Just Because

I call this piece "Just Because". The title came from when a man who I am use to asking to see my drawings made a comment. First let me preface, I had been drawing Caucasian women for the most part. It seemed as long as I did, most of the community would come by and be pleased with what they saw. In using a tonal pad or the first time, I found that it was easy accomplishing other skin tones. The response I received wasn't favorable.

I suppose I would have normally gone back to what I have been doing. The only problem with that, I liked what I am doing now and didn't wish to go back. I continued then no matter what the response. Why? Well, just because. Whether anyone likes it or not - I like it. And frankly, its about time!

I have been drawing in hopes that I could generate sales. Whether I liked it or not. If the people like it, sales would be abundant - right? Not so....not like I would have liked.

The sketch wasn't difficult and it seemed like everything was balanced. For some reason, I stopped inking before going on with the color. When I realized it, I stopped to take another look. How did the eye get to look like its looking different from the first?

 I was a little discouraged thinking that it would work itself out as I went along. The thought of tossing this one was something to fight. The tilt of the face was causing the rest of the face to go tilt as well and the balance was getting a little off. It then became to be a challenge. As long as anxiety didn't take over, there had to be a resolve.

I took another step back and was pleased with the final outcome. Every time I draw a woman of color, I can either see myself, someone in my family, or someone I met in my life time. It just seems so cool to me. I am still liking this tonal paper. I am hoping I will find other uses for it.

The final product is posted on my new account on RB. Cards and prints are available for sale. If interested in the original, please email me.

Forlorn

I was in the middle of drawing the art nouveau women of color, when I was inspired to do this particular piece. I was using tonal paper on a small sketch book. Though the pictures make this image look bigger then it is, it is only 5x7.

For some reason, I started coloring the image before inking - again. I think I was just too excited to see if I could complete a full image of color. I hadn't done so in a little while. I also started the foundation of the skin in gold. All while I was putting in the color, I was second guessing myself if the finished product was going to look like a reject from the Simpsons. It was about then when I was doing the eyes, did I realize to establish where the light was coming from for the shadow to be placed around the strands of hair. It started to get tricky around the eyelids and I was about to start all over again if I hadn't stopped and stepped back to see what I had done thus far.

I think I used about 7 different colors to get the skin right. I never thought I would ever have to use olive to tone the skin down from being too gold or too orange. It was good to know. I had made a mistake thinking I could use gray or lavender as I would for Caucasian skin. For black tones it came out ashen.

Thinking I had finished the piece, again I stepped back only to see that the fingers as well as the strap of her garment needed some shading. I also saw where the whites of her eyes are too white. I saw an artist on you-tube practically colored the whites of her subject's eyes all a light gray and then came back to put "China White" only where the light was hitting. They looked very realistic. I'll have to do some more practicing.

  I will link the finished piece here when I figure how to shade the arm without it looking strange. I tried once already and looked like another strap. The sides of her fingers need more detail as well as the sides of her face and more shading in the eyes.  I might be over thinking it. I am already looking forward in doing the next one.

Daphne

This is another at my attempt to not only trying to establish my niche but to also incorporate my favorite style (art nouveau) with women of color. I tried doing this some years ago and failed miserably. I will post one or two of those images later and link it here. These are rough sketches of the three women of color I plan to do in an art nouveau style. For this one, it is the middle image.

With this, like Poppy, I used tonal paper. It is easier to establish skin tone. Pastel paper is good for this as well. For some reason I thought I could get a better tone without looking ashy or muddy if I did my sketch in white color pencil and then fill in with marker rather then lining it with ink. I won't do that again.

I had already knew I was going to use the daffodil flower before I knew what Daphne was going to look like. It was the leaves that proved to be the challenge knowing that not only did it have to fill the page but look ornate as well.

When I scanned the finished piece, I noticed how the white shown through. I went over the line digitally just to cover the white and hoping not to have messed up with the integrity of the work.

Still working on the style, as you can see. I am also doing much research to stay inspired to finish the series. Thank you for all of the views. I would appreciate comments and critiques if you have any better ideas then what I am doing. Thank you again.

Poppy

I had this idea to do a series of women in a precarious position that most of us would not find ourselves. Initially, it was supposed to be a face and some flowers - practicing my version of art nouveau. As I progressed, the piece developed a message. Continue reading, you'll see what I mean.

I did this one over a few times.

I sketched it on white drawing paper and then tried to make a decent likeness on tonal paper. I liked the shape but when using colored pencil and trying to get where I thought it should look like....ugh! It wasn't working. She was looking really ethnic...so I ditched it and started all over again.

As I continued drawing, it reminded me of a woman I spoke to for a little while. This relatively attractive professional woman had this relationship with a man and had him move in to her home with her children. He had shown signs of being a violent person but instead of telling him to get out, she decided to work with what she had. She never married this man but still decided to remain with him. She left her home when he broke her arm. The violence never really registered with her. Even when she saw the look on her children's face, it wasn't really and truly violent in her mind. When she found herself in a shelter to be protected from him, it wasn't quite what caused her to see what she had done. It took a few days later when she was nursing her arm and someone noticed how it flopped (her arm). She went to the hospital and had an x-ray done. She looked at the light box of her arm (in the x-ray film) and saw the clean break of the bone. She started to freak out. Reality finally set in.

