Thursday, June 14, 2012

What's on the drawing board

7:56AM - WIP
colored pencil on museum board
6 x 6 inches
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Betcha can't guess what this is. Or maybe you can, knowing my obsession with the surf and tides. So I am indulging that obsession for a while longer in this newest colored pencil piece. By getting the part that is already drawn color corrected to match the original I lost most of the color of the parts that are merely mapped in, but they're there. I begin by loosely blocking in shapes in a light value for that area and then go back and continue to add color and value in each area until the entire piece is up to the same level of completion. At the end, I go back and work the entire piece, pulling it together in terms of color and value. Of course there is also much working and reworking, back and forth throughout the composition, along the way, but basically, that is my method.

By working small I can complete a piece more quickly. In this way I can explore many more ideas than I would be able to if I worked on larger format pieces that ultimately would take much longer to complete. And I get so many ideas for works that I don't know if I will ever get to them all. Which brings me back to my obsession with surf and tides. Every visit to the beach I use a ridiculous amount of pixels photographing what almost seems every wave that I am there to see. I would be embarrassed to tell you just how many wave photos I have taken over the past few years. However, that does give me plenty to work from for a good long while.

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On another note, I am in the process of updating my Fine Art America shop. Over the next week or so I will be switching out some of the works and replacing them with, you guessed it, beach and coastal themed pieces. You can visit my shop, here, or from the link over in the side bar. If you don't see something there that you would like as a print or card just let me know, and I'll be happy to make it available.

4 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

I am so not surprised to hear how you work, Ann. Your pieces are always finished so beautifully, are so polished and gorgeous. How painstaking it all is! But your work is worth the effort, believe me. This is looking beautiful!

nanke's stuff said...

I'm always fascinated by all the colors you put in that are always so right! This will be another beauty, I've no doubt. nancy

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished piece!

debra morris said...

Love your sea pictures Ann, missing my swim today. This makes me think of that moment just before diving in to a clear sea

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