Niña: Traditional Media Illustration

The two drawings above were created with mechanical pencil in a Moleskine sketchbook. The originals are small-scale, wrinkled, and low-contrast. They weren't awkwardly cropped; I'm simply inclined to draw large and ran out of space on the sketchbook pages. I scanned the drawings in and edited the digital files to improve their depth of value, producing the images you see above.

I want to begin consistently making artwork that doesn't have to be digitally manipulated and then reprinted to be refined or completed. The drawing below is the beginning of an attempt to wean off my reliance on digital tools, starting with 300 lb watercolor paper, twice-stained and stretched, and fistfuls of carbon pencils, grease pencils, soft graphite, charcoal sticks, charcoal paint, and more. I am trying not to be too precious about the final product, as I am using this drawing primarily to experiment with different mediums and techniques.