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Annotation for my 4th experimental artwork

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Annotation for my 4th experimental artwork

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This gouache piece portrays a Murloc monster searching for a girl hiding under the tree. The monster's wide grin, sharp teeth, and squat form create a strong sense of threat as it looms over the girl.

The use of dark, earthy tones in the foreground contrasts with the lighter, misty forest background, enhancing the depth and mood. Shadows beneath the monster emphasize its weight, while subtle brushwork suggests the moss of the woods.

The themes of horror in the piece contrast the girl's small form with the monster's imposing figure. The use of gouache softens techniques, creates atmospheric effects and bold forms, highlighting the contrast between nature and danger.

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Annotation for my 3rd experimental artwork

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Annotation for my 3rd experimental artwork

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This charcoal artwork depicts a girl controlled by an unknown monster, with her spirit trapped in a mirror. The girl, shown on the right, draws strange symbols on the floor, her expression indicating excitement or obsession, while her spirit appears fearful amidst the monster's tentacle-like forms.

The strong contrasts of light and shadow in the charcoal enhance the unsettling mood. Dark tones hint at the monster’s presence, while softer shading adds depth to the girl and background. Geometric lines on the floor, ending in skulls, evoke a sense of ritual and danger.

The use of charcoal helps to create strong contrasts between light and shadow. Dark tones and smudging are used to suggest the monster’s presence and the scary atmosphere around the mirror, while softer shading adds depth to the girl drawing the diagram, and lightly shape the shells of the background.

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Annotation for my 2nd experimental artwork

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Annotation for my 2nd experimental artwork

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I created coloured pencil artwork featuring a baby owlbear hiding under a tree during a heavy blood-rainstorm. Its glowing red eyes and thick feathers create a striking blend of cuteness and danger, enhanced by dramatic light and shadow. The owlbear's intense gaze is framed by the hollow of the tree.

I was inspired by the owlbear’s fearlessness. I considered how realistic animal traits could blend with different elements, focusing on texture and contrast in my own drawing. I ultimately chose to draw a baby bear instead, creating a contrast between the owlbear’s mix of cruelty and cuteness and the bear’s softer, gentler presence, which allowed me to explore different aspects of character and emotion.

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I have decided to use this composition because I can build upon the knowledge gained from previous artworks. For example, I can incorporate the tree trunk from the second artwork, and I will choose the little girl as my character to evoke a sense of horror.

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For my final experimental artwork, I want to combine elements from my previous pieces to create an image that reflects my theme of 'horror.' The photos I have collected inspire me to explore the defences that human beings utilise against monsters.

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Landscape with Monster by Chenlu Zhu This artwork blends organic and rocky forms and shows shapes that look like rocks and a hard creature. Soft blues, yellows, and reds mix together, creating a messy, stormy feeling. An eye-like shape suggests the monster is hiding, while the loose brushstrokes make it seem alive.

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Gustave Moreau, L’INSPIRATION, 1893, Watercolour and gouache with pen and blue ink over traces of graphite on wove paper

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Gustave Moreau, L’INSPIRATION, 1893, Watercolour and gouache with pen and blue ink over traces of graphite on wove paper

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Gustave Moreau blends soft watercolour washes with the brighter opacity of gouache, using pen and blue ink to pick out fine details. The layered techniques create a dreamlike, delicate atmosphere.

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Flat Wash✔

Gradient Wash✔

Layering / Opaque Painting✔

Wet-on-Wet✔

Wet-on-Dry✔

Dry Brush✔

Glazing✔

Scumbling✔

Blending✔

Lifting✔

Sgraffito✔

Splattering

Detailing✔

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By viewing those artworks, I have been able to recognize different gouache art styles. All the artists used expert, skillful techniques to create various feelings and textures.

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Landscape with Monster Painting by Chenlu Zhu | Saatchi Art

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Landscape with Monster Painting by Chenlu Zhu | Saatchi Art

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Landscape with Monster Painting by Chenlu Zhu | Saatchi Art

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Using charcoal for this drawing had both advantages and drawbacks. Its deep blacks and dramatic contrasts created a moody atmosphere fitting for the unsettling theme. The medium’s softness allowed for smooth blending, aiding in foggy textures and the mirror's ghostly surface. However, charcoal’s loose nature made it challenging to capture fine details, particularly in the girl's expression and the creature's forms. It also smudged easily, requiring ongoing adjustments to maintain the composition.

