Working out an Inspiration – T’Hed Six

See T’Hed Five for previous explorations…

It’s been a couple of days since the last drawing and I’m feeling stressed out! Maybe it’s the news of Covid flaring up all over the place, maybe it’s that I need to redo some work for University and just don’t feel like it, but I know I need to practice more self-care these days. Anyways, I don’t want this to turn into a complaining session, so…

I felt I hadn’t played enough with the charcoals and conte yet. I was coming up to some darker paper stock and felt it might be time. I started with white conte to draw out the initial form and loosely added in the other colours.

An interesting realization occurred as I was revisiting the previous T’Heds: I have a great deal of difficulty being objective about my work… actually, I could say I have a challenge being reflective on my work… any work I do. Perhaps I’m projecting here, and I doing realize that is what we artists do… we project into our work… I feel this face is simultaneously hollow and restrained, as well as full of intense emotions. It’s angry about being unhappy, but defiant about having to dig deep to the why that is. Yes, I am definitely projecting! Maybe it’s the loose, black sky that reflects the dark mood. Maybe it’s the higher mouth and clenched lips! Whatever it is; this is not a happy expression.

I did another one right after this and I think I know where it came from and what it is saying… stay tuned…