Life Drawing to Finished Art

 

'Daffodil Burlesque Celebration with Cat'... Enticing curves, darting eyes with charcoal in hand, this is the action responding to a posing nude, for the artist to metamorphose into art. And then there is the cat, puuurrrrring.

Original Life Drawing, 

Charcoal, Chinese Ink, graphite pencil on 12" x 18" drawing paper.

For a time period, I had an artist group come over to the loft for three-hour drawing sessions with life models. Bonny, the model, came one spring day to shine her beautiful light while Miriah, my neighbor's cat, was over for a visit. Miriah doesn't mind us admiring her as she captures kitty essence into the day's life drawing session. Mariah's Dad, Pete, is a landscape architect and has planted a variety of daffodils around our rather sparse, industrial neighbourhood. Bonny is a Burlesque dancer/performer and travels the world showcasing her talents. Both of these people contributed to the subject of this drawing, daffodils and a burlesque dancer.

*During the initial life drawing session, I like to use the soft vine charcoal to smooth in a grey background and block in the negative shapes. 

*To get the lines drawn quickly, I will use a harder charcoal pencil and/or black conte stick to draw in the shapes. 

*Graphite pencil was used for softer grey highlights on the body and details. 

*Chinese Ink was used for thick outlines and spirals.

*White Acrylic paint was used for the white ribbon.

2024 Daffodil Burlesque Celebration with Cat

24" x 18" Drawing Paper

Black & White Acrylic Paint, Chinese Ink, Purple Soft Pastel, 

Yellowish Pencil Crayons, Graphite Pencil, Various Foils

Years later, I unearthed the older life drawing and was filled with a surge of inspiration to revisit it and create a final piece. The joy of rediscovering this piece was palpable, and it was a delight to breathe new life into it. 

Using purple soft pastel, I softly went over the grey vine charcoal, which mixed with the fresh purples to create a background that would visually vibrate against the complementary yellow of the daffodils. Deep purple colors evoke a sense of Burlesque atmosphere.  

The use of white and black acrylic was instrumental in bringing a fresh, stark contrast to the piece. It sharpened the lines and added a new dimension to the artwork, making the audience feel the impact of comparison. 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my process is finding a reason to add a touch of sparkle with foils. I used purple, deep gold, light gold, and silver foil to embellish the head dress and bracelets, infusing the story with an effervescent vitality and a sense of fun.

Close-up of Miriah Kitty in Black Acrylic Paint

The daffodil base is a graphite pencil with a glaze of several shades of yellow-colored pencil.

Close up of Bonny's Headdress, bracelets, and nipple cover.

Purple and metallic foils featured in part of the headdress & bracelets.

* Daffodil Burlesque Celebration with Cat *

It was fun to revisit an old drawing and breathe new life into it!

DRAW DRAW DRAW  & draw some more.... Minaz Jantz