MOTORCYCLE

Motorcycle

6" x 9" Mixed Media Drawing on Collegiate Dictionary

I have drawn two other motorcycles on dictionary pages and I love capturing some age on the machine.  I discovered this particular bike on a wine tasting tour outside Temeculah, California last summer.  I must have taken a dozen photos of it not sure what the layout of the dictionary page I would create it on might require.

When I draw on a dictionary page, I plan how I will compose the drawing around the definition of the word that inspired the illustration in the first place.  It usually requires a drawing to balance more to the left or to the right since most dictionaries have two columns of definitions running down the page.  I also have to factor into to this left or right composition whether the definition is at the top, center or bottom of the column.  It sounds simple but the challenge is to also fill the space as much as I can.

This particular pose of the motorcycle I photographed worked great.  The handlebars wrapped around the definition and the page's illustration at the top of the left hand column.  It also shows a lot of the engine on the cycle.

I have started watercoloring the defined word where it overlaps the drawn image.  I used to only add the text off the drawing.  It's also a design element to contend with and place in the right spot.  I really like seeing it overlap the picture a tad.