The One Time When We Only Had To Do One

So the paramaters for this assignment was to choose one subject to do a spot illustration that could be used in a promotional piece for Truman. So used a photograph that I had of Kirk Memorial building that I used for reference. 

So thoughts about this assignment: 

1. The problem areas that I had here were the trees and the bricks. About halfway through doing the bricks, I found a new system that I could have used that would have saved me about half the time and about 90% of the effort. But by that point, I was already committed to each and every one of those little rust colored demons. So I just had to go with it. And that frustration is easily seen right in the middle above that little archway thing, as the bricks are larger and more spaced out aka less attention to detail. 

2. So the trees ... I laid down a framework of pencil initially and behind where the trees were to go, I put those pencil markings down a liiiittle too dark. And tried to compensate by laying down more pigment so those circles didn't show through ... and ended up just ruining the whole thing with these blobs of trees. And the pigment is way too heavy for the rest of the piece. But that's okay. I learned from it, right? Right. 

3. I really utilized the "wet on wet" technique in this piece and I liked how it turned out. I was initially (you know, back in the day aka two weeks ago when we learned different watercolor techniques) skeptical of this technique and its practical application, but it's one of my favorite now. I used that for the gray parts and liked how it kind of created a marbled effect. 

4. Detail really makes a difference. There were a few things that I went in later and added, and it made a big difference in regards to contrast and really making this piece what it is. (What? How cheesy is that? Let's pretend that didn't happen.) So anyway, detail = good. 

5. This piece is too big to scan in so we're rocking the always professional phone photo today. Until I get this actually scanned in or decide to take a picture with my DSLR. 

This may be the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. (Rusty's approval, not my illustration)