Eric 4/26/10

My focus this week will be on coloring my Wonka sketches, since they're due Sunday.  So I'm sorry to say that I won't be posting new drawings until next week.

Coloring is one of those things that I stress about until I start.  Then, I LOVE it!  I think it hearkens back to my love of coloring books when I *was* a kid.

For this show I'm using marker, for several reasons.  One, I think maker provides a fun, intense color with little to no fuss.  Two, it's quick to get to the color I see in my head.  Three, there is no dry time, which always gets me into trouble with watercolor.  I've used markers enough that I'm pretty familiar with color quality and hue, but it's still a game of experimentation.

In my grad program, I had two colleagues that were amazing with marker: my professor, Bill Black and my classmate Emily Strickland.  Those two can make marker look gorgeous and effortless.  I used to always beg Bill to teach me marker, however, he always said he couldn't.  Bill just picked up markers one day and started playing, and he encouraged me to do the same.

So, I still consider myself "playing" with marker.  With every sketch, I invent new tricks and techniques and keep finding new ways to articulate the figure.  And my cats LOVE it when I spread around 300 markers on the floor.  It's like kitty porn.