Style, pg 10
“This may seem self-evident, but I believe most people have the idea that teaching is essentially about transfering a body of facts of technical information to a student. This of course, is part of teaching, but creating an attitude toward those facts is even more significant.”
Milton Glaser | artist, designer and educator, The Education of a Graphic Designer, edited by Steven Heller, pg 184
“The Blob will glub him.”
The Golux from The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch . . .
I tried to ignore it but discovered that ignoring it wouldn’t make the reality of a mouse in the bedroom go away.
The lights went on.
I quietly stalked the scratching creature, but I am not a good hunter when I am only in my underclothing.
The lights went off.
Moments later, the small creature ran across my chest and over my pillow. “Get up!” I yelled to my wife. “There is a mouse in the bed!”
The lights went on.
Now we were both stalking the creature. My wife saw it first running along the wall. I knew that I would be facing the task of disposing of the creature and looked around for something to use. That is when I saw my winter gloves sitting on my shelf by my bed. I put them on and returned to the hunt.
The mouse ran into our closet and with a little coaxing from Brenda, it ran behind a small set of drawers into my gloved hands. Now what? I didn’t want to kill it but I must be a man in front of my wife. “Squish it ?” I thought as the mouse wiggled inside of my gloved palms. “Throw it into the yard!” said Brenda. With great relief at not needing to sacrifice my male ego, we ran down the hall to the front door. She opened the door, I swung my arms, opened my gloved hands and saw with my own eyes that mice can fly. The small furry dark spot flew into the dark night sky and disappeared.
We both stood there disrobed with the front door wide open, but I wasn’t embarrassed because I was wearing gloves.