‘That’s Just Old Regular Living’ || Art

First ART post of the year, everybody! And it’s based on the first film I saw for 2021 as well, which is Pixar’s SOUL! Still not a good time to return to the movies, so I got the enjoy this movie at home, instead.

This is perhaps one of the most important films to have come out in recent history. It is, in a nutshell, a very intricately executed and beautifully told story about living; how we learn to interact with ourselves, and to recognise and treat others.

It follows a pianist-turned-middle-school-band-teacher who was presented with a grand opportunity of a lifetime to perform in a jazz band with a renowned saxophone player, only to fall to his death only hours before he was supposed to perform. Here, you could pretty much guess what the story is trying to say: live your life to the fullest by doing what you love and don’t waste time. And that is, in essence, what the film is all about.

However, there is more.

• 

  Pencil Sketch

• 

  Ink

One scene in particular caught my attention; basically this scene here, as depicted in this piece.

Fair warning that there will be SPOILERS from here on out, so if you don’t wish be spoiled, scroll all the way through to the end of the post for the final picture.

Art of The Week #41: Cathedral

Coloured pencils and ink on paper

‘Tis the season! And a perfect time to attempt a winter scene. This time around, I was heavily inspired by the game Guild Wars 2, notably a location in the game called the Bitterfrost Frontier. There are these tall, gigantic trees that tower over the characters and I love being there, although the map is littered with hostile enemies and creatures.

Part 1: Pencil sketch and shading.

And what better reference than the redwoods forests? The title itself is inspired by environmental philosopher, naturalist, conservationist and author, John Muir, who would refer to forests like these as Nature’s Cathedral, and after whom the Muir Woods National Monument, known for its redwoods forest, is named.

Part 2: Ink outlining and shading

Anyways, this would probably be the last time this year that I would be using the ‘Art/Photo of the Week’ tag for these pieces. It didn’t really quite make sense in retrospect to do it that way, seeing as I never really kept to a strict weekly schedule. Come the new year, you’ll see something different.

‘Cathedral’. Coloured pencils and ink on paper.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Midweek Inspiration: ‘Dancing Is For People Who Are Free’

Coloured pencils and ink on paper. 

I have recently watched Taika Waititi’s film ‘Jojo Rabbit’, which I have been putting off for perhaps over a year already, and finally I have gotten to watching it. I love it! I love it so much! It’s such a delightful and emotionally-charged story! I came off the movie feeling so moved and inspired, I needed to draw something, maybe as a little tribute, and I thought what better than to draw Rosie’s shoes? They are, after all, significant to the story.

Part 1: Pencil sketch and shading

Part 2: Ink outline — and a little adjustment to the paper’s form.

‘Dancing Is For People Who Are Free’. Coloured pencils and ink on paper.

Art of the Week #40: ‘Cliffs’

Coloured pencils and ink on paper. 

I started this piece a little earlier in the week — almost immediately after my last one. It was because I had just watched Tomm Moore’s second animated feature, ‘Song of the Sea’, which was a sprawling and beautifully animated Irish epic that incorporates many elements of Irish folktales. Not too long before that, I had also just watched Moore’s first animated feature, ‘The Secret of Kells’, which on top of looking gorgeous, told a simple yet poignant story that emphasizes the importance of art in our life. Both films became instant favourites and I felt that I needed to draw something. Anything to remind myself of these two beautiful films.

Part 1: Pencil sketch

So immediately, the first thing that popped up into my mind was the image of a Christian monk by the shores, deep in contemplation. It was an image that appealed to my spiritual… sensibilities, due in large part to the monk. Here’s a little something about me. There was a point in time in my adolescence where I actually considered becoming one. I followed Franciscan blogs, I connected with an actual Franciscan friar from the US through Facebook, I watched videos about various orders, I even talked to my cousin about it, who had encountered a local order before. However, it was never really something I could realistically commit to. I came across this movie (and, subsequently, the classic novel that it was based on) called ‘The Monk’ (the original French title, Le Moine) starring Vincent Cassel and I was disturbed by it. Not because of the depravity and the horrors depicted, but rather, that the film, at least according to my understanding at the time, pointed out a flaw in my considerations to taking up the brown; that I had not done enough of life to properly understand anything and therefore, take up the responsibilities of a proper monk. It was only in the recent years that I was beginning to see a tiny fraction of life play out and already, I was overwhelmed. I would have made a horribly insensitive, emotionally detached and spiritually uninformed monk, who only knew to quote Scriptures and not much else.

Part II: Ink outline and pencil shading

So, I decided that it is not something that I am able to properly commit to yet when I am still in the throes of spiritual quandary, but I haven’t abandoned the idea just yet. It’s still there, growing and developing. This path is something which I consider very seriously, among other potential ones, and I do see myself maybe taking up the brown someday. Just not so soon. There’s just so much to see and experience in the world, and so much still to reconcile.

‘Cliffs’. Coloured pencils and ink on paper.

Anyways, here’s to a great weekend for all of you! Stay safe and stay healthy!

Art of the Week #39: ‘Rock’

Coloured pencils and ink on paper. 

This week, I wasn’t actually sure what I wanted to draw, but there was an image that lingered in my mind after I have finished and posted this piece on a few platforms, including Reddit. A comment then mentioned that it gave off a very ‘Prodigal Son’ vibe, so immediately after that, my mind thought of this image. I didn’t think I could draw it at first, though, so I left it to ruminate in my brain as I considered doing a portrait of Mark Latimer from ‘Broadchurch’ — which turned out terrible, so instead I stowed that one away for another time.

Part 1: Pencil sketch

So as usual, I started with the pencil. Drawing out the old man seemed at first to be the challenge of the picture because I was hoping to get the posture and expression right. And then there was the rock that he was sitting on; that was tough. I learned, from this little piece, that I suck at drawing rocks so I had to search for photo references.

Once I got that down, it was then that I suddenly realised that I never really thought how I really wanted the backdrop to be like. All I had in my mind were the words ‘open plains and hills’. I tried many things, but they just ended up looking so plain and uninteresting. So once again, I searched for photo references. Found a few and that was when I combined elements from several samples. The river was a personal addition. I thought it would be visually interesting to have something streaming and glistening behind.

And then, I added the little man in the trees. For drama.

Part 2: Ink outline and pencil shading.

So then, it was time to ink in the outlines and shade for tone. There would be mist in the far-off distance, since it was to be a cold morning in the highland plains. Plus it would make it easier for the foreground (and the man) to pop with the mist in the background.

After that, it was time to add in the colours. The blanket or towel the old man had wrapped around himself would be red (again, makes it easier to draw attention to the man). The bunch of red trees on the left probably won’t make sense, but I thought it being there help to draw secondary attention to the little man in the back, too. Then the rest would be in dull greens, browns and blues.

”Rock”. Coloured pencils and ink on paper.

An early comment about the picture has come to me via Facebook already, the poster asking if this was St. Peter’s. I didn’t intend him to be, for sure, but I’m not ruling that interpretation out. St. Peter’s name has been famously known to mean ‘rock’ after all.

Anyways, I wish you all a great Sunday and a blessed week ahead!