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By viewing those artworks, I want to use charcoal to create an atmospheric drawing of a little girl tormented by an unknown creature, with a restless spirit trapped in a mirror. The deep blacks of charcoal will help build intense shadows, hinting at the creature's form through fragmented outlines. The mirror will serve as a focal point, featuring smudged highlights to suggest a trapped, distorted face. By blending soft gradients with sharp strokes, I aim to evoke confinement and dread, guiding the viewer's gaze from the girl’s tense figure to the spectral presence in the mirror.

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🖤 CHARCOAL TECHNIQUES — LIST

1. Hatching ✔

2. Cross-Hatching✔

3. Blending / Smudging✔

4. Stumping (using a blending stump or tortillon)

5. Feathering (soft, light strokes)✔

6. Erasing for Highlights (using a kneaded or precision eraser)✔

7. Lifting (lightly dabbing eraser to soften tones)✔

8. Chiaroscuro (strong light–dark contrast)✔

9. Scumbling (loose, scribbled texture)✔

10. Powdered Charcoal Application

11. Spraying Fixative (to preserve and set work)✔

12. Side-of-the-Stick Shading

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I decided to use charcoal for my Experiment 3 artwork, and I discovered many techniques that can help me access my piece.

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This artwork depicts a colossal cosmic entity, where planetary spheres, glowing orbs, and volcanic worlds are entwined with twisting, root-like structures. At the composition’s centre, a radiant core illuminates the surrounding forms, its light cutting through the deep shadows. The artist’s use of chiaroscuro heightens the sense of depth and scale, merging the vastness of the cosmos with an unsettling, organic presence that feels both ancient and alive.

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A young boy is captured mid-motion, leaning toward a lantern-lit desk that casts a warm glow on him. Surrounding him is a dense fog receding into darkness, where a towering silhouette with glowing eyes emerges. The artist skillfully uses chiaroscuro, highlighting the boy while shadows dominate the edges. The mist creates a dreamlike quality, guiding the viewer’s gaze from the boy’s urgent gesture to the spectral figure beyond.

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A group of explorers walking through a mysterious forest path, the trees are growing curly branches, by the explorers' torches flashing out bright lights which make the branches darker and emphasise the explorers' fear.

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This artwork displays the artist's brilliant control of lighting techniques and expert composition. The fog creates a sense of mystery, and the dark tones of the background evoke feelings of terror and a dreamlike atmosphere.

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Those artworks I found on the internet, which are inspiring me for the theme 'horror', and the lights and techniques they used make me think about my work in mystery and dreamlike artwork.

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This reference artwork explores variations of adult owlbears by combining different species, such as grizzly bear with great horned owl, or polar bear with snowy owl. Each version emphasizes unique textures, poses, and features like feathers, fur, and muscle structure. The clear details and hybrid designs helped me consider how to blend realistic animal traits with fantasy elements in my own owlbear drawing. I was especially inspired by how the strength of the owlbear shows.

However, I still decided to draw baby bear, which can create a sense of contrast with the baby owlbear's cruelty and its cuteness.

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In this experiment, I tested how coloured pencils behave when layered, blended, and used with different pressures. I created trails using varying hand pressure to explore gradient effects and texture. Softer strokes gave smooth transitions, while harder pressure produced bold, defined lines. I also experimented with blending colours together to see how well they mix and how to control tone. This helped me understand how to build depth and contrast for my owlbear drawing.

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The artwork shows a baby owlbear hiding under a tree during heavy rain. Its glowing red eyes and thick feathers create a mix of cuteness and danger. Light and shadow are used dramatically, and the rain enhances the mood. This piece inspired me to explore texture and contrast using coloured pencils.

I like the baby owlbear's unfearfulness, especially the eyes.

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I want to use coloured pencils to draw an owlbear, so I researched a variety of examples to help me design the image for my Experiment 2. By studying various artistic interpretations, I aimed to show the owlbear's texture and lighting.

