In keeping with the tradition of Egyptian themed drawings, here is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is traditionally reserved for mummified bodies of dead Egyptian pharaohs, so the face was detailed with deep cheekbones, eye sockets, and an emaciated look. The charcoal medium was used to draw quick energetic lines and create the structure of the sarcophagus. After blending and pushing the black charcoal around, sanguine sepia and white chalk was used to add the lighter gold portions around the headdress and face. The black charcoal was then used again to sketch in deep shadows by redrawing similar line paths multiple times. This helps to create unusually deep, dark shadows in the drawing that are not fully reproducible in a digital format. There is a sense of weight and depression to the drawing, thus making the clear white background all the more striking.
Egyptian Sphinx Charcoal Drawing
This is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sphinx, which was sketched in 1998. Heavy black charcoal lines were used to energetically draw the structure of the sphinx. Quickly moving from one area of the page to another helps to keep perspective on the whole drawing. Shadows were pushed very dark, and the white highlights are emphasized with chalk. White chalk was even used to fill in white areas of the paper, and blend some of the crisp charcoal lines. Sanguine sepia is used to highlight angles and perspective lines in the drawing of the Egyptian sphinx, which also helps to lead the viewers eye through the art and creates a sense of movement.
Drapery Study, Charcoal Drawing
This is a charcoal drawing of a drapery study. The artwork was drawn in 1995 with vine charcoal in my first art class. Attention to detail, in both line work and shading was meticulously planned out with each stroke. Subtle variations in the weight of the line, shades of charcoal, and white of the paper help to create the illusion of depth in the drawing. A kneaded eraser was used to carve out white highlight areas. The drapery study was good practice for proportion, and helped me get used to working with charcoal in 8th grade.
Watercolor Paintings of Flowers
These two watercolor paintings of flowers were created in 1997. The artworks utilize soft pink backgrounds, and deeper rich colors for the flowers and green leaves and stems. Numerous shades of red, orange, yellow, and green were used to create shadows, midtones, and highlights on the flower petals and leaves. This technique also gives the stems and leaves shape and form in the space. The use of watercolor as the medium for the flower paintings also gives them a softer look than crisp acrylics or oils.
Seashell Watercolor Art
These seashell paintings were created with watercolor in 1996. Each artwork was created with a variety of colors and washes. The first painting utilizes a muted background and textured watercolor on the shells. The second seashell painting incorporates the white of the paper for highlights and the background. The third piece of watercolor art uses alternating vibrant and muted colors, textures, and other techniques to form 3 unique seashells with a sunlit background. Allowing the watercolor to flow freely around the paper adds unique and interesting shapes and patterns to each artwork.
Motorcycle Drawings and Paintings
These 2 motorcycle drawings and paintings were created in 2007 with a mix of watercolor, markers, paint pens, crayon, colored pencils, and acrylic paint. A silver paint pen was used to create the chrome, but the reflective qualities of the art could not be accurately reproduced in digital format. Equal attention to color and line was given to both the motorcycles and their backgrounds, in order to increase the intensity of each drawing.
Skull Drawings
The recent posts on the Art Blog about skull drawings and paintings have been more frequent. Here is another skull drawing with high contrast and very few marks. The image is more suggestive of form, using large blocks of black color to define the shape of the skull.
Acrylic Skull Painting
This an acrylic painting of a skull with red, green, blue, and black paint. The skull drawing came first, and then the background, both of which are done in a slightly impressionistic style. The paint seemingly swirls around the face of the skull.
Charcoal Drawing of a Still Life
This is a charcoal drawing of a still life with a variety of found objects.
The most noticeable objects in the still life are the watering can and the drapery. They flow together with a chiaroscuro style throughout the art.
Skull Painting
This skull was painted with oil paints. A vibrant red background was used to help create contrast between the somber grey tones of the skull and drapery.