Mixed Media

Artist Statement

This drawing is based on a picture of my brother and I at the beach. Thought it was taken a while ago, I still liked the positions and the balance of movement and stillness. I chose this picture because I liked the shapes that the hair makes, as well as how the focus is on the people with a fairly simple background.

I used India ink, white charcoal, black charcoal, and graphite to make this piece. I used India ink mixed with water to create a lighter value, and painted over lighter areas with that. I used less diluted ink to make darker values. In most parts, white charcoal can be layered over darker (dried) ink to add highlights and shade to a lighter value. Sometimes I used multiple layers of ink wash to darken areas without making it too dark. I was able to use both the ink wash and white charcoal to shade and blend areas. For the sky, I used white charcoal that I then blended to create a more smooth appearance.

I used the grid method to create this piece. I drew lines one half inch apart on my photo and on the same scale rectangle, making lines both horizontally and vertically so that I had 1/2" x 1/2" squares that were to-scale. I could then use a viewfinder to focus on one square at a time and copy the information. I didn't use this for the entire piece, which is why it is not as detailed as it could be. The purpose of the grid method is to copy small parts of information with observation, which will create a realistic larger picture. If I were to continue with this piece, I would definitely work on making it more realistic and detailed.