Scrawny Hands!

So I have this little thing called Raynaurd's Disease (or Raynaurd's Phenomenon). It is a condition in which the small blood vessels, in the extremities, are over-sensitive to changes in temperature. So, on a particularly cold day, the blood supply to extremities, such as fingers and toes and sometimes the face, is halted. This is usually referred to as an attack. When an attack occurs the effected extremities become saw, turn pure white and eventually go numb. But sometimes, instead of going numb, they become hyper sensitive to contact (the slightest touch can be very painful) and sometimes the event can simply be excruciatingly painful from the moment it starts to the point of subsidence.

Owie-ouch!

Once an attack subsides the sensation of returning blood flow can be equally uncomfortable, occasionally worse, and people frequently describe it as a burning sensation.
The severity of the condition varies between individuals. Where as some need to be out walking through strong winds to experience an attack, I have experienced one when lifting a fractionally-cooler-than-room-temperature-apple from the table and another from the slightest breeze on a summers day. (Yes. I am pathetic.)
Usually an external source needs to be a little more aggressive to trigger such an event but regardless of the cause the recovery can be damaging as this is when a person can develop chilblains if their hands warm up to quickly.

Whelp, I got the chilblains last week.

You see, I was so determined to get so much done last week that when my hand went white and holding my pencils and pens felt like I was piecing my fingertips on pins I kept thinking, just a few more minutes...just a few more minutes...and then after a day of this I huddled over a heater to warm my hand up and, boosh, the hand inflated and went red and lumpy. Unfortunately for me I'm scrawny so I had one bony hand and one chunky hand. Tadaaah!

The left is the "normal hand" the other is the chunky one. Perhaps not the best photos but they looked quite representative on the camera screen last week...that hand was so lumpy...

So that was how I damaged my hand. Anyway I was in the midst of a new piece and, as the seemingly obsessive person I am becoming, I decided I would keep working especially as I had made my mind that it would be finished by Wednesday: decision final.
After my success with the art nouveau mermaid I thought I would try another nouveau piece. For now I'm calling it "Monsters can be Beautiful Too." I think I quite like that title so I may just stick with it. Here is the is the crude initial A4 sketch alongside the A2 that I would be converting it onto.

Converting a piece onto A2 can be a daunting, especially when you make the initial pencil strokes, as these will effect the placement of the rest of your piece. Getting it right is kind of important.

Initial construction lines always look a little goofy...

Then just got to add a few layers....

So by this point my hand was still poofy and a little painful but I was still determined to have it done so I went onto pull an all-nighter, fuelled by a trusty can of Monster. There is something peaceful about working through the early hours of the morning. I enjoy the sense of privacy and isolation. I may just start doing this more often.

Rawwww!

I mentioned starting a piece on A2 was a little daunting but, once you've got to a point where you're happy enough to ink it, that fear is far worse. Just one slip and you've ruined it. Meh!

Eeeeeh...

The worse part about art nouveau? All those curvy lines!

This was a long one. If you made it all the way to the bottom then thank you. I'll upload the finished piece tomorrow. ~Nuggie