This
page was done in a 6×8 inch Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook. I
chose it for it’s smooth yet tough paper. The finished image is
5x7inches and is available matted and ready for framing on etsy here.

I
started the page with a sheep mask with an overlay of chrome yellow and
red liquid watercolors. Yesterday I found some images of guys in funny hats on Flickr, and I had sketched them a few times, I decided I wanted to continue with that theme. So, I sketched a guy with a funny hat in pencil using a palomino blackwing original.

I
then inked the sketch. I used a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
inked with
Platinum Carbon Ink.

I
wrote my journal entry with a Derwent graphitone in 2B light, in some
tan or brown color. (Some of the text is blurred to protect the not-so-innocent.)

The image of the man in the funny hat didn’t stand
out from the background so I used some earth toned watercolor on the
negative space to make the face stand out and blur the writing. It
worked.

Then looking at the face I decicded he needed some highlights. So I added some highlights with a white China Marker. (Which you can see in the above picture.)

Finished piece is on Etsy here.

Things
I like about this image: The graphic quality of the line in his face.
The hot colors in his face. That he overlaps an image of a sheep, in the
context of the priest gives some interesting meaning. I love the layers
of meaning here. The writing is about a formerly catholic friend who is
dying, so add the additional layer of meaning to the already complex
page. I love that the text is muted and partially legible in the
finished piece, but very hard to read. This perfectly compliments my
feelings on the subject. (It’s a complicated friendship.)

Things
I don’t like: The earth tones in the negative space. I think this image
REALLY could have used some color opposites, a nice indigo would have
been perfect in opposition to the oranges. But the problem is that it
would have blended with the oranges and made something muddy.

All product links are to affiliate sites, so if you make a purchase through the links I will be compensated, though in small amounts. and of course the etsy link goes directly to my page and I will be fully compensated should you choose to purchase this peice.