Rudek’s flashback to the campaign in Galicja continues. By the time he arrives at the shtetl, the violence has already occurred…but one desperate survivor needs Rudek’s help…
I went out on a limb and watercolored this one, background and characters. The background is entirely washes of burnt umber; the characters are burnt umber and Prussian blue. The characters don’t look bad, and the look sort of suits a flashback or memory. But I think in future I’ll stick to digital flats for the characters. One problem in working this way was scale–and scaling. I painted on 9″ x 12″ watercolor paper, which proved too small for good control in all the nooks and crannies. And after scanning in the artwork, I had a devil of a time rescaling it to match the dimensions of the digital sketch. You may notice some of the side effects from this issue in the linework of the background. Ah well– that’s why I experiment. So I can learn.
I’ve been wondering since March 22 what that phrase meant. Since Rudek is probably the most stable member of the cast, I don’t think he’s running into a burning barn because of a (roughly) fifteen year old memory. I’m sure there’s more to the story, and I’m looking forward to knowing what it is.
I think the watercolor medium is perfect for the “riven world.” (I still think of Myst when I hear that phrase). The hazy images are perfect for a long-forgotten memory.