Mi Tina

There are a couple of reasons for my use of a digital format which I have been working with for 2 to 3 years now. One being space since mine is small and limited, just an area around a chair in a well occupied room. One might imagine that basic supplies such as paint, drawing aids, paper, board and canvas would be out of the question. Maybe if I stood over the chair and used it as an easel or table? But I've found a way to work around it using a laptop or pad with whatever paint/draw app that comes installed, which so far has been Fresh Paint and Paint 3D. There are obvious limitations but so far it hasn't gotten under my skin too much. Also, I kind of like limitations which brings me to the second reason. My prior solution had been to draw in pencil and ink. Ink required added carefulness as not to wear a lap full. Black and white is just about as limited as I can get and I stayed there happily all the while. But, the day came again when color was calling. There is also a third reason and that is cost. Small computers are definitely more costly than cheap paper, pencils and pens but not as expensive as a studio full of canvasses and painting supplies. Doubt I will ever see that.         

My final word on the subject is that it all hasn't been smooth sailing, as in no fuss no muss. Yes, the work is squeaky clean but the reason that I'm now on my second laptop is that I blew up the first more expensive one. It's little brain went blank with too many images and much was lost. It could have warned me though. So I live and learn through much trial and error and now with the use of a little extra memory stick, I now have back up for digital expressions amid an intangible world.          

Line

This is part of a group of pen and ink drawings using open line in an ongoing exploration of line.


I am currently working with Line in Black & White only with little to no modeling or wash to keep the integrity of the Line intact. These Drawings are done on the cheap, mostly with a B5 Quill Pen and India Ink on inexpensive Office Depot printing paper. I roll the Pen to get various Line thicknesses as the Lines demand. I do these drawings in sittings usually at night 5 to 20 at a time depending how much sleep deprivation I can take because I am up early in the morning. I like the boldness of B&W, the Strength of Line it supports and it's cost. These Drawings are excercises in Line exclusively. They are really Automatic Drawings done quickly that start with a scratch on the paper and then the Lines just follow. The Line is what is important and not the completed image as much although, I do look for balance, some awkward imbalance and of course character.

This group of drawings is called "Pencils" and were done over the last couple of years.

I usually do these at night (in bed) before falling asleep and it varies how many I do (3 to 10+). Some have become paintings and others may as well. The line work is varied in thickness and tone (dark to very lite) to give depth to the balance of the figures and composition. These drawings are mostly open line with little modeling to keep the character of the line intact and not to be lost in shading or modeling. These are line drawings meant to emphasize the character of the open line within the composition.

These drawings were done 30+ years ago. They started out as line play and quickly grew into what you see here. They are very fast drawings 1 to 3 minutes each with several done in a sitting, up to 40 or so. There were a few thousand done and maybe 1000 have survived - The others lost in a plumbing flood where they were being stored, along with approx a thousand other paintings also lost. I call them "Fever Dreams" because they are an expression of dreams that I had as a child when I became sick with fever. Because they are drawn so quickly they are really like trance or automatic drawings. These 18x24 drawings have been in their drawing pads and portfolios for the last 30 yrs and have been shown to very few people.