.jpg "Control") |
Observe
My darkness from deep within
Temporarily imprisoned
In the palm of my hand.
This beast is hungry
And it feeds on fear
Telling me lies
of what's in the mirror.
Control
Of this beast is no minor task
For it hides within logic
That this is not that.
It dwells within others
Who have come to agree
That the world is broken and
Not as it should be.
Accept
That this monster's existence is real
For misery finds those
Who succumb to its will.
From one thought to the next
Its poison will spread
Condemning all who embrace
The fears of the dead.
~Joe Burgess~
After getting the thumb just the way I liked it, I realized I had to lay the cast shadow of the dragon head over the top of it. It was hard to just start scribbling black over something I was satisfied with. I adjusted it several times before arriving at the shape you see here yet it still never looked quite right to me. I re-shaped it one last time at the end of the project achieving what you see in the final image. I think I'm happy with it. Cast shadows can be very tricky to get right and the human eye is very sensitive to their placement.
The scale pattern was a challenge I'd never tackled before but I also knew that if done right, it would be the star of the show. At first, I began placing the scales in a random fashion along the tail and body but soon realized that a defined pattern would look more impressive and natural. I also needed to shade each scale individually and adjust that shading according to its location relative to the light source. This is where most of my drawing time was burned up.
As is usually the case, I felt like I had mastered the scale technique only just as I was completing them. I'm very happy with how they turned out along the right side of his body and leg.
Accept
That this monster's existence is real
For misery finds those
Who succumb to its will.
From one thought to the next
Its poison will spread
Condemning all who embrace
The fears of the dead.
~Joe Burgess~
Control is my 3rd drawing in 15 years, my 1st time using graded graphite and my 1st attempt to apply equal consideration and detail to every fiber of the paper. I approached it with the intentions of setting the highest bar for myself regarding technique, design, realism and imagination. It represents not only the beginning of J.B. Imagery and my pursuit of the arts, but the pursuit of my soul as well.
Prior to Control, I had just completed two family portraits and after having been dormant for so long, my creative gears were starting to wind up. I was wanting to start another project when my daughter suggested I draw a dinosaur. Remembering that I had always drawn dragons as a kid, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see what I'm actually capable of. She was more excited about the dragon anyway so it was decided and I began sketching.
At this point, I had no plans for what the final image would become. I just knew this was going to be the most detailed dragon I had ever drawn. But when it came time to envision the final piece, I had to direct my attention to all of the surrounding negative space and what to do with it. That's when the idea for the sphere popped into my head. It was so obvious, I still can't believe it wasn't part of the original plan.
Prior to Control, I had just completed two family portraits and after having been dormant for so long, my creative gears were starting to wind up. I was wanting to start another project when my daughter suggested I draw a dinosaur. Remembering that I had always drawn dragons as a kid, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see what I'm actually capable of. She was more excited about the dragon anyway so it was decided and I began sketching.
 |
| CONTROL - Initial Sketch 1 |
 |
| CONTROL - Initial Sketch 2 |
 |
| CONTROL - Initial Sketch 3 |
At this point, I had no plans for what the final image would become. I just knew this was going to be the most detailed dragon I had ever drawn. But when it came time to envision the final piece, I had to direct my attention to all of the surrounding negative space and what to do with it. That's when the idea for the sphere popped into my head. It was so obvious, I still can't believe it wasn't part of the original plan.
But then I had to ask what the sphere is? Where does it exist? I thought of possibly making it the centerpiece of an altar or mounting it on top of a magic staff but I felt these ideas were too predictable and cliche. I did not want to force myself in the direction of fantasy art, regardless of how much Dungeons & Dragons I played as a kid. I'm already waist deep with a dragon so I wanted to ground this back in reality as much as possible. Then I thought, what better way to do that than to actually hold it, and out came another (extremely rough) sketch.
 |
| CONTROL - Initial Sketch 4 |
I decided I liked the idea, as long as it came out better than that. It was time to begin the final piece.
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 1 |
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 2 |
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 3 |
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 4 |
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 5 |
 |
| CONTROL ~ Progress Pic 6 |
At this point, I felt like the bulk of the work was behind me and was now mostly concerned about how the hand itself would pull together. A finger can look like a finger and a wrist can look like a wrist but when you step back, it all has to look like a hand. Hands are complicated structures for which the human eye is very familiar with. In the end however, I think it all came together.
What's that? You want more? Of course you do so here are some detail shots below. Thanks for reading my 1st blog entry ever and please utilize the share icons. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning...