After I drew this image, I saw how I posed the arms and tried to do the same pose myself. It wasn't comfortable and the curve of my arm couldn't lie flat as I drew this one here. I didn't change it because of what she reminded me of. Even the expression of having gone through so much and still deciding to go through it again. No matter what I said, the director of the shelter, other residents in the shelter, it was her decision. She had to desire to be safe, if not for her, then her children. She had to request getting the PPO, the safe plan, change the locks, and call the police if he ever returns. She had to learn to love herself and know that she was worthy of being loved not abused.

Yeah, I saw her later...about 2-3 months. She was sitting in a popular hamburger restaurant. When she saw me. I think I stopped a few feet from the door and stood still in shock. She left the man at the table to talk to me. She didn't think I recognized him. She tried to convince me that they were only talking, but I knew better. She still had the cast on her arm. He never raised his head to see where she was going and who she was talking to...he was concentrating on the most perfect words to feed her. We paused for a moment....I didn't have anything left to say and she had to get back to her....meal.

The whole image reminded me of her even down to the twist of her body. She knew what was right but she had to keep going back to him for whatever the reason. Holding her arm, it just wasn't real...for her yet. I added flowers for the background because the red seemed so prominent against her skin. Evident to everyone, still she looks at the viewer hearing the words but not listening.

Black women aren't depicted too often in the style of art nouveau. I found this out about 5 years ago and was sadden by the discovery. Whether the original artists thought that black women weren't commercial enough to use or attractive enough - it was their loss. Long flowing hair is indicative of the style. I choose to shave the head of this work and have a small blonde fro. I thought about the recent medical survey showing that African American women are more prone to heart disease and have the highest rate of being susceptible to HIV. If that study is true, I wondered if it has anything to do with so many single black women raising their children without the fathers. I wondered about how women give themselves so casually because they are starved for affection and the men know it. I wondered if a father was around to tell his daughters how beautiful they are would that woman, mentioned earlier, have such a difficult time in making a decision that would seem so obvious to everyone else.

Experimenting with Different Styles

Every once in awhile, I look at the work I have done in the last 4 years and wonder if I have developed the style of drawing that it would seem everyone else has. What is a style in art work anyway? I always thought if you stick with a certain theme of drawing fans would know your work among hundreds of other pieces. So when I was looking at other artists, I saw them drawing the same character over and over again only in different settings and different clothes. Is that their style or have they hit a wall? Nevertheless, they are producing sales.Is that what art work is supposed to be about? i thought artist were supposed to be creative and drew what they are feeling or what they have seen. The expression is supposed to be revealed on canvas or is that what art use to be?

I have studied scores of research for different drawing techniques and what others are doing in their artistic endeavors. I was so fascinated with Manga style for awhile, I studied video tutorials, check out books from the library and even bought a few. It wasn't that I liked the original style of Manga but what other artists were doing with it. Personally the eyes are too big and glassy looking for me to incorporate into my work. I do like the shine that is used in the hair and the details in the folds and ruffles of the clothes. When I finally realized that Manga uses the fashion style of Lolita (both of which are Japanese), I had to also try my hand in my version of it.

I liked that they were only in black ink. It allows for the viewer to see more of the detail in the work. The pieces receive many views online and quite a few comments but the sales for these particular pieces aren't what I would like for them to be. Not only that, these four works took me so long to do, just to be compensated for the time in doing them, the cost for the originals would be high. No matter, I wasn't really looking to sell the originals anyway. My first attempt with Manga is the one with the fish and the bridge. It was also my first attempt with those kinds of curls, ruffles and the Lolita fashion. I was so pleased with that piece and at the same time relieved when I was finished with it.

This one at the dress shop, took the same amount of time to complete as the one above; nevertheless, I saw it on the white page before I drew it. This one also receive many comments and has been featured in a few art groups. The title of this is Decisions, Decisions. The title of the one at the top is Detention, then there is Pretty in Plaid and Sweet Lolita (fashion). I used line drawing for the shoes in Decisions, Decisions because I didn't wish to have most of the attention there, though I did not do the same when drawing the hats. Every once in awhile I stare at that and wonder if I should go back and redo the shoes. I suppose if it bothers me too much, I will. I have done it before with other pieces.

I was still fascinated with the Manga style and with my version of it. So I decided to incorporate it with Mehndi design just to see what would happen and add a little color in to boot. At first, I was a little apprehensive seeing that both design and style were strong enough by themselves so I did a little at a time to see if it would work and then took it to a level that surprised me.  When I drew this first one, I liked the affect of her being at the window. To incorporate the mehndi design, I used it in the curtains. The movement seemed to come along with creative process of the piece. I was also experimenting with the shine of the hair. This was not my best attempts with the shine and I knew I would have to do more studying on the matter. This one is called, There's A Chill.


