Slowvember, slowest of the slow
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Ok, it's not entirely true that I'm just really slow. I had to stop for 10 days because my husband went on a business trip and, after the rounds with kids and homework and housework and bed, there was no time (or brain power) for drawing.
So now I'm back at it!
My theme is like a day-in-the-life-of kindof thing. "An afternoon with homeschoolers". It's one I don't really have to research too much on to get the stories, because I was homeschooled, and my 3 kids just stopped being homeschooled. So this is basically how our house used to look on a daily basis.
I did, however, research different living room/kitchen photos to help envision the space I wanted to create rather than just using my living room.
I had done all sorts of thumbnails, just to figure out the space I was trying to portray.
Then I did a small thumbnail-ish sketch of how I wanted the room to look, since I had very specific criteria that I wanted to portray in my illustration.
And I turned this into a bit bigger sketch during an art chat with with my 12yo. I was explaining how drawing boxes without a horizonline eventually lands you in trouble (all the while landing in trouble - nothing teaches better or has a more comical reaction than a parent failing during the lesson) and making sure perspective is right is crucial in the long run.
Now I'm back at thumbnails to get the perspective/POV I want and structure the composition, although, I'll need to evict the art chair thief if I want that to happen.
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That picture of your child drawing is adorable. Regarding your artwork, looking good!
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I think it's great that you're tackling this in the midst of all the chaos that being a mom can bring. Kudos to you. Also I think you're doing a great job to ensure your perspective is on. As I'm looking at your most recent sketch I want to point out something. I feel like the doorway in the back room that has an arch, this is drawing my eye. I think for a couple reasons, as you look at the lines of the room, the ceiling the floor and the counters in the kitchen, they all lead your eye towards that doorway. Also the doorway has an arch and all other lines are straight, this is making it unique and different which grabs my attention, also the doorway is aligned with the rule of thirds. So I would suggest that as you're composing the room that you know that as of now the doorway seems to be a point of interest in your story.
Also I want to say that you may have accidentally captured the perfect reference photo for an adorable illustration of your daughter drawing at your table. -
@deborah-Haagenson Thank you on both counts!
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@todd-wilson Great comments on the curved arch. I hadn't caught that as a focal point. I'm still making more thumbnails now that I know what the room looks like, so more drastic compositional changes coming up. And I agree the art chair thief is quite picturesque. Thank you!
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This is so great seeing not only I am struggling with fitting drawing into daily life with children. It ain't easy ... We are homeschoolers as well. So, good you're back to your pencil. I also like the art chair thief
Seeing your last drawing of the living room, I get the feeling of a really large room. I think this is because there are no borders in the front. I don't have that feeling with the smaller thumbnails. I havn't seen your room, but I think you need to enlarge the objects which are more in the front (pale drawings), and getting them closer together. The objects seem to be spread over the room randomly. It might be helpful to group them together, so that you have a better legibility of the overall scene.
I will like to see your progress. Keep it up!
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@Meta Thank you for your critiques about the larger room. I have been zooming in a bit more now, so everything is more coherent. Yes, kids, while a great inspiration for illustrations, are also the main reason I can't get to illustrating. I try to carve out a good hour or 2 after bedtimes each evening, but life has other plans and often intervenes. As long as we keep inching along we're good though, right?
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So I got more time to work yesterday - an unprecedented 3 hours!. I had been looking at Norman Rockwell's April Fool's Day paintings as inspiration to see how to cram 50+ items into 1 image. The inspiration paid off.
After, yes more thumbnails, I finally settled on a composition.
And then I play digitally for a bit (I only just got a program, so I really have no clue what I'm doing there yet). But it let me scribble around and have fun with the fact that I left thumbnail size, however briefly.
I even did a few quick sketches of the kids.
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Oh man! I relate so much to this! I was also homeschooled and have three kids so kudos to you for trying to capture that. I love what you have so far! Good luck!
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Comin along nicely!
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@Annaaronson Thank you! It seems there are a few of us homeschoolers in here. It's nice we can finally meet up.
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@Braden-Hallett Thank you! I'm plodding along.
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Here is the latest progress.I'm learning how to use Affinity Photo at the same time as I'm piecing this one together. I keep sketching in my sketchbook, then snap a photo and upload it, cut, paste and adjust it into place. It's forcing me to learn the program bit by bit as I have to look up how to everything first.
I'm liking how my scribbles are turning into something understandable. I think I'm going to keep a running list of the items I draw, as I clarify them into detail, so I have my final 50+ "Can you find it?" list when I'm done. Much more refining to go!
