Back with the next page of my graphic memoir.
Trans stuff comes and goes in this chapter. Mother had accepted me as her daughter, even if I didn't always behave as she might have liked. But what about her?
This was a tricky page from a narrative standpoint. Static storyline, just one or two old ladies sitting around in a cluttered house. I broke out some new Copic markers that I rather like, and used some Faber Castell gray markers on some of the values, along with the pencils.
Drawing clutter is tricky. How does one render chaos in a believable way? I worked from memory and the scant photo reference I had on hand. The solution is to include some plausible objects that are out of context. The image in Panel 5 is a reasonably accurate approximation of the house. In a page or two, I'll be drawing part of the kitchen. That will be a challenge!
The idea of Mother fading away as her life became more - let's say sequestered by choice and design - was the impetus for panels two, four and six. It's very close to my original vision for this page. I have to remind myself of my aphorism for my students. You never get 100% of your vision into the work, but sometimes you close in on it.
Tools used on this page:
- Papers: tracing paper, various sketchbooks, Canson Bristol board
- Pencils: Lyra 2B graphite stick, 4B lead and holder, 2B Ticonderoga classic, tech pencil and 4B lead
- Erasers: kneadable, vinyl eraser, Click eraser
- Hand Tools: 6" and 14" straightedge, triangle, T-square, French curves
- Inking
tools: Dr.Martin's Black Magic ink, nib and holder, Princeton Deerfoot
1/4" mini detailer brush (can't get enough of this brush!), Kingart 8 Gold Synthetic
- Markers: Copic 0.25, 0.3, 0.8, 1.0, Faber Castell gray brush, Copic Brush and Micron small brush
- And of course, Photoshop
