Mangled Wrangler - By B D Miller

Some Of You May Know ..

That I have a thing for Jeeps, especially the Wrangler. I have owned a handful of them over the last 20 years or so. My favorite of the group is the Jeep Wrangler TJ, and is the one that I currently own. The reason I have grown to love this particular model so much is that it contains some conveniences and comforts that models in the past did not. These changes did not affect the ruggedness and barebones feel of the Jeep. I want to feel like I could go well off road if I choose or travel in comfort down the highway if desired. The heat is great and I can not tell you about the air conditioner; the top is either down or it’s too cold and I need the heat.. Sometimes both. My favorite stylistic aspect of the Tj is hands down the grill and headlights. I absolutely love the round headlights. It reminds me of my old CJ7, also with round headlamps. Again, this one is my favorite out of the three that I’ve owned. I would buy another, but I don’t think my heart nor my wallet could handle it.

These are the three Jeeps that I had owned/own ..

The White Jeep Wrangler TJ..

Happens to be my latest inspiration for this next installment of blind contour drawing. I chose a funky but fun name for it. I think the name of this piece is fitting, since the Wrangler depicted in the finished drawing, is a bit Mangled in appearance.. Plus it sounds catchy to me!

This is a photo of my Wrangler TJ that I used for my inspiration.It was needed in order to complete the drawing ..

I Thought It Would Be Fun ..

To draw the Jeep from the perspective of standing and looking at it from the side. It’s a little more complex than drawing it from the front or rear. I created a drawing of the Jeep from the front, some time ago. I feel like it was a tad bit easier than this one. I wanted to challenge myself with this piece, so I chose the side angle photo as my subject reference. Once I had settled on the photo I would be working from, I printed off a small 4”x5” print to stare at for the next 5 or 6 minutes. I laid out all of the items I would need; my art pad, my fine point pen, a pack of pencils, an eraser, blending stick and the drawing clipped to the pad. Now I was ready to create something grotesquely spectacular (smile smile)

Here are all of my supplies laid out and ready to be put to creative use.

In Roughly 5 or 6 Minutes ..

The blind drawing portion of creating this piece is finished. No further lines will be drawn. This one very long line is enough, and I wouldn’t be able to call it blind contour if I added to the line and tried to fix anything. I’ve grown to appreciate these drawing for multiple reasons, but the one that really presents itself to me, is the quirkiness or uniqueness of the finished drawing. The messiness always intrigues me. It’s goofy enough to find humor in, and complex enough to find artistic value in.. at least in my biased opinion.

This is the finished blind contour drawing.. One continuous line, drawn without ever lifting the pen from the paper and while only looking at the subject. I ONLY look at the drawing when I think it is finished! .. No shading just yet.

Like Every Other ..

Blind contour drawing that I have created before this one, it came out a bit unpredictable. Even though I was a bit unsure about the original drawing (before shading was applied), In the very end I was quite satisfied with the finished piece. I think this one was more of a challenge due to the amount of details involved. This had a direct effect on my spacial awareness and left me questioning (often), “where am I in this drawing?” I also found myself asking, “Did I already draw that part of the Jeep?” It is important to remember what you’ve already drawn, but it’s not as easy as you may think. Short term memory plays a big part in the process when one of your senses is taken away (sight, thus ‘Blind’ contour). This is evident in certain areas where you will see duplicate areas of the Jeep drawn. Luckily, since my line was a bit off today, the duplicate parts were spaced out enough to go almost unnoticed.

Here is a small example of duplicate drawing .. Come On! I’m better than this!! hehe...

It Needs Some Additional Character ..

So I arm myself with a #6 shading pencil and get to work. My goal at this stage, is to add a bit of tonal value to the piece in order to bring a little dimensional life into it. I don’t want to go crazy adding lots of shading, thus covering up the majority of the line. I would lose the very essence of the piece by doing that. The loose lines and grotesque cuteness would be covered up by blobs of dark graphite. I have to constantly take a step back from it and assess the progress, making sure that I am not taking it in the wrong direction. So while you glance through these next several shots, keep in mind that there are challenges to be encountered, even when shading. You may even notice, from one frame to another, that I may have changed my mind on the level of darkness applied. I even erased some shading here and there, when I thought I was losing the originality in a certain area.

Progression Shots ..

I hope you enjoy these progress shots. It always surprises me, when I look back through them, noticing the magnitude of changes that occur with just a little shading and blending.

The basic shading is complete ..

And I am ready to just darken things up a little. I also want to add some tonal values to the foreground.

After stepping away ..

From it for a while, I made a decision to add a bit of background shade. You will notice how I gently applied the pencil then lightly buffed it into the paper. I wasn’t going for perfection; there are rough lines and grafite marks on purpose. I wanted to keep the distorted and rough appearance intact. I think I was pretty successful in that aspect. I can not lie though, I am tempted to darken up the background more, but so far have held off. For how long? I can not say.. Haha

Well There You Have It! ..

Another installment of blind contour drawing. I enjoyed the challenge that came with creating this piece as well as the satisfaction I feel now that it’s complete. I am happy that I did not just toss it aside after the drawing portion was over. I am glad I gave it a chance to shine. The shading, I think, brought this piece from just another line drawing to a rather cool art piece. For an added bonus, it has personal appeal to me, because I love the subject. Looking forward to my next one!

Here Is A Summary Photo ..

Makes it nice to see the whole process in one single photo. Easier to compare things :-)

Mangled Wrangler - By B D Miller

Below Are Some Of My Most Recent Blind Contours ..

You can view more about each one by following the links below. They are drawings that I have blogged about in the past. Possibly worth a look.

Odo

Expression of Cabernet

Nadi

Blind Folded Rolls

Chuck

Six Bottles Of Beer

Pepperdoodle

Smoking Lady

The Man In The Shadows

Dobby The House Elf

My Blue Guitar

Blind Wine

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Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

~ B D Miller