Illustration Friday: Disguise

So, this is shaping up to be a humbling experience.  

I've decided to participate in Illustration Friday--a weekly, on-line challenge to illustrate an assigned word or idea.  I hope that making a commitment to regular participation will give me an incentive to complete more art. The word for this week was "Disguise".  I drew this 60's-style girl chic-ly trying to disguise her appearance with coat collar pulled up and hat pulled down.

Version #2--Edited to add this revised picture.  The original appears below.

 I began this illustration a day or so ago and felt pleased with it right up to the end--then I started to have trouble with the nose.  I tried and painted over…tried and painted over again.  I tried using black, rosy colors, a shade deeper than the skin...Before long, there was an accretion of paint which prevented me from drawing a crisp line.  And the use of line seemed out of place.  There had been more line-work initially but I reduced most of it in pursuit of simplicity.  So I tried to draw the line of her nose more like a shape.  Still not loving it but I have a deadline to keep, so when I got to this point I decided to call it "done".  

"Disguise"--the original image.

But…oh, man.  Scanning brought out a whole new level of ugly!  Lines that look reasonably crisp on the original are horribly ragged on the scan.  Sheen and shadow are highlighted in an unattractive and unintentional manner.  Clearly, this should have been drawn in a graphics program…if I owned a graphics program.  Or maybe I should have cut friskets and airbrushed…if I owned an airbrush. You see where this is going.  

It's pretty clear that this won't be going into my portfolio but, on the bright side: 1) I gained practice; 2) I pushed through the difficulties and finished the project instead of abandoning it (my usual MO); 3) I finished on time--ready to see what new word tomorrow will bring.

Arts & Crafts: I Dug Through The Art Bins...

It's too wintery to go out.  I won't say it's freezing out there--because it is not--but it IS about 40 degrees and foggy and dark day after day.  With the enforced down-time, I've been working on an artistic collaboration with a friend.  It is the first time in years (at least eight years, I think) that I've worked with watercolors.  It was so sad to go through my supply of expensive, only slightly used tubes of paint and to find one after another leathery-dry and crystalized under the cap.  But I got what I needed, at least for the rough draft stage.

So, do you want to see it?  My first watercolor effort in eight years or more?  

I know...after all the build-up, it's a mere sketch.  Still, producing it took all day and rubbermaid tubs crammed full of materials co-opted every last bit of counter space in my kitchen.  

I ended up using watercolor, gouache, watercolor pencils, and micron pen.  It's far from perfect--in fact, it was interesting to note how some of the flaws became more noticeable once I scanned the original--but I am trying to move away from the pursuit of perfection and to actually finish some work.  A novel concept, huh?  With a portfolio filled with many unfinished ideas and very few completed works (those would be the "perfect" ones)  I think I need a new operating strategy.

Garden: Hydrangea paniculata "Quick Fire"

One of the plants still giving pleasure in the garden is Hydrangea paniculata "Quick Fire".  Over the years, I've grown quite a few hydrangeas but this one stands out.  Currently, amid the dreary days of winter, I really appreciate its papery, spent blooms and richly colored, red stems. The blooms are a little unusual in that the mass of fertile bloom is exceptionally dark and solid looking.  This gives the spent bloom a pronounced two-tone effect.  I wasn't entirely successful at capturing this effect--the mass of fertile blooms looks nearly black when seen in the landscape--not-so-much, I guess, when I am holding a bloom up to the feeble light of the winter sun.

Quick Fire hydrangea, January 17, 2014

Quick Fire hydrangea, January 17, 2014

When I planted Quick Fire last summer, I was immediately drawn to its substantial, rich green foliage and its strong-looking red stems.  

The spot where I planted Quick Fire has been an ongoing challenge for me.  Initially, the corner was occupied by about 5 large, red phormiums.  I'd no idea that phormiums wouldn't be guaranteed hardy in my locale because huge specimens grew at many homes in the neighborhood.  That year, however, became known as "The Great Phormium Killing Winter" (PKW) and nearly all the mature specimens were killed or quite severely damaged.  I decided not to replant with more phormiums because I don't care for the disappointment that comes with cheating my hardiness zone.  After that, I tried some red twig dogwoods and then a purple barberry but nothing was quite right.  I'd meant to give the barberry some more time to mature and bulk up but, in a fit of remodeling zeal, I spied Quick Fire and the barberry was roots-up in about an hour.

Quick Fire did not disappoint.  The blooms were early and very fresh looking.  The foliage, too, stayed clean and vibrant throughout the growing season.

"Quick Fire" on July 2, 2013

Even though I shouldn't have been, I was still a little surprised by how early the blooms colored-up. There is a pinkening Quick Fire hiding-out in the back of the picture, below.   It was a little jarring to see Quick Fire blooms turning pink when those on the nearby Annabelles wouldn't reach their peak for almost another month.  The Quick Fire blooms eventually matured to a very dark rose.

August 10, 2013

Quick Fire also displayed nice fall color.  At first, it was quite interesting to contemplate close-up the variety of greens, magenta, yellows, and oranges.  But from further away the view was less satisfying as the colors merged and appeared sort-of chocolate-y brown.  

October 7, 2013

Eventually, however, Quick Fire turned a very bright, clear orange.

Quick Fire, October 20, 2013

Although I do not have a long track record with this plant (having only planted it during the last summer) I was completely pleased by its willingness to thrive, its pretty blooms, its good foliage, its vibrant fall color, and the appearance of the persisting spent blooms.

Here's some information about Quick Fire from the Proven Winners web site:

The first to bloom! Quick Fire blooms about a month before other Hydrangea paniculata (hardy hydrangea) varieties. Extend the hydrangea season in your garden with a planting of Quick Fire Hydrangea. Flowers open white then turn pink, and will be an extremely dark rosy-pink in the fall. Quick and easy to grow. The flowers on Quick Fire are not affected by soil pH. They are produced on 'new wood' and will bloom after even the harshest winters. Beautiful for use as a cut (fresh or dried) flower.
Height and spread:  72-96 inches

Deciduous

Hardiness Zone:  3a-9b 

(Source:  Proven Winners Quick Fire Hydrangea page )

After taking their pictures I brought the blooms inside for yet another period of enjoyment.