Will it End? A Closer Look
The beginning of this project started with a brainstorm of different ideas that I thought would make for an interesting composition. The goal for this piece was for it to be entirely black and white, using ink and water to create a monochrome scale of blacks, grays and whites.
I wanted to create something eye-catching, with an interesting concept behind it. I also wanted to introduce a geometric element, eventually deciding to incorporate a möbius strip, in the shape of a bridge.
These were a few of my thumbnails before choosing the idea that I went with.
It took many tries to figure out the placement of the handrails on the strip while maintaining the look of a bridge.
I drew out a smaller version of the elements I wanted to include in my final piece, including: a compass, a hiker, and the bridge.
The concept behind my piece is that life is a never ending cycle. With the hiker walking in an endless loop, they will never know if they will reach their destination. In order to hone in on the mysteriousness and unpredictability of the future, the directions on the compass are also in reverse. In addition, the lake with the reflection of the mountains is on the top half of the drawing, while the mountains are on the bottom half, to create an inverted look.
I started the painting with a brush and diluted versions of ink over the pencil outline, focusing on the shadows of the mountains and handrails. Then, I went over the paint, once dry, with a black gel pen to add some of the details. Finally, I added some white highlights to finish the project off.
