Sycamore Blues

Last night's work on the Sycamore was a bit frustrating; I simply felt confused. The leaf has some wonderful folds and textures that only become apparent with oblique lighting. I sometimes draw in my favorite chair or, more frequently, sitting up in bed late at night. My problem is trying to light my paper well while applying unique lighting to my subject. Of course, the easy answer is a proper workplace, especially for those episodes demanding special lighting.

Most often, come morning when I review the evening's work, I begin to examine with a critical eye. What looked so exciting the night before has now dulled. Surprisingly, this morning's review gave me a bit of hope. I was ready to toss the mess but now I'll hang on, maybe to continue right along or maybe to table it for later. In the meantime, with five days away from work in front of me, I'll be working on eking out a dedicated playground. :-)

Haha! I just noticed that some shading at the top of the leaf looks curiously like a question mark. How apropos... :-)

Dynamic Light and Shade by Burne Hogarth is a new book in my library. I'm taking it slowly, letting it settle in. Chapter 1 is about black and white silhouette. Depth or the third dimension, light intensity, and perspective are illustrated with many examples and short descriptive paragraphs. I think about these examples as I struggle with all kinds of detail, how a simple but well stated patch of black on a white background can gracefully and succinctly convey the image.