iToons
Drawing cartoons and palimpsest…
For three of the last updates, I’ve been drawn to pick up old cartoon sketches and to work them out to be more palatable.
They were really fun to draw, mostly because (for at least two of them), they are supposed to tell a funny story on a single image — which does not mean they cannot be interpreted.
And even more funny is that the story itself tends to evolve along the drawing.
For instance, for the one on the right, the character was like running away from something right from the start. But his environment came by and by,… then the fireworks… then the burnt match :)
Anyway, that was an appreciable respite from other paintings.
Just for instance, the following one took me ages to complete, and I still can see so many defects in this version — not to speak about the three previous versions that I released before!
Just for fun, I’ve stitched together all the intermediary versions in the following video ; it reveals the layers of that palimpsest1 almost like a loony cartoon :)
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1 Palimpsest or scraped parchment, as was done in the Middle Age to write new things and spare precious material, not to spoil it like paper now.
Comments
Thank you for your detailed comment, Eric. It all rings true.
The paintings shown here are in many ways part of a process of discovery of what methods are best for me to express something, and I agree that one of my recurring stumbling blocks have been to know when to stop and leave the piece as it is, rather than overworking it (see here).
It was not without a certain irony that the reclined nude piece you mention was made, to show me how in the early steps (it’s a few years old now) I used to overdo alot more than necessary —more recent timelapse sketches can be found here .
It is also interesting that you mention Sargent among others, as he always has been in my top favourites for his mastery of light and the subtlety with which he managed to mix strong and almost casual strokes with refined details that all together bring his artworks to such a depth of life.
I think a modern version of this would be what Craig Mullins manages to do.
Between all these great examples, it’s not always easy to find one’s own voice, so to speak. But your comment makes me confident I’m on the right track, so thank you again.
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OK,
As an artist myself, I can’t just let you off without some constructive criticism. I only do this because you have a truly sophisticated artistic ability. Your intermediary video has one frame that is beautiful. A soft focus of a reclining nude. As good as any John Singer Sargent sketch. I can see this in some of your other work as well. The mature strokes are there, the color senseability is there, but your further steps seem to want to hide behind some final strokes and methods that don’t fit. Be confident that you are a modern day impressionist. And an impression is all that you need in your drawing. You are great at this, truly great, but you are currently overworking your drawings and trying to put detail and focus in everything. You need to know when to stop. And I think a key to this is to know in yourself that your work is not that of a realist nor that of a cartoonist, but the more prized and talented impressionist. Study Sargent, Homer and Manet first, and you will see that the detail is used only sparingly. Sometimes even just part of the eyes, nose or mouth. The human brain will fill in the rest. I see your ability. Now stop hiding it with those overworked details.