Sacred Black: An Art Order Challenge Entry

I've been following The Art Order for awhile now and have wanted to participate in the challenges, but hadn't yet... until NOW! This challenge was a cover for F(r)iction #2, an art and literary collection. The guidelines were the color blue, surreal in nature, and inspired by the mysteries within the murky depths of the ocean. It was time to get sketching!

I've been reading Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, so of course the mysteries of the cosmos was on my mind. I think it's interesting how there are so many unknowns in the vastness of both space and the oceans right here on our blue planet. I started sketching a concept of a woman looking up into the sky which would transition to a strange, deep-sea mermaid within her imagination.

In the book, Sagan mentions the idea of "sacred black" and I was hooked on that phrase. He connects the adventure, awe and draw of the blue skies on our planet to the vast blackness of space. The chapter also goes into the different colors of the skies on various planets and how color works, so of course I was intrigued. I had my title. I still wanted to work in the girl staring at the stars and sky, but was finding it difficult to work as a cover. I was also concerned my concept of the mysteries of space and the ocean being connected might not be read well.

Some mermaid sketches and notes.

 

I decided to scrap the girl staring at the sky and instead focus on space meshing with sea. I'm also interested in black holes and the many unknowns about that phenomena, so I decided that would be the space connection. This way the illustration would focus on the deep sea mermaid and not be torn between two main characters.

Some final notes and planning.

Then it was drawing time!

Coffee is essential

I wasn't quite sure what pose I wanted the mermaid to be in, so after sketching some small thumbnails of mermaids in movement, I decided to get up and take some poses!

Posing. Posing with my arm. Posing...

Sketching from my references.

Then many coffees later....

The finished drawing!

Once I liked the drawing, it was time to ink.

Finished ink.

Then... PHOTOSHOP TIME. 

I listened to a lot of Coast to Coast AM.

And voila! The finished product!

Dat bioluminescence.

The Art Order challenge is still open for two more days, until June 14th! So if you have the time or a piece ready that fits, submit your work! 

Depths of Space: Finish

Now that I've finished my thesis, I want to share the remaining illustrations I haven't posted. For today, I'm starting with S P A C E . . 

This illustration is a cover for a comic idea I've been working on with my partner (mostly still formative, discussion) but there was a really cool scene he told me of the woman scientist going into space to meditate, for moments of thought and self-reflection. I really wanted to capture the feeling of drifting in space while still being connected (ie, not the scary drifting kind that is seen in the upcoming Alfonso Cuaron film Gravity--though I do want to see this movie when it comes out). Even more importantly, I wanted to communicate her melding into space, her consciousness fusing with the ultimate. It took many studies and experimentations, but I'm happy with the final!

Notes, notes, notes. Studies, studies, studies. I did a lot of sketching to explore the motion of the body, as well as research into future possibilities of space suits since I knew I didn't want the current suit--and it's set in the future.

More notes and another study. Then two different takes. The first take was a bit rushed and although I liked where the stylization was going, the pose was way too active. In the second version, the pose was getting better but she looked too stiff and there were a bit too many chords going on. With helpful feedback from fellow grad students, I started again.

This time I liked it. I took more time with the drawing and inking, really controlling my line weight. Then took it into Photoshop and worked.

I'm really happy with how the final turned out. Hopefully there'll be more developments on this project in the future.

Transient

Today's post: "Transient" painting in process to completion!

Underdrawing.... I only did underdrawings with the brush this past semester to force myself to keep loose and not get hung up on the drawing. However, I still want to experiment with a detailed, rendered drawing and painting over it... but I suspect I need a re-work varnish. Anybody know for sure?

Happy accident! So, I was cleaning my brushes when I accidentally flicked one and some of the cleaning solution/turpentine hit the wet paint. Oh, shit! Wait a minute... I really like that. A technique was uncovered! I'm still in love with my drips and splatters as textures, but understand I need to experiment with my control and use of them. I think using the turpentine to create them and then layer color over them (sometimes not) helps create a greater sense of texture than just the ink splats I've always been so fond of.

Underpainting complete! Kinda creepy... which, of course, means I'm into it.

Glazed color...

Stage it was in right before the last session. Empty eyeball socket really enhances that creep factor.

And final! I still need to sign it and varnish the painting, but it's mostly complete.

I really like how this painting turned out and a lot of people enjoyed it at the gallery show last week. I wanted to explore lost edges and had the concept of her being some sort of ethereal space woman in mind when painting. I think some of that emotion and mood came through in the final without having to become literal.

That's not to say there won't be space paintings coming your way in the future.

That's right. Paintings of chicks in space. It's happening.