8 thoughts on “Mythological Creatures Week 4”

  1. Hello everybody!
    For this week I did a new piece, I decided the character to be by itself compared with the other two pieces I decided to do contours not only for the figures but for the objects they were interacting with. Even tho I liked the result, I’m still debating if I should add an object for the character to interact with or just leave it the way it is right now. I also want to experiment to switching the orientation of the canvas, but I want to hear your opinions.
    Thank you!

  2. Hey Ali,
    I’m really curious, are you using models for these going from your head? I was trying to mess around with some drawing without a reference, and it’s been incredibly hard, and I can’t imagine you’ve been seeing these creatures around…

    Also are you putting water color and micron on canvas? Has the texture been a difficulty with the micron? How has the watercolor been with sticking to it? Or is it acrylic?

  3. Hi Ali!
    I really like the way you drew this mystical creature – it is compelling and mysterious. You did a great job drawing me in to wonder what the story is behind this character and what they are doing. I like that you only outlined the figure in micron pen and left the background as a color wash with minimal detail; it makes the character the sole subject and focus of the drawing. The only detail that draws me away from the figure slightly is the text (“Fish”). I think another possible alternative option is incorporating the micron lines into the background and adding more detail showing the context of the drawing. I think this would bring the focus to portraying the character engaging with their surroundings (especially if they are holding an object). I really like what you did here; for me it feels like a character study. I think both avenues are great! I’m excited to see more!

  4. Ali, this is a striking image. You have taken what we learned in class about color wash — the energy, texture, surprise of not necessarily obeying lines — in a nice direction by using colors. Like Olivia, I’m puzzled by the “Fish” but that’s not the least of the mystery so it’s actually an intriguing detail. To me, this feels like just one of a many pictures of the same mythological creature that you would fill in the story. So, no need to add an object to this one, in my opinion. Same with the orientation: I like it. I feel you’ve captured a lot of personality with just a few lines in the face. I must confess that being a biologist accustomed to examining limbs for their adaptive significance, I can’t figure out what those hands and feet would be useful for. Not flight or swimming, nor grasping and manipulating prey, nor running. Another part of the mystery?

  5. Wow! This human-bird hybrid is very cool. It’s a I can clearly see that you employed several critical techniques that we learnt in class, like shading with ink wash, line weight, and the use of horizontal planes to show dimensions. Though you didn’t draw a lot of things in the background, the background looks dreamlike and conveys a nostalgic feeling (good job on creating atmosphere with your concise ink wash 🙂 ) I can also see the layers of feathers on the wings through the ink wash of different intensity of color.

    I don’t know if you simplified the hands and feet (or shall I say, claws?) on purpose. If not, here are some human-bird hybrid illustrations on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/684054630881639000/
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/364087951097477435/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/454863631101226025/

  6. Hello everybody!
    Thank you so much for your comments. For the last drawings I didn’t have any problems adding the watercolors over the micron, but for this drawing I did. I didn’t wait enough for the micron to dry in the canvas, and it run over. Fortunately, the gesso in the canvas is really good with materials, when I was experimenting in another canvas with a different gesso the watercolors took forever to dry, as well it didn’t keep the same pigmentation when it dry. I have been using a lot of references, as well using a program for 3d modeling as Julie recommended me.
    For this drawing, I keep it simple, from the sketches I feel that drawing feather by feather will be really overwhelming for the viewer, therefore I just went for lines that would suggest those feathers, and let people’s imagination to fill out the blanks.

  7. You’re still not giving me much to go on, but glad to hear that you like Marcel Dzama. The next question—what might you have to learn from him? I was hoping for a more detailed reaction, in only a sentence or two. Every bit helps.

    I was also struck by the links to other human-aviary hybrids that Julie shared. Whenever you start a new project or enter a new field (new to you), especially a topical one, it’s a good idea to do a google search and check out the state of the art.

    There’s also an argument for keeping your blinders on and seeing where your own wits will take you, but in such a populated field that would be like having an idea for a tool to measure air pressure only to discover that the barometer was already invented in 1643.

    This piece has its qualities, mostly in its unique texture created by the pen and wash, but you need to do more thumbnails and work out character, mise-en-scene, and costume to greater effect. I’ve seen you before have an idea and launch in before “looking both ways.”

    Good things can come from that, and have for you (I’m thinking of Painting II) but when you’re staging a visual drama you need to invest more research and refinement into your process.

    As is, this feels like a picture of a young woman in a fish market (or farmer’s market) on her way to a costume party. There’s a hint, in her blowing skirt and the running colors, that she just got caught in the rain.

    She’s basically expressionless, or an expression that wouldn’t be any different if she wasn’t a mythological creature.

    You’ve come close to satisfying Leonardo’s recommendation to younger artists when it comes to creating mythical or monstrous creatures—to be sure they obey the same natural laws as human and animal anatomy. This comes close, but her claw/hands look more like gloves (i.e., a costume) than a genuine hybrid—or perhaps you intend that? I don’t know because 4 weeks in I’m still not sure about your objectives.

    Your decision not to elaborate on the feathers is also misplaced—viewers (i.e., human eyes) are fascinated—even mesmerized–by detail, especially when it adds mystery and psychological depth. I’m reminded of some favorite lines from Rainier Maria Rilke: “For beauty is just the first glimpse of terror / which we are barely able to endure and are awed / because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.”

    Viewers want mystery and complexity, especially when the subject matter is clearly in the realm of the fantastic.

    Composition is also an issue here. Again, for lack of planning and mapping out your figure on the page, her wings and the top of her head appear squeezed in, giving her a hunched look. In a recent comment to Claire I mentioned the Italian word disegno (which I also talked about in Drawing I)–the need for drawing and composition to be joined at the hip. You’re drawing well enough but you’re not designing or composing to best effect.

    You draw beautifully—there’s no doubt about that—but I strongly urge you to honor and fulfill that talent by planning ahead, thinking things through, and following through more effectively.

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