Going Abstract!

After Raena's last exciting contribution, I just wanted to keep the book open to the "diorama" page.  And I did just that, for a while.  In the studio I kept the sketchbook open on the shelf I have in the studio for displaying art and works-in-process, so I could enjoy and gape every time I walked by.  What a wonderful page it turned out to be!  Raena did something I hadn't thought of - she expanded the scope beyond the dimensions of the page.  Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Where could I go from there?

I was thinking of Raena's words, in response to my comment on the last post:  "This is supposed to challenge us, push us, make us better than before!"

So that got me thinking.  All of Raena's talent and creativity and I've never seen her do nonrepresentational work.

Not that I do so much either.  I always lean towards the representational.   But I've been infected a bit by the abstract bug, from scanning the internet.  Honestly, it has really thrown me, because it is difficult for me to be satisfied anymore with a purely representational portrayal.  Not that I am throwing it to the wind.

Except for now - I am doing just that!  Abstract for page 4 of our sketchbook!


For this I used a dip pen and some waterproof india ink.  It looked mighty good as a black & white, and then I added the watercolor.  I've tried things like this before, and this is the most successful to date, I think.


So what will Raena do?  It doesn't have to be the same - maybe it is better if it is not - too busy.  I'm interested to see!

(By the way Raena, here is my advice, don't think too hard.  Instead as Thom Yorke suggested - paint to the spot in the middle of your head.  If you want to get exactly in the frame of mind that I was in when I did this (maybe you don't!), go to Grooveshark and listen to the album "Amok" by the band, Atoms for Peace, Thom Yorke's other band (the one I prefer) - it's quite different - unbounded creativity there, for sure.)

Page 3, Part Three

[Click to enlarge.]

Despite how it may appear, the tortoise did not win.

Raena and I took, well, a nine month break from our joint blog.  But we are back!  And we intend to treat this sketchbook like a hot potato - or at least a lukewarm one, so that we will post more often in the future.  We resolve not to try for perfection and not to be intimidated by the blank page or each other.  Instead we are going to be challenged by one another's art and ideas, and grow, grow, grow!  (We hope).

You can see how we started this page in the last two posts.  To this page, I have now added the boy who is pulling the dinosaur's tail.  Months ago I had no idea what to do when Raena added the dinosaur.  I was toying with the idea of a boy swooping down, riding a pterodactyl.  I made several pre-drawings.  But I couldn't make it work.  I'll leave that kind of thing to James Gurney, at least for now.

This time, the idea of the boy trying to hold back the dinosaur came to me right away.  First I looked at several tug-of-war photos.  I was aiming for a certain body position, and found a woman that was just right.  Then I found a photo of a young Indian boy.  Then I looked for facial expressions by googling the word "determination", to get his expression.  I used all of these as guides for the final product.

The entire time I had Sadami's advice in my head - I tried to capture his movement, effort and resolve.

I'm using a thicker pen these days than before and automatically picked it up without thinking - it gives the boy a rougher appearance than the girl that works, I think.  In the arms though, I accidentally picked up an even thicker pen.  It's okay.  I think whatever background is put in place will minimize most of it.  I've learned that this is the attitude we must have - use the mistakes - it's what makes your art unique.  Also, perfection is boring!

So there you go, Raena - it'll be in the mail shortly on its cross-country journey to you.  What will you do next?

Page Two, Part Four

I was so completely blown away by the whimsical, magical life force of the music that Raena illustrated at the top of the page. I was left with a thin strip at the bottom, and wanted to further that concept. So I thought about it: Grass?..no, flowers?..no..I thought of a fish leaping from the water and the splash and bubbles, and bubbles turning into notes, much as Raena's notes sprouted branches. I tried to illustrate the fluidity of the music, and the way the music itself spawns life.

Once I thought of the idea, I looked all over the web for an adequate photo of a leaping fish. I couldn't find what I wanted. So in an idle moment I drew a fish leaping from the water, splash and all, on a piece of notework paper without looking to any reference. And that is what I used as my guide.

I was impatient on the day when I did the drawing/painting, so I didn't pre-ink, and trusted myself to do it right the first time. It became a bit busier than I expected, and I overworked some spots and that I think is a reflection of my mood at the time. I'm happy with it though. (Click on the picture to see it larger.)

Finally the page is done. All in all it is a very active page! Too busy perhaps, but it was a wonderful collaborative learning experience. I truly appreciate how Raena stretched me away from reality. When I sent the page to her the last time, I expected curtains or ceiling fans.

So here it is: In almost ten months, we've done seven posts. The book has crossed the Gulf six times. And we've completed two whole pages in our sketchbook!

Raena has asked me to start the next page which I hope to do fairly soon (by the standards of this blog). Any ideas on what I should do?

Page 2, Part 2

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I've taken an enormous amount of time to return this one. Raena has forgiven me though. This is my addition - a big band. I toyed with the idea of a flamenco guitarist, and then of having her stand in front of a mirror (but why would she do that - she'd be facing away!). Then I had the idea of the big band as being the most interesting possibility for the space. My Most Valuable Critic (MVP) felt it didn't match, given her costume, but I figure the big band can play a piece that would make a singer or dancer dress up that way, right? I enjoyed trying to make each musician unique - in different positions, with varied looks.

