"San Francisco Belle" WIP...

I'm working on a mixed-media project right now for a class. We were told to do a black and white traditional media drawing of "family." I chose to draw Tam, since often my friends have served me better as family than my own flesh and blood, and Tam is my best friend, my partner-in-crime.

So I started out with a quick charcoal sketch of Tam...

And then I scanned it into Photoshop and began painting underneath it, building up layers bit by bit...


I used photographs I took while visiting Tam in San Francisco (where she lives) back in 2007 to collage with my digital paintings, then painted more on top of them. Then I printed the whole thing out on an epson printer on campus. It's about 30 inches long, 17" tall.


Now comes the fun part. I've begun (nowhere near finished) using found materials, acrylic paint, and carbothello pastel pencils to add in and onto the piece. To me, Tam is someone I associate with warm colors -- reds, oranges -- and deep water -- dark blues. When I think of her, I think of Asia, of Chinatown, of all things San Francisco. I think of her favorite quote about being like water, of eastern dragon motifs, and of big oak trees. She sure has a thing for trees. I'm trying to incorporate these elements into this. I'm still looking for a way to work water into it.

I was going to use some of my seaglass, the blue ones, but decided it looked too cluttered and that the little buddha should be enough for a 3D element for now. I've added in little red maple leaves I've been saving forever, and used an oak leaf I had pressed and dried last year as a sort of stamp for white acrylic. The paper holds material and moisture well, but only if I'm careful. At one point I accidentally smashed my hand into it over Tam's cheek while it was still wet, and the paper rubbed off. Rather than panic or try to cover it up, I've decided to go with it and have been roughing up the paper here and there until I can get it to incorporate...

It's still got a ways to go. I want to make sure carries along. I need to find some more maple leaves (I think I know where to get 'em). I was going to go looking some fake cherry blossoms or the like (it's too late in the season for real ones) and use those like a stamp the way I did the oak leaf, but I think I won't now. And I'm having some problems with the right side curling so as I type this it's being pressed down by a bunch of phone books...

Anyway. Lots left to do, but I like how it's coming.