Coloured Sea Medusa

Some experimenting with watercolour, ink and Photoshop on an old drawing.

Hmmm, where to go next?

The start of something...

Theda Bara - Finished Pencil

Portrait of silent movie star Theda Bara from Cleopatra in 1917. This was an exercise in using the rendering skills I usually use in my more realistic drawings and applying them to a cartooned image. 

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the film:

Cleopatra (1917) was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Fritz Leiber, Sr. played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Mark Antony.

It was one of the most elaborate Hollywood films ever produced up to that time, with particularly lavish sets and costumes. According to the studio, the film cost $500,000 (approximately $8.3 million in 2009) to make and employed 2,000 people behind the scenes. The story of this silent film was very loosely based on the plot of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Theda Bara appeared in a variety of fantastic costumes, some quite risqué. The film was a great success at the time.

However, years later, with the imposition of Hollywood's Hays Code, the film was judged too obscene to be shown. The last two prints known were destroyed in fires at the Fox studios and at theMuseum of Modern Art in New York. Only a few fragments in the hands of museums survive to this day.

Coral Tentacle Pattern

I had intended to use the last piece I posted as part of a repeat pattern. I’ve seen a lot of repeat pattern in the work of people I’ve been following and I’d thought I’d have a go. 

Coral Tentacle

Pencil, ink and some experimenting in Photoshop!

New sketch based on my last two pictures. Just playing around with shapes and form, trying to create some kind of coral, seaweed, tentacle, organic thing. Not quite sure where I’ll go yet …

Life Drawing

My first two life drawing classes in about 2 years at 10 Feet Tall. Two to fifteen minute poses. It was tough, my brain caved in, but it was fun!

Finished Pencil

fab ciraolo: Dorothy

fab ciraolo: Dorothy

I love this guy's work! Great colours and concepts.

Work in progress ...

Photos of my new work at different stages. Another sea inspired one, I was kind of going for a Medusa feel this time. Almost finished now, just have to make the tentacles more solid before I have a go at colour. I love doing these types of pictures with tons of detail - maybe I have OCD -but they can leave me feeling a bit burned out. I think I need to do some more quick expressive stuff for a while to recharge my batteries!

Tentacles!!!!! They’re everywhere!!!!!

Tentacles!!!!!!!!

I finally seemed to have pulled myself out of a Christmas coma and done some drawing. It feels good to get things going again. Not sure what to call this one yet but it’s been inspired by my love of the sea, watching Miyazaki’s Ponyoover the holidays, the Greek goddess of the sea Thetis who could change shape, and my lovely Christmas present from my boyfriend, ‘Art Forms In Nature’ by Ernst Haeckel. I also haven’t quite decided on how I’m going to finish it but I will be putting up a cleaned up scan shortly.