La Calaca

Although there were some important and very exciting things that happened last week, it was terribly busy.  I didn't have time to work in my studio until yesterday after church.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed my time.  One of the projects I worked on was Challenge PDCC 128, which was posted by The Play Date Cafe.  It features Flamingo Pink, Bright Orange and White.  Although the colors are bright and summery, for some reason the picture of the flowers reminded me of the marigolds used during the celebration of "El Dia de los muertos," in several areas in Mexico.  As I explained in my post on October 22, 2012, this holiday is a blend between All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, and the Mexican natives' traditions.  Because of the latter, many Mexican artists such as José Guadalupe Posada and Diego Rivera have incorporated its symbol, la calaca (skull or skeleton), into their artwork.

I decided to to sketch a skull on my iPad, using my SketchBook Pro app.  Since the app allows you to use various layers, I used a couple of layers in the bottom to dribble the flamingo pink and bright orange.  I also used some white to tone some areas down.  The process could be compared to a digital version of Jackson Pollock's technique, but of course, there was no mess.  Then, I used a third layer to do a quick sketch of my skull, as well as a line frame.  As a finishing touch, I added a layer for the text.

This was a fun, fast and low stress piece to make.  It's just what I needed, and I really like the way it turned out.  It reminds me of the lotería (Mexican bingo) cards that I used to play with as a child.  Please feel free to follow my blog and/or leave a comment - they make my day.  Blessings!