Thank you for stopping by! This page represents half of the book now complete!! I'm very excited to have hit this milestone.
Some fun facts about the project...
Time and Dates to Complete:
I finished this early May and it took roughly 3 months, I think.
Tools used:
Copic Sketch Markers, Airbrush attachment for Copici Markers, Prismacolor pencils, Copic Technical Pens
Challenges Faced:
The Sunset. The Water, The Clouds, The Rocks & Mountains. Oddly enough, the sun itself was very easy to do. The sunsnet was difficult because I need to create a smooth gradient from one color wash to another. This isn't really possible, over such a large area, with markers; you'd see the brush strokes. I wanted to avoid seeing any brush strokes in the sunset so I invested in the airbrush attachment. This is the first time I've used it, and even went in a little haphazard, practicing on the final image.
The clouds I changed halfway through the illustration, and almost ditched this version and started over because I didn't like the original clouds. Technically, they're not the strongest part of the image but they do bring bold contrasting color to the sunset sky, which was their main purpose.
How did I feel during the Process:
Beleaguered. Beset with worry and void of confidence... until I added the balloon and bi-plane. For some reason, their addition made all the difference in the world. And now, looking at it weeks after completion, I find it's a better piece than I originally saw while working on it.
Discussion of Techniques:
Ii rely heavily on the layering capabilities of the Copic Sketch Markers. It's imperative for the way I work and understand color.
This piece represents my first major image that eschews my old method of image creation for a new one. Traditionally I am more focused on line, edge and contour and construct images that way, especially using a limited palette relegated mainly to graphites. The addition of color requires a whole new approach to image creation, one that I am getting to know better with each new page.
