This is also an exercise I did using the primal tools of a comic book artist: pencil, paper, crowquills, brushes, and black India ink. It belongs to a series of reinterpretations of famous sculptures using storytelling techniques. Here, I practice what is called contour line, line weights, solid blacks, solid whites, and grays done with brush strokes, better known in the comic book field as “feathering.” I know it can’t be called a completely original piece; the composition wasn’t done by me. What I offer is my point of view of that piece of sculpture in two dimensions; it is a “derivative work,” like the rest of the series.
These are a series of drawings I did during the first year of COVID. The pandemic brought art back into my life. At that time, I was working at a government office, and when the quarantine began, the comic book academy in the United States that I wanted to attend after high school offered an online studies program. I had already taken some correspondence courses with them, using the national post office service to receive critiques of my homework. The opening of the online studies created a better experience in my art education. The variety of courses is great enough to have one new each semester, provided my finances allow it.
I don’t remember how many of these exercises I did; I included two of them in my portfolio, but I surely did more than thirty in a small format. The craft of doing art with two colors is really a challenge, and I have always loved the look of comic book final inked pages. A good habit I have is that every time I see a nice sculpture or a good photo (especially if it’s in black and white), I feel the urge to reproduce it. I have tons of pictures on my phone, and hopefully, all those exercises will someday lead me to the path I wish to take.
The author of this sculpture is Antoine Bourdelle (source: Pinterest; if I’m mistaken, please let me know). Something funny about these pieces is that I did some of them on my son's school paper. I found them at the time, and they have spaces on the side for writing the name of the student, the school, grade, etc. My son was never an enthusiastic artist, so I guess he doesn’t mind.