Day Forty Three

We got dumped on today:

packed  adj.  To be filled to capacity.

This word made me think of a mind. You know, when your brain is running a million miles per hour, and it feels too full? That’s sort of how I ran today.

 I took a print from a run I had done, where the paint had leaked a little outside of the border and used it for today’s piece. I really liked the “drip” effect created by the paint leaking outside the border.

Although it may not be very aesthetically pleasing, it felt good to make today’s piece. 

I used the word “packed” for the border and the words packed, filled, loaded, crowded, and stuffed for the inside. I used pink pastel to add a little energy.  

Day Forty Two

It got cold again. Not that I would know; I didn’t actually set foot outside my house today... I drew the line at staying in my pajamas after 2 o’clock, and traded in my sweats for a pair of skinny jeans and the closest available pair of rather festive socks:

I believe I have fallen in love with pastels. For yet another day, I am using them to add dimension to my staple (pen and ink). Today’s word threw me; there are so many possibilities for this word, but I decided to go with a rather sweet and simple take on it.

dir-ty  adj.  Not clean; grimy; indecent; obscene; mean; despicable; lacking in brightness or clarity; relating to excessive radioactive fallout. v. To become or make soiled.

Looking for inspiration, I came across a song I hadn’t heard in a while...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV1rZa9bUxA

I really like their style-that kind of goofy, energetic, crazy sound. Although I may be entirely misinterpreting it, I drew from this song, especially the chorus: “Do you really want to hold my dirty hand?” I liked the idea of a cute little character being more than a little in love. Judging by the insistence in her eyes, it may be unrequited...

I started with the girl, added a big heart behind her, and colored it and her cheeks in with pastel.

I’d added a few lines at her feet and coming up to add “dirtiness”, but used the black and gray pastels to add more to it.

I then added a little yellow to give it an even more childishly grubby feel. Ah, what a sweet thing.

I hope you enjoyed today’s piece! Have a great night and stay warm!

Xx

-r

Day Forty

Day forty! Holy cow! Only 325 days left to go...

It’s often liberating; not having a plan for your art. I love the feeling of opening up the dictionary with no expectations. I try not to have a plan in place for how the art turns out before I see what my word will be. This way, the art is spontaneous and (hopefully) new.

Well, today I had a plan. I had a plan in place the second I walked to my desk to get art supplies. I knew exactly what to get, and how my piece would turn out. Then, I saw my word.

Would you like to know what it is?

fish bowl  n.  A bowl usually made of glass, serving as a small aquarium for fish; a lack of privacy.

As soon as I saw the word, I tossed my plans aside in favor of something much more interesting.

I liked the comical idea of a girl being in a fishbowl. Although I had originally intended her to be stuck, she seems almost to be just hanging out there, blowing bubbles with a straw. I used oil pastels to add some color, because they are easy to blend to create that watery look.

I hope you enjoy today’s artwork and your night.

Xx

-r

Day Thirty Six!

Holy cow!! I have never before been this close to NOT posting!! Oh boy..came pretty close, there. I was wondering to myself if anyone missed me? I was curious if there had been any readers checking in only to find...nothing... Well, to those readers (if you do exist) I am very sorry.

Would you like to know what happened?

I’ll tell you anyway.

As you may have guessed, The Ink Drop is far from being my only artistic outlet...

Recently, I have been attempting to master (or at least become friends with) the art of silk screening. Tonight, I was finally able to come close. I’d burned a screen with two images on it to save time (before printing one, I’d tape over the other) and decided to do three print runs in one night. The results?

This is a print from a high contrast photograph I’d taken of my younger brother in France. I burned it to a screen and printed it on 5x7 backing board.

This is a print from a photograph taken last year (date unknown) in an alley downtown during a construction project. (Those of you who live in Lawrence: that stupid “night club” called Tonic...this was the construction of their back patio...you know...the one with the giant fake palm tree...)

I decided to play around with some 80’s style pop art colors. I hand-painted the background, did the first layer in pink (or green) and then did another layer over that in black.

I then had to wash out my screen...

My small army of paint:

Now, back to the reason you are here...

Today’s word is PERFECT. I could not have picked a more perfect word for today...

sat-is-fac-tion  n.  Anything which brings about a happy feeling; the fulfillment of a need, appetite, or desire; a source of gratification.

Ahh...just the way to describe my evening.

I decided to use some of the paint that had been sitting around, and draw the sound that came to mind:

I painted the girl (over a pencil sketch) and left her face in pencil-the brush was much too large for that fine of detail.

I hope you enjoy tonight’s post! (Most of you will no doubt read this tomorrow) For now, I will be sinking into bed and not moving for at least 10 hours.

Good night.

Xx

-r