Doodly Neurographic Art
I did another neurographic picture today, this time starting with a background created with Tombow Dual Brush markers.
To create this background, I scribbled with several colours of Tombow markers onto a large acrylic block (seen left, under the drawing) and spritzed it with water. I placed it face down on the paper and smooshed it around and then dried it with a heat tool. I repeated the process until I was happy with the result. To create the white spatter effect, I dropped water droplets onto the piece and let it stand for a minute or two before blotting it off with a paper towel.
To add the lines, this time, rather than following the shapes of the background pattern, I wanted to try a technique I’d seen online. You take a small round object – usually a coin, but in this case I used a small plastic pot – and use the pen to push it around the paper. You can determine the general direction of the line, but in order to keep pushing the object, the line will meander around in a nice random way. I really like this effect.
Rounding the corners, and beginning to add some colour. I used Tombow markers, colouring a little into the corner of an area and then blending it out with the Tombow blending pen.
I added more colour, concentrating on the areas close to the lines and blending the colour outwards with the blending pen, to give a contoured effect.
Finally, adding the doodly details. I used a combination of Staedtler fineliners and my new Derwent Coloursoft pencils.
I find this the hardest part of the drawing – knowing what to do where, and most importantly, when to stop! There was a point when I thought I had ruined this drawing but I continued to add more doodles to try and balance what I’d already done, and I think it’s come out OK in the end. The overall colour remains teal, purple and blue with touches of green, and other colours in moderation with the doodles. The orange accents (colouring in the blotted off water spatters with an orange Tombow marker) appear to float above the surface. Maybe the addition of shadows would enhance this effect! (This drawing is a lot greener in real life but I was unable to edit the photos to achieve a more accurate rendition. I actually prefer the photos to the real thing!)
I love working with these Tombow backgrounds. When I first got the markers a couple of years ago, I followed a YouTube tutorial on it, and adapted a drawing of two koi carp from a free adult colourng page, to create this image.
Kitties
More sleeping together for hours on end – today they stayed on the chair nearly all day! What a life. I do wonder, though, how Lily manages to breathe when Ruby completely covers her nose! (Ruby’s front paw, Lily’s back paw. It’s sometimes hard to tell.)
