Still Here Still Life # 98
I decided to do another piece from Still here still life’s (@stillherestilllife) drawing challenge. This is prompt #98.
The painting is created in Procreate using gouache brushes and the included color palette from KJP Designs via DesignCuts.
I started off with a sketch in my sketchbook. I’ve been moving more of this beginning part of my process to analog - so pencil and paper. I find it’s a bit easier to explore and make mistakes on paper than it is on my iPad. Sometimes I feel with the digital tools, I get a tendency to make everything pixel perfect (haha, designer pixel pushing here). And I’ll end up undoing and re-drawing a line over and over on iPad because I’m on the computer and my brain is like “it must be perfectly straight!” On paper, sometimes I’ll erase, sometimes I’ll draw over a mistake. It’s more chill.
Preliminary sketch
After the paper sketch, I’ll take a picture of it, then import that picture into Procreate. Next I’ll polish the sketch, typically using a color for the lines that I know I won’t have in my final palette. This is to help reduce confusion between what marks are there to help me out versus what’s going to end up in the final.
Taking a look at the Procreate sketch, I feel like my lines have gotten less wobbly as I’ve been going through Drawabox exercises to improve my fundamentals. I’m currently on Lesson 1 and working through exercises to learn more drawing from the shoulder vs drawing from the wrist.
Basically:
Shoulder = smooth, fluid line work; emphasis of trajectory
Wrist = tight, stiff control; good for details and writing
The earlier photo of my sketchbook is from “before” I started Drawabox, and the photo below on iPad is “after” I started Drawabox.
Sketch is polished and transferred to iPad
Next, I’ll do some planning for what colors will go on which object. Then commence with painting while I listen to an audiobook. Today’s audiobook was The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve read a number of his books, including all the previous ones of the Mistborn series and the Stormlight series. I highly recommend if you are in to fantasy novels.
Final painting for still here still life #98 drawing challenge
And here is the final painting! I’m really diggin’ the pink and green lamps. Probably because of the color variations - they feel harmonious within each lamp. What do you think? And, do you have any audiobook recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!
