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The Waking Edge
Published: 2008-01-09 03:54:41 +0000 UTC; Views: 42367; Favourites: 986; Downloads: 231
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Description
The new title is “The Waking Edge”Graphite on Illustration Board 39” x 31”
This work is of the precise point when conscience is awakened, the experience of sudden reality. It happens when we first wake and it happens suddenly, unexpectedly in life’s journey. Nothing here is precise to anyone except to myself. It’s personal in its symbolism yet there are universal symbols as well. The background is drawn more for the “feel” it gives the overall drawing, industrial, decomposing almost contradictory to what Jessica looks like yet her sudden frozen stare brings a different reality to the work one of angst. Symbols such as a metal halo, the meeting of circles forming a vesica, bones, stones and even her attire are important icons in this story. Yet to explain these would gives too much away. Since it’s a teaching forum I tell much more then I feel comfortable with, but it gives an indication to my process, the only true hint would normally be the title, “The Waking Edge”
Like much of my work there’re are people who I connect with; it opens up their imaginations by adding their personal insights, yet some will see nothing but the negative and transpose every clue. As always, what the viewer sees in this work is the truth for that individual and I find that much more interesting in the long run.
Armin Mersmann
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Comments: 388
I looked at “The Waking Edge” for some long minutes. I think I understand what you are saying above. One of the things that strongly impressed me with this piece of art is the background is as important as the model.
I look for emotion in art, not aesthetic value.
Thank you for letting me see this.
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That is a wonderful peice of work, Armin! How the hair just perfectly resembles a real persons hair, how the eyes just give the impression that she's a real person standing right there! Dude, this is just simply amazing and I bet that there is no flaw or mistake in the whole thing, of what I can see. I admit, I MAY be a LITTLE bit of a stalker but.... thats just cuz I 
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flawless, this is so beautiful i love the expresson and the feeling you get when you stair into her eyes as all your drawings are this is insane!!!
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thanks, just sold this one this week always a plus
Armin
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I can't believe this is a drawing!!
Specially her knit looks like real, I almost could feel what it made of and soft!!
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Armin the notes you leave on the discreptions of your art give me further insight on ways to present or manipulate works.
But i will not attempt such complicated compositions (with such simple figures) untill i am use to the simple ones ><.
Also I still have yet to figure how people exactly draw hair!!!!! (please dont tell me it will ruin the fun!). When i attempt it i always end wit hthe same shapes of hair and never the quality. I am thinking i should do that indention stuff they are talking about on the forum, But i honestly doubt thats the ONLY WAY. I want to explore more before i give in O_O
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Indentation is one way to it Patrick but I have never been keen on it, the worse part is you see the dents looking at the side of the drawing it looks really bad. Some like it some don’t experiment. Hair is funny it appears out of nowhere, disappears comes around has shadows and highlights rarely do you see them in a single strand, but if you put one or two in a drawing people think you drew them all, you do too much and it’s a mess. I’m not big on formulaic teaching some are and that’s fine, I tell my students to come up with technique from within (after learning the fundaments) and that you have done very well at! I’ve always concentrated on what was hard for me, hair was impossible, my eyes sucked, skin tones I could not understand so that’s what I did over and over.
Good luck Patrick your doing it the right way!
Armin
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Well since the school i want in is a creative thinking school. They will prolly have the same approach as you! (good thing i plan on getting in this art school then? i seem to have some luck of the irish in me!)
as for the fundamentals i need to buckle down alittle more on them. That is one main reason why you dont see alot of diversity in what a draw. I try not to represent and or draw anything i dont have a true understanding of. (but when i do draw them i just try to incorporate into my piece and not really try to grasp the image itself)
Now there may be some faults in my art RIGHT NOW as in fundamentals and those aspects. But i am more then willing to confront those with hardwork when my teachers tell me about it and instruct me how to fix. If it cant be fixed, i will find a way around it!!!!!
Thanks for the insight and incouragement as always!!! its just i recently found another artist in DA around my age. I personally think hes FAR past me!!!! So now my competitive nature has brought me into hyper gears to improve untill i am better then him o_o. SO i have been cracking down on my technique and flaws to make it better. Instead of just trying to convey messages and make better compositions.
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Hey... Congratulations, you have a great job, really
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It is extremely difficult to repress my superficial comments on this. It is more difficult to describe the feeling I get from seeing this work. I had never felt anything for any art; I'm a fairly apathetic person. We usually describe things by relating them to others like it, or by contrasting it to its total opposite, but I must say that this, for me, transcends the notion of duality. I'm not hyperbolizing.
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Ezequiel, your words mean a lot to me. This duality is the principle conceptual force that moves me to do art. To have that recognized is very rewarding, thank you.
/\\\
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I'm glad there are realist artists that don't merely mimic nature :]
You're welcome.
