Making a Piece of Art

Making a Piece of Art

I thought you might like to see what it takes me to produce a piece of art.

The first step is what sort of idea do you want to convey. Then your next step is getting your research together. When you have the information you are looking for, then you can combine it together. This could be anything from does a certain plant grow in that area, to the proportions on a airplane, to the color of a bug. In my case I want to do a wall decorating scheme involving flowers.

As in the examples to follow, I must know to a certain extent on how a rose is put together, or an iris or a pansy or a sun flower. When I know and understand the basics, then I may take liberties on how I want to express them. This goes for any subject. If I were to draw what I think it should look like, you may not take it the same way. As an example: I could draw a car. I want it to be a Mercedes, but if it didn't resemble a Mercedes in some sort of way, you might take it as a Ford or a Chevy or a cartoon car that doesn't really exist. So research is very very important. Or perhaps I wanted to do something to represent Japan, a montage of different things representing that country. I couldn't put a dragon in the picture, because Japan does not have dragons. China does.

After I do my research, then I formulate the way I want to make my message. This involves designing what I have in mind. Many times I think it in my head, and then do a quick sketch of it. They are called thumbnails. I move things around, erase a lot, change sizes and just play with my drawing. These don't have a lot of detail, just shapes of things.

This is called the composition. This is the back bone of any picture. Mess it up and the finished piece will not look right.

There are many many ways to do compositions. I like to have movement in mine. In other words, I like to have your eye follow a line, and have a feeling. This to me makes the picture more organic and less static. This is just my own personal preference.

When I have something I am happy with, I draw it correctly. And that is where my show starts. You can see from the basic drawing to the colored finished piece. Enjoy!

3370 Valarie Ave Simi Valley, CA 93063 (805.522.9808)

Email: countryjoy@sbcglobal.net