From Daydream to Drawing

The latest tattoo I designed was born from a series of conversations (as many of my favourites are).

Conversations give way to inside jokes... those beget daydreams.

Daydreams are heavily visual; a cinematic glimpse into spaces near & far - some imminent reality.

They are precious, specific, full of layers. To translate someone else's daydream to a drawing is a sacred charge... arguably impossible to render as the daydreamer saw it themselves.

Through careful listening & avoiding reliance on source imagery, I believe the draughtsman can deliver the daydream from their hand onto paper.

This mermaid appeared from such combination, in reaction to the beautiful story of two people sharing phone calls, special signoffs, & a common love of the freedom represented by the mythical creature.

Drawing Faces: Back to Basics

I had a great time drawing a recent portrait commission, and the process brought me back to some of my first-ever sketching lessons learned. Here my top three evergreen truths of drawing faces:

1) Pencil first, pen if you dare!

Pencil is forgiving, the eraser is your friend. This extends to any subject you draw, but particularly if working on portraiture and faces - the tiniest mark (and its erasure) can drastically change the likeness conveyed. Pen is permanent, and whiteout changes the topography of your surface - often making it lumpy, or worse lumpier if you're reworking an area. If the only reason you'd add pen is for extra darkness, just reapply pencil into the same passage consistently. With enough application it will show as dark as pen!

2) Faces are fickle, portraits are personal

In my opinion, portrait commissions come with the most pressure & expectation for the artist. The client wants something recognisable (ie looking and exclaiming, 'Wow, that's them!') but also flattering. Whether you're depicting the client themselves, or a loved one - there's such thing as too much accuracy. The best approach for striking this balance is keeping your marks gestural and throwing in dashes of artistic license! Emphasise and embellish their best traits; for example, if they have long eyelashes or have a beautiful piece of jewellery on- enhance and exaggerate it! It boosts the recognition & flattering factors simultaneously.

3) Know when to stop!

I've said this before, and here again - overworking the facial area can lead to frustration for you and possibly having to start over completely. Pencil bores divots into the paper, erasers can rub holes and add smearing; make sure to take breaks along the phases of the drawing. I personally go for general shape and outline first, then boost my confidence with an 'easy win' like hair or neck & shoulders - then take breaks between brows, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and cheeks. Once you reach the sweet spot (you'll know!) add value shading for more depth, finishing on a good note. Less is more when shading a face - watch out for too many marks in the forehead, jaw and upper lip area - it can read like hair (Napoleon Dynamite fans know!).

Navigating Brands

I was stoked to paint again for my latest project. I love drawing but the fluidity of paint is so immediate, and somehow always leads to a place you didn't plan for but realise is the finished product. This charge was from a large medical science company, whose brand identity is strongly fixed around the glowing 'a' in their name. The colourway in their labs, offices, break rooms, and email signatures reflect the burning red-orange halo, which was key in the commission spec. The client wanted a custom painted canvas for an office space, imbuing the 'a' with a more street-style drip effect. I bought flow enhancer (most craft stores have it, in the same section as acrylic and oil paints) to achieve a colour-strong drip instead of using water to dilute enough for the paint to run, but would've sacrificed hue strength.
The beauty of a solid brand is that the client tends to communicate clearly what is desired. The danger, however, comes in the same stroke - colour-matching when mixing a palette like I did for this canvas, has to be spot on. I couldn't have done tube-red with tube-orange and a dash of white; it had to be as close as possible to the burning magenta and red-orange with peaches and cream centre that the naked eye sees when staring at the 'a'. Although nothing can be carbon copy, I did feel rather satisfied getting the palette as close as possible over a few tries per 'ring' in the painting. I started by sketching the letter 'a' freehand, centering the bulbous hook of the 'a' in the middle top of the canvas to leave room for drips to play around toward the lower edge. The rings emanated from lightest to darkest, so I painted in that direction (as it's always to darken up something than lighten in reverse, when painting).
I was also equally careful to draw the 'a' in the right font, as once again - the logo and its digitised font is the meat of any brand's recognition strength. Font and colourway is all they have!
I was relieved and ecstatic when the client approved the final painting. I hope it brings some light and pride to the office it'll be living in.