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Well Armin, I followed some comments below and I'm not involving. When I critic, I tend to say what seems plausible for me. A madman can question more then a 1000 wise can answer. When I re-look at your works I see flaws too, but that would be searching for it aswell. But when I critic, I do it when it still has a chance to be improved. When you're done I just enjoy the making of. The flaws you've created are outbalanced. This is a discussion I had with Dirk in a similar way. But you know, you're a human and I like the "flaws". Some slack of freedom is nessesairy sometimes. I can't draw, but I do have a major eye for details and if I can help you with the overlooking it (draws consumes looking the trees in the forest sometimes).
For me your journey was like each episode of my favourite serie. It is about balance and you're just awesome in composition. I never would have approached you to look over my shoulder to learn a finger or two from you regarding lightfall and it's composition. In this piece you've proven once more a master on this.
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wow!!!!! How do you draw so well?????? Your drawings are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wow that is really amazing and really well done. You are really gifted. Congratulations.
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I can't get over the shirt. Please check out Dizzykid (Justin Meyers) one of our friends.
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Thanks I’ve known Justin for some time now and we talk here and there, he is a wonderful drawer. Thanks you so much for you great words by the way, it’s nice to have so many great traditional artists on DA now. Keep up the fantastic work.
Armin
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No problem. It is great to have met you on here. Please check out our friend Simon Hennesay and Denis Peterson on here. They are very talented friends of ours. I really think you would enjoy their work as well. Should have some new images up soon.
Best,
Jason
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You must have work year on this! I don't see how anyone can be so patient in working on one piece of art. I tried that once, and ended up finishing it too soon,making it look horrible, but you made this look real. Like many of your other drawings, I had to read the description a few times to make sure it wasn't some picture of somebody. I love your art.
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For me the key is not thinking in terms of “one picture” I work in areas. I look at an eye as a completed project, the mouth, the sweater, the background, etc. When each of these things are done, I have a little celebration drink a beer or three then start on my next area. In the end all these small drawings make up one huge one. It works for me.
Thanks
Armin
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I never thought of it that way. It seems to work for you, maybe I should try that, but then again, I don't put enough detail into things like that to make it worthwhile when I finish it, however, it is a good idea. I might have to try it out in the future.
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Don’t however think work that’s got a lot to details is good work; it has nothing to do with it. Good work can be done in a half hour, one line can say as much as my 500 hours of work, if you can find and execute that line.
Thanks
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Now that I think about it, your right. I've done some things I have been quite proud of in less time than it took me to things I absolutely can't understand how horribly I went wrong. I guess good work depends on the eyes looking at it. Some people say they love my work, but I see it as needing extensive improvement. I guess that's the way all artists are. Always striving to get stuff better and better, no matter how good they already are. True artist like you understand that improvement is the goal of an artist, and I'm sure that every artist starts with something they look back at and realize how much of a universe divides their skills back then and their skills now. Anyway, I'm not sure how much of what I am saying now has anything to do with your reply. I just had an art epiphany...
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Absolutely beautiful and the detail is just amazing. Wow!
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This is amazing! It looks just like a photo. Excellent work!
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omg how on earth do you do that?! that is incredible! you are sooo talented! that must have taken a lot of patience!
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Wow, you're really good! Going to check out your gallery now!
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Sorry, only now catching this one Armin. Wonderful work as usual. I love the expression and believe it captures exactly the feeling you describe. I love this kind of work!
Excellent!
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The attention to detail and intricacies of your artwork astound me. This a fantastic piece of work.
Just a quick question, how do you keep the graphite from smudging? (as in when transporting or storing your works)
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Great work as usual. What strengths do you use in pencils?
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Not a large range really, HB, 2B and very rarely 4B, for me the look of the graphite isn’t just darker or lighter from a vast variety of softness but it has a diffrent temperature and that bugs me a little. So I stay within a small range.
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It is amazing how you can express such a vast variety of shades with only those few softness'. It would be nice to see the amount of strokes used in darkest surfaces. I'm guessing that keeping the pencils sharpened is essential in such small detailing.
I'm grateful that you took the time for answering. It is also really admirable that you take effort to also educate in this forum.
Thank you and all the best for you.
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We could all learn a thing or two from cryptic descriptic comments, except words are less direct than images.
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I guess Seth I’m not sure what you are saying, is it that I explained the concept behind this work and this should not be necessary? That is true when exhibiting work but this is a teaching/learning forum and people want to know not only how things are created but why, the thought process behind the image. There are enough drawings of celebrities that are there “just for drawings sake” that other avenues need to be explored and explained. A title is after all is a hint to the artist concept and the image needs present the rest but even that has to be as you say, cryptic.
In the real world outside of the confines of DA I prefer to get the viewers thoughts of my work and the truth that’s present at that moment, even if at times there is no connection at all, but that’s not my role here.
/\\\
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Technically, it looks like a photograph, but at the same it doesn't, I can't find the word... it's... ethereal? Subtle? Suave? Something along those lines...
Well, the subject however, is indeed quite at par with the title. You can see it in the background work, in her figure... in her eyes as if it just hit her.
Wonderful
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Amazing.. just amazing.. or.. not really just :S
Such details... Where do you get the patience from? Not that I'd ever manage to draw that beautifully, but I'm sure I'd stop after finishing one eye or so to start on something new because i was bored of drawing that one...
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