Monday, January 25, 2010

Work in progress

Ok, this is the first thing out of what I've been working on that I think I like...so far, anyway. I'm going to add in something else of the diagram persuasion and see how that goes. It's on watercolor paper (Fabriano hot press, if you're curious) so I have some options for how to do that. And you know me, I can never just draw something and leave it alone - it has to have something strange layered over the top.

I'm very curious to hear what you all think...I'm not totally sure what I think yet because it's something new for me. I'm still working with line quality and line weights so I think it's still very related to my other pencil pieces in that sense. But like I said, I'm nervous about using the figure and I'm trying really hard to keep this from being so cutesy/pretty/fashion-model-y as the work I keep seeing and don't really care for. I'm hoping to give subjects in my work something to do because I don't feel a connection to work that has pretty girls just...sitting around looking pretty (if that makes sense). So I've compiled some reference material with things like putting on a scarf or hat (as here), sewing, cutting fabric, etc. and to me they're things that suggest "doing" - going outside, creating, and things like that.

3 comments:

freshlychopped said...

i LOVE this! please keep going in this direction - very nice. : )

belinda marshall said...

it's so clean and beautiful ~ and i love what you do with layers.
i share your view on the pretty girls!! am sure your girls will have integrity and character and still be beautiful :)

Janelle said...

Thanks, Leah and Belinda! It's a relief to get some feedback on something I've been mulling over for several weeks. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got :)

But it sounds like you guys see where I'm trying to go here. It's so challenging for me to try and include the figure but not seem objectifying in some way. I'm more interested in a subject as a way to think about her (my) thoughts and feelings and not just as something that is there to be looked at. And it just feels more natural to use a female character because I'm female and that's how I relate to the world.

That was long! Anyway, thanks a bundle! :)