Changing Focus

Since the end of last year, my focus has been changing. I have been working more playfully, experimenting with new techniques and materials and am in the process of developing my own unique portrait style.

Creating this image, I discovered that my new Tombow pens don’t work very effectively over the top of sprayed on distress ink. But I still like the finished effect – what do you think?

From the beginning of the new year I started following the prompts from Lisa Sonora’s 30 Day Journal. I chose to illustrate each day with a quirky figure, and started the year off by doing some pencil sketches in my everyday journal.

Then I decided to start adding some colour into the mix using my tombow brush pens. After a couple of weeks I found the discipline of following prompts too exacting and reverted to creating more spontaneously.

I had fun creating ‘Zag’ and decided to leave her incomplete without any hair.

I’d been meaning to play with oil pastels to create faces for a while, but just hadn’t got around to it because I’d been having so much fun playing with my tombow pens.

Finally I got around to it and this is the result. I really like the richness of the oil pastel colours and the sheen they leave on the paper.

I may not have been very consistent in following any particular set of prompts or programme, but I have been consistently making art every day this year which I am very pleased about. So there’s loads more to show you, and I’ll try to get round to posting some more very soon. Keep watching!

P.S. I’ve just signed up for the 29 Faces 2016 challenge for the month of February so that should keep me busy!! Why don’t you give it a try? Just sign up over here on the ayala art 29 faces site and have some fun!