Day 362

I wish I had a fabulous story about the origin or the meaning of this self-portrait. When it comes down to it, I had a dollar bill in my hand and the idea sprung from there. Very simple.

The real story (such as it is) is the progression of the style as the drawing progressed. I pretty much knew that I'd work with acrylic for the highlights, but originally I had planned to brush on some ink for the darks. Once I began my preliminary drawing with pencil, it became clear that I'd need to use a pen for the tighter details. But once I got even further, I simply loved how the pencil looked alongside the colors of the cardboard and the pale white paint. So that became my plan as I added darker shades with a common mechanical pencil.

And obviously I stuck with it to the end...

#362 October 17, 2011,  Pencil and acrylic on cardboard
Sounds: Truth & Salvage Company, Truth & Salvage, Co,

Day 106

Today's self-portrait is a natural outgrowth of the one from yesterday. I had a great time brushing the ink, and while it was not the first time that I had used that particular medium and process, it was the first time that I had used it on a colored surface and added white for highlights.

It occurred to me that the light areas would look even better in acrylic instead of colored pencil, since the paint would actually appear brighter against the ink. I have also always enjoyed seeing these two mediums used together on a darker material. It just so happened that I had an extra piece of cardboard laying around and it worked very well for the desired effect.

#106 February 3, 2011,  Acrylic and ink on cardboard

Sounds: INXS, Kick