My Deer

Based on a fashion shot.

Backyard

There were some great, low-hanging clouds in the sky this afternoon.

This epic cloud in our backyard made me stop dead in my tracks. The massive formation towered above our house like a mountain, the scale reinforced by the bush in the foreground. I tried to remember as much as I could about the colours and values, before doing this quick memory painting. The subtle warmth in the clouds from the afternoon sun is often lost in a photograph. 

Round-hair girl

Lately I've tried a different approach on hair. I wanted to give the hair a slightly rounder feel, treating the locks as larger shapes rather than wispy strands. It might not be very obvious though. :)

Finally, universities are starting here in Cambridge. I can't wait to do some figure drawing again. I believe Anglia Ruskin does an evening session, although I need to find out what day and time it is. Cambridge University terms don't start until early October, but once they get going I'll try to make the Architecture Society sessions again.

Chameleon boy & Red scarf girl

I managed to get hold of an Intuos3 A3 on Ebay so I had a go at digital inking. It was definitely easier with a bigger tablet, although I still think that traditional inking is something I want to continue to work on.

The scarf set the tone for the rest of the outfit. That type of red scarf was worn by youths during Mao's cultural revolution. I don't know if they're still used in this day and age, but for a long time they were worn in schools as a sign of distinction. 

The slogan on this propaganda poster has been so re-iterated to most Chinese as they were growing up that it's become somewhat of an in-joke, often told in English in its direct translation. 

"Good good study, day day up." 

You get the idea. :)