Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Three Graces - 2

Work today has been relaxed, but constant.I'm at the very beginning of a long project and I've learned from previous occasions where I've launched into dotting too soon and made a mistake. This time I'm trying to dot a few more 'i's' and cross a few more 'T's before I go on. I've finalised four out of the six figures that will appear in the picture. This sketch (below) I produced last night...no prizes for guessing who this chap is in a rather familiar pose...once he has his trademark star pattern, he'll sit much further back in the picture.

I wanted the uprights (I don't know their proper name) on the chair to be more ornate...my Grandma used to have a set like the one I've sketched here, so I've drawn on my memory for the details.
Once the tracing had been applied to the page, I began to work on the first Grace's face. I was initially quite pleased with this effort having rendered the kind of mouth I wanted. But as I lay in bed last night desperately trying to get to sleep, I thought more and more about weather I wanted her eyes to be down cast or looking at the viewer. There is a very good argument for them looking down as you will discover at a later date, but I thought I'd work more towards looking at the viewer.

Without changing the attitude of the lips at all, I raised her eyes and immediately got a different expression...actually if truth be known, I thought her to be a little too 'sweet'. but I decided to run with the idea and see how I could develop it.



by changing the hair style,I thought to add a little more seriousness...it didn't work.By the way, I neglected to tell you that she is the 'Tennis girl' from way back in the picture called 'Games' I wondered weather to be realistic and giver her hair that a woman player would style if she were about to play. I think I've decided not to feel that I should, as she's posing not playing.you can also see the outline of her ear which at one point was exposed.


Going back to have a look at the original Tennis girl in 'Games'..I noted her hair was fairly plain. I've been remembering advice given to me by a lecturer at Art school who told me when producing illustrations to give my characters hair and costumes that could not be found any other way other than making them specially. that way I could introduce originality into my work. I will bear this in mind as I toss and turn in my bed tonight before starting the dotting on her hair.

If she wasn't 'sweet' enough already, I found myself adding a bow to her hair...I almost like it. So there you have it...my days work is by no means over,I'll continue to refine this bit......If I arrive at anything definite, I'll po'st again.

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