I got a little more bold with the color and design in trying to complete a portion of the room but keeping the focus on the main characters. The colors were deliberate to catch the viewers attention and causes for the eye to move around the completed piece. If the design in the drapes didn't draw the eye down to the slight changed hue of the wall then the braids connect with the bear and the color of the window sill does it. This was also featured a number of times in art groups. It is entitled BFFs.

 The apprehension to venture out with this design subsided after BFFs. I was satisfied that I could incorporate the two styles and it would work. Once I completed Ruby, Tanzanite was easy. The others came one after the other and the time wasn't nearly as long as it was when I was just using black ink. 


I got the idea of calling these pieces the names of precious stones remembering a job I use to have in caring for at risk teen girls. The term used for them in the area that I was employed was, throw away kids. I was shocked at this term by colleagues that devoted their lives to empower children. I knew these children were eventually going to grow up and be the product of the person or thing that greatly influenced their lives. Believe it or not, these were going to be the ones that would make the decisions for the state of the world. These very ones should be considered diamonds in the rough. Only and expert would know what to do with such a stone. There is potential just waiting to be directed. With that in mind, I began a series of works and entitled the series, Precious Stones.

 Amber is wearing a dress I use to have when I was 6 years old. I drew her hair because it seemed like an American thing to do with that sort of dress. I was getting use to bringing the shine in the right direction as long as the gleam in the eye was there as well. I didn't know what to do with her as far as action was concerned so I referred to another piece I completed. It was the wrong way to go. As pleased as I am with the color of the background, her hair and dress, I think it was the catching of the butterflies that didn't appeal to the viewers.

 Amethyst came after I thought about a certain bride at her wedding. I was noticing all of the details she incorporated. From a small orchestra to the harpist playing a solo. I never looked at one playing a harp as much as I did this woman. Though I drew the figure with her legs crossed, a true harpist knows it would be impossible playing the instrument proficiently this way...but it looks nice. the shine and the curls were coming easier in this piece. The colors, I wouldn't normally put together, but when I did the name of the work was fitting.

By this time, I was in a stride to complete 12 pieces for a calendar. Garnet came when inspired by a photograph of a girl in gothic attire. I liked that she had so much hair and the doll was my own addition for dimension. While in the middle of completing the work, I noticed that I covered the arm that was supposed to be holding the doll. Though I could have scraped the whole thing or make the adjustment digitally, I liked the hair too much  to mess with it. Garnet received more views initially then all of them put together.
 I had the dickens of a time with this one. You see when uploading art work something happens in the transition. the colors start to look dull or over exposed. So I take the work to an online photoshop just to enhance the color for a better product. Sometimes getting the border straight is a part of that process. I usually do that in the paint application that comes on everybody's hard drive. It was the weirdest thing, once I finished all of the details, I noticed this black line that ran right through the entire piece. I didn't know how to get rid of it but to erase little by little not to destroy all of the work I just completed or start all over again. It took days before I just scraped it and started all over again. I needed for the work to look traditional and not digital. I was so pleased with this one in particular because of the shine in the hair along with the span of room the fly had to move in. I don't know if it was the position of her arm in shooing the fly away or keeping it modest with her pulling her shirt down, but the views or comments weren't as readily as I hoped. This one is called Chalcedony.

 Lapis was also a fav because she represented late Spring. I liked her foot up on the border and the blowing of the dandelion seeds. But like Chalcedony, she didn't do very well with views, comments, or features. I don't know why with as much studying as I did and looking at all of the works together, I was at a quandary. I thought it might be the hair but Amethyst was doing quite well. Then I thought it was the hat or the clothes, but Garnet was doing well also. I then thought that it was the site I was using and the viewers were just being temperamental, but these works are on 4 different art sites. After this series, I stopped trying to figure it out so I could get this niche once and for all and stop with all of the experimenting to find something that will work and be profitable for me. I started thinking of colors that appeal to people. Purple is a definite yes. When launching out to do Purple Topaz, I thought of Snow White and also children going back to school. This one took a few tries to complete. When finished, the views were satisfactory. The sales weren't.

When developing Walking Through Sunshine, I was feeling so happy and with how I imagined the way she would look. I liked the idea of the jeans and tied oxford shirt. It is what I would have liked to wear (though my parents would definitely had an issue with the shirt being tied to show my stomach) and have worn. It seems classic with a touch of youth in the country. I liked the design of the wheat and knew that I was venturing a little away from the original mehndi design, but still was pleased with the finished product. It took a couple of months before I relinguished in trying to get an assessment of what the public liked. This didn't come close. That was it for me. I liked it and that was all that mattered. I was finished trying to please the palette of people that will change at any given moment. I grew weary at trying to figure it out.

One of the last from the series to form the calendar is Peridot. I thought of the Michigan winters when I was a teen and standing for the bus to go to school. The winters in Michigan didn't care about the changes the of the calendar. When we hoped that March would bring a hint of gleam of the sun, the wind blew to let us know winter wasn't finished yet. it is why the flowers, butterflies and and all of the expectation of Spring was drawn in black ink. The colors were underneath waiting for the warmth to come. This did well in views and comments but by this time, I just didn't care anymore. I liked the style I developed incorporating the two and I am sticking with it no matter what the public seemingly likes today and gone tomorrow.