An aversion to colour

I was asked to doodle an iris flower for a friend.

So I used a simple black biro to make this small image. I sent it to her only to be asked that I colour it in as it is apparently going to be used as a base idea for a tattoo.

I hate colour in drawings and I personally think lots of colour in tattoos doesn't always have the same impact as black. It's like comparing charcoal drawings with colour pastel. To me I see more expression and emotion where colour is absence. Maybe it's just me? With black and white linear drawings the viewer can add what colour they like in their mind and the same image may be coloured differently depending on who is observing it.

It was also problematic for me as what colours to use had been left up to me. No guidance on preference at all. I am not fond of yellow so I was automatically bias in my choice and the resulting image reflected my own favouritism towards certain colours.

My friend was happy with the outcome but I was left feeling conflicted as I felt the original image was far better than the coloured image. Whenever I opt for colour when drawing I nearly always regret it.

Is this a common problem for artists?

I find myself also questioning colour in photographs too, especially portraiture. In black and white it appears you capture more character and personality compared to colour as if the person becomes more in focus and more attention is given to finer details. Is colour a distraction? Does it create a sensory overload that threatens to overpower smaller details? I see pros and cons to colour.

When painting I do not shy away from it, in fact quite the opposite, so why is it that drawing is different some how?

Is it because I feel it turned my work into a colour by numbers or a colouring in book affair? Possibly. I remember colouring in as a child so maybe there is a link from this. Do I consider colouring in childish? I don't think so but I am never satisfied with anything I have attempted to colour. Admittedly, I like strong colours so I think that not colouring in things realistically may also hinder how I feel about the final outcome.

I guess I should be happy that the image was liked by the person it was intended for. I am happy for I have the black and white image saved.