Studying Faith

A while back, I did a series of works called "Studying Faith". It was an important time for me as an artist, as I was in a slump creatively. It wasn't necessarily the type of slump that comes from "writers block", but more the type that comes from "life block". It's those little things that we must handle regularly throughout our lives that can at times limit hours available to create. I've been the type that becomes easily impatient with process when it must be interrupted by other business, so I didn't want to commit to complexity. Details can be time consuming and time isn't always a given. Circumstance can cut it short, interrupt it and eliminate time all together. Shading and contrast, the fine tuning of a portrait that creates the illusion of life, depth and dimension. I approached it with caution because mistakes could really make the difference between an uncanny resemblance or a nice attempt.
I realized my lack of production was no victim of circumstance, but rather, a victim of low confidence. I used soft leads and charcoals to get my dark lines, and although they could sometimes be erased, they constantly smudged and smeared. This system created a lot of blending, smudging and erasing. The erasing would cause me to lose focus and second guess myself. Ultimately, it became very time consuming, and time was not on my side. I was forced to either find some less complex subject matter, or not do this type of work anymore at all for awhile. My solution was drastic and daring. I decided to replace the charcoal and soft graphite that I had always enjoyed on my fingertips for a faster more precise medium that was just as dark and way less messy. I chose a simple ink pen. I knew this may require more from me. It would require me to trust myself and let go by just taking some ink, drawing the line and committing to it. It would require some faith on my part. Faith in my ability and my love for art. I coincidentally happen to have a very gracious friend named Faith, who is very photogenic and had some very lovely photos of herself that I thought would work perfectly. Here are the results of those studies that taught me a lot about contrast, shading, patience and most of all, faith.