8/10/08

Gracefully Awkward




I took a visit to the Toledo Zoo last week and brought along my sketchbooks and assortment of drawing materials to study the animals.  The pictures posted are from my trip to the Maryland Zoo a few months ago--I still haven't documented a bunch of my recent work lately.  As for any zoo, I enjoy seeing the big cats, as well as the zebras and elephants, but it's always the giraffes that catch my eye and keep my attention.  They have an awkward air to themselves--shy and curious, lanky yet surefooted, an immense weight that balances on long, thin legs. I find them interesting to draw because they maintain an unequaled balance of grace and character.  I hope to incorporate these aspects into a narrative in the future. . .

8/2/08

The Drawbacks of Being a Procrastinating Perfectionist


So I've been working on a mural in the basement for quite some time now. My mother commissioned me to do a sort of "Arts and Crafts/Mission Style" piece about 2 months ago.  She has a tile from Motawi Tileworks that she really likes so I decided on using that for my inspiration.  Realistically I should have finished the whole thing in 10 days if I was really putting in the 2+ hours a day that would be perfectly reasonable for a project like that.  But no.  And now I've been trying to get it done before the construction workers come by next week.  Cement wall + bad adhesion + primer + paint = well, bad adhesion.  Crisp lines are essential for this style and with the painters tape pulling off little flakes of paint each time I use it, I've had to abandon that method and try several others, none of which are working.  So I've resorted to correcting the edges freehand, which is difficult considering I'm 5'4 and working on a 6+ foot high mural on a 9 foot high wall.  You just can't get the greatest continuity of line balancing on a step stool with a can of paint in one hand and a foam sponge in the other.  Alas, here I am--pulling out my hair and trying to come out with an end result I won't despise.  I'll post a photo when it's finally finished.