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🎨 COLOURED PENCIL TECHNIQUES — LIST

1. Layering√

2. Burnishing√

3. Dry Blending√

4. Wet Blending (with solvent)

5. Hatching√

6. Cross-Hatching√

7. Scumbling√

8. Stippling√

9. Impressed Lines (Indenting)

10. Gradient / Fading

11. Sgraffito (Scratching)

12. Colour Mixing√

13. Back-and-Forth Stroke

14. Circling Stroke

15. Highlighting with Eraser√

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Annotation for my 1st experimental artwork

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Annotation for my 1st experimental artwork

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I created the artwork to explore the theme of "horror". To fill up the image, I chose a "Murloc"(fish people) to start with the artwork, and I designed the background to be set in a village, where the Murloc army had attacked. The sky was bled grey by the smoke from the village burning, the curvy line of the fence created a sense of desolation in the village, and tracked the viewer's eyes on the Murloc army. I used ink to paint the colour, and the ink texture creates a sense of crown. The leader murloc contrasts with the murloc army, and the close-up Murloc I used a huge face to enrich the crown and volume of the army. The perspective of the image not only by the structure but also shows up in the colour I chose. The near part is more detailed, and the hues are deep and dark. The village part and the back of the army's colour are soft and light. I think overall, the piece is what I was aiming for, the historical structure, and it suits my theme, but the ink pen is hard to control. When I used a brush to paint, it was more fluent and faster, but the texture of ink is a good relative to my theme.

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Both sides of the art pieces are made using ink to complete the image.

The left-hand side of the art only uses black ink to create the art pieces, and the hatchings and line drawing techniques are experimental and detailed.

The right-hand side of the art is applying coloured ink to create the art pieces, and the use of techniques is impressive, which helps in my 1st experimental artwork is attached to these pieces.

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By viewing the following examples, I have gained a basic understanding of ballpoint pen art. The detailed mortification of the volume deeply inspired me, which helps me work on the 1st experimental artwork.

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What I have used in my 1st experimental artwork.

1. Line Drawing ✔

2. Hatching✔

3. Cross-Hatching✔

4. Stippling✔

5. Scribbling✔

6. Contour Drawing✔

7. Layering (Tonal Building)✔

8. Pressure Variation✔

9. Blending with Pen Strokes✔

10. Negative Space Drawing

11. Highlight Preservation✔

12. Line Weight Variation✔

13. Textural Mark-Making

14. Back-and-Forth Shading

15. Overlapping Lines (Cross-Contour)

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What I have used in my 1st experimental artwork.

1. Line Drawing✔

2. Hatching✔

3. Cross-Hatching✔

4. Stippling

5. Dry Brush✔

6. Ink Wash✔

7. Splattering

8. Sgraffito✔

9. Blending with Water✔

10. Feathering✔

11. Contour Drawing✔

12. Scumbling

13. Negative Space Drawing

14. Ink Lifting✔

15. Dripping

16. Calligraphic Strokes

17. Ink Texture Techniques (using sponges, cloth, etc.)✔

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For my 1st experimental artwork, I used these ink techniques because the ink brand I used was fast-drying and water-based, so I used gazing and lifting techniques to enrich my image.

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Reveal. Holding opposite corners, slowly lift to reveal your design. Rinse with water to remove any residue, then hang to dry. This process can be repeated as many times as you like.

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''Another factor you want to consider is the ink’s drying time. If you apply watercolor too soon after drawing with ink, it's likely that some smudging will occur.

Most inks will dry after an hour or two, but to avoid this completely, you’ll want to wait 12 to 24 hours for the ink to fully dry and set into the paper. ''

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The artwork depicts a haunting fortress where architecture and anatomy merge. The castle is rendered with heavy cross-hatching, giving it weight and depth, while grotesque faces emerge from its towers, suggesting the structure is alive or cursed. And skeletal trees and fungal forms further amplify the horror atmosphere.

