solstice pictures

Because posting sketches to LJ is far more important than doing any of the urgent things I should be doing. New drawings!

Andy has been getting me into pencilling and inking. He has black markers of joy.

Untitled (solstice)
8" x 8" (I think)
Pen on paper

Automatic drawing starting with the face and working out. I think this is overly influenced by John Crowley's Little, Big, which I am reading at the moment thanks to the kind load of it from whatifoundthere, and adoring completely. Also it looks like a winter scene to me, so I'm not sure what that's about, and I have no idea what's going on with the tree and the key and the crow (oh yeah, that's meant to be a crow, on the dry stone wall there on the left. In case you couldn't tell.) This is pleasing, though, in the same way that interesting, plotty dreams are pleasing, even though you don't know what they're mean and can't really claim creative responsibility for them.

The Dreamer
14" x 10" (I think)
Pen on paper

Sketch of a painting concept I roughed out in my notebook the other week. I'm pleased with the birds - my birds normally look horrendous and cartoony (c.f. the crow in the picture above) but they're the wrong size. At the nape of her neck the birds need to be huge, one or two great ghostly forms pushing out through the back of her skull and resolving into the more distinct forms of four birds, then six, then lots, gradually diminishing in size before they fly off into the distance. Also I have no idea what's going on with her shoulders. Need to get better at drawing figures from imagination.