This was a longer term project... over 6 weeks. I am not sure how many hours but it was 40-50 maybe. I didn't realize until this was done that is part of a series of 3, really 5 that started in 1989. I original took a black and white photo of the reflection and then years later used it for a pen and ink drawing. In the drawing the reflected parts were all done with stipple work. I gave that drawing away. something I regret since I gave it to someone I no longer have any contact with. I don't even have a photo or photocopy of that drawing. Then I did a drawing of a crane reflected on the Hancock which was fast and easy. That encouraged me to to try a large one of the old John Hancock reflected in the new one. Then I sort of forgot I did all that until I came across the original photo and decided I should maybe redraw that illustration for myself. On a visit to Boston I took all new reference photos and then... forgot about it again! Finally I started but instead of a pen and ink I went full colour.
This has about 20 layers, the window frames are on one, the interior lights we can see through the reflection are on another and then a couple for the sky etc. When It can time to paint the church I went window by window. Since each panel had 3-6 layers I had to merge them down as I went or maybe crash the iPad with literally 1000s of layers open. I would draw for a few hours and then look at the illustration overall and see I still have something like 87 window panes to do. I kept pugging away until finally it was done.
Below is a closeup of the part of the drawing. A both complimentary and frustrating part of doing something like this is when I send it to anyone they think it's a photograph because they are almost always looking at it on a phone and never realize the work that went into it. The other image is the original 89 photograph. I could not get the exact angle matched up because there is a lot more stuff going on there now and that angle just wasn't available and other things were blocking the view.
2 comments:
Ok wait, I have to say it...THAT'S a drawing? The closeup, sure, but the first image is a drawing? I was positive it was the reference photo! Wow. That's really amazing. You should be proud. Even the closeup on its own is an amazing, almost abstract piece! Love that you left the interior lights in as part of the image. It adds something extra to the whole thing. Well done!
Thanks Mike! When you see the close up you can see the texture brush i used over each windowpane which adds enough fake detail to sell it as maybe better than it is. It did work, despite marking it as an illustration and sending the blown up section i still had to convince some people its wasn’t a photo. I think the interior lights added more dimension to it. I think it will look much more obviously a drawing printed full size someday.
Post a Comment