From Abstract to Interpration

Hello Everyone! So I imagine you must be thinking what the heck is the image above doing here?! Isn't this a place for art reflection?! And yet! Here we have this raggedy depiction of the degradation of our Metropolitan Transit Authority services, that has NOTHING to do with art! Well, while that might be true, but! You see, when I saw this image on the way home, in a bustling city, with everyone rushing to and from to either get home from a long day's work or to head out to burn off the day, I like the anomaly that I am, stopped dead in my tracks, scrambled about for my phone just so that I could snap a photo o f this image. And why is that you ask? Upon seeing it, I saw nothing but images. I don't want to spoil too much as I have illustrations inspired from this image that I'd like to share with you. The first one is a bit more of a looser interpretation of the shapes represented here and the latter is a more literal depiction that more rigidly held to the original design if you will that you'll see in a later post. (And yes, I know, technically it's not exactly a "design" and is more of just a series of random, miscellaneous shapes that my brain put together to see beyond some peeled paint on an unimportant wall in the NYC subway--imagined art in motion (Get it, cause the subway moves people from place to place? Hehe)

So join me, as I show you how I reimagined this image in my mind step by step with annotations.

Step 1 (pun very much intended):

So step one as you know is just as you have seen it before. The decrepit image standing alone in an aging subway system. But, what you haven't yet seen is what comes next! And so without further ado here's the first step in how I interpreted this image as shown above, and below

Now, I just want to jump in here to say that when I am working out an idea my initial sketches are far from defined and finished. THEY ARE ROUGH! But mainly what I am trying to do is to just get the idea on paper so that it becomes tangible and real. During this stage I refrain from using references and am just focused on trying to make something real out of this abstract idea living in my head. In the past it always used to bum me out looking at my drawing at this stage in the game because I would often compare it to artists who have such refined, beautiful, and intentional sketch lines. But I've come to accept that this is how I draw and this is how my brain processes information. Perhaps my brain is just messy like that and I think that's okay and so if you are also someone with messy sketchy lines don't despair! It is only a temporary stage in your drawing! Besides, line quality, if you're not like me who has come to accept that this is just how I draw, can always be improved!!

And now we resume our usual scheduled programming as we huemor the addition of color! (Hehe I couldn't help it!)