I did this a little differently. Generally I ink first, but I first had the idea that I wouldn't ink at all. So I drew in pencil, and then used watercolor in a way that it could stand on its own. It was okay, but my MVP felt it needed ink, and she was right (she usually is - don't tell her). It is much better that way.

Raena was worried about the arm (see the last post). I think the problem was, believe it or not, the armpit! So I moved it in. The original line is now the side of the conductor. Did you notice, by the way, the beautiful molding of the arm with the colors Raena used? It is beautiful to behold - so well done. I also made two other minor changes - I added hair to the back of the head, and whitened the teeth just a touch.

It was interesting to paint on the multi-colored background - thank you Raena for challenging me! I believe that it gives the whole page a festive feel.

I don't think the page is done yet, though - so Raena, it's up to you!

Page 2, Part 1

So, one of our goals in the moleskine exchange is to push each other out of our comfort zones. My idea here was to force us to work with preexisting conditions. The background was applied first, before I even knew what I would be drawing. I had used this technique on several drawings as of late and everything had turned out just fine. Then I drew in the picture with a bic ballpoint pen, with no pencil lines first. I think her raised arm looks like it doesn't attach to her body. I'll leave this for Dan to fix! The girl is based on this morguefile photo. Loosely based, since I was drawing in ink!

Recently, I ordered a L&C 7020 brush, size 14. So, I procrastinated getting on with the drawing because I knew I would have this larger brush coming soon and I had hoped it would force a looseness. Well, let me tell you! This is indeed a fine brush which holds lots of water. But, it also keeps a very fine point allowing me to get all fussy with this! (still, I recommend the brush!)

Page 1, Part 3 (Dan)

I've done a lot of work on this page, and here's the explanation: I could have just added a background, but it seemed to me that there would be something lacking.

Besides, it seemed to me like the woman with the two dogs was looking beyond the other woman, and not straight at her. Why, I wondered, was that? What was it that she was looking at? Once I settled on the third dog, I couldn't just place it on the page - floating out there - unless I created a setting for it. I wouldn't know where to put it.

There was also the thought that since I started the first page, I should probably finish it, otherwise it would be Raena that would do so. We both sort of felt that Raena should start the second page of the Moleskine by right. (It's only just and proper that she should feel the excitement and anxiety of the blank page, don't you think?)

So to tried to keep the bar high and to live up to the great drawing I received back from Raena. I worked very hard to do the picture well. It became far more involved than I ever intended, really. At every step there was a challenge. At every step, nervousness and hesitation. All in all, a great experience.

If you would like to know more - much more - about how I did this picture, you can visit my blog.

I realize that ultimately I pretty much dominated this page. But I figure that some pages will be more Raena, and some more mine, and some pretty evenly half & half, and that'll be the way that it goes. Raena and I exchanged a few e-mails, and I believe that she understands this and agrees.

So off to Texas, and on to page 2! I hereby declare this page done!

Page 1, Part 2 (Raena)

Well, I didn't add much for this first exchange as it came at a very bad time for me--at the beginning of a really long and distressing artist block! I think it should be easier next time; that's what I keep telling myself anyway! I like Dan's idea of less words and more art on this blog. I struggle so much to write when I'm in my art mode! And with all of the pressure (good pressure, pressure to improve) on the art, it is nice to not have to worry about writing! So, to read more about this piece, please visit my blog!

Page 1, Part 1 (Dan)

Welcome to our new blog! The concept is simply stated in the banner above. I have painted the above picture on a page in a large watercolor Moleskine. And today I am going to stuff it in an envelope, and mail it 1100 miles away to Raena.

When it arrives, Raena is going to open that envelope. Then she will draw or paint something else on the same page - whatever else she wants - and she can paint or draw over and around or on top of what I did if she wants, and she can use any medium she feels like. And then she is going to mail it back to me! Then I will work on the page some more.

We are going to mail that Moleskine back and forth and back and forth .. and work on that one and only page until one of us declares it done! Whoopee!

And then we will go to page 2.

In this way we both hope to improve and challenge ourselves.

We want to post everything we do in that Moleskine here on this blog because you are so much a part of what motivates us. And we would love for you to follow along as each page progresses over time.

This is not an original idea. We both, some time ago, saw a blog where two professional illustrators did this - one was in Europe and the other in the US. Raena and I are not professionals, and we are both on a single continent (she is in Houston, and I am in Miami).

But we are 1100 miles apart, and have never met except in this virtual reality, and most of all WE TRY HARDER!

And a good idea is worth repeating, don't you think?

For those of you that follow my blog, I often say a lot about what I do. But I plan on more art and less words on this blog. (This is long only because it is the first - at least I think so). As it so happens, though, I have more details about my art for this post at my blog, so feel free to come visit if you'd like.

And thank you so much for visiting 2'nfro for its inaugural post!

Dan