When you draw something you may lose something from the original idea or gain something.
Grudman with Grudman
I call drawings studies because they represent the best and the worst of my point of view as an artist. The best is hardly definable and the worst is sometimes necessary to create cohesion between the concept or completed composition.
How do I know what to do and how to do it? I don't, it just happens and it either feels right or it doesn't. That doesn't mean I won't use the drawing or at least pieces of it for a painting, but making a painting is another story.
The best way to illustrate my process is to use one of my pieces as an example.
I just completed a self-portrait which is about 7 feet tall. I traditionally haven't done a lot of self-portraits but have found this to be a great way to upgrade my design skills.
The materials I used for this piece are black felt markers and wide cap, white, butcher paper.
I start the drawing by creating a one-line drawing, not lifting the marker from the page until all elements are in place, this takes only a few minutes and leaves me with an outline, more or less.
Proportions are then adjusted by moving my lines around, lengthening, shortening and changing the angle and placement of my lines.
Larger than life drawing of Grudman 7x5 Ft
It is at this point my self-portrait begins to come alive with dimension, form, and space, It's at this point, I start adding dark and light with layer upon layer of squiggly line, straight line, and contours.
Layers are the foundation of my work, and whether it's in my drawings or my paintings, it is the process of layering that gives my art depth and richness.
I have just added a new section to Grudart.ca, called "Drawings" and you can find it under Collections.
Drawings are being added regularly and will soon be available as, one of, originals.
Check out my paintings in my Gallery and don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, its free and you simply have to fill out the form on my contact page.
My first newsletter will be sent out this month, May 2018 and will include upcoming shows, events and give you a sneak preview of a very cool project I'm working on.
