Moonrise Kingdom Artwork

This picture represents a work in (not too much) progress, but I’ve chosen to exhibit it because of what else it represents for me. See, I don’t do work with color. Ever. Like, when people give me paints, I kind of freak out, and if I go so far as to pick up a brush and prepare to USE them, my hands shake and are rendered basically useless. Black and white, oh my gosh, black and white, what a stark and dull comfort zone. It’s the shadows, I think. I’ve always been praised for my ability to use shadows to my advantage, especially in human faces. Because what do you use for shadow in a black and white picture? Black. Lighter black. Smudgey black. And, if you haven’t washed your hands, brownish-black, because I always use my fingers to smudge and end up hating myself when I ruin a picture because of it (I might even upload my recent picture of Benedict Cumberbatch to illustrate this phenomenon. His forehead is now a total mess. I’m crying as I type.)

BUT anyhow, to get back on topic, I used colored pencils for this one. I had to. It’s a still from Wes Anderson’s movie “Moonrise Kingdom” , which is SO great, and like all of his films, visually just a masterpiece. I loved this still in particular, and when I like something that much, I draw it. But I knew it would be a crime to render this without color, I mean, 90% of the sheer PURPOSE would be sucked out of it by my cowardice. Of course, if you’ve seen the movie, you can tell that the colors here don’t match up perfectly at all, but that was slightly intentional, if you can believe me. I went all out with those colors. I decided that if I had no idea what I was doing, it might as well show. So I just put in colors where they didn’t belong, I think I must’ve put purple EVERYWHERE, and I have to say I’m pleased. Everything is so much richer and more alive than it would’ve been if I’d stuck to the primaries. Werq that color wheel. 

 

-Anne