MerMay | Day 2 | Big Tail

Big Tail

Illustration done with HB\4H pencils, micron ink pens, white charcoal, and white gel on 4.5 x 6.5 brown cardstock.

---

The first picture on midtone paper. Hmm. Again, there are bright spots (literally and figuratively). And one can see tropes starting here that would evolve into greater sophistication later on. Case in point: the tail fin. The way the charcoal highlights the edges and the ribs combined with the way that the pencil shading and inking creates a tangible illusion of depth you can almost feel. That's my favorite part of the image.

Unfortunately, that, more or less, is the only part of the picture that I like in any real regard. The human torso is far too small. The pose is stiff and uninteresting. Lovely tail fin aside, the image is generally flat. The bubbles help with both value and structural contrast (they're lighter and differently executed respectively) but to not much avail. Or so I feel, at any rate. Never liked it.

If I'm being honest, I think my failure (or perception therein) to produce a midtone piece I was happy with was the reason why I didn't attempt another until Day 17. I was new to midtone paper and still am. I've been doing white paper since the beginning. Might as well stick to that. That was my mindset at the time, anyway. Which is a shame since all the remaining pieces on midtone paper would be not only some of my favorites but my best pieces from MerMay.

Thanks for reading.

#mermay #mermaid #midtone #pencilshading #traditionalart #inking #cartoon #illustration