Last week I explained how I create an idea from the very beginning. This week I actually put it into practice. With the Sacred Threads Art Show deadline 7 weeks away, I really need to get my act together. Of course, after the year I've had, sometimes I forget where my act actually is so I can get it together. Luckily I found some creativity I had squirred away for a rainy day and the design is well on its way.
 |
| Red and Orange Streak, OKeefe |
#2 Research - I spent a long afternoon researching different ideas and inspirations I had saved on Pinterest. Honestly, I really think they should rename that site The Rabbit Hole since I open it up, and the next thing you know days hours have passed. For this project, I studied how other artists interrupted praise. It was all curves and radiating compositions which fits me fine! Plus they are all drama, drama, drama. Perfect!! The more I looked the more I kept coming back to Georgia OKeefe's Red and Orange Streak. Not only does it have a fitting composition Cruciform Structure (yeah just a fancy way of saying cross shape) but it's all about the drama! So I stole that and went from there.
#3 Design - Now here is where things get dicey. Once I have the initial idea, I do most of my designing on paper. It's readily available, comes in lots of sizes, easy to draw on and trace through, and most importantly easy to EARASE. With tracing paper you can add in elements, take out elements and layer them pretty easily. So that's what I did! Here are some of the trials....
Cross With Lady
It's a beginning ...but I'm not keen on the way the line breaks up her tummy plus how quiet the upper left hand corner is
Add Another Lady
Too much Lady - losing the Cross (Paul said Nina she's too big- oops he's right)
Lady and Little Lady
Well this helps but I have no idea what I'm going to do with little lady's chopped off legs - that just looks weird. It could be worked into the a pieced background. With this - I'm losing the cross composition which really should be the star of the piece - Scrapped this idea
Cross, Lady and Circle
This was just one trial of many, many circle ideas. Honestly I do think that a circle still could be worked into this design but maybe as a secondary element in a pieced background. I'm thinking with the primary composition less is more.
Cross, Lady, Rays
Now this I like...First of all who doesn't like rays coming down from Heaven to shine on a Praise lady (grin). Secondly, composition wise it gives a push and pull to the curve without taking over the piece. This one I'm keeping.
Those are only a few of the ideas that I tried getting to the end composition. Many of them were scrapped and some went into the trash. With tracing paper though it was harmless and a lot cheaper than doing it with fabric.
Want more on how to evaluate a composition??? You can find posts Here and Here!
What's Next? Value studies and palette/fabric choices
On this Week's Edition of Things I Like.... One Expensive .... One Cheap
After watching me wrestle with my old laptop, my husband very kindly bought me a new Dell Inspiron 15 (not for Christmas - just because I deserved it!) It's been 7 years since my last upgrade and OMGosh I'm in heaven. It's so much faster which makes editing and writing this blog a breeze. It keeps up with my fast internet so I can get things done so much quicker. I love Windows 11 - much more than Windows 10. I find where things are innately. Plus the apps it came with are really what I
need...especially the To-Do App...love it! The built in webcam isn't the best but it's fine for my purposes.
Finally under the category of "It's the Simple Things" for all this paper work I broke out my favorite erasure, Pentel Clic Eraser. I discovered this baby in 1984 in the Syracuse University Bookstore. and as a freshman engineer student I thought it was coolest thing ever. Nearly 40 years later, I still love them. The eraser is perfect for when you want to erase just what you want to erase. Not to mention it doesn't smear and ages well without drying out Plus it's easy to store with your other pencils. Anyways for $5 it makes my life easier!
So What Are You Up To Creatively?
4 comments:
Thank you Nina-Marie for sharing your creative path. I'm glad I'm not the only one who start the process with pencil and paper. I agreed with you about the pinterest, I've been down the rabbit hole many times. :-)
You're making great progress with that piece (she commented, writing on her Dell Inspiron 15 (March 2021 version)... But I have to say that...um...there's what's known as a 'tangent' between the lady's arms and the horizontal top lines...and it rather looks like she's hanging there. Just a thought...
OMG Margaret - you're right - as I beat my head against my studio table. Here I came in here to do value studies - but ohhh nooo - back to composition - lol~! Thanks!!
You're welcome! I think that sometimes we get so focused, so close to a piece, that something like this takes another pair of eyes to notice. Don't damage your forehead! It'll all work out!
Post a Comment