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The artwork (58 Grim-Tarock) showcases Ian Miller’s surreal underwater world built through linework and obsessive detail. Using fine cross-hatching and stippling, he creates dense textures across sea creatures, corals, and strange geometric forms. The organic shapes blur the line between nature and seahorses appear, while plant life swells with vein-like tendrils, creating a sense of vibrancy that is both beautiful and embracing.

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Ian Miller’s technique combines fine cross-hatching and stippling. His work blends with organic forms and uses precise ink lines to build depth and atmosphere. Inspired by this, I want to use fine pens and detailed textures to create dreamlike scenes that feel a sense of story and are alive.

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Those artworks are from Ian Miller.

Home - Ian Miller | Visual Artist - www.ianmiller.studio

I want to immerse myself in the same kinds of materials and methods he might have used—fine-line ink pens, watercolors, and layered mixed media techniques that allow for rich textures and microscopic detail. His compositions often feel alive, filled with twisting organic forms, alien sea creatures, and a haunting depth.

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Home - Ian Miller | Visual Artist - www.ianmiller.studio

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Home - Ian Miller is an artist, illustrator and writer based in U.K. Head to the Portfolio page to view a selection of recent work.

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The theme “Horror in Cthulhu” is a type of fear that comes from the unknown, the unimaginable, and the idea that humans are tiny and powerless in the face of ancient, alien beings. The stories include mysterious creatures that make people feel small and powerless. These horror-based artworks use elements like tentacles, sharp claws, and glowing eyes to make the monsters look terrifying. The dark colours, strong lights, and action poses help create a feeling of fear and chaos. What I really like artists' expert skill to shape the explorer's emotions, such as shock and terrify in the pictures, which shows the helplessness when facing something they can’t understand. And I will work hard to use elements such as tentacles, sharp claws, and compositions of the characters.

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I have played this before, and I deeply respect the artist who created the cover.

The cover shows the key points of the story. Besides, the artist used a huge woman's shocked face to convey the terror of the story.

The background of the "Haunted House" scenario in Call of Cthulhu centers around a seemingly ordinary house in Boston, haunted by the malevolent spirit of Walter Corbitt. Corbitt, a sorcerer who died in 1866, was deeply involved with a local cult called the "Chapel of Contemplation". His death didn't end his influence; instead, he continued to torment the house's occupants from beyond the grave, driving them to madness and death. The scenario revolves around investigators uncovering the house's dark history, Corbitt's influence, and ultimately confronting his undead form.

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The reason I chose 'Horror in Cthulhu' as my theme is because I like the story of the image, the explorer's movement creates a sense of nerves, and the scary creatures render the images in a scary and a dream like background.

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Inspiration, when I saw the artwork, I was shocked by the artist's imagination about the artwork's proportion, colour and the light he used.

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cover art for the 7th Edition of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game,  Sam Lamont

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cover art for the 7th Edition of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game,  Sam Lamont

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vvvhttps://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fkoreanwebtoons.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FSeasons_of_Blossom&psig=AOvVaw3ZSWjnqaRoNGyxK7k2wQYc&ust=1682984772246000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCLCCvP7k0v4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Aesthetic Qualities

proportion

unity

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The Call of Cthulhu by Canadian artist Gene Day. 

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The Call of Cthulhu by Canadian artist Gene Day. 

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Material and Technique, movement, light, proportion, texture, line

Aesthetic Quality

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deviantart.com%2Fsonofamortician%2Fart%2FCall-of-Cthulhu-82745786&psig=AOvVaw0WpYjv-lIG4XuPvbL9iAsN&ust=1750816330661000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCIjF2aT5iI4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABBD

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The cover art for "Call of Cthulhu: Mansions of Madness Volume I: Behind Closed Doors" was created by artist Loïc Muzy.

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The cover art for "Call of Cthulhu: Mansions of Madness Volume I: Behind Closed Doors" was created by artist Loïc Muzy.

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Light, contrast, space, composition, tone

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgamealot.shop%2Fproduct%2Fcall-of-cthulhu-rpg-mansions-of-madness-vol-i-behind-closed-doors%2F&psig=AOvVaw0WpYjv-lIG4XuPvbL9iAsN&ust=1750816330661000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCIjF2aT5iI4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAV