Monday, December 14, 2009

IF:Hatch

Click on the image to see it bigger.
This little ink drawing (with a hint of gouache) is my submission to this week's Illustration Friday topic: hatch. I always work very quickly when I draw with ink. Each mark is so definite. You make a line and there it is: black on white, no hiding, no fussing, no second-guessing, no going back. If I didn't have such a strong aversion to cleaning out pen nibs I would draw with ink every day. Curse my laziness!

I spent the better part of today working on this illustration. I'm very happy because I successfully pushed myself over the psychological hump that I like to call, "almost almost finished." This is the stage in each painting where I suddenly see 1) how I want to resolve the image, and 2) exactly how much work will be required to do so. In that instant all of my motivation flies right out the window. So I spent today fighting against my gnat-like attention span, but ultimately getting over the hump so that now I am really, truly and simply "almost finished."

I get a lot of inspiration from my mom's and stepdad's garden. I keep pictures of their dahlias on my desk to use for reference, and to help get me through the winter months.

7 comments:

Indigene said...

You have some amazing work here! Great take on the IF prompt!

Rico said...

Interesting take on the Hatch idea.
Thanks for kind comment on my illo.

Dave said...

I was watching a show on art and religion which showed many of the Egyptian gods rendered as animal/humans. Having seen your work before, I thought of it immediately. I enjoy your drawing.

ArtSparker said...

Oh, the bird woman is lovely. Could I post it on tinytheatre with a link here?

Sally Taylor said...

Really wonderful little illo!

Kaetlyn Wilcox said...

Thanks everyone!

Dave, my bird people series is very much inspired by Egyptian art. I started making these little characters when I was working at a summer arts program, building a faux Egyptian tomb with my middle school students.

ArtSparker,
I'd be honored to have this little bird woman posted and linked on tinytheatre. Of course!

donny* said...

wow. really great!