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1nimra — Shadow Play II
Published: 2009-04-12 16:56:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 30461; Favourites: 828; Downloads: 534
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Shadow Play II Graphite on Illustration board 39” x 19”Another broken bulb drawing? Well yes and no, with the exception of one my bulb drawings the others are very narrative where the light bulbs take on symbolic importance of the fragileness of being human. Not with this one, this is the second in a series of works called “Shadow Play”, the composition and the overlapping of glass becomes somewhat abstract; piles of shards laying on top of each other are of interest to me for the intangible forms suggested and the focus is mainly on the shadows and defused patterns of light.
I would like to eventually create five of the Shadow Play drawing each one with a different subject but very similar composition.
Thanks you for looking
Armin Mersmann
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Comments: 138
I love this piece. The composition is very strong and your control with the graphite pencils are done with such patience and confidence. You are my inspiration for graphite art
Awesome job!
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Incredible.. it's like a photograph!
And I like how you compared humans to bulbs.. we have so much in common.. not just our fragility!
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i thought that those were actually real bulbs... you're a master
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Professor Dumbledore 
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Thanks Mike the light source with glass can act like a prism some of the shadows are not from the light but from other shards, I found this strange but after examining the still life I kind of liked the ambiguity I gives, thank you for the good words
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cross-shadows...they enhance each other when overlap, but the limits of area are dove out... A difficult observation and mostly it creates illusion, making things look disproportionate in the first place.
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You are the only (drawing)- artist I know, that can make light bulbs an interesting issue... But like DDzim wrote in his comment, they will become a strange thing within the nearby future, at least here in Europe , so ...back to drawing candles again?
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yeah here too but we will remember them at least for a while
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you freak !
(affectionatly accused and in no way ment offencivly)
may i ask do you draw from photogrphs, still & life composition or sitting , or from the depths of an untouchable mind??
i love so much of your work almost for the purity and depth of the works over the emence talent and realism
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Not much in my untouchable mind except, angst, confusion and dancing girls.
Actually in this case I worked mostly for a set up and fragments of glass that I held, it was a huge set up and didn’t want around getting in the way so I lightly sketched it and then worked with the small parts, thank you for your question.
Armin
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np, thanks for taking the time to answer - i find you very inspirational. what i like most is your attitude dispite you knowing the stretch of your talent, very down to earth.
i can imagin a pile of smashed bulbs being a OHS issue... i am very attracted to the drama in this image the high contrast between the chaos and serenity of the page is interesting. i could imagin many would find it dificult to look past the exercution of your particular expressive medium and actually see the picture being revealed.
always a pleasure to watch your work
xx
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There is always the danger that people can’t get past the technique, and I’m not saying an arrogant manner. The realism I’ve worked so hard to capture is the hook to bring the viewer into the work, if they miss the soul of it, I’ve failed no matter how much they might like the style of drawing.
Thank you for seeing beyond that
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well you works always seem to have a depth of soul ,and are souls so beautifuly revealed.
love your works,
always watching
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its quite a clinical drawing really .
the page is mostly quite white and silent ,
sort of unnatural .
if you see somthing broken usuallly you see it in a context whereby the background is broken up too . if you break somthing in real life it lands on your carpet all over the place or goes with other broken things .
ut here it lies on a white blank space , it is the focal point yes ,
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amelia
Mmmmmmmmm, I’m not sure about that, aye I’ve broken my share of light bulbs and believe me they smash, without denting the floor.
Yet you miss the point, I create my space. The subject was light and shadow not the background, if I would of put lots of markings in the back it would take frame the “simple” or “clinical” look as you call it. Now there are shards all over the place but not on the bottom, that’s where I want to keep all of these drawings pristine. Also I didn’t just break a blub and then drew it; this came from many shards and references, I rearranged things numbers times so I could control the composition.
Remember it’s the artist’s job to translate not just copy, to build anew from the hints nature or reference photos give you, I’m not a slave to reality, just an interpreter of it.
