Kismet Arts Tangent

This is my mock-up for my final in drawing class. The assignment: to illustrate narrative (we had the choice of five different short stories and poems. I chose this.) Today in class we met in groups and gave a little feedback to each other. It’s always a little intimidating (I am sure I intimidated someone, too) when we talk about works in progress. A lot of us in class had ideas for pop-up features, movable parts and overarching concepts. How will it look with a sea you can move with a string or a wheel revealing changing moons? I am going to love pouring over these accordion books when all is said and done. This is one of the more challenging and open-ended assignments we’ve had so far The choice of materials, audience, interpretation, length, depth, etc. I’m feeling that look of concern from my mental Tim Gunn. “Are you trying to put too much in this design? Think about time. Make it work!” I loved talking to Claire about my direction. She said she liked it, but play with shifting scale more and also consider the movement in the lower area. My book is going to have an element stretch onto all of the pages. I thought of my accordion book as a musical piece and she was referring to the countermelody underlying my motif to keep it interesting and flowing forward. I have been thinking a lot about how all of the little details I am learning about design and imagining how each art, music, writing, light design have their own bag of tricks, principles and mantras. “Think about scale and positioning” is one of ours (at least that’s what Jill would have me think).

Update 12-10:

I inked all the lines for the book. Now what’s left is coloring. (I have heard some say that it’s better to color and then line because you can correct errors a  from the coloring process, but I think the contrast of the line from the paper prevents those little errors in the first place.)

Update 12-14:

I colored these this yesterday using colorific markers and added water to them to give them the watercolor look. At first I regretted that I didn’t use straight up watercolors because the markers left stroke lines, but I was surprised by the watercolor paper’s ability to soak up water. Due to the marker ink being washable, the ink moves around after drying (Just add water!) while my black waterproof ink stayed in place.

Update 12-15: Covers (Title in french because I liked the way it rhymed.)

I made this series of illustrations for the Yoks book of the year as a Christmas present to Dan. I used watercolor paper (in a spiral bound book) and nib and ink as well as some grey washes and some small marker work. I know he will love it in all its imperfections (and cuteness).

I had a lot of fun making the other thing, so much that I thought I’d make another. It wasn’t as successful in terms of random doodling fun, but I like my fishes and yeah… That’s what happens sometimes when you try too hard.

Combining my doodles into a thing. The Hexa-window adds a bit of structure, I think. I was inspired by this painting.

Today, I spent a couple of hours (as per a drawing class assignment) drawing heads. I was at a coffeeshop earlier (yeah, there were a couple open this family food day) and all I had to draw with– other than a thick sharpie– was a papermate ballpoint pen. Something that I will do thumbnails with, but little more. I drew quiet Mike’s portrait– he was a good sitter– and I liked it. I liked the pen and the texture and the smoothness of it once I got started. I liked it, so fluid, and I told it where to go. I went home and listened to The Slip and other musicians of that ilk and drew for a while.