The Human Canvas - The Fluidity of Trees... and Lions

Now this...

Was a successful experiment.

I know.

I keep on referring to these

Human Canvas sessions as some sort of "experiment".

Truth be told, each session usually IS an

experiment... trying some new image

or method... or both.

This one started...

with me talking to a woman about

doing a session with her, and she mentioned

that her daughter was thinking about a tattoo

(okay, more like really really really wanting one),

and this might be a good way to

"test the waters".

We didn't talk about it before I came over.

I just knew Lexi wanted a lion, and thought this might

be a cool approach.

LOTS of step by step shots on this one.

It's a cool slideshow, if ya have that option.

Starting with a quick line drawing...

Only to smear it out,

making it more of a general wash.

Later this'll become a mere suggestion of a shadow.

At this point though, it'll let me lay down the image...

without having to be precise.

Okay.

That done, let's go in with

one color to start to find a lion within the

rough marks I laid down.

I have to admit -
I thought of attempting this design
after seeing something similar on a shirt O' mine.

But it's only similar.

There's no WAY I coulda recreated that.

Besides, this soon lent itself SO well to having

a flowing, "see what happens as we go" kinda thing.

Organic, if you will.

Now add another color for some highlights,

as well as a bit of further definition. THIS blue,

while it works well aesthetically, I picked this shade soley because it's amongst her favorite colors.

At least...

 that's what her Mom said. 

Lexi's back was to me the whole time.

And here we are! Turned out nicely.

All it really IS though...

Is a general wash with one color...

Followed by two colors. The first to draw,

the second to accent (which allows you to "correct").

Thank you Alexis,

thank you Christie, thank you Sierra (who was next)

and a big thanks once again to Mike Munoz - photographer

for the evening.

And thank YOU for stopping by, coming back, AND letting me draw on you next.

Catch the begining of this whole adventure through the HUMAN CANVAS tabs near the top of this page.

Thanks again.