leaves

I uploaded a version of this to my website recently. I tried lots of different background colours – greens, blues, reds – and couldn't make a decision on which I preferred. I opted for red leaves on my website and am posting an alternate version here.

The image of the woman is from my sketchbook and I like it despite the fact that her lack of eyes is a device I've used a little too frequently of late. I drew the leaves on a separate page, printed this and taped it to my lightbox where I used it as a guide to draw the highlights. I made two attempts at this, the first with a brush and Winsor & Newton Indian Ink and the second using a Copic brush pen. The Copic version was deemed 'best. This drawing was then digitised, layered over the original 'leaves' image and the illustration of the woman added as an additional layer. Finally, the whole thing was coloured using electronic crayons.

TWSBI Diamond 580 with Platinum Carbon ink and Copic brush pen on Stillman and Birn Alpha Series paper. Digital colour.