I think it is fun to look inside artists sketchbooks, so here is a glimpse into mine for the past two weeks. I worked on developing an alphabet alongside my usual pattern & face doodles. Happy Tuesday Y'all! Here are some of the birds from my "play" time yesterday. The were done with Higgins Waterproof ink & white-out pens. Happy Thursday Y'all!
William Kentridge is an artist I greatly admire. His kinetic drawing style, combined with a sense of whimsy, tackles huge issues, both personal & global, with seeming ease. Kentridge eloquently gets at the heart of art-making with his discussion on the seriousness of play. It is almost as if when you are too distracted by the ART you can't make it, but if you allow yourself some leeway/play the art happens. I hope that you enjoy his work as much as I do & strongly encourage you to watch the longer documentary. It is well worth your time. Happy Wednesday Y'all!
When I was little, despite playing a pipe (flute) my only experience with the word piping was a next door neighbor who smoked a tobacco pipe. It always smelled wonderful. I thought the true love was giving eleven men to perfume the air. It didn't seem like a weird gift to me; especially because of the barnyard smells that would be present with the other gifts, just think of all those birds. Ergo I never questioned it. It wasn't until later when I saw an image depicting the 12 days of Christmas that I realized the song was referring to a musical instrument. But I still like the smell of pipe tobacco smoked outside so, in tribute to my first concept, I present you with the pipers piping pattern. Happy Monday Y'all!
The leaping lords are a jaunty graphic representation that I think would look fun as a repeat on wrapping paper. Their button eyes were the cause of much deliberation, but I think they help the patterns movement, particularly when the overall image is shrunk. Hope y'all on the east coast are staying warm & that if you have to travel are safe. Happy Friday Y'all!
I decided not to draw 8 maids-a-milking today, but still wanted to present the idea. So how do I get at the essence of the story without beating it over the head? Perhaps something like this Maids Milking signage. It is still quite overt, but the bold geometric lines of the Blackout Sunrise font by Tyler Finck constrain the hand-rendered organic pattern. Happy New Year Y'all!
And on the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans-a-swimming etc. While I did not overtly depict water or swimming I think the undulating pattern of the swans neck & back is sufficiently aquatic. Hope the rest of your day
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