I created another watercolour romantic illustration. I like painting flowers with purple hues such as lavender or lilac.
I like Purple, it is very calming colour. I get a calm feeling painting with certain colours. It helps to reduce stress. I was going to buy a specialised colour from Daniel Smiths but the winsor and Newton Cotmans Paint are great quality for watercolour painting.
I’m including Coptic marker pen on my watercolour paintings. Ink, marker pens go well with watercolour, in fact anything can go with watercolour. I might invest more Copic markers and coloured inks. the colour inks are good for colour in cloths without creating streaks.
During last weekend, I decided to got back into watercolour painting. I chosen to use Hot Press 300g watercolour paper. It has a smoothing surface than cold press.
I like drawing / painting subject with a Male romance and flowers because it very therapeutic to me.
For the characters skin tones I used Copic markers pens. It colours on the paper smoothly and nicely without bleed through the paper or streaks.
I’m planning to create more romantic watercolour illustrations.
Thanks to The Daylight light box, I can easily transfer drawings into watercolour papers. I drafted two drawings on one A4 paper. Theses drawing where copied from my sketchbook.
This will give you an idea of how i develop an my own art style from taking inspiration from other artist. I discovered them during my art education. they are the basic guidelines i use whenever I am working on an illustration or comic.
Calligraphy
Often my drawing or paintings has gesture, scribbles inspired by calligraphy writing. At college I was fascinated with the beautiful lines of calligraphy strokes. I researched Chinese, Arabic or traditional English calligraphy.
I did practice calligraphy writing. Then I started the habit to including calligraphy scribbles in my drawings. The rush energetic scribble lines give my drawings an edge. I was drawn to the movement of lines. My older artwork just had scribble. Then I developed calligraphy writing techniques and write some random word or alphabet along side with the drawing.
Jose Parla
Jose Parla uses calligraphy drawings for his abstract paintings. He was the first artist that inspired me to combine calligraphy into painting. His paintings appear like an urban calligraphy street art. His artwork have so much elementals of collage and scribbles all combined together in one massive piece. It very similar to Jackson Pollock works.
Jose Parla
Dave McKean
Dave McKean is my next artist that I was inspired by. He creates unique drawing, combining mix media, collage and digital in illustrations. I likehis drawing the most especially his graphics novel illustrations in his books ‘A Picture that Tick’.
He illustrated one of my favourite childhood book ‘Varjak Paw’ by S.F.Said
Dave McKean – Varjak Paw
Jean Haines
I love Jean Haines has approach to watercolour. Her watercolour style is very close to how I like to paint with watercolour, Her watercolour painting organic, loose and free. She instantly become one of my favourite watercolour artist and inspiration for watercolour. After I graduated, I wanted to include more vibrant colours in my illustrations. I felt my artwork was dull and abit too dark in topic. It her use of colours, she teaches how to use pure colour from paint. I learn watercolouring techniques from Jean Haines for my watercolour illustrations.
Jean Haines
Frank Miller Sin City graphic Novel
Frank Miller’s Sin City gritty. I liked how he use negative space within the black background. Some have key colours for key characters for example in ‘That Yellow Bastard‘. I liked the use of composition and great dialogue. (I did watch the movie too)
It was good to explore different style of comics not just manga. I learn a lot from the drawing techniques reading Sin City. It made me consider negative space for drawing.
I trying to find and experiment with different drawing techniques while I’m working on my comic. I would like be authentic in my comic artwork.
Sin City Frank Miller
Shungiku Nakamura Junjo Romantica
My personal favourite and main manga inspiration for my own manga. Shungiku Nakamura’s drawing style are different to the traditional style in most manga comics. I love the direction, layout and storyline. I always refer to Nakamura mangas for tips for creating boy love romance.
Handling criticism is an balancing act. Art in general a subjective topic.
Criticism is can be hard! When I was younger I cried a lot if a teacher critis my artwork. I thought that they favour more other people’s than mine and I would complain a lot.
In art education and in the commercial work, you would have to deal criticism and may clash with ideas.
There are different kinds of critique. Someone who mainly look for technical flaws and someone who mainly judge the style of work.
Art teacher should suppose to develop a students artistic expression, develop your visual language and understand who you are.
Teachers have to complete a education criteria marking a students artwork.
I had to learn smart in distinguish what good and bad critique. Eventually, I learn to take criticism with a pinch of salt.
During my university studies in Illustrations. I would get different perspectives from different tutor or peers.
I had a mentor in university named Bex, Bex helped me with writing and organising my course work. She was really good to me. Bex gave me a fair critique without discouraging me with my art style. She talks to me very positively and pointed out unique elements within my work. Bex was a huge help me when I was beginning to feel negative about my artwork
Don’t take there criticism to heart. It does not mean your work is totally bad or your suck at drawing/painting. Go with your instincts on what will work visually. Never try to match what the mass what!
If someone was judging your artwork too harshly, find someone else.
Criticism is good for your creative process. It is important to get different opinions, to see what work and don’t works. To make improvements and have someone see things you did not noticed before. But ultimately you decided to make changes.
I don’t normally get criticism for my work, Nor I would I care now. If somebody random critics my artwork, it would not bother me.
I enjoying creating comics and illustrations without any anyone interfering. But I am open for feedback.
I think Anton aka Pink Boy it is because he an altar ego of myself. He is a recently new character I created.
I made Anton to be an inspire to become DJ. His ambition is to become famous DJ. In his private time he like to do watercolour painting.
Anton has two jobs, he works at a video renting store and owns a food vegan truck selling vegan fast food. Anton lives and rents in a small bungalow house in southern America.
The neighbourhood is very suburban, Anton shops at a local store and use his van to travel everywhere.
Anton is very confident, self assured, he know what he wants to achieve in life. He does like his own company. He is very street hood behaviour. most of his teens he was in the street with gangs until he broke away from them. He gets a lot into trouble with the police. So he uses watercolour painting and DJ mixing to avoid the gangs and the police.
Anton is very intelligent and talented but does not know how intelligently he is. He is very out of the box character does things that not the normal which fascinates a lot of people.
Anton sexual preference is men, he was in love with his best friend but there was nothing happen. Anton does feel conflicted with his sexuality because of his background. However there be one person that he be instantly attracted to.
Anton eats a very strict vegan diet, he was traumatised when he was young seeing raw cut meat from the butcher shop and him family would eat pigs heads whole. So pink Boy will not touch anything that is any creature or animal products. So he has to eat a very healthy diet. Which be a problem for his cousin Felix who still eats meat.
Anton’s cousin lives with him. His cousin is in college student. His cousin is younger than than Anton. More fatter than him. His name is Felix, a character I create years ago to be cousin with Anton (pink Boy). They are very different from each other, complete contrast.
Both Felix and Anton are Latin America descendants, Mexico and Argentina. They both live in America.
