In Progress Art

This is my first large scale litho crayon drawing from my series. It's about 20" by 24" or something like that. I'll have to measure it later, lol. This is an Afrocentric woman all ready to be in the throes of love with her shirtless beau. I'm still working on this one, wanting to push the values even more and wanting to figure out how to incorporate text. One person suggested that I take the actual novels and cross out words like "pale white skin," "rosy apple cheeks," and other phases. But how would that correlate with the drawings?
Most people favor the drawings when comparing them to the paintings. I think its due to the textural quality of the Arches paper. The format reminds them of novel pages. My instructor and another student agreed that the drawing seems much more thought out and organized.
I'm looking and researching the Marie Antoinette period (heck no! I'm not watching the Kirsten Dunst film at all) to inspire the fashions of my characters. The ostentatiously rich, Rococo seems like the ideal place to start.






This is unfinished obviously.
Here is this beautiful woman with these flowing dreadlocks anticipating the kiss of her handsome African soldier. My hands were growing tired with the litho crayon at this point. The pencils go down way too fast. Unpeeling the paper to uncover more pencil was getting extremely tedious, especially when the lead just falls right out. Keep in mind that it was almost midnight and I was also doing this drawing right after that first one.
Hahahaha!!!! Look, that picture of me and James is up on my studio wall. On some days, by looking at it gives me inspiration when I'm feeling blue, defeated or at a loss. :D

Painting number one is very colorful, but in desperate need of a lot of work. Her knee looks to be way too long. Hahahahahaha!!!!! It was so funny when my instructor said that her breasts were going out of the wrong direction in her extremely tight corset. My man's hand is crippled, but I swear it'll be repaired. I'm not good with hands so I asked a drawing teacher's advice. She said that I could give the girl a hanky and have the man put his hands in his pockets. Wow!
I think I should definitely do that.


I hate this painting!!!!! Grr!!!!!! It didn't come out the way I had hoped and prayed for. Not that I was doing this as I painted. Yet I could have since I had no easel and this was propped against the floor. Then again, I did all of these artworks on the floor. It's the best place for me to work!
No one seemed to like this one either. The first one was applauded for the color usage. This one not so much. It needs a lot of surgery. That's for sure. I loved the hairstyle I was trying to create though. She has this dreadlock updo with feathers in there. The man's face and his left shoulder are also the most interesting aspects of the painting. Other than that, a total bomb.




This is the most successful painting so far. I'm enjoying this one the most. Blowing up the novel cover and tracing it was much better and less time consuming than freehanded painting. I look at the other two, dreading to go back to fix all of the inaccuracies. With this painting, I'm having her have a large, regal braided hairstyle with lots of flowers woven in the do. Unfortunately, I ran out of brown and black paint, but I will darken up his skin, create more fuzzy texture in his hair, and finish the background.
And I had better finish these five pieces plus another drawing by next Thursday's small group critique. That is the outrageous goal I have set for myself. And I don't think I'll have sleep until winter break starts.
Sigh!
Six weeks down. Nine more to go.