Jason and the Argonopes
So a few years back, while I was working the pharmacy I so despised and just bored to tears from watching an archaic photo lab printer to make sure it didn't break down while printing somebody's Thousand Photo Vacation, I doodled a quaint little scene on the back of a slip of receipt paper. Not the ten mile CVS receipt we've all come to fear in the impending tornado season, no! For this was not CVS, but their main competitor, Dullgreens (names changed to protect the humor).
It was a slip from the Catalina printer, the ones that print those stupid coupons that nobody except store employees ever use because they're the only ones who shop frequently enough to actually use them, and only if you somehow got one worth redeeming. Contained upon this 4"x2" shred of waste was a small ship on stormy waters sailing toward its doom, a singing woman on the wave battered rocks in the foreground. Yes, mythology lovers, the siren.
If she's singing something I composed, that ship is fine.
Given the materials and amount of space I had to work with, I was pretty proud of this one. It's one I'd kept meaning to revisit and colorize. I liked the idea that the woman was, in reality, part of a giant octopus or squid that altered its appearance and somehow created sound that dulled men's senses, acting as a lure. The only things that really bothered me about this after the fact were the tentacles. They were too uniform and widely spaced. But, again, all things considered, this turned out well. While I never did get around to colorizing it (fully), I did revisit the concept itself with my iPad and Pencil.
This time I had a more complete vision of how it should look (I mean, I've only had, like, six years to dwell on it), and an array of tools and brushes to revitalize the old idea. Seeing as I'm really bad about scenery and atmosphere, I referenced a handful of stormy waters pictures and I think I really managed to get that choppy feel. Plus lightning. Can't have a storm at sea without lightning and eerie clouds. Anyhoo, I'm really pleased with the revamp.
You can see the pic by itself in the Digital Art Gallery, but just below you can see the speed painting. I'll be doing another time-lapse video later, but slowed down so I can talk about the different brushes I used and the thought processes in creating the image. Until then, Junior Woodchucks, never pass on the opportunity to swim in a vault full of coins. Try the high dive. According to the historical documents, it's just like jumping into water.