Tips & Tricks of Logo Design

My newest client owns a business that's on the cusp of launching. I agreed to create a unique logo that encapsulates the owner's vision for the company, while also standing out among competitors. I began by looking up said competition in their area. Many logos in my search were overdone in one way or another, or uninspired. The same motif popped up, a simple house silhouette like a kid draws in primary school. No clever integration or play off the wording, and no implication of the company's MO. I always start here, because I know what'll make my client's logo stand out. In this particular case, the requirements were: streamlined, simple colour swatch (1-3 colours max), solid lines, and no floral script.

Next came a discussion about the name of the company, and what it means to the founder. I gleaned from their reflections and started my 'Phase 1' pencil sketches. I like to limit the variety of draft options to 6 or less, because it allows me to brainstorm and push different motifs but avoids overwhelming myself or the business owner with a gluttony of choice.

Once they shared a raw reaction to the range of drafts, we pushed the main contender toward its own 6 versions. The final two phases were a breeze after, having rendered the sketch on Photoshop into a malleable, easily edited file. The home stretch felt fun for myself and the client, tweaking font size and placement until the final logo sang.

It takes a while to walk through these phases but it's so worth it. Some designers only offer options A & B off the rip. There are no opportunities to delve into the concept, the image that needs to represent an entire organisation and the mission driving it. I keep all projects conversational for this reason. It also breeds trust!

Tips & Tricks for Logo Design for me to summarise this post:

-Offer a healthy range of options (my fav number is 6) in sketching phase to allow your creative juices to flow, and give the client their chance for a purely raw, rambling reaction [the more detail the better]

-Have a good attitude in the phases to come! Offer your opinion second to hearing theirs. They know you're in charge of the pencil, allow them the space to share before steering them 'your way'.

-Take lots of reference and process photos along the way. That's both your sketchbook /worksheet AND screenshots or 'B Files' when editing digital. Keeping a bank of these can provide myriad benefits, namely catching glimpses of a stage in draft mode if needing to retrace steps, and sharing online as promotion of your own talent in the crowd favourite 'behind the scenes' language. IG time lapses or 'process photos' in a carousel post are fodder for audiences - among which could be your next client!

-Keep colour ways simple [mostly!]. Unless you're a juggernaut like Google, you'll notice many brands opt for 2-3 colours max in their logo image. It's easier to recognise, and lends itself better to merch, print, and a multiplicity of other uses outside of your website or IG avi.

-End on a sweet note by offering 'unlimited free minor edits'. I like to leave it here because the client may have a few tiny changes here and there. I want them to come back to me instead of worrying it'll charge a vague hour to their tab. Offering this is a simple and small gesture [and won't take much work or time for you if they do cash in the offer even frequently] that builds mountains of trust. It certainly catalyses word of mouth referrals too!

Noses & Mouths - The Dreaded Duo of Portraiture!

For my latest project, the client requested a framed portrait of their loved one with the family dog. Suspended in their daily ritual, the pair lock eyes and share a special moment of understanding and unconditional love. I was thrilled to be tasked with this charge, but knew the obstacle I'd face (and as the blog entry image proves- save for the very end of the drawing). Side profiles, particularly noses and mouths, are the bane of any portrait-maker's existence. There are some out there I'm sure who don't bat an eye on the approach, but I am certainly one of the many who struggle and avoid the experience like the plague.

This is also why (in my own Kelsey-world-theory) artists often avoid eyes (next time you check out portraits, the eyes are often shut in a 'serene' manner but it's really cutting corners), noses (stylised, never quite as honest as they need to be to achieve true likeness), and mouths (top lip palette always too long, lower lip always overdone, otherwise read: forget about it).

I couldn't skirt the final key piece to this puzzle, of course. It had to resemble their loved one. They had a strong pronounced nose, and slope from its tip diagonally clean to the chin as they turned toward their beloved companion. I bit the bullet, and about 2 erasers and 2.5 hours later, the side profile was complete. Every tiny mark, every iota of graphite on the textured paper, made a gargantuan difference in the figure's expression and appearance.

I'll end this entry with a few tips I've accrued over time when it comes to the Dreaded Duo.

Noses: Draw what you see, not what the person wishes they saw. The nose is the anchor of the face and sets the tone of the figure's appearance, plus lays the map for the size and spacing of the surrounding features. Start with an eyebrow or eye socket, and add the nose right after!

