Icarus: Step 13
As I mentioned before, while working on the wing I’m trying to create two transitions as I move from top to bottom: a transition from small to large feathers and a transition from golden-orange to grayish feathers.
As my work continues, I’m still trying to stick pretty diligently to my black and white compositional drawing. I’ve decided that I’ll try making a clean transition to gray feathers at the point where the longer feathers begin. This is based on my observations of actual bird wings and the way their color patterns make similar changes. I know, of course, that I can go back and change things if I like without too much trouble, so it’s not a big deal if my first idea doesn’t please me.
The result is what you see in the accompanying photo. It does not, as it turns out, please me. Not at all. Now I know what you’re thinking.
“Damon,” you’re saying to yourself, “you’re a professional who makes a living creating works of art. Mistakes are naught but pebbles in the playground of mere mortals, where true artists such as yourself surely never tread.” Or perhaps you’re just thinking “yup, see, I knew this guy was a hack”. Either way, here is all the evidence you need to reinforce the fact that not everything always goes according to plan, and that, indeed, I eat my Spaghetti-O’s one at a time just like everyone else. (or, wait.um, never mind)
Even before I reach the color transition point I’m becoming unsatisfied with the look of things. I’m pretty confident after seeing only this much of the wing cut in that a sudden change to gray is not going to be what I want, despite the fact that real birds in nature prefer it that way. Also, I don’t think the transition from small to large feathers is coming along smoothly either. And as a matter of fact, I suspect the cream in my coffee may have been a bit off this morning as well. These are all bad signs.
Another problem I’m noticing is that the wing appears to be too flat. Since the wing is folded up, there should be an obvious foreshortening where it connects to the figure’s shoulder, and the majority of the wing should appear to be further away.
So, ultimately, I decide that a gradual transition in color is the best approach–nature and its winged denizens be damned. And I decide to go back to my early preparatory sketch (the line drawing in pencil) as my main source of reference for the foreshortened shape of the wing and to dispense with the full comp drawing (in black and white) as my formal guide. This will mean backtracking a bit (translation: painting over everything I just did today) to attack this can of beans from a new angle. And remind me to buy some fresh coffee cream for tomorrow as well.