Thanks
Armin
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the white parts of the drawing are clearly important of some reason or tehy wouldnt be included on such scale ,
i never said clinincal is bad .
nor have i used the word simple .
if you took a leaf and drew it in a pile of leaves and said it was shadow play i probably would glance past it.
i broke a lightbulb for my art exam, it wouldnt smash for ages , i tried everything, i tried throwing it at the ground , hitting two together, bare in mind i had to try to keep the pieces though, it was very hard to break a lightbulb, in the end i used a pair of scissors to break it (dangerous huh)
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Amelia I didn’t say clinical or simple is bad a matter of fact thats what I’m after a very complex object in a very simple environment.
A hammer works great especially the iron end
Armin
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Your shading is rich and lifelike. The composition of this is very striking and I adore how the shadows stretch into the negative space created by the broken bulbs. This is inspiring and an instant 
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Great skills! It will be an interesting series
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I know it's a terrible habit to get in to but I rarely comment on any pieces on Deviantart, no matter how much I admire them....but I think it's finally time for me to break that habit
I can't put into words how much different pieces of your art have affected me....yeah, I've seen other amazing works of art on ths site, but I've never ever seen this amount of skill and realism in them. Seeing your art has given me something to aspire to in a way I guess....I'm perfectly aware I'll never be anywhere near as good as this but I guess it's always nice to have a goal and you've given me that. I can actually see what's possible with the right talent, how stunning things can be made with just a pencil...And the fact that they all have a sort of story behind them, a meaning, makes them even more beautiful
Sorry, I'm rambling slightly, but when I saw this in my watch list I decided it was finally time for me to actually say thank to you for taking the time to post these for the world to see. Without a doubt, I'm certain I would never have seen graphite drawings as amazing as yours if it wasn't for deviantart 
(And incase you didn't guess, I do love this drawing. I agree with what people said before me, the details on it are mindblowing)
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Emma thank you so much for your kind words! Is hard to comment on everything that’s good on DA, I try but fail in the end but here and there I take the time as you did, and I sure makes a person’s day. With passion and a great work ethic one can reach heights never imagined, it’s all in your hands Emma.
Thanks again
Armin
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Exquisite piece my brother.
I am always swept up by masterful craftsmanship deployed in the service of a compelling concept, but beyond that I salute the beauty of your vision. I love that within your body of work each of these repeated forms is treated uniquely. Sometimes more abstract and other times more representational. It speaks to a beautiful and complex way of seeing he world along with the ability of really showing others your way of seeing.
Thank you for the wonderful piece Armin.
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Well Todd you know in the last 15 years or so we have been a kind of team, discussing ideas, techniques and our future goals in the arts. I am convinced I would be less of an artist and less of a mensch without this privilege.
Getting done with a work is always anti-climatic a lot of should have, could have, would have, this one is no exception. The only way for me to cope with this is to get to another one and I have, thank you brother for the great words.
Armin
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Fantastic drawing. You´re able to catch us with such a simple thing like a broken bulb.
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a very interesting composition in this picture. did you arrange the pieces of glass or is it coincidental?
with all the symmetrical forms and especially when I saw it in the miniature version it reminded me of a "detailed version uf cubism" you could call it.
very nice drawing that leaves much room for interpretation.
like it a lot.
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i broke the bulbs and arranged them a little for compostion if you do that to much it looks staged
thanks
Armin
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the 3d feel and reflections to darks are amazing. i love it
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Armin,
I assume you are drawing from a still life? What I would love to see you do is the same shards but with the light coming from a different angle. I mean like a series of drawing of the same composition but the only change is the light angle. Maybe rotate the light around 45° for each drawing? It would be cool to see how only the light changes the mood of the objects.
But I love this piece as I do all of your broken bulbs.
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No I cant………………………my comport zone will be compromised
Tim good idea ill noodle around with it.
Armin
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Another wonderfully executed drawing! Good composition, movement, depth and subject matter. You remain the 'graphite master'. lol Thanks for sharing this!
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Allow me to say again,beautiful work man. I wonder, do you use reference for these light bulb pieces or do they come out of your imagination? Either way best realistic drawingartist I've seen.
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The small nuances are so important that memory would not suffice, I have a set up of this and work from that. Now I do exaggerate and embellish quite a bit.
Armin
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Wow! Nice job. Excellent shading. Great Perspective. Incredible skill.
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