Unexpected outcomes, part two

March 27, 2013September 30, 2014 | Anna Cull

Toy museum – ink sketch and final image.

An unexpected outcome doesn’t always add magic to an image. Serendipity is a wonderful thing but, unfortunately, not all accidents are pleasant surprises.

Toy museum is a good example. It’s an ink sketch that I scanned and coloured digitally. While I was drawing it, I realised it would have to be reworked ― a stray line here, an unfortunate expression there ― but rather than starting again (something my tutors at design school would have insisted on), I kept calm, carried on and decided that I would ~~correct~~ modify those bits later. It’s not cheating; it’s a kind of mixed media that includes digital tools : )

If you compare the sketch with the final image, quite a few things haven’t changed at all, but I had trouble with some of the faces and so I edited them in Photoshop. I tweaked a few other things as well but not too much — I didn’t want to take away the personality of the drawing.

Ironically, knowing that I CAN change something later means that I tend to relax and enjoy my art more and then, more often than not, I DON’T NEED TO change anything. And I like it when that happens too.

Shoot it, Sketch it: A trip down memory lane

March 25, 2013September 15, 2013 | Anna Cull

I was looking for photographs to put on my new portfolio site over the weekend when I came across an image I’d completely forgotten about. It’s a picture of Press Lane in central Christchurch taken a few months before the September 2010 earthquake.

Press Lane – mixed media, 290 x 205 mm, 2013.

I wish it wasn’t quite so hard to tell what the image is (you’re looking over a flower box, down the lane and seeing the buildings in the next street). My husband took a long, hard look at it and announced that I had drawn a kitchen ― and I can see it too now! It was still an interesting exercise… putting my own spin on the out-of-focus shapes and shadows.

The sketch is mainly ink and watercolour with touches of gouache and graphite. I’m not sure what the splash of orange is at the top (I’m sure the building wasn’t on fire) but it was in the photo, so it’s in the sketch : )

Unexpected outcomes, part one

March 22, 2013September 30, 2014 | Anna Cull

sketch ink drawing stamp — Penguins — sketches and final image

Some people call them mistakes. I like to call them unexpected outcomes.

It can be very frustrating when a drawing doesn’t turn out as planned. Why can’t I draw a straight line? Why isn’t the perspective right? The figures are flat. The colours are wrong. The ink has dripped onto the paper and now the sky is frowning.

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this kind of creative struggle. Quite the opposite. I believe that unexpected outcomes are an essential part of the creative process. They’re an indication that we’re exploring possibilities, stretching ourselves and continuing to grow as artists.

You start with a blank piece of paper. You draw. After ten minutes (or an hour or a day), you’ve created something that NOBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD has created. Something new exists because of you. Okay, so it’s not what you imagined it would be and maybe you’re a bit disappointed. But sometimes, sometimes it takes your breath away. I did that? How did I do that? I wonder if I could do that again?

Sometimes the very thing that we didn’t intend is where the magic happens.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Left

March 18, 2013July 7, 2013 | Anna Cull

drawing jandal texture grass ink graphite landscape — Left – mixed media, 170 x 235 mm, 2013.

I spotted this abandoned accessory on a riverbank and thought it would be a good subject for Shoot it, Sketch it. The quality of the photo isn’t great (it’s another camera-phone photo) but it’s more than good enough for sketching purposes. After all, to quote photographer Chase Jarvis, the best camera is the one you have with you.

I was inspired to take the photo because the artificial pink and white looked wonderfully eccentric against the natural green. The black/white/pink image is the one I set out to create — and I’m very happy with it — but I also really like the emphasis on texture in the ink and graphite image (shown below, before I added the colour in Photoshop). And now, becuase I don’t know which one I prefer, I’ve posted both.

A few others taking part in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch, Poppytump, Two Scamps, Baaps and 30 Minute Art.

Happy Annaversary

March 13, 2013September 15, 2013 | Anna Cull

Today is my blog’s first anniversary. Yes, it’s been a whole year since my first post. A little retrospective seems in order.

Here are my top ten posts based on your likes and comments. It’s interesting to see what made the list and what didn’t.

#10 Over the line – two hundred followers!

Of all the things I’ve drawn, painted and designed over the last year, the little sparrow watercolour (below) — which didn’t make it into the top ten — is my personal favourite : )

Thank you all for your interest in this blog and for liking what I do.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Red sky at night

March 4, 2013April 23, 2024 | Anna Cull

Red sky at night – mixed media, 187 x 297 mm, 2013. — Red Sky at Night – mixed media, 187 x 297 mm, 2013.

Red sky at night, original photo – Christchurch, 2012.

This is my second sketch based on photos I took on my way to LUXcity in Christchurch last year. It is the companion piece to City Lights. The end result is not quite what I had in mind when I started sketching. It’s full of unexpected outcomes — and I’m okay with that.

Other bloggers taking part in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch, Poppytump, Two Scamps, Breana and 30 Minute Art.