Saturday, May 23, 2009

Making Sense

I'm still playing with pen and ink.  I want to make a whole series of drawings and find an authentic style in this medium.  My goal is to create a black and white vocabulary that I could use for spot illustrations and any other b&w illustration-y purposes that might arise.  Oh, and in case you're just tuning in, I'm a fine artist trying to branch out into illustration.  

Here's another experiment that I messed around with on Thursday:
In my view, this one is headed in the right direction away from the horror that was troll girl, and toward something interesting.  At least it's not hideous.  But it's still contrived, fussy and awkward.  I was obviously trying too hard.  So I regrouped, looked around, and came up with this:
Not quite finished (I still want to create a more in-depth narrative), but I feel like I'm finally onto something.  

It's an interesting problem to try to break into a new medium specifically for the sake of using that medium.  Usually my choice of materials is directed by the image that I'm creating, so there's always a good, natural reason for my choice, and the finished piece makes sense.  That's really what I'm trying to accomplish in these experiments–to create something that makes sense as a pen and ink drawing.  Otherwise I would just be making a poor man's substitute for a painting.    

My next self-assigned challenge is going to be to illustrate part of a specific text.  

4 comments:

流浪汉 瑜伽 Yoga Tramp said...

nice art n creative birds, y u like birds so much ? do u practise yoga everyday ?

Kaetlyn Wilcox said...

Yoga Tramp,
thanks for reading:) I like birds because they're such open-ended symbols. I see them as symbols of simultaneous domesticity (pairing, nest-building, caring for young) and freedom (flight). Also as symbols for voice (bird song). I also like how they are a part of my everyday life. Their songs wake me up in the morning. I see them skipping and flying around everywhere I go, even if I'm walking in the city.

I WISH I practiced yoga every day. Right now I'm only practicing 2 times a week.

Cheers,
Kaetlyn

Unknown said...

Of course I am super happy that you are experimenting with pen and ink. It's my very favourite medium ever. I like the lines in the first piece, especially on her face, near the eyes. The second is taking a more graphic path~I like that too. I know what you mean by contrived, and working too hard on something, I have felt that before in my art. From an outsider though, both of these pieces are wonderful.

流浪汉 瑜伽 Yoga Tramp said...

me car accident, michael past away
我车祸, Michael走了