Friday, August 28, 2009

Day 50 - the final day: Da Vinci's Angel

[To see the concluding text for this blog, please scroll down in the right sidebar]

As it began, so it ends. The first silverpoint image I posted in this blog, to demonstrate silverpoint's look & feel, was Leonardo's study of an angel which was used in the Virgin of the Rocks. So, I thought it was only fitting to bookend this blog with the same image, or my copy of the same:


Da Vinci's Angel by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on card prepared with Mars Yellow-tinted gesso, 8" x 6". WTA110. Signed, dated & inscribed "after Leonardo."

Click on the image to see a larger version.

I very rarely make copies of other artists' work (an exception being the Isle of the Dead), though if I do, I usually alter things at least a tiny bit.

There are various differences between the original & this one, the most obvious probably being that Leonardo was left-handed & I'm not, so the hatching lines run diagonally upwards from left to right in mine. Leonardo's original was heightened with white chalk or similar, mine is not. And so on. But, if you're going to copy or steal, copy or steal from the best. I think I learned quite a lot in making this little copy.

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Day 49: The Penultimate One

The title of this silverpoint drawing of a head derives from the fact that it is the second to last one in the series:


The Penultimate One by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on tinted card, 10" x 8". WTA108. Created today.

Tomorrow should be the last day of the series of 50 silverpoint drawings. I hope to have something interesting uploaded.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Day 48: The Warrior Reflects

A new silverpoint drawing on light Mars Yellow over light blue ground:


The Warrior Reflects by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on tinted ground, 10" x 8". WTA107. Created today.

I guess this is a kind of anti-war image (in the spirit of my installation, The War Room), where the hero reflects on past wars & perhaps has some kind of realization.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Day 47: Young Orpheus

Silverpoint drawing on light yellow ground over magenta ground:


Young Orpheus by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on tinted ground, 10" x 8". WTA106. Created yesterday.

Depiction of the mythical Greek poet as a youth.

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Day 46: Dissolving Head

This silverpoint drawing was done on a Mars Yellow tinted ground, over a magenta-tinted ground:


Dissolving Head by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on tinted card, 10" x 8". WTA104.

The theme of a head dissolving into the landscape/background was most likely influenced by Leonardo's "sfumato" ("rendering in smoke") technique, whereby the outer lines of an object blur into the background or other parts of the image.

This drawing also contains more cross-hatching than usual to define the tonal regions.

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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Day 45: Grotesque Yet Melancholy Profile

New silverpoint drawing on blue. Done today (Saturday). I hadn't intended to work on the weekends with this blog, but I missed a day a while ago, and this means the series of 50 silverpoints should be finished this coming Friday.


Grotesque Yet Melancholy Profile by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on blue-tinted card, 10" x 8". WTA103.

Inspired by yesterday's somewhat grotesque image, and also by Leonardo's grotesque heads, and the monstrous inventions of Bosch...

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Friday, August 21, 2009

Day 44: Craggy Profile

A new silverpoint drawing on blue, done today:


Craggy Profile by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on blue-tinted card, 10" x 8". WTA101.

Partly inspired by the work of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby, whose work I mostly followed from the mid-late 60s to the early 70s. His work often featured characters with literally stony faces, from Ben Grimm to Darkseid. Here's to you, Jack.

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Day 43: Vestiges of a Forest

Silverpoint drawing on light blue:


Vestiges of a Forest by William T. Ayton. Silverpoint drawing on blue-tinted ground, 10" x 8". WTA099.

Mostly tonal drawing of trees, etc. Inspired by surrealist "landscapes" of the 1930s & so on (Magritte, Tanguy, Dali, Ernst -- the usual suspects.) You could also see this as a small ecological statement...

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Day 42: The Burden of the World

New silverpoint drawing on light blue-toned ground:


The Burden of the World by William T. Ayton, 2009, silverpoint drawing on blue-toned card, 10" x 8". WTA098.

This kind of light blue prepared ground seems to be one of the best options for enhancing the contrast of silverpoint.

