The research continues

Next for each element, using the leftover images I had printed off, I did a page of thumbnail sketches using mainly pencil and a few in fineliner pen too. On the page opposite the sketches I did a more detailed piece of artwork that i felt had a connection to or represented the element.

For air I prepared the page using an acrylic wash of black paint, before drawing on the silhouette of 2 birds on an electricity pole using a black sharpie marker and a black sketch stick.

Bird Silhouettes

For fire I did a more experimental painting than those I have done in the past. Firstly I drew on the outline of a flame, using one of my research images as inspiration and then painted the negative space black using oil paints - I chose oil paints as they have more of a matte finish than acrylics. I then diluted acrylic paint in firey colours and then did a drip painting by splashing on the paint and allowing it to drip down the page. This made a massive mess!! Especially when I spilled a pot of black paint everywhere and left black splatters and splashes all over the kitchen floor, but I am really happy with the outcome. (And the colours look much nicer and more vibrant in reality.)

Fire Drip Painting

I haven't yet done a picture for earth, so lastly is my drawing to represent water, where again I wanted to do something a little bit more experimental and unusual from art I have done in previous parts of this project. I liked my inclusion of silhouettes in my drawing of the birds, so using that idea again, drew a silhouette of a person under an umbrella and coloured it using black sketch sticks - which are way messier and dustier than I anticipated, so not sure I'll be using them again. I drew the raindrops in a geometric style and outlined them in fineliner. Having a black silhouette and black outlined raindrops left the page looking too plain, so using orange ink that I had anyway, I added in a wash of colour to the raindrops. This gives them a firey feel and therefore connects them with the other element of fire.