Name: Tess
Home: St. Louis
Saturday Art
What I'm doing is this: I didn't think my simple drawing with a heavy duty title worked so I'm making it into a larger, more complex drawing. I had thoughts in my mind attached to the original picture, but they didn't come across to others. So I've begun with sketches. In the beginning I wanted to draw me shaking hands with myself in the mirror (Draft one and two).
draft one
draft two
I got really frustrated because I couldn't come up with a composition that was easily understood. I had limited time to make these drawings and was feeling mentally slow and ended up freaking out a bit. This involved throwing things down the stairs from my studio space and then sitting on the couch and reading catalogs.
After an hour I went back upstairs, calmer, and looked at the sketches again. I thought of playing cards that have those conjoined twins on the face cards and copied the composition (draft three and four).
draft three
draft four
I like this. Now I have to finish it. My plan is to make it a double self portrait and to draw it realistically. I don't know how big to make it or if it should be done in pencil.
Oh yes, it still has the old title: I Thought Overall It Would be a Damaging Friendship
draft one
draft two
I got really frustrated because I couldn't come up with a composition that was easily understood. I had limited time to make these drawings and was feeling mentally slow and ended up freaking out a bit. This involved throwing things down the stairs from my studio space and then sitting on the couch and reading catalogs.
After an hour I went back upstairs, calmer, and looked at the sketches again. I thought of playing cards that have those conjoined twins on the face cards and copied the composition (draft three and four).
draft three
draft four
I like this. Now I have to finish it. My plan is to make it a double self portrait and to draw it realistically. I don't know how big to make it or if it should be done in pencil.
Oh yes, it still has the old title: I Thought Overall It Would be a Damaging Friendship
posted by Kaela | 5:14 PM
4 Comments:
I love the insight into your process! The part about throwing things down the stairs and reading catalogues was the best.
Gertrude Stein supposedly said, "It takes a heap of loafing to write a book." I'm still trying to figure out the difference between productive loafing and unproductive loafing.
The process is fascinating -- to watch something evolve from one thing to another -- and I very much like where you arrived. I also like the title. I occasionally wonder whether I would be friends with myself and am not entirely sure that I would. Certainly there are bits of me I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pencil.
VERY cool to see/read the process you go through! Who knew?!
I look forward to Saturday Art every week!
Hh
Thanks for your comments! I wasn't sure how the posting would read to someone else... I also wasn't sure if I should reveal my work process. It's pretty ugly because I get frustrated a lot. I never ever believe I will come up with an idea. So I have to freak out to get through that. You'd think I'd just learn by now!
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