Lines

It's amazing how much personality lines have! Each pint-sized duplication contains an entire cast of characters. Some of them are so wily, just staring at me with this defiant swagger (can you stare with swagger? can lines stare? trivial questions...) Daring me to capture their attitude! IMPOSSIBLE.

#18

Duplication #18
January 29, 2011
Mechanical pencil
25 minutes

Man this was a rough one! I couldn't focus at all; my mind was racing. I need to do some centering before I start these.

#17

Duplication #17
January 28, 2011
Mechanical pencil
20 minutes

I have got to get this photography thing figured out. I should construct a lightbox I think...just have to get around to getting supplies. Also, drawing these in a non-spiral bound pad isn't helping. This particular duplication isn't perfect, but it isn't as bad as it looks in the picture. The curve of the page is distorting it significantly. Oh well.

#16

Duplication #16
January 27, 2011
Mechanical pencil
23 minutes

2 weeks in

It has now been a whole two weeks (+1 day). I've still managed to do a duplication every day. I feel so proud of myself, and then I remember that I have to do this x26! I've definitely backed off on the times for the more recent ones, as teaching just started back up - and that one class I'm taking, you know, for fun.

I've noticed that my mind is all over the place while I'm doing these, but it shouldn't be. Duplications should be meditative. Of course, any of you who have meditated before knows that your mind can wander like mad if you don't keep it in check. I'm trying to rein that in a little by breathing mindfully, allowing thoughts to pass and trying to focus on the angles of the lines, the feel of the lead against the paper and the idea that even though I'm drawing in a different spot it should be like I'm actually touching my original lines.

Hopefully this will become more natural as I get back in the swing of these things!

#15

Duplication #15
January 26, 2011
Mechanical pencil
30 minutes

#14

Duplication #14
January 25, 2011
Mechanical pencil
21 minutes

#13

Duplication #13
January 24, 2011
Mechanical pencil
24 minutes

The quarter is to show scale. I guess you can't really tell with these pictures.

#12

Duplication #12
January 23, 2011
Mechanical pencil*
30 minutes

*I've found that a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil works pretty well. I may stick with that.

#11

Duplication # 11
January 22, 2011
Mechanical pencil
22 minutes

#10

Duplication #10
January 21, 2011
Mechanical pencil
28 minutes

#9

Duplication #9

January 20, 2011

Pencil

32 minutes

It's amazing how they just grow and grow...

#8

Duplication #8

January 19, 2011

Pencil

25 minutes

First week

Well, I've managed to get through a week. It was not as hard as I thought it would be actually, but I haven't started work yet. That starts tomorrow. I think that will translate to more unfinished duplications, but I'm still dedicated to the 20 minutes per day. It's easy enough to steal that away from my blog trawling time, which is a bit superfluous.

I have noticed a tendency for my duplications to expand, as in they are larger than the originals. Most of this has to do with the "grid" I think. Once you get one row or column off, it sort of balloons from there. Another factor might be the thinness/thickness of lines. I'm having a tough time deciding on a utensil; none of them seem that great. I may go back to a pen. We'll see.

#7

Duplication #7

January 18, 2011

Pencil

40 minutes

#6

Duplication #6

January 17, 2011

Pencil

28 minutes

#5

Duplication #5
January 16, 2011
Pencil
34 minutes

#4

Duplication #4
January 15, 2011
Pencil
60 minutes*

*I thought this one would be "easy" somehow...

#3

Duplication #3
January 14, 2011
Pencil*
36 minutes

*Not bad. I'll probably do this again, armed with a sharpener of course.

#2

Duplication #2
January 13, 2011
Ball point pen*
49 minutes

*The pen gave me bascially the same problems as the mechanical pencil...maybe a regular pencil + sharpener?

#1

Duplication #1
January 12, 2011
Mechanical pencil*
45 minutes

*I may try a bic pen next time. I remember liking those. The pencil gave me line-quality issues (thick/thin, light/dark).