Creating artwork in rainy Seattle

October 20, 2022

Tuscan Villa
Reworking an ink drawing into a vector image
It has been a very gray, rainy winter here in the Emerald City of Seattle. Sure things grow like crazy in this rainforest-type environment, but still the gray days can take their toll.
For me the upside is that it does lend itself to staying inside and doing something creative. It’s a chance to review my work and see where I might create something new. Looking at my abstracted ink drawings from my trip to Italy last fall, I decided to create a more finished, color image of the drawing I had done named Silent Villa.

My original pen and ink drawing

The finished artwork

The original drawing had very defined shapes, making it pretty easy to redraw into my vector program. There are always areas that need work to complete them in relation to their surroundings. Once I got through that phase, I gave every shape a gray value. That allowed me to get a sense of balance and contrast, and to make sure everything was in its correct order for layering purposes.

I chose to develop a very limited color palette. The piece already has a level of complexity, seeming to be an explosion of shapes. Because of that, I felt a simple controlled color palette might tame the complexity down, not add to it.

my sketchbook

For travel purposes I bring 2 different sized sketchbooks. This one is a favorite because it has hard covers to protect the pages, and they give a solid surface for drawing on. The pages in this sketchbook measure 10 x 6.5 inches. Not too large, but enough room for a drawing if I plan well. The other sketchbook I bring is a soft cover moleskin measuring 7.5 inches square. I like it as well, but it definitely needs support when drawing on location – like a table to sit at.