Mouths: Less is more. Usually shading and mark-making only enhance the 'lifelike' element of a portrait, but mouths are hard to proportion and tempting to overdo by nature. A slick, dashed line for the part of a mouth and the hint of a bottom lip instead of a rounded 'C' will bode better [usually].

Final word....don't be avoidant, don't take shortcuts, deep breath, and make sure you have plenty erasers and pencil sharpeners. You'll arrive at the final image, I promise!

-Kelsey Zalimeni, Founder & Lead Artist- Lefty Studios

17th August 2021

Thoughts on the latest project: Arm Tattoo Sleeve

I haven't posted in a while, primarily due to 2020 adding a few more gut-punches before it hands the mic to 2021.

I took lots of joy in the latest project, a customised tat sleeve for someone whose arm is yet to receive its first ink.

The client's request was to combine their heritage and perception of true beauty into a single visual that's entirely unique and uplifting.

To translate someone's words into something they'll find beautiful, from my own mind's eye, on to my left hand, is a peculiar and challenging assembly line. I live for charges like this.

Flipping the perspective of a source image they'd found online, I used the key features of a stunning woman to make her reach upward toward an equally stunning dove in flight. The act of extending one's palm to the sky implies aspiration, faith, and forward thinking among other sentiments. Drawing this image gave me hope, made me appreciate the trust I'd been given to see this through, and most of all filled me with humility and gratitude for the opportunity.

Drawing for others makes me realise that my own perception of beauty, isn't always necessarily visual. I feel my most beautiful when creating, playing soccer, writing, or learning. Witnessing others doing any of the above may be a visual act, but the beauty of it is felt as much as seen.

-Kelsey Zalimeni, Founder & Lead Artist - Lefty Studios

22nd December 2020

The Best High: Pushing through a mistake when drawing

Along the process of almost any sketch, there are at least 1 or 2 ruts which really slam the brakes toward a finished product. One misguided mark or clumsy erasure can seemingly derail the entire design instantly. My mind can plummet to negative feelings of 'completely ruining it' and the incessant itch to rip the entire page in half, throwing a crumpled ball into the bin.

I'm no stranger to this juncture, but somehow every single time I feel like it's the first. The nosedive feels harsh, the mistake insurmountable, and I worry I've spent too much time and am too fatigued to start a new draft in the same sitting.

But just like a marathon runner on the final few miles, I snap out of it and dig deep to break through the brick wall. The euphoria that rushes in as new marks are made, building the vision back up again after the devastating pause, is unparalleled.

A new found pride wells up as I cruise along again, almost instantly forgetting the despair I wallowed in moments before. Upon reaching the finished drawing I'm reminded of that stalling point, how I'll experience it again and not long from now, and above all note how important and intrinsic it is to the process of seeing a drawing through.

As one mentor said in the studio, art teaches decision making at a high functioning level. You have to know when to push through, when to walk away for the day, and when something is done.

-Kelsey Zalimeni, Founder & Lead Artist - Lefty Studios

20th October 2020

Tattoo Design: The highest artistic honour (IMHO)

Tattoos are permanent adornments for the body, often carrying tremendously sentimental meaning. Regardless even of the actual ink design or pattern laid into the skin, the ritual of tattooing itself is sentimental in nature. The ceremony of getting tattooed, the physicality of the experience, is extremely powerful and a memento all its own.

I designed my first tattoo for a friend in high school. I was blown away by the trust someone would put in me, a person too young to get my own ink at the time, to create an image that'd be on their body forever. I took the charge seriously, knowing it was sacred.

In the 14 years since I've designed tats for myself, close friends, acquaintances, relatives, and ripples of referrals. I've held onto the same approach as 9th Grade me, knowing the importance and permanence attached to articulating someone's innermost dreams, values, and memories in 2D for the skin.

The highest honour in art isn't a spot on museum wall, or a sell-out gallery show, or setting a new auction record. The highest honour to me, is being trusted to create something a person will wear and make part of themselves, for the rest of their life. Thank you to all who have granted me the honour thus far, and may Lefty Studios exist a conduit through which anyone's idea - no matter how simple or complex - can come to life in visual form.

-Kelsey Zalimeni, Founder & Lead Artist - Lefty Studios

3rd October 2020