Passion Project

Colored Pencil Studies

First, I sketched my idea and how I wanted the pieces to come together. I picked out the areas of the Rio Lakefront that I always went to in my childhood. This included Target, Barnes & Nobles, the lake, and the feeding area. In the sketch, I added a playground but replaced it some bushes and flowers that were around the park. I wanted the perspective to be more dynamic, so I searched for references and I referenced the bottom left  head in the third photo above.

Before moving to my final, I digitally changed the shape of the head and adjucted the locations of some portions of the lakepark. Then, I experimented with gouache and drew some sketches of the new perspective I wanted. I also looked at the face coloring practice I did for the "Beyond the Border" project. I looked and drew some waterfalls, but later realized the water is not as condensed so the water would look clearer.

Referencing both the edited sketch and the new perspective, I began my sketch on the final piece. I then molded the face to be more rounded and added the elements of the park on the head. Then, began adding the base colors and added details with a smaller brush and colored pencils. The two building are the Target and Barnes & N0bles in the Rio Lakefront I've always gone to, and the lake was turned to a waterfall to imitate hair on the head. 

 I think when I first started this project, I had low expectations because I had associated colored pencils with a faded, patchy, incomplete look. After going more in-depth with colored pencils by practicing and learning about undertones, value scales, layering, scumbling, and burnishing, I was impressed with the outcome of my final piece. A challenge I often faced during practice and in the making of the piece was matching and layering to get the color I wanted. AS mentioned before, I used some color picking on my iPad to help me see the exact color I wanted, and on some scrap paper I tested the colors to make sure it is a color I want to use. It was still difficult to figure out what colors I had to layer together for different values, but as I kept doing it I knew what to do as I continued. Overall, I am proud of this piece and exceeded my expectations of using colored pencils. After this unit, I am much more confident in colored pencils and have more knowledge on how to successfully use them.