When I cut down watercolor paper to make a painting I always save the scrap pieces. After years of this there is a pretty nice stash of tiny watercolor paper pieces built up in my drawer, and while they may only be a couple inches wide, they do come in handy. Sometimes the bits and pieces become splash-sheets for color testing while I paint, and sometimes they become mini-paintings or sketches, like so:
I made this little lady yesterday after deciding to pull out a painting material that I haven’t used for a long time: diluted ink washes! This is a medium that I love, but mysteriously haven’t employed since the early days of art school. I pulled out a little jar with completely dried up ink residue, re-constituted it with some water, then spent a pleasant afternoon experimenting. She is 2.5″ wide by 7″ tall, and I admit it, a bit of influence from the A Song of Ice and Fire series seems to be creeping in here. What can I say, she’s medieval.
Just a quick little doodle to loosen up between assignments. The Boston area is absolutely glorious in the fall – there are so many wild colors out on the trees, it’s Autumn Glam. Right now the end of the season is near, and leaves are falling in clouds of color with every small breeze. Soon there will be a chill in the air and it will be time to break out the mittens!
P.S: bonus points to anyone who can tell from this post what series I’m reading right now.
Just a quick little picture for the recent Illustration Friday. The prompt was Gesture, and – appropriately – I stumbled upon a quote this week about how a painting is a gesture that has been preserved… or so. Unfortunately I’m misremembering the quote when I write this, but I’ll make a point to find it and post the correct quote and source here in the future.
There’s certainly been a hush around here for the past few months, but for good reason. My blog may have been quiet, but I’ve been very busy!
First of all, last month I completed my second ever cross-country move. Goodbye, San Francisco, hello Cambridge! Goodbye delicious artisanal coffee, incredible fresh produce, and smelly Muni buses (oh, how I weep for those first two); hello dramatic summer thunderstorms, lovely fall leaves, and cold snowy days! Goodbye summer sweaters; hello again, airy summer dresses! You get the picture.
This is a very welcome change, and it feels like a clean slate and a fresh start for both myself and my art. I’m so ready for it! One of the greatest changes is previewed below:
HELLO, STUDIO!!!
Sorry, I got a little excited there. For the first time post-college, I have my own room in which to work. I’m nesting in, transforming it into a warm and welcoming creative haven, but it’s still got a ways to go. Right now I’ll only let you peek at one corner of it above – my library and drawing table. It’s all quite a work in progress, but rest assured, it will be beautiful, and I can’t wait to share more in a future post.
And now for the second piece of news:
Dara and I are engaged!!! This happened in late May, but I’m still giddy at the thought. It’s a big step forward that both of us are so excited for (I mean, we’ve been together for almost seven years!). He’s busy attending the graduate acting program at the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard, which is why we relocated; I’m so proud of him, and excited for our future together! Our wedding isn’t for a year, but my mind is already wrapped up in white silk, peachy flowers, and wedding garlands. ♥
Enjoy the summer, everyone! I’ll be back soon with some new art to share.
Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle
Lately I have been engrossed in my first ever Dickens novel, The Pickwick Papers, and what a treat it is! Work and other interferences have made it a very long read for me, and most recently it has been set aside (at chapter 51 of 53 – almost there!) while I indulged in a little drawing of three of the characters.
It’s a very different novel than I had initially thought it would be, mostly because it is completely hilarious - Dara can attest to my frequent giggle fits while reading. At the time it was written Dickens intended this serial novel to be a satire of popular men’s clubs of the day, and it follows one such fictional group – The Pickwick Club – and the adventures of four of its (often bumbling) members. Here are Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle (who you should never take hunting with you! See above). Mr. Pickwick himself may show up in a future drawing, and maybe the delightful Sam Weller too, but first things first: time to finish the book!
