Two Shepherds for a Gift

I might make some enemies by discussing this holiday before October 31st, but I adore Christmas. The lights, the food, the nativity scenes...it all conveys an atmosphere of peace and quiet domestic life despite the busyness of the season.

I first designed this piece with Christmas cards in mind, and I would like to play with the idea of prints and digital alteration for that purpose. 

But this particular piece will be entered into Columbia Art League's "Give a Gift of Art" show that begins in November. Not only is this a fantastic organization (you can find their website here: http://columbiaartleague.org/index.html) but the show itself is, in my eyes, brilliant. The idea is that artwork made by members will be sold as holiday gifts, and I am excited for each recipient, friend or stranger, whose day will be brightened when they unwrap something so creative.

"Shepherds"
by Joelle Thompson
Sharpie pen with layers added by image-editing software

Expressive Meets Linear--The Linear

The project is finally finished and I'm pleased with the results. Although there are a few hard edges where the hatching could have been stronger, the four cut-outs blend into the image quite well.

Here are some of the techniques I used:

Stippling (lots of little dots of ink!) and contour lines (outlines)

Cross-hatching

Stippling, contours, hatching, washes

Light washes for the gray tones, contours, gestural marks and stippling

As you can see, there are so many ways you can layer these techniques. As you try them out you'll find you can manipulate them to suit your purpose for any piece. I really enjoyed this process and hope to use it again in the future. Here is the final illustration: