Since I am more or less bedridden at the moment—which in this case means getting up every ten minutes to bang around the studio and demand to know who hid the scissors and the spray fixative—I am experimenting with drawing on matte drafting film.
It’s kinda neat.
Smudges like whoa, so you have to work very carefully, but the pencil just slithers across it and it holds even the tiniest little marks. It’s also semi-transparent, sort of frosted—this is layered over gray paper. My mother’s been doing a layering thing with multiple sheets and drawings of tree roots that is so horrifyingly brilliant that it causes me mental anguish, but it being me, I draw ringtailed thingies. When I have a trifle more energy, I will attempt to use some of these layering effects myself—might make for neat collage.
This brand is called Herculene, and you have to buy it in huge sheets, which I’m not so keen on. (I’ve got some Dura-lar on order, but apparently it doesn’t erase as cleanly. Does come in a pad, though. We’ll see if easier handling is worth smudges.
It has a really interesting quality in person that’s hard to explain. And it’s fun to draw on, which is worth a lot. You absolutely positively have to seal it with fixative or it will smear if you so much as glance at it, but fortunately a quick hit of Krylon fixes it hard.
And for some reason there’s a package of smoked salmon on my desk. Hmm.
I should probably go back to bed.
Your beautiful portrait of the ring-tailed thingy has pleased it. It left you the smoked salmon thank you gift as is customary to the ring-tailed thingy’s culture. Apparently.
Hope you feel better soon!
I thought I saw a ring-tailed thingy under my bed once but it turned out to be just my sock. Now I know where they go once they have escaped the dryer.