Sustained Investigation #4

This idea behind this illustration is basically the opposite of sustained investigation #3 because in that one the person was destroying nature and leaving a city growing behind him, and in this one the person in walking down a sidewalk leaving nature where ever they step. The difference between them is what sort of path the people choose to leave behind them as far as nature goes. In #3 the person left a path of destruction and in this one the person is leaving a path of growth and showing that nature continues to exist despite humans' efforts to destroy it.

I started by sketching the design in pencil and then I colored it with watercolor. I decided not to put tape on the border because every time I do that it just ends up ripping up the paper no matter how careful I am. This meant that I had to be extra focused on where I was painting. Doing this also helped me to focus on the tiny details of the plants and the shoe. I then lined everything with a black fine point pen to add more details and texture and make everything more neat after I messed up the water colors in a few places. I really like the look of the pen and watercolor together because it reminds me of graphic novel style illustration. This also ties into my sustained investigation #3 because that one had three parts like panels in a comic strip or graphic novel.

In this drawing I experimented with perspective and use of space. The point of view is from slightly above the ground so I had to figure out how the sidewalk would look and where the footprints were supposed to go. I also only showed the persons foot and the rest of them is cut off by the border which I think makes the drawing more interesting. I did a couple tests with color in my sketchbook to find what would look best all together because I didn't really have a good idea of colors when I sketched it out. At first I thought of making the fence red and the shoe black, but I didn't want the background to stand out to much and I felt like someone who leaves plants in their footprints probably wears more colorful sneakers. When I added details with the pen I made tiny lines in some place throughout the drawing to add texture. By including multiple footprints of plants I created a pattern which suggests that there are footprints just like that growing all down the sidewalk behind this person. There is emphasis on the sneaker and the plants because the sidewalk and the fence are grey and brown whereas the sneaker and the plants are much more colorful. My next step could be to create another piece that follows the idea of people leaving paths behind them that either positively or negatively impact nature.