Thursday, March 13, 2008

Name the grumpy lady

Yesterday, I bought a set of 15 Rembrandt brand soft pastels and a Strathmore pastel paper pad of assorted colors. So I had to play with it a bit. I've found that if I get in an art rut, it really helps to get something new to fiddle around with. It re-energizes me to do better in what I normally do. It gets me excited about my art again, like a kid playing with art supplies!

Now don't judge this too critically...I was just playing around and this was just done with fingertips to blend and no erasing at all. I'm not posting it here pretending it's an important art piece!

My friend "Andrea the Arteeste" says I should keep working on illustrations, because - [quote] - "that's where the money is." So I decided to do this little doodilly illustration - it's not representative of my mood yesterday at all. Although I was just goofing around, I like the way this grumpy lady is so seething, and dark - and yet she has this vibrant red hair with curled up ends...like she'd like to be a fun person but just can't do it. LOL!

Maybe I will create a series of funny characters and write about how they relate to each other. Then we will write a book about them. What do you think? First we will need to name this grumpy lady and decide where she lives and what she does for work and hobbies.

4 comments:

Elaine said...

This is a great drawing. I love the expression on her face. Grumpy yes, but also furtive as if she is grumpy at having been caught out doing something she doesn't want to be caught out at - for example, her hobby? Wonder what it is? Something as buttoned-up as she is maybe? Or something flamboyant that gives away her hidden heart? Is her hobby something precise as the pins in her hair, or something wild that she is at pains of suppressing.

It is wonderful to play with such thoughts about a character. Hope you have fun with this one. She makes me want to call her by some old-fashioned name, as if in her naming she became what she is.

I hope you don't mind my flights of fancy here! I've been regularly visiting your blog since you visited to mine a while ago. Your drawings are great - and I'll keep visiting!

DD said...

Elaine, I like it! I thought an old fashioned name like Edna too... :)

Elaine said...

For some reason, I can't get away from the fact that she might like doing origami. Each time I look at her face the thought just jumps out at me. Must be my past as a short fiction (SF) writer that skews my thoughts in strange directions when inspired by an interesting picture!

Knitting is another hobby that came to mind, but that is so popular now, not at all something to be furtive about nowadays.

Esme or Daphne were the names that popped into my head - love Edna though! Can't wait to see what you decide to do with her. Hope you'll keep us posted!

DD said...

I'm not sure if she has the patience for Origami. I think she would rip the delicate swan into little pieces and then set it on fire. She's pretty seething. LOL

 

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