Drawing is one thing; planning a drawing is another; planning a collage is on another planet of complexity! I love love love to do these. The first time I thought of it was on a backpacking trip. In order to take my mind off my aching feet, I began designing pictures in my head. Because I wanted the trip to be a real vacation, I brought no pencil or paper along. This meant I started scratching in the dirt with a stick so I could see if the idea of multiple subjects in one drawing was even feasible. When I got back from the trip, I began the planning of 3 pictures I referred to as My Big Fat Masterpieces. This will have to become another posting, because the point of today’s post is to show you the beginnings of the collage for Mrs. Bob, lovely wife of My Favorite Customer.

Here are the steps involved.

1. Spread out all the potential photos.
2. Decide which photos are the most likely candidates.
3. Choose which are the main subjects and which are secondary for filling smaller spaces.
4. Draw boxes that are proportionally correct to the size of the finished piece.
5. Begin sketching the general shapes.
6. Rearrange the shapes several times so there are options for the customer.

Here is the result of those six steps:

Hint: Turn your head sideways for the 2 on the bottom. Which arrangement do you like best? Hard to decide, hunh?