Sketchbook pages + Small paintings

Hello peeps, 

Here are another couple sketchbook pages from last week!

The first ink drawing of the hands is an attempt at visualising a concept I've had in mind for a while and tried to create a number of times but kept getting really confused about.
My initial idea was to have a person holding their hands in a similar way to if they were handcuffed, but with their hands intertwined in the way you see here. However, my brain had difficulty wrapping itself around how the pose would work, so I decided to attempt it in a slightly less convoluted way first. 

The second page explores the same idea in several ways, with the rougher drawings trying out compositions where the person's "body ribbons" would be used to hold onto another person curled up on their back. 

And then finally, I painted these 2 little pieces above over the last couple of weeks.
Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen them briefly in my stories already.

The first one on the left was an attempt at painting with acrylics in the "traditional" way, meaning using them opaquely and thickly and blending them more thoroughly.
I was curious as to how that process would feel and whether I would be able to achieve a look I liked more than my usual watercolour-like technique. 

It was fun, and I did enjoy the experiment, but it did solidify for me that I prefer working more lightly and transparently. 

In order to really get a feel for how both styles and techniques differ, I repainted the concept using my normal process, which entails using acrylics like watercolours, very watered-down and transparent.
As I suspected, I enjoy the result quite a bit more than the first attempt!

To be entirely fair to both tries, I do have quite a lot more practice using the 2nd technique than I do using acrylics more thickly, so my first experiment's result is probably due in big part to my lack of experience with this process, so I haven;t entirely given up on trying it again, but I do know that using my acrylics lightly is a process I enjoy quite a bit more, so it will be the technique I will stick to for my bigger pieces for now. 

I very much enjoyed putting some time aside to work this way though, so I hope to be able to do so more in the future!

These 2 little pieces will make up February's Process Video.
I initially intended on uploading them both separately, but I figured it could make for a fun little juxtaposition to have them together in the same video instead. 

I hope you liked these little sketches and that you will enjoy the video!

All my love. M