For my dear friend, Julie (who is a ardently writing a fantastical version of Vietnam's origin story, "Con Rồng Cháu Tiên" aka "Children of Dragons, Descendents of Fairies"). Her intent is to shed more light on Vietnamese mythology from a unique, Vietnamese-American perspective. The following drawing represents my personal vision of Lạc Long Quân in his dragon form. This concept will be the first among a series of supplementary visual interpretations based loosely upon the development of her story.
DRAGON LORD LAC
Micron pen on bristol paper 9" x 12" (2010)
How cool are you???? I LOVE IT! Love love the water inspiration, and oh, I neeeeed to get you some brush pens <3 <3 <3.
ReplyDeleteBTW, what's your process for things like this? You're gifted in the placement of things and keeping drama in your pictures (something I totally lack), I wonder how you plan it? I have to doodle it first like a story board.
Thanks, I'm glad you love it! Yikes, now I'm embarrassed haha... You don't have to get me any brush pens. I appreciate the gesture though!
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your question, I don't necessarily have a concrete process (sorry if this answer is disappointing). It varies from case to case and depends upon the subject matter. Hmmm...I never really thought about my drawing process but I'll try my best to describe what runs through my mind:
I try to keep in mind how lines and space compliment each other on a page. The lines define the visual existence of the subject matter whereas the space determines the shape. The positive and negative space tells as much of a story as lines do.
From my personal experience, I find that the most important feature lies in understanding motion. That is probably the key towards capturing action. What do you want your charcter or subject matter to be doing in the drawing? How can these actions be enhanced by the surroundings. If you're working with color, what tone or effect do you want to achieve? If it involves natural elements, how do these elements move in relation to each other. How do they affect each other?
It's pretty much a hit-or-miss deal. If I mess up (which I do often due to my lack of planning sometimes), I try to conceal it by integrating these mistakes into detailed features. I honestly didn't have any of the details initially figured out--they tend to come as I draw. Rather, I find that it's more important to have a strong idea of what you're trying to portray. Since Lac Long Quan is the dragon lord of the sea, I wanted his dragon form to reflect as much features from aquatic amphibians/marine creatures as possible. Because he is indicative of Vietnam, I also tried to integrate his image with the public's general concept of oriental sea serpents. My inspiration usually derives from nature and I try to minimize the amount of references used. Sometimes, I find that less references empowers and ensures more creative liberty. It's easy to fall into the trap of relying too much on a photo.
If it's a doodle, I usually approach the sketch pad with a clear mind. For the most part, this is usally done with a pen from start to finish (like the Alice and Wonderland doodle).
If it's a drawing, I try to envision the layout of various components and their relationship with each other. I begin the piece by drawing extremely rough contours/outlines of the main subject and then add all of the details by pen. The only exception are faces (I don't feel too comfortable winging faces). In the case of this particular drawing, I only drew a few lines for the dragon's head and loosely scribbled the shape of the stone formations and direction of the waves (without focusing on any details). Once the layout of the scenery and its elements are determined, the placement of the dragon's body came last. Since the sea dragon's body resembles a snake, there is the advantage of contorting it's body in a wide variety of positions. The dragon could practically spiral around anything in the background. So, in a way, it's not necessarily the background that enchances the dragon but vice versa. Sometimes, finding equilibrium between the subject matter and the background is a symbiotic process.
Anyhow, I can't wait to get started on some other drawings for you! I have them all envisioned in my head but it's only a matter of finding spare time. This piece was drawn from 11:00 pm until 3:00 am on New Year's Day hahaha (pretty bad huh?) I definitely screwed up my sleeping schedule over break. Keeping my eyelids open around noon at work today was quite a struggle.
Yikes...I wrote too much. Sorry if I've put you to sleep! Wow, I guess a lot more goes on than I originally anticipated. I'm beginning to realize that people are my ultimate motivator for actually finishing art pieces. If I were to draw something for myself, chances are it'll remain unfinished.