"Charlie Bear," A Portrait (Mixed Media play #2)

"Charlie Bear"
Mixed Media
9" by 12"

A Surprise

This is the second mixed media play project I started a couple of weeks ago. I didn't share it right away, as I decided that it worked out well enough to be a belated birthday gift, and, of course, the birthday girl got the first look. ;-)

Process

I found the layering of the colored pencil, india ink, and paint paints to be freeing. I'd like to try making an image like this again of a person or animal a bit more abstractly, but with the same varied surfaces, from implied textures, to somewhat flattened patterning, and soft colored pencil color transitions.

Detail: "Charlie Bear" 

Detail: "Charlie Bear" This is a nice point to show how the different mediums and implied textures came together.

Next

I have a couple of abstract mixed media test pieces to share with you all. I just pulled out the papers, pens, and acrylic paints and had at it. I was more pleased with the process when I started the second piece with collaging paper rather than swishes of paint. 

Scribble Drawing Joy

9" by 12"
Mixed Media

This started out the other day, when I decided it had been too long since I just played when creating. I started out with a few squiggles, just expressive marks I made with an india ink brush pen and a colored pencil and from there I just kept going. I wanted to try paint pens and colored pencils together. Slowly a story created itself and time lost me. I'm really happy with the playful image that I ended up creating. I think it gave me ideas about mixed media play and free drawing from my head. In short, I must make this a regular habit.

The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog

The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog Illustration
This image is based on the Aesop's fable of the same name. I played around with several compositions and decided to go with this version because it shows a moment that involves all three characters.

The Aesop's Fable:

The Fox, the Cock and the Dog One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a farmer's hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up beyond his reach. "Good news, good news!" he cried. "Why, what is that?" said the Cock. "King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast may hurt a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together in brotherly friendship." "Why, that is good news," said the Cock; "and there I see some one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings." And so saying he craned his neck forward and looked afar off. "What is it you see?" said the Fox. "It is only my master's Dog that is coming towards us. What, going so soon?" he continued, as the Fox began to turn away as soon as he had heard the news. "Will you not stop and congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal peace?" "I would gladly do so," said the Fox, "but I fear he may not have heard of King Lion's decree." 

Cunning often outwits itself.

My Composition
I used the composition to create a sense of tension and threat, but the textures and the fox and rooster's expressions should offset that with playfulness. The viewer's eyes progressively move through the image as the story unfolds. The fox arrives first in the narrative and he appears here with the most vibrant chroma (color) and the most dynamic shaping/intentional distortion. The rooster who is pinned in by the fox and sits within the image at an active angle takes second precedence as it leads our eyes to the threatening though most subtle creature in the composition the dog.

Life Drawing - Experimenting

Graphite and Colored Pencil
Cropped In a Bit (All you are missing is a few pillows. ;))

Circumstances
Yesterday I got a chance to do some life drawing again. I didn't realize how much I missed the frustration and peace of creating an image in a focused drawing session. Two weeks in a row I've gotten to do some life drawing; life can be good. So, I'm sharing my experimental drawing. :)

Technique
Well, this is the first time I've used colored pencil over a graphite drawing. The drawing ended up with rather high keyed values because I didn't want the colors to get too muddied by the graphite.

The model had a dramatic red violet wash of hair around her face, so I couldn't leave the drawing with some touches of color. I think the partially developed color gives the drawing a bit of drama. Not my best life drawing, but interesting. :)

P. S. There was a cow mooing randomly, out in a nearby field, as we were drawing. We had a sort of roll up door about 15 feet wide open to the beautiful day. Don't they moo when they are hungry? I'm still not sure. Though I've heard them moo as they were watching a truck deliver their food. Anyhow, we were all discussing this in spurts as it would moo in the most serious moments. Imagine furrowed brows, and a group of mostly older men (save me the only young woman beside the model) drawing a pretty women. But our discussion about it made the model– I can't remember her name– break her pose in a chuckle. :)

Some Sketching

Well, not much has been updated here in awhile. I have been busy, very busy with writing mostly. In between writing and applications I did do some sketching. Mostly I sketch with colored pencils now. There are two different colors in all of these, though the lighter blue doesn't get picked up by my scanner. Here are a few examples of drawings from life.


Yes, that page is supposed to be sideways, those feet were in an odd position.


The tractor was completely covered in rust.

Well, that gives you some visuals to enjoy. I hope you enjoy them!

Idea Building

These are a few thumbnails I've done for an idea I've been playing with for a full illustration.

It was built on an image I took from an old cemetary I visited in Pennsylvannia. The statue's weathering made it feel more human in an odd way, I wanted to pair it with a real person and show some tension.

These are just a couple compositional variations.

I hope you enjoy them!

Just a test...

I just put this up on my other blog. I might import this blogspot to replace it. This should be easier to follow. ;) If you want to see the fuller post, check out this link: http://www.ambergoulet.com/ambers-blog