Finished Piece

🎨 Related Pieces

Part of the same artistic series but independent works.

🎨 Related Pieces

Part of the same artistic series but independent works.

Creative Workbook

Description

This piece is going to lean far more into the undulation and depth effect. Instead of each layer on Underwater Currents. going in the same direciton (light-to-dark, light-to-dark), creating a layered effect, I'll be going in opposite directions (light-to-dark, dark-to-light), to create a buldging effect.

Planning Notes

• Companion piece to Underwater Currents with opposite diagonal direction.
• This piece will be more like mounds or tubes vs the shell/layered look of Underwater Currents.
• Pulled the colors. The original palette was more limited, so of course I added more colors. I added to each color (yellow, purple, and pink) but also added orange as a range between pink and yellow.
• How many levels do I include? I also don’t know how wavy or curvy to make the lines. Do I start in the middle and just go with the flow without planning out the lines? Or do I plan them out like I did the last piece? (Note: The last piece actually stayed with the guidelines until the last two or so layers, when I abandoned the guide lines).

Progress Notes

• Husband kept suggesting I should start over after I told him I did the wrong color choices/had too many colors. But I really liked how the piece was turning out overall, even though the colors were off.
• Across the two brands (Prismacolor Premier, Polychromos), I have 3-5 yellow-oranges that all look the same.
• I haven’t been adding any deviations to the lines. I should. So…what am I afraid of?
• I just realized I’m not doing the lines the same as the companion piece, Underwater Currents. In Underwater Currents, the lines have more of a 3D effect because of how I shaded. I really liked the texturing that gave. This current iteration is more of a gradient I’m burnishing the lines far more than Underwater Currents, and I have a much more cohesive blend. I’m hoping the colors themselves will provide a 3D effect overall.
• 11/2/25 - I continue to question the current iteration. The lines are much less independent and do a lot more blending between them. I also keep removing any of the cool bends and curves as they inevitably straighten out. I miss the 3D effect of each line and the chaos I had in them. But that doesn’t mean this is a bad piece or that it won’t look good. It’s just not what I planned. I’m trying to finish it but I’m struggling. I need to remember that my pieces like to evolve on their own. I can only suggest where to go, but the final result depends on what the piece wants to be.
• 11/3/25 - It’s agate now. I decided to try and add some random parts and now I’m liking it better. It’s evolving better. I can see a clear path to finish.

Completion Notes

• At some point, I tend to just give up on precision and go for finishing. I can tell when it happens in the piece. It can be frustrating but it gets the job done.
• The final piece looks really. nice, and seems to glow. Though I didn’t end up getting the 3D effect Iw as hoping for since I made everything about the same depth.

✵ Steps ✵

• Choose colors (digital)
• Pull colors into roll
• Plan spacing
• Start
• Finish

Supplies

Tags

#medium/coloredpencils , #paper/mixedmedia , #brand/prismacolor/premier , #brand/fabercastell/polychromos , #brand/beepaper/superdeluxe , #color/scheme/warm

Materials

Color Palette: Amethyst Sunset

Project Iterations

Iteration 1:

✵ Analysis ✵

• What I Like: It looks cool, the line work and shading, the plending, the curves. It works well. The technique is good.
• What I Don’t Like: The color choices. They don’t blend as well as I’d want. If my goal is to get progressively darker, I’ve failed.
  • I also don’t like how the entire thing flows in the same way, instead of adding more collisions and imperfections.
• What I Learned: Too many colors confuses the piece. Be choosier with the palette.

Inspiration & References

Technique Iterations

Gallery

Finished

WIP