New busker

Well, I hated to do it, but I had to leave that grid behind. I’m sorry to see it go, but I figured it was time to start defining the shapes from the dark side as well as the light. I’ll go back and forth between them for a bit. It’s a pretty intricate puzzle.

Getting there

With Molly’s help, I'm starting to see the logic of the color application with this medium. It’s a curious mix of putting down certain lights, and then building up from dark to light in other places. I hope I can explain it better when fall semester rolls around.
    Molly thought my main problem was that I wasn’t using the pencils thickly enough.
    I still don’t have the hang of skin tones.

A moon picture is coming soon.

Good golly Miss Molly...

...she sure loves to draw! Molly is my very dear friend who, in addition to being my partner in crime for many adventures, was and will always be one of my drawing teachers. Every year, Molly comes up to my house (we live a little ways apart) and we sit and catch up and draw for the day. She is coming this week, and because of Covid, we are masking and drawing outside, but at least we still get to do it!
    Last year, I was envying Molly's illustrations in colored pencil for a book of poetry about bugs that that she has been working on. Molly is a master drawer and illustrator. I'm pretty sure that statement included the sentence "I wish I could do that". Molly looked up and said, ok, here! Try it! And she proceeded to give me a lesson.
    This time, since I made the (hopefully not rash) decision to assign colored pencils for my ARTS 101 classes this fall, I'm going into our session prepared with my recent efforts so she can help me figure out where I'm going wrong, and a new drawing that I can work on under her supervision.
    The new one is another little sketch I did of the Wheatland Music Festival kid buskers. This guy helped himself to one of our folding chairs in front of our tent and started strumming away. He was playing with all his heart, but wasn't really making any chords. So, to save my sanity, I went over and taught him how to play an e minor chord. It made a big difference in the atmosphere around our tent, I can tell you that.
    The colored one is my practice attempt on copy paper. Molly will have her teaching work cut out for her!

Our Tubman Banner

At least it's not green anymore

       

    

    In the last post, the moon looked green because of optical mixing of the application of yellow over the blue background.  Now, a couple of layers later, the moon is starting to shine. 

     Talk about an exercise in figure/ground! Every time I sit down, I negotiate the lines between them. I think I will miss how this grid looks on the dark parts. I'll have to see if there is a reason to keep them.

     

     In the meantime, I shortened her left arm, and the elbow isn't quite right yet. I may have to break down and get out a mirror to model for myself.

Starting Layers

I know, I know. The moon looks green so far. It's just because there is some optical mixing of the blue in the background and the yellow I applied over it. It will get better! 

The Tubman Exhibit is Up!

Well, in spite of heat in the 90's, all 18 decals are up and looking good. It took my partner and me (the excellent Carrie Weis, director of the Ferris Fine Art Gallery) three days to get the job done. Let's just say we learned a lot about decals in the process. Here are a few nuggets: vinyl stretches out of shape in extreme heat, a squeegee is a wonderful application tool, and a few bubbles are ok, since they can usually be erased with a straight pin and a nice soft cloth. 

    I think Carrie is going to post an online show on the Ferris Gallery website (Facebook page, maybe?). If she does, I will pass along a link.

    Carrie got the idea for this project started with her "She Persisted" theme in honor of the centennial of the 19th Amendment in the U.S., (women's right to vote). Then I got hooked up with Voca Lyrica, our local women's choir, because they were doing The Journey of Harriet Tubman by Ron Kean this season. The two combined to make this project happen. 

    I'm really happy that in a time that there is so much upheaval in my country, my students were able to create images that celebrate a truly persistent African American hero, Harriet Tubman. Harriet spent her adult life helping others and never gave up finding ways to do it. I reckon if we all took a page from her book, the world would be a better place.

Size Matters

     

     Well, I lived with this for a bit, and the size of the guy's face bothered me, even though I could justify it proportionally. So, I've been fussing with it on and off for the last week. I think I like it better. He looks older, more like a dad.

Mapping the Moon