Blogging A to Z: U is for Unafraid of the Dark

As I've been maturing as an artist, I've noticed a definite evolution of my work from simple line art to something more, well, more on the lines of a woodcut print I suppose. I used to have quite a penchant for crazy detail pretty much all made up of line as you can see here:

While I still have a tendancy towards that stylistically, I've been trying to steer away from that style and move to a more "noir" style I suppose. Guys like Mike Mignola make the minimalism involved look easy but to be honest, I find it quite intimidating. It's not easy to "let go" and trust yourself enough to let go of the detail and define a picture by form rather than line. I find myself quite often taking much more time on my pencils than I ever did previously. Most of this time is actually involved in a process that is called "spotting blacks". When trying to define an image through form, it becomes critical that the positive and negative areas define volume and mass. Determining a light source is key in this process. Two of my more recent pictures show some of my progress towards using form to define a picture rather than line:

Sure, I still have a ways to go before I'm really up there with something like this:

But I think stuff like this is moving me in the right direction:

Ultimately it all boils down to two things: Fear and Trust. First, overcome the fear of letting the shadows and negative space enveloping the detail and let it define form and mass. Second, trust that the viewer is going to be able to understand the image without leading them through extravagant detail. I find it pretty hard to let go. My wife is always urging me to just let go and let the shapes speak for themselves. Ah well, it is always an evolutionary process and a journey moreso than a destination. And I do hope you enjoy the ride with me.