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Description

Happy Thanksgiving! What better day to share my most detailed vertical rendition to date - a recreation of the iconic Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. This project was commissioned by a patron who has purchased a number of my original renditions including my more recent Etch A Sketch interpretation of Whistler's Mother. The mechanics on this particular Etch A Sketch were a dream which allowed me to indulge in fantastically minute detail. I debated about adding additional shading to the faces but opted to keep it mostly to line art. "Less is more" is a principle that often applies to Etch A Sketch. Every line you etch cannot be taken away, so each turn of the knob needs to be done with intention. It's amazing how quickly you can muddy things up with gratuitous shading, so I feel comfortable in the call I made to keep the faces clear of additional line work.

The secret to rendering a vertically-oriented image on an Etch A Sketch is to turn your reference photo sideways. It's an interesting exercise for the brain - it forces you to judge proportions in a different way than what your brain naturally assumes when you look at things in the proper orientation.

If you're interested in a print you can order one here:
www.etsy.com/listing/904752539

Description

Happy Thanksgiving! What better day to share my most detailed vertical rendition to date - a recreation of the iconic Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. This project was commissioned by a patron who has purchased a number of my original renditions including my more recent Etch A Sketch interpretation of Whistler's Mother. The mechanics on this particular Etch A Sketch were a dream which allowed me to indulge in fantastically minute detail. I debated about adding additional shading to the faces but opted to keep it mostly to line art. "Less is more" is a principle that often applies to Etch A Sketch. Every line you etch cannot be taken away, so each turn of the knob needs to be done with intention. It's amazing how quickly you can muddy things up with gratuitous shading, so I feel comfortable in the call I made to keep the faces clear of additional line work.

The secret to rendering a vertically-oriented image on an Etch A Sketch is to turn your reference photo sideways. It's an interesting exercise for the brain - it forces you to judge proportions in a different way than what your brain naturally assumes when you look at things in the proper orientation.

If you're interested in a print you can order one here:
www.etsy.com/listing/904752539