This is Melancholy Xiong Xuan's personal website, just about my drawings, essays and some photos during drawing process, this is my everyday drawing life as an artist, I built up this small-island since 2013 at State College, PA. I know how precious to have your support, it is meaningful to drawing everyday, and it is meaningful that you see it on my website, it is like an isolated small island, away from lure from reality world, let me be dreaming, if you like my drawings, I will be so appreciating your support, thank you very much. contact: melancholysmallislandstudio@gmail.com or xiong.xuan@gmail.com if you would like to read more about my story and my art, you can find it in "about" as well as "essay".
Fabric-study is going on.
Local color is the basic tone the object had, it changes depend on light on it. When it's not a cast-drawing, where all details are white, and in pure light and shadow situation, you must consider local color. When it's a black trousers or black shoes, it's easier. But if you juxtapose two similar lighting objects together, for example, a light-pink fabric and a light-blue fabric, put the two together, how would you deal with local color? I notice that the drapery strokes look like mountains and rivers on a map. When local color are so close to each color, the structure of landscape make a difference. I am still going on with 4H pencil. It's very light. And the way I control my pencil still very gentle, to build up subtle light and shadow moments. When the contrast is very strong, shadows became so much darker, almost the darkest dark. But I am not in a rush to make it super dark. I let the drawing growing gradually, and light-gray area becomes so tender and soft, like a soft song. It's not light-gray areas not important, it's like a person speaking lightly, but there is content going on. And the entire picture is like telling a story, build it up from lightest light to darkest dark gradually. I have time. i take a photo of my work once a week, because I am working so slow. It's glad to see the drawing getting darker and details become more delicate and more engaged. It's not a running competition, not the fastest one win. I give myself more time to observe and analyze the structures of the scene in front of my eyes. More patience, more careful, not rush to the end in a hurry, and carry along nicely to the end. That's the key of having a good habit to be an artist. When it's a large, complicated piece of work, I tell myself: the great wall is not finished within one day. Work day after day, have a pleasant mood every morning, and it will be done, finally. Sometimes I play gentle music, soft classical music, like baby lullaby Brahms, including children's music too, because it's happy. Local color also connect with texture. How a thing feels like if you touch it? Is it tough or is it soft? Is it a big mass or is it very simple? Is it cotton or is it silk? Am I like it or not feel anything at this moment? As time going on, I get more and more familiar to my still-life, I let some early stage lines stay, not cover it so much. Because there was passion and perfect lines during starting too. The light is shining. The darkest shadows are retreating back into space. It's breathing. Some edges become blurry and disappear into darkness. Don't make all contours sharp clear. There are areas fuzzy. If you ever seen Leonardo Da Vinci's painting, you will see what I mean. It turns backward into space. You almost can hug it around the figure. Details are super important. There is not a single detail not important. Everything is important. And you need to care everything within your work. Local color also need to be in turning determination, which is how a form turn into shadows. Find it and make it darker. You will see drawing could become easy. I am start doing a master-copy after Leonardo Da Vinci again. And I hope you could do the same also. It's learning and education by following great masters. I will learn from his work again. There is nowhere to hide. Everything is seen on the canvas. You will learn a lot by doing it. I promise. handwriting by Melancholy Xiong Xuan 宣雄on March-12 2026
small island studio by 宣雄
Xiong Xuan Melancholy