This is getting to be a rather fun project. No pressure, either. I am sort of documenting bits of my daily life with the Instax Printer Project. I am also finding out that my scanner was filthy, and probably the lens of my X100V needs a bit of dusting. Spot removal in post has been a major time sucker. Despite that, I am looking at photography as a fun adventure again! That is rather nice IMO.
After my attempts at a portrait of a person, the realization was that my shading skills are not really good. Also, my Pencil Portraits class recommences on 2/17, so I thought it might be a worthwhile endeavor to work with a pencil, and work on value with the pencil. This certainly will benefit any studies I do in the Pencil Portraits class, and perhaps get it into my thick skull to think a lot more about gradation and value than I do! (Magpie Brain loves bright colors.)
I am very fond of the books by Alphonso Dunn on ink drawing. His work is phenomenal, and I have learned a lot through his exercises. Given this, I decided to apply some of his studies to pencil work rather than ink. All of these exercises come from his Pen and Ink Drawing Workbook.
Above, is the first one I attempted. If you look closely, you can see the page numbers in the sketches (enlarge the images by clicking on them). These studies were outlines with a choice of light direction. You have to use your imagination!
Shapes and shadows – reflected light, cast shadows, highlights. Simple forms and then a rather pathetic toucan.
I particularly enjoyed employing the pen-into-pencil of these drawings in Mr. Dunn’s book. His are obviously rendered in black and white, with shades of grey determined by pen strokes. Here, I took his studies and applied pencil – graphite – to them. They include a cabbage (I know, it looks like a brain), mushroom, hammer, and bow tie. Each has a different set of textures. I started to visualize where the light source was, and that really helped me start thinking more about what I was doing.
For all of these, I used a 2B pencil and a sketchbook, along with referring to Penn and Ink Drawing Workbook examples.
I prefer wind-up watches. No need for electricity.
Coffee, journaling, learning (sort of).
I am not at all inspired to do photography and I am hoping this project – which so far seems pretty sad – might motivate me. The nice thing is that both my Fuji X100V and my cell phone connect to the Instax SP3 printer via bluetooth or whatever. As a result, I am now more inclined to take a camera with me when out and about, which is not much these days in the Land of Pandemia.
I’m in hiding these days – lurking at the window, hoping not to be seen . . .
Ink, Yarn & Beer 