Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Serenity #6

Woohoo!!! Sixth time is a charm. A couple of posts ago I shared a few previous versions of this same pose. I really liked number four but it was looking a little too realistic and also looked way too much like my red-headed step-child. Really. Not that she wasn't adorable at that age, but she's become a beautiful, grown woman and can no longer pose for me as Serenity. Plus, if I do a children's book with her as the star, I will stress about creating at least 3 more books starring the other kids. 

On Monday I came up with the version below. While you look at it I'm going to look away and wince. I think it's really bad. (Her hair looks like a perm from the late 70s.)
I'm sharing because I believe in the golden rule. I like to see the flubs of illustrators I admire. It makes me feel like anything is possible if you just keep at it, so I'm treating you the way I like to be treated. 

Instead of getting upset that I had lost about three hours of my life, I laid out all five versions and noted what I liked and didn't like about each of them. I then returned to the drawing board and did the sketch for the one that you see on top. 

I did the sketch on drawing paper because when I move to bristol paper or canvas I can get a little tense and it shows in the drawing. I went over the pencil lines with a micron pen and then applied a thin layer of gesso to the back and front of the drawing. I could still see the image through the gesso, thank goodness! phew! I painted her Tuesday in acrylics and though it's a painting on drawing paper and may not last for a thousand years. I'm okay with it. I'm okay with it until I decide to do #7.

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