Il Cunicolo - I

sabato, 4 gennaio 2025

This piece, Il Cunicolo - I, translates roughly as "the tunnel". I chose this name due to the small alcove that is situated underneath the two stairways. I approached this piece with a desire to try new techniques and materials that I had set aside and hadn't approached or used for quite some time. As with my previous piece, I chose to use the Architetto 4 24cmx33cm ultra-bright white paper, along with the Dr. Ph Martin's Hi-Carb Black India ink.

All throughout 2024, I focused on my line work, where most of my inking was done with smooth, unbroken lines. This year, especially in January, I wanted to work on bringing more texture and depth into my designs, hence the broken lines, texturing, and even shading with the ink — especially around the pots and plants. I also used the thinned-out ink as a wash to fill in with shadows and shading.

This piece was particularly challenging for me, not only due to the double staircases, but the odd angles of the architecture and the way the buildings were interconnected with one another. I actually ended up completely erasing and re-sketching the staircase by the window to bring it into better alignment with reality and the rest of the piece.

All-in-all, I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I also enjoyed working with the simplest of materials: white paper, a bottle of ink, metal nib, and a small brush for washes.

Yours in inspiration,
Michael Weaver