The Light Beyond Memorium

~click for larger version~

In all honestly, I had not intended this to be my second post ever in this blog, but certain events occurred recently in my personal life that left me pining to pay a tribute and share my feelings with you all.

About two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away.  After being diagnosed with cancer, she persevered and was able to stay with us for several years before she finally succumbed this month.  She was a strong women who always spoke what was on her mind, and she was loved by many, especially her family.  The truth is, I rarely ever saw her in the last few years of her life, but my love and respect for her never dwindled.  I will remember her fondly for the rest of my life.  I was very sad when it happened, but I knew that she wouldn't want me to be sad.  So I took my sadness, and turned it into inspiration.  The drawing above is what came of that inspiration. Drawing a picture helped relieve my initial sadness - I was doing something I love for someone I love.  And so this picture was made in her honor, even if she can't see it.  And if she can somehow, I hope she likes it. ^_^

About the Drawing:

To best explain what I was going for in this sketch, I can compare it to a similar type of drawing that you can see right now on my Gallery page.  In this sketch, I was attempting to create a sense of vastness - I wanted it to appear like there was a huge world beyond the girl in the foreground, and showcase its scope.  In this post's sketch, I wanted to create a small area, but give it that same sense of vastness.  I used volume and light to give the small room depth and character.  Since I am currently a black&white artist only, I did this by making as many varying shades of grey as I could using different lead widths.  I think that the best way to add unique levels of intensity to a black&white drawing is to use different pencils/pens for different objects, but if your hand is steady enough you can probably do just as well with a single pencil/pen.  But even still I prefer using various ones because different lead widths leave different impressions on paper that contribute well to texture. This is all a novice's opinion, so do whatever works best for you if you want to use a similar technique in your own drawing.

The lighting itself is what sends the message here that I wanted to convey, and I honestly don't know if it comes across well due to my skill level.  But I don't want to just spell it out, so see if you can spot the meaning behind the picture for yourself.

As for the aesthetics of the picture......most of it I came up with on the spot with no reference or prior thought.  The casket, which was the first thing I drew (it's always important, in my opinion, to draw the main subject of your picture first, preceded only by anything that might appear in front of the subject; in this case the casket), I did have to look up online to find a general design I could work off of to create my own impromptu casket.  I realized after completing it that I had drawn a fairly standard American casket - in Japan (where the two characters in the sketch live), funeral caskets are a bit more decorated and lavished.  So I added on the two poles and connecting points to give it more intricacies.  The flowers were all made up on the spot as well.


All in all.....I can't say that this picture came out exactly like I wanted it to, and there are several things I wish I could go back and change.  But no matter how it looks, this is one picture I will always be proud of and hold dear to my heart.  This one goes out to you, grandma. <3