The crow is the perfect subject — so many personalities and stories. Most important, drawing a crow is low stress and it’s pretty quick to do one. So far, I’ve drawn crows with brushes and ink, a brayer and straight pan pastel. I think I can stick with it.
It’s the start of something. Namely, taking one subject and doing it as many ways as I can possibly stand. Combining different materials — always with pan pastels. Working with different colors, kinds of lines, shapes, textures. Different formats, compositions, techniques, combining different techniques.
I like the exploration process. A shrug of the shoulder and a smile gets me started. Then, it’s just-keep-going with layer upon layer.
This week — batching and working in stages. Start with backgrounds, add a crow in ink. Let ink dry, make a sandwich, take Charlie for a walk. Return, finish these four with pan pastels. Look how I finished all these birds in one session.
Working with opposites seems to be the secret sauce —
Which tools will reveal a layer below, which will destroy? What materials give me soft edges, which hard? What gives line qualities, what changes them? If my first image is in low key, the second will be in high key. If everything is highly saturated (think Les Fauves and Phillip Burke), the next will be barely there (think Edwin Dickinson).
At this point, I want to be open with other ideas for picture making. I’m keeping tracking of what I’m doing, of course, but this approach feels like the antidote to overthinking.
On my way to compiling an encyclopedia of new ways of approaching something — all with some pastel in the mix.
A closer look:
Influenced by color study of Ben Shahn’s picture, 1946 Hunger (see last week’s post). Sumi ink under painting.