The image is based on a 2008 painting (of which there are 2 versions) of the same name.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Day 41: Figure Stuck Between Two Walls

Silverpoint drawing of a male figure on a light blue-tinted ground:


Figure Stuck Between Two Walls by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on pale blue ground, 10" x 8". WTA097.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Day 40: Figure on Magenta

Silverpoint drawing of a figure on magenta-toned ground:


Figure on Magenta by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned card, heightened with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA096.

A silverpoint drawing of a crouched figure in a rocky landscape.

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Friday, August 14, 2009

Day 39: Woman on Magenta

Silverpoint drawing on a magenta-toned ground:



Woman on Magenta by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on magenta-toned ground, highlighted with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA095. Created today.

The ground was almost too lurid & powerful. However, I think the image survived.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Day 38: Young Man

New silverpoint of a young man's head, done today:


Young Man by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned ground highlighted with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA094.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Day 37: A Winged Man

Silverpoint drawing on ground toned with Mars Yellow:


A Winged Man by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned ground, 9" x 7". WTA093. Created today.

From an ongoing series of angels/winged figures, partly inspired by the Duino Elegies of Rainer Maria Rilke.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Day 36: Head of Leda sketch

A silverpoint sketch, done yesterday:


Head of Leda by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned ground, 10" x 8". WTA092.

I didn't highlight this one with white, so the contrast isn't as great.

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Day 35: A Beast

Head of a mythological semi-human creature on Mars Yellow-toned ground:


A Beast by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned ground, heightened with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA091. Created today.

Looks something like a hobbit (I've been reading The Lord of the Rings to my elder daughter for an eternity now) or one of those faerie creatures from Joseph Noel Paton's work that I saw in the National Gallery of Scotland when I was an art student in Edinburgh...a bit of an anomaly from my usual subject matter, but it just kind of appeared on the paper, as they tend to do, sometimes.

As usual, my scanner has managed to pick up & emphasize minor folds & bumps in the paper.

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Friday, August 7, 2009

Day 34: Man's Head

Silverpoint of a man's head on a ground tinted with Mars Yellow:


Man's Head on Mars Yellow by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on toned ground, heightened with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA090. Created today.

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Thursday, August 6, 2009

Day 33: Three-Quarter Head

A small silverpoint sketch on gray-toned card:


Three-Quarter Head by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on gray-toned card, 9" x 7". Heightened with white pastel pencil. WTA089. Created today.

There is a tiny flaw in the ground on the cheek, and a tiny splash of colored paint on the bridge of the nose. Personally, I like tiny flaws like that as they add character to a piece, but I'm mentioning them in case certain collectors might have a problem with them. They're almost invisible. My scanner has also picked up & exaggerated minor bumps in the paper, which, when framed under glass, will flatten out completely.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Day 32: Profile in Shadow

A silverpoint on gray-toned card done a week or so ago:


Profile in Shadow by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on gray-toned Bristol Vellum cardstock, 10" x 8". WTA084.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Day 31: Man with a Long Neck

A monochrome silverpoint sketch on white ground:


Man with a Long Neck by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on white gessoed card, 11" x 8.5". WTA043. Done a couple of weeks ago.

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This blog will now run for 50 days total

I've decided, since Jim is pretty much occupied with preparing paintings for an upcoming show, & I'm also busy with the Ayton Artwork a Day blog, & now the Shadow Bay noir project with Donald Rothschild, that I'll let this Silverpoint blog run until day 50, & then let it stop, either temporarily (possibly) or permanently (more likely.) I'm seriously considering doing the same with the Ayton Artwork a Day blog also, which will free me up further. Thanks -- William T. Ayton.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Day 30: The Bather

New silverpoint on gray-toned card done today:


The Bather by William T. Ayton, 2009. Silverpoint drawing on gray-toned card, heightened with white pastel pencil, 10" x 8". WTA088. Created today.

Image of a figure in water, related to the Narcissus works.

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