PERSONAL WORK | Faded

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver and gold" - Bob Marley

Faded by Mandy JW
This drawing is done in pencil, pencil crayons and ink.

How to draw with imagination

We all sit down to draw sometimes and when the pencil hits the paper, our minds draw a blank. So what do you do when the seemingly endless flow of creativity comes to an abrupt halt? In this article, I will give you a few tips on how to work with your imagination to ease the pain of "artist's block".

By Mandy J W

• Merge elements together. Don't be afraid! Things don't have to make sense in the world of art, so take advantage by mixing different images together. In the image to the right, instead of having traditional hair, the hair takes an organic form and gradually tapers to a small section allowing for a smooth transition from the hair to the smoke.
• Create an atmosphere. Mixing images together is great, but make sure the emotion of the piece isn't lost. Focusing the piece on a theme or an emotion can make the otherwise juxtaposing image quite coherent. For example, the theme here is death, so I've used smoke, which dissipates quickly to represent death. Likewise, the dripping ink is symbolic of death because of the placement along the neckline.
• Use reference materials. It can be helpful to use a reference image for different details of your drawing, but don't limit yourself to images; reading stories, researching topics and recalling memories of events can all be very good reference materials. In the example, I used reference images of smoke and a close up of a dragonfly wing, but the real inspiration came from research I had done much earlier on day of the dead. 

These are only a few tips to get you started, but the best way you can exercise your imagination is to practice. I will continue to write on this topic, so check back often for more tips on drawing with imagination. 

Distinctly Different Pinups

Here are a few really fantastic artists. I would call them pin-up artists simply because they use the female figure for their work, but they really go further in their style as to create such interesting concepts. 

Serge Birault

Michael Oswald

Glenn Arthur

How to Draw a Chrysanthemum

I was having a hard time finding a good tutorial on drawing a chrysanthemum, so I have put one together myself. Enjoy!

By Mandy J W

1. Sketch the basic shape and direction of the flower using circles as a guide. 
2. Draw petals wrapping around the second largest circle. 
3. Draw petals towards the center. 
4. Erase the second outermost circle. 
5. Continue to draw petals until they meet at the center. 
6. Using the remaining circle as reference, loosely sketch in some petals. 
7. Sketch in some more petals behind the previous ones. 
8. Erase any conflicting lines. 
9. Shade the under sides of the petals for more depth.

PERSONAL WORK | Dynamic Branches

Spanish moss with a reddish tinged branch
By Mandy Werner
Location: Georgia

Poor photo quality, but nevertheless an entrancing, twisted tree
by Mandy Werner
Location: California

The sun peeking through this tree almost makes it resemble a weeping willow
by Mandy Werner
Location: Georgia

PERSONAL WORK | Indie

Indie is a green Indian Ringneck Parakeet I adopted and raised from a young chick until she was fully weened. I managed to get a photograph of her just nodding off in front of Nemo.

Indie by Mandy J W

PERSONAL WORK | Bookworm Pinup

Copyright Mandy Werner