Tuesday, October 24, 2017

CREATING MISS MUFFET

I recently created an experimental piece that was inspired by a character in a colleague's manuscript. I began as usual with one of my "rag doll" figures, roughing in the character's pose, and the physical setting.
My next question was, what does this little Miss Muffet look like? I tried her first as a mouse. That didn't feel satisfying.  
I tried her again as a little humanoid. She immediately came to life for me!
Although I usually create my art using only pencil, pen, inks, paints, and paper, this time I turned to my computer for some of the steps.  Here, I've scanned both Miss Muffet and the original sketch, and then replaced the rag doll figure with the Miss Muffet figure, using Photoshop.

I printed out the sketch, and worked on it further with pencil. The paper I used was an inferior grade of paper, which gave a slightly blurred effect that intrigued me. I often use an inferior paper when experimenting and trying out new ideas. It seems to free me up from any worry about "wasting expensive paper," and it allows me to make as many false turns as I want or need. Inferior paper also often gives unexpected results, as here, which I can later use deliberately in creating a piece.
I scanned and printed out the reworked sketch, and colored it with watercolors. Scanning and printing out the sketch obviously gave me the possibility of easily making several trials, experimenting with different palettes, and even different media, for the color.  Rescanning and printing out on the inferior paper also gave a pleasing blurred effect to the whole piece.
I liked my little Miss Muffet enough to put her on my most recent promotional postcard. Even as I publish this post, she is winging her way across the country to my list of art directors and editors. Bon voyage, Miss Muffet!






12 comments:

  1. Oh, what a good choice! Thank you for sharing the process.

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  2. Charming!
    Yes, I like the lack of precision about the finished product. "Warm and fuzzy" comes to mind.
    The colors, too, are both realistic and kind to the eyes, not glaring (so many illustrators seem eager to rip your eyes out... I've been doing a lot of Grades K-3 reading lately)

    I would be interested in reading how your time at Bryn Mawr impinge(d/s) on your work as an artist/illustrator.

    Your classmate, Anne (x-Denlinger)

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    1. Anne, so nice to hear from you again. And what a great question. I'll be following up on this in a future blog post!

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  3. Great story! I love watching how your art unfolds and reading the stories behind it, Wendy. Miss Muffet is quite charming! Perhaps she would love to come visit me, if you have a spare card...

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  4. Thank you, Caitlin. I'll send you a card...and you've given me an idea for another card!

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  5. You do promotional postcards? That's neat. Can I purchase the entire set?

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    1. Thanks for the interest, Bill! Thank you! Go to my website and email me via the "Contact" button, and we'll work out the details of address, etc.

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  6. Love it, Wendy! Thanks for sharing your process.

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    1. Thank you, Annie! It's very rewarding to share the process when I get such great feedback.

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  7. Miss Muffett is a dear, looking under that big leaf. I love it!

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    1. Thank you, Clara! I did not expect such enthusiasm over what I thought was just a not-preposessing little piece. It just confirms my belief that artists are not the best assessors or judges of their own work.

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