Saturday, April 4, 2020

Original Art Sundays (Saturday) No. 276: Theda Bara

My, it's been a while, hasn't it?
Two semesters and a quarter of an epidemic later, I have finally have art to post.
Oh, I've been drawing and making music. Just...not post-worthy.
A couple weeks ago, I remembered a photo I saw somewhere. I think it was Theda Bara. Ballerina balancing a bright globe in a black space. It fascinated me.
I can't find the photo for reference.
Maybe it's just as well. The photo realism thing works for me sometimes. I usually end up correcting proportions to compensate for some strange distance between the image and my perception of it.
I think it's a bit like cooking in that respect. The first time a cook makes something, they adhere to the recipe. The second time, they look at the recipe. The third time, they make it, allowing their personal flourishes to come through in the interpretation of the dish.
That's my approach to photo reference.
So I gave it a go.
Working from memory, getting the proportions reasonably accurate, and bringing my Art Deco chops into the figure's hair were my biggest challenges!


I'm fairly happy with it. I thought about adding some stippling to the window edges, and decided that sometimes, less truly is more. The position and proportions of the left hand were a real challenge!
I wanted to get away from the story a bit and just draw.
Materials:
2 Ply Bristol Board
Sumi Ink (My Walnut ink is used up! What's left is too gummy to be practical! Very sad.)
FW Acrylic White
Tight Spot correction brush
Lead holder and #4 leads
Magic Rub Eraser
Brushes: No. 0 Connoisseur Sable,  No. 4 flat synthetic, No. 4 round, No. 10 Princeton round.
That's it for now. Enjoy!
More sooner rather than later.