Designing With Circles

This was the first of my three ideas for the circle drawing project. The mandalas that I have seen in the past have been based around circles, and so that was my initial inspiration for the sun surrounded by a circle of wings. I was also inspired by Christian iconography, and this is represented by the angels orbiting the sun and circle of wings. The eyes throughout represent that this sun is all seeing, and this is also symbolized by the rising sun being linked with open eyes. The blue watercolor sections were meant to be clouds. I was inspired by one of the bell ringer artists who frequently incorporated polka dots into his illustrations. The polka dots also contribute to the theme of circles and dots.

I initially sketched out the design with graphite, before tracing over it with two ink pens with different widths. I gradually made the lines darker and bolder, and added details such as small eyes and feathers on the angels' wings. I used my watercolor paint from home to make the "clouds". Although at first I planned to incorporate more colors, I ended up using just two shades of blue, with which I created three different patterns of cloud. I left the area around the sun blank, since I liked the impression of clouds parting. I also left the rising sun white since I liked the contrast of the stark white against the various shades of blue.

I transferred the basic details of the eyes, angels, and suns over from my initial sketch. After tracing over them with pen, I was not sure how to proceed. I chose watercolor since I knew I wanted some color in the background, and I also wanted something more precise than pastel. I did not know if I would like how the polka dots appeared on the page, but I started painting and ended up extending the "clouds" to the top of the page. I had left the eyes blank, but then chose to shade in the irises to create more contrast.