The Human Canvas - Shark Diving!

So...meet Lydia. You've seen her on these pages before...

...but we'll get back to that in a second.

I really debated on whether or not to start this entry with this particular photograph (or another one very much like it). It wasn't so much a photo to capture this whole step-by-step thing. It was just playful, fun (this IS Lydia), flexing in the mirror while taking a brief break during this Human Canvas session. 

I was hesitant...only at first...

...Until I got online late that night and saw that when she had gotten home, she had already gotten in front of the mirror...

...and posted this next pic.

(((This was part of her bad-ass, tatted-up look in prep for some motorcycle classes the next day)))

You might've seen Lydia in an earlier Human Canvas session called The Bra Strap. In that session, I was going to have a woman, shirtless, covering her breasts with her hands, with the bra straps drawn back in.

We were tired and (more consequential to THIS project) out of ink) so this is as far as we got. 

Then she moved away. I don't think this was any kinda cause and effect. God, I hope not! Really - hopefully we'll be finishing this soon. I have more ink!

It was just shy of 2 1/2 years later when she moved back to town...January 17th. 

So...January 18th...

...we start another session.

While she'd been away she'd done some RATHER interesting things. She flew to South Africa for an interview with Desmond Tutu, some documentary work, AND did some shark-diving and photography.

You know...everyday, ordinary things like that.

I had never attempted to draw a shark before. I had also never attempted to draw Desmond Tutu. 

For this session I went with the shark.

She was a bit partial to the blacktip variety...

...and I must say, It IS a rather attractive fish. I WILL admit to having looked AT an image of a shark while doing this...trying to get the dimensions right.

I (we) were happy with the results, and I'm sure it turned out better than if I'd been trying to draw Desmond Tutu!

I was REALLY anxious to try out a (yet another) new blending technique, but all of my dark blue pens had dried up. MAN, did I bitch! Oh well. On then to that reef (-ish looking thing).

And finish it off with just a bit of black for just a wee bit of detail.

After putting away the markers, I found one of those dark blue pens I had been bemoaning just 10 minutes earlier. And then another. 

Good thing. 

They came in REALLY handy for the next session - quite possibly the most outstanding piece to date - the next night with Shaelyn. This'll be the next one I publish.

Meantime...done with this session...back to just hanging out...

...and catching up with an old friend who I'm SO glad moved back to the area.  Though really - ANYwhere woulda been closer than South Africa...

...while occasionally sneaking in another picture or two.

But really - I HAD to close out by going back to this'n below.

It's just TOO cute! AND fun! AND, seeing this (unexpected) photo REALLY cracked me up!

Thank you Lydia. 

More to come

The beginnings of these adventures can be found through a couple of tabs near the top of the page. As usual, thanks for checking this out, for any comments or feedback, and perhaps MOST importantly...

Thank you for making time to be the next canvas.

I DO appreciate it.