First Entry :D

Welcome to the first post on my art blog.  I am mainly planning to use it to write out any thoughts I get on art, either technique or philosophy, and share resources that have helped me.  It's a record for myself and maybe fun reading for other people.  To start with for my first picture:

It is called "Reaching for Pear," and like all my digital art I drew it with the free sketcher program at artgrounds dot com.  Usually when I draw digitally I spend a lot of time with the lineart and then slap some colors on carelessly.  This is because I struggle with understanding color theory.

This time I wanted to try harder and make something really dramatic in coloring that I would be proud of.  I used a limited palette of greens and brown-reds, and used classical lighting of one third shadow, one third light and one third mixed in the middle.

The reds and greens work to make a complementary palette, and I used the reds for adding accents on the body.  Something that's difficult for me is making stark contrasts in color, and I did it carefully this time.  I did a little point of red on the end of the cigarette, and on one of the eyes, trying to make it stand out and look bold and dramatic.

I love the way the colors mixed delicately with the pair, and I also like how the background blended together when I used the water tool, though if I did it again I would mix it less to leave more dramatic, though still slightly blended, transitions.