Tall Tuesday: America, Home of Basketball

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"Give us your tall, your strong, your quick and agile, your basketball stars."

America gave birth to basketball and like it or not is the global magnet for some of the best players in the world. Just look at the NBA team rosters and you find players from several European countries and some African. Thanks to Yao Ming even China is represented.

Here are two other examples of new young international recruits searching for brighter future through basketball. In another post I mentioned, Marvadene "Bubbles" Anderson, at 6'10" the tallest 16 year old in the world, coming to America from Jamaica to play basketball. In another recent article two brothers coming from Canada via India, Sim (age 17) and Tanveer Bhullar (age 15), 7'4" and 7'2", respectively, to search out U.S. high schools. Perhaps one day they will make it as the "Twin Towers of India"!

About the art:
I had another idea for some Hindu gods playing basketball, but ran out of time and thought the Statue of Liberty was a little more universal for welcoming people to America. Image (1) is the original drawing done in ink with black Conte crayon shading. Image (2) was colored in ArtRage Studio Pro using the watercolor brush on a layer in "multiply" blend mode. In image (3) I added another layer in "multiply" blend mode with color applied with the paint roller and used the palette knife tool to soften it. I thought this might add more drama like a sunset, but it still didn't seem right.

I could have tried fussing with the watercolor tool more to make it look softer and blended, but then I found David Gothard's site and drooled over his ink and watercolor work. And the ideas behind his illustrations! It's almost enough to make me give up. But no! One must press on if one is to find one's inner voice. So I went back to the original art and added watercolor to it. The Conte crayon did smear a little where it was darker but still provided a nice texture.