Vanitas 27 update (04-22-2021)

 Just finished working on peaches (well, almost). Now moving onto the fabric.

Vanitas 27 update (03-27-2021)

This is what the drawing looks like today. I finally made up my mind about the treatment of the background. The original reference photo has just a plain gray background and I found it kind of boring. Then I discovered another photograph of a wall I took in Venice that will work perfectly with this piece. It is very similar to the one I have used for 2 of my Vanitas drawings but from a different location. What would I do without Venice?

New Vanitas drawing started

I started a new drawing for my Vaniras series. This is Vanitas 27. This is another mixed media drawing of graphite and colored pencils just like Vanitas 25, only there will be more colored pencil elements in it. This is the 4th piece coming out of a reference photo shoot with a model. As far as the number of art works coming out of a single photo session goes, this is very unusual. It just proves that my model Ms. M was so inspiring. I am visualizing this drawing to be about 16" x 18", and it will take another month or so to finish.

Vanias 26 finished! (01-13-2021)

Today I finished the drawing "Vanitas 26". I decided not to add any detail or texture to the falling feather. Better that way because it visually unites the blank feather with her face where her eye is absent, and the lack of texture creates an illusion of "glow" as if the light from above went through it and hit her face. Initially I was thinking about working on a wider composition, almost square with lots more feathers floating in the air, but I decided to take a minimalist approach drawing only one feather. I think my decision was sound. Why do you need to use a whole bunch of the same stuff when you can say what you want to say even more effectively with just one?

 

Vanitas 25 update (12-27-2020)

I have been working on this newest piece that is going to become "Vanitas 25". I am reusing the background I had used for "Vanitas 22" for this one. I just love the texture of the wall and I thought I could take an extra mileage out of it. I was also inspired by the fact that Kent Bellows used the same backgrounds for multiple pieces.