So, last couple Marathon’s I made a big deal about getting 100 in a day. But honestly; I don’t really do ink drawings any more? Like simple pen line, or anything monochromatic. I fished out the dip pens last year because I wanted speed to be the essence.
But the truth is, my line drawing had degenerated into spaghetti – because it only exists as a framework for color shapes.
I just love how you have infinite colors in the tiny paint box.
You know why I started with watercolor? Back in first year of Illustration school, they told us to go buy a set of 100 markers. I took one look at the price (and that was 40 years ago!) and said; no way. I’m not buying all these colors! Especially markers. You don’t click the cap down and five bucks worth of marker dries out in your bag.
How many of you have taken watercolors to figure drawing class? You know those timed poses? 3,5,10 minutes. If you don’t work fast, you won’t get accidental blending. And if you don’t have a time limit (like trying to get 33.3r drawings in one day) then you always slow down. (Because you think it makes your drawings better :)
I used to say ‘work one shape a time, so it stays wet and blends’ – but I think it’s more like 1.5 shapes at a time. Start the next one just a little bit too soon, so you can choose – wet-on-dry, vs, wet-on-damp. A hard edge, vs. a chance to blend.
Who’s your favorite today? I have to like the Urban Cowboy, The nurse who didn’t like me looking at her. Or the subway cop who definitely saw me acting suspicious. There is a whole generation of subway cops in Montreal who grew up playing Assassins’ Creed. They love the tied back hair and Viking beard :)
