Concentration #14

I found it easier to write the poems that my paintings would be based off of first and then create a piece around it. It started out slow and tough as I really didn't know what to write about or what I wanted my piece to look like. Once I settled on a topic and had my poem, I knew immediately the composition I wanted for my piece. I used a friend to take reference photos for the positioning of the hand. After that I wanted to use the medical figure of a heart as opposed to the cartoon version that we all know. Once I added the heart to my sketch and finalized everything, I started painting with watercolor. In the first sketch the water bleed into the lead pencil causing the color to distort. I restarted my drawing but kept the same composition and this time I made sure my pencil sketch was lighter. I then went in with the watercolors and added layers in the hand where I felt necessary to create shadows and depth. When I colored the heart, I wanted to use multiple shades of red. In the background I wanted a neutral color so the heart would be the the prominent component of the piece.