This blog has gone far too long without an image. I don't think I noticed too quickly because I was uploading so many images - and kept forgetting that they're all in my other blog!
Anyway this post goes some way to remedying the dearth of images over here.
These are Rainer Cherries which I drew this weekend from life - which means no photos, no tracing, no elliptical tools to aid drawing - and yes I know there's something a little odd about the plate but I rather like that! ;) It's 11" x 14" in size and I used coloured pencil on Arches Hot Press paper.
What makes this drawing work for me is the colour of the background - as soon as I started putting it in the cherries started looking much better. Up until that point the colours had looked really surreal because - bottom line - they really are that colour. I'm not sure I shouldn't have had an even larger quantity of background 'dullness' to balance out the intensity of colour in the cherries.
Try envisaging it (a) without the background and (b) with even more background - what do you think?
Technorai tags:
art , Arches , cherries , coloured pencils , colored pencils , drawing , pencil , pencils
THESE ARE SO YUMMY LOOKING I CAN EAT THEM FROM THE SCREEN!! BRILLIANT!!
ReplyDeleteDelicious cherries - I really like the vibrancy of the colour against the muted background.
ReplyDeletehow beautiful! love the waving stems that give this such movement, a gorgeous drawing in every way!
ReplyDeleteI think the background looks perfectly balanced just as it is.
ReplyDeleteI've been eyeing the ( I think its Rainier, but perhaps that's just here in the States. ) cherries in the local market for a while now...they make a wonderful subject. A subject you've given
your usual justice to I might add....
Lovely!!
...chuck
Katherine...I'm amazed at the perfection you achieved on the raised design on the plate...OMG how on earth did you capture that on a white plate??
ReplyDeleteLovely colours here Katherine and such shiny little fruit. I hope they were as delicious as you made them look.
ReplyDeleteThe image was a lovely surprise and I love it just as the background is now. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I was curious when you said 'no photos, no tracing, no elliptical tools, etc.' I know you sometimes draw from photos, but do you sometimes trace and use elliptical tools? I don't know what an elliptical tool is but I'm sure I'd have nothing against one ;D---just curious about your process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments
ReplyDeleteLaura - I very much prefer to draw from life by eyeballing (as I always do when working outside). I sometimes use a grid for large and/or complex compositions when working them up from sketches but using a photo to help get the perspective correct. I have real difficulty drawing if my eye is being distracted all the time by perspective which seems off. I compensate by making my grid cells quite big so I still have to do some degree of eye-balling.
I have very, very occasionally traced - but don't much like it as I feel my images look much too wooden as a result.
The elliptical tools I was thinking of are french curves (which I've never properly got the hang of) or those flexi rubber thingies which enable you to draw a curve properly. I've decided I am going to invest in one of the latter as I'm fed up with having problems with ellipses. I'll use it to correct after I've drawn the ellipse freehand.
Thank you all for being very polite and not pointing out that my plate is floating! I thought it was but thought I'd wait and see if anybody else thought the same. One of my art buddies e-mailed and told me it was - and I agree - so I'm now trying to work out how to ground it........watch this space!
Wow! These look good enough to eat! Great job.
ReplyDeleteKatherine -- these are fantastic! wow...I'm surprised there are any left on the plate, they're good enough to eat!
ReplyDeletethanks for leaving comments on my 5-10 min sketches on my blog...I think I will post to the wetcanvas forum too, once I get some other things done in real life...
amazing - I especially like the pattern on the plate - it looks so 3D - you have inspired me to try using coloured pencils with graphite to capture the night feel of my evening excursions
ReplyDelete