Hand Project

The assignment for this project was to use a media of choice to create a piece with the focus being hands and incorporating zentangles and pure contour into some aspect of the piece. Zentangles are designs that often have pattern and are made of solid lines with little or no shading. Similarly, pure contour is drawing the major contours of an object using lines and no shading at all. I decided to draw hands (in graphite) cupping water (in pure contour) with zentangles in the water and a watercolor background.

To make this piece I first drew and shaded the hands and arms with graphite, using an image from the internet for reference. I then shaded the background around the edges with purple, dark blue, and light blue watercolor colored pencil. After shading I blended the colors by brushing water over them. At this point I sketched the zentangles and drew the water falling from the hands. I then went over the zentangles in pen to darken them, adding contrast. This project evolved in that after finishing the water in the background I ended up darkening the shading on the hands and arms and adding more pen to the zentangles to create even more contrast and incorporate a full range of value considering the lightness of the background. I also added width to some of the outer ripples in the water for detail.

I chose this composition because I thought that it would look interesting and provide a challenge to draw. I wanted to draw the zentangles in the water because I often see them draw on the hands and wanted this piece to be different. The meaning behind this piece is the simplicity but importance of water to us as humans. Water is a very simple chemical compound and yet it is essential to life and we put it to many uses. The irony in this piece is that I made the water seem complex because of the zentangles. This is representational however of its many uses and the fact that it is the focal point represents its importance. It relates to my life because I obviously depend on water, but especially because I'm active and need to stay hydrated.

I think this piece could be stronger if I had made the white, rippling part of the water an oval instead of a circle to show depth and give it more of a three dimensional feeling. In this piece I am most proud of the shading and tone of the hands and arms, and of the well-blended color I was able to create in the background. This piece shows my strength as an artist in my ability to blend color and to create a full range of value. It shows my weakness in a lack of realistic perspective in the water in the background.