This year I'm going to be more pro-active with my website to keep everyone informed with what I've done, why I've done it and what I plan to do.
The drawing here was for a client's boyfriend for Christmas. She wanted a black and white illustration, but only her lips were to be in color. She thought a red mat would look great with the picture to bring out her stunning lips. I liked the result. I don't usually combine color with the black and white because they are two completely different mediums that are not easily blended together. Sometimes the color makes the black and white part too dull and washed out, but in this case, just a little bit worked.
I always enjoy drawing denim clothing. It brings out more detail and makes the illustration come to life. Wrinkles and other folds in clothing is usually cake to draw, but denim, with all of the seams, bleached fabric and snaps, holes, etc. makes denim more of a challenge and more interest to the illustration.
The other challenge I had with this illustration was the angle in which her boyfriend's head was positioned. Some might think it would be easier because you don't see all of his features on his face. But the truth is, it's much more difficult to draw someone at an angle that we don't usually see them at. The proportions can be very tricky and can easily make the person look very distorted.
One thing I've learned, over the years of illustrating, is that if you want to make a drawing look good and stand out, is to have a lot of contrast. Most pencil illustrations that don't look very good are the ones that look washed out. The illustrator might have the drawing in perfect proportions and a beautiful subject and capture everything just right, but if there isn't bright whites and deep dark blacks, the drawing will fall short of being a beautiful masterpiece.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and hopefully you'll look forward to reading future blogs from me. I would love to hear any comments you might have.
The drawing here was for a client's boyfriend for Christmas. She wanted a black and white illustration, but only her lips were to be in color. She thought a red mat would look great with the picture to bring out her stunning lips. I liked the result. I don't usually combine color with the black and white because they are two completely different mediums that are not easily blended together. Sometimes the color makes the black and white part too dull and washed out, but in this case, just a little bit worked.
I always enjoy drawing denim clothing. It brings out more detail and makes the illustration come to life. Wrinkles and other folds in clothing is usually cake to draw, but denim, with all of the seams, bleached fabric and snaps, holes, etc. makes denim more of a challenge and more interest to the illustration.
The other challenge I had with this illustration was the angle in which her boyfriend's head was positioned. Some might think it would be easier because you don't see all of his features on his face. But the truth is, it's much more difficult to draw someone at an angle that we don't usually see them at. The proportions can be very tricky and can easily make the person look very distorted.
One thing I've learned, over the years of illustrating, is that if you want to make a drawing look good and stand out, is to have a lot of contrast. Most pencil illustrations that don't look very good are the ones that look washed out. The illustrator might have the drawing in perfect proportions and a beautiful subject and capture everything just right, but if there isn't bright whites and deep dark blacks, the drawing will fall short of being a beautiful masterpiece.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and hopefully you'll look forward to reading future blogs from me. I would love to hear any comments you might have.
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