Experimental

“Fairy” – sketch

ink, acrylic, gouache

Objectives:

• To layer different media together in order to achieve desired results.
• In order to break out of my comfort zone of working in realism and loosen up in terms of process, my journey began by pushing the media I typically work in, which is acrylic. I set out to make my shape edges softer and expressionistic. In this particular piece, I started with different colored inks and applied water, salt, and spray fix to push the media around in an unpredictable way. Once it semi-dried, I began to see shapes form. I would squint my eyes and try to connect relative shapes into a larger mass that could resemble something in an interesting way that I may not have been able to draw directly myself. I saw patterns that reminded me of grass and foliage. I then added gouache to some areas to make it slightly more opaque and edit some of the spontaneous marks into more legible shapes that the viewer could decipher.
• Since this is part of the character development process, I’m more interested in the aspects that will create a unique and memorable silhouette to the figure. Often times, the way different media interact with one another trigger a mental connection to something we are longing to portray in our character.
• At this stage, I am merely trying to evoke a feeling, idea, or trait that I want my character to embody. This goes for the environment as well because both have to feel like they belong together in the same space. I am always open to possibilities.

“Fairy” – final