Sustained Investigation #6

Artist Statement

The idea behind this drawing was that a dalmatian would feel out of place surrounded by cows even though they both have spots. I thought this would work well with my sustained investigation because sometimes people feel out of place even if they have things in common with the people around them or look like they belong. My use of materials also fits with my inquiry question because the only part of the drawing that I used a different material for was the dalmation.

The materials I used were colored pencil and ink on smooth bristol paper. I have used colored pencil in most of my pieces so far because I have been enjoying using them to play with use of color and making more visible marks. I used the ink to make the lines of the dog sharper so it would stand out more. I started by testing out all of my green colored pencils in my sketchbook because the paper is a similar texture. Then I chose the ones I likes and used them to color all of the grass and trees in layers and with lots of small visible pencil marks to add grass texture and shadows. Then I used a black colored pencil for the cows and a white one on top of that the blend in some highlights on them. The last thing I drew was the dog using a black fine liner pen.

I used emphasis in this drawing to show that the dog is out of place because the colored pencil created a softer effect while the pen makes sharper and darker lines. I focused on the shapes that make up the cows to figure out how to draw them smaller in the background while still making it clear that they are cows. There is some unity between the cows and the dog created by their similar colors and patterns. My project evolved as I added more detail and values with the layers of colored pencil. My next steps could be to try using different materials because the last two pieces were done in colored pencil.