Adri's Palette

I think I will have to slow down a bit. My mind is racing at lightning speed trying to put together the final idea for the Saint Anne drawing. I see the cabbage, its curly leaves, the power drill, the bricks in the dead window, Anne’s clothes, the mortar (should it belight ormidtonedgrey?),thewallcolor,uhhhashadow… oh, woman, slow down! I don’t think an overexcited puppy could be more over the place!

OK, I took a deep breath.I took a piece of paper and a pencil and very quickly made a sketch of the general idea.  A bit of shading here and there. Overall though, I don’t want to go into too much detail, because I will surely loose myself in the process. OK, out of the way, now I can concentrate on one thing only. And I think my initial reaction to focus on St. Anne was a good one. So I’ll stick to that.

Looking at the figure in the drawing I think she is too stable, immobile to put it mildly. I imagine this woman with more force, more power, and I think this would work only with a different posture. OK, after a long and strenuous drilling session she can rest, but not on this picture!

I much prefer her in this position. The way she leans and projects her power into her task is what I am looking for. If you think about it, a cabbage cannot be shredded just by looking at it. Force and willpower have to be applied (and the power drill, of course). I am still thinking I want her to embody the strength I see in the war propaganda posters, but I also want her to be very feminine. I started flipping through my art history books for reference, and I think I already have one or two things that have caught my eye.This is the final version of the sketch. I am quite happy with the way it has turned out. I think the combination of my first idea and the cabbage-shredder power woman figure from the second is more to my taste. I now see more potential in it. And I also believe it is now safe to disengage the handbrake and restart my brainstorming regarding the other elements. Keeping my fingers crossed.