a non-yankee doodle ~

[lookingland]

i haven't drawn anything since well before thanksgiving. lost confidence and fell out of the habit as usual. but i sat down the other night and did some doodling and remembered that i can sorta draw sometimes when i put my mind to it.

i have been trying for a while to do a sketch of Tamar, but have real problems with drawing ethnic characters because they always seem caricatures to me and i hate the thought of offending someone. Tamar seems especially tricky because i describe her as dull-faced, unpretty, and with a torch of nappy hair (the hair especially i absolutely can't draw, though i have tried a number of times). i have to give up on the hair, i think because no matter what i do she just ends up looking like Buckwheat (oy vey!). but as much as i would like for Tamar to be a beautiful little endearing child prodigy full of 21st century poise and notions, she's not. she's a dull, scrawny cast-off who probably picks her nose. that's life. i'm no less stingy with the intellectual gifts for any of the other characters. Cap himself is a sectarian (just a hair's breadth away from being a full-fledged bigot) who can scarcely write a legible sentence and hates books. he appreciates her because she is quiet and industrious. there's no shame in that for either of them.



Tamar and Cap in the spring of '63

i've grown attached to Tamar since she came on board. makes me sorry to have no idea what becomes of her after Gettysburg. i've been thinking about it lately, but i have no real sense of her fate after she gets turned out of the Morse house in Richmond. it's a provocative little loose end ~

so i plan to doodle more this year (making 2007 resolutions even though i don't mean to!), and will be sharing bits and pieces here. i want to try to discipline myself about my sloppy anatomy and see if i can't learn better perspective. i've decided not to bother myself with color theory. the other two things are more important.

man, am i ever so glad that it's friday.

: D

Comments

[bachsoprano.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I like the way you've drawn Tamar...I especially like the set of her shouldesr (odd, I know....) because they're off kilter and I often saw then when I was teaching in kids that had seen a lot but had no outlet to release all of what it was they had experienced. I'd love to see where your story takes her.....:)

Yay for more doodles!

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

thank you ~ ! if there's one thing i've learned from observing people and looking at other illustrators' work, it's that you can convey a whole lot through expression and posture. definitely something to continue working on!

i'm sure Tamar's future story will suggest itself somewhere down the line. for now, i'll content myself with seeing what's she's doing in this world for the time being.

: D

[sparowe]

Go for it. :) And meanwhile, don't worry about the illit too much--it'll work out.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

thank you ~ !

it always does sorta work out, doesn't it?

: D

[geckobird.livejournal.com]

Comment for you!

I love your drawing. Your artwork always amazes me. And I think you did Tamar beautifully. Especially her hair, nose, and shoulders. Her eyes are very expressive too. ^_^ Cap's face looks odd to me, but his clothing and hair are neatly done~! I just love how you draw clothing.

I had something else to say... something exciting... and semi-related (but not really), but now I can't remember. Well, whenever it floats back into my mind, I'll let you know. :D

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

aw thanks ~ !

i feel like i always have something important to say and then when i go to post it just sort of dissipates.

sometimes, given some of the inane things i've committed to writing in the past, i think it's God's way of keeping my foot out of my mouth (so to speak).

and then sometimes i think just saying hello and responding at all is its own grace in a world where people are so quick to just pass each other by.

so hello!

: D

[geckobird.livejournal.com]

It is! ^_^

And hello again seven days later!