Since the process was rather specifically defined in this exercise I really didn’t have go too far in terms of my approach. Nonetheless, it was a very odd experience, and for one reason: I wasn’t comfortable with having to choose my forms as such, as opposed to making them.

Starting with the choice of what to draw, I chose to go with a dog. Particularly, this fellow…

…or rather, gal. Much like the image of this dog, the primary source of reference I used for this exercise was the collection of images I found after typing in “random stock images” on google search, since I didn’t have access to magazines or newspapers, at least disposable ones. The limitation I set for myself was that I could only use what I could find in that one page, and frankly, there was really no variety in it, it was mostly just people and people and people, so it was a challenge, hunting for something distinct and fitting of the task.

Anyway, as instructed I first drew the dog. Not my best work, but it fulfilled its purpose.

And then another, but this time with no more than 5 lines:

And finally (though, this wasn’t asked for), another dog, but this time with just 1 line. I don’t know why I did it but it just seemed to annoy me more, how much I relied on the use of multiple lines to produce a shape. As someone who wants the image to emerge naturally through the pencil, my method is rather calculative in nature, as opposed to this. Less now than say a year ago, but it still remains to be something I beat myself up about.

Now came this difficult part: finding images to make a collage. Eventually, I chose these images:

Quite random, I agree, but that’s part of the experience I guess. I wonder if I restricted myself too much. Or even too little for that matter. And after much distortion, rotation and cropping, I ended up with what felt only vaguely reminescent of a quadrupedal organism that barks.

And finally for the happy twist to this uncomfortable story:

A puzzled corporate scientist under the influence of a rather suspicious looking rubbery creature that seems to emerge from within his cranium. Honestly, I couldn’t have thought of anything better, the animal had begun to look so badly deformed that it had to be the result of some dastardly and evil experiment gone horribly wrong. And I’m being quite truthful when I say that it did occur to me a couple of times towards the end of the process that the resulting image seemed to resemble the idea of what truly leads to the creation of those we know as “man’s best friend”. Seeing it gives me the heebie jeebies, so to say.