First class...sort of like a Rorschach test, a mirror image of a horizon, experimenting with washes, and then adding tree detail and cleaning out the horizon line later...the colours are not my favourite but the effect is sort of cool no?
My Goals
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The fish WILL get their eyes.....
First class...sort of like a Rorschach test, a mirror image of a horizon, experimenting with washes, and then adding tree detail and cleaning out the horizon line later...the colours are not my favourite but the effect is sort of cool no?
What I have been doing...My Mother's flowers...
This is a pencil drawing of a photo I took of a puppet from Asia that I loved that I pan to use as my focal element on the background above...
This is another canvas from the same class...again stage 2 out of 5...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
And here is what I did today...
Then corrected and prepared for the watercolor wash.
The first wash not yet dry as you can see the paper buckling.
Once the watercolour is dry I begin to layer the charcoal, creating light and and dark at which point I can make any corrections that I am able to see. Then, I like to take a nice break and then come back to it, I ALWAYS see something glaring I did not notice, that is in dire need of repair...like this elbow...yikes
Ahhhh... that's better..! I also like to try to look at overall shading values to give it a realistic light dark balance. All done, what do you think?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Here is what I did yesterday..
The photo I chose to work with, I think it is gorgeous..no? I love the hand
First I decided this time to work a bit larger so this one will end up about 3'X4'. So, the first step is to do a rough sketch of the form in charcoal, just lightly, get the form right, then you clean it by gently flopping it with a soft cloth, like dusting, but not rubbing, then set it lightly with a fixative spray.
Then you do a soft wash with a watercolor deepening the shadows and leaving highlights, and then let it dry.
Keep layering the water color progressively getting darker, until you have a contour you like and then let it dry.
Once the work is dry start adding more charcoal lighter and finer first and then finishing with darker accents, remembering to look at shadows.
This is the end result.
What do you think?
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ok, SO YES, I DO have a great big creative fire burning under my behind...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Some more fiddling with portraits
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A little of this- and a little of that...
*You mean with no pencil sketches first?...gulp*
*With all these other people around to see my flub up*
*Perspire...what if it's a mess...or loos silly...perspire*
I was not prepared to work on the fly, with my usual calculated and planned style being the crutch...plus the entire idea of making something less than perfect...
Well ugh...*Oh goodness get over yourself girl....*. But Torsten continued to further gesticulate and encourage, while of course this all goes on in German just to further complicate matters...
SO this is what I ended up with at the very beginning ...(Can you tell I was looking at Picasso's fawn ink drawings earlier in the day??) and I must say that while all of this intimidated the living H*ll out of me it was actually felt quite nice to be working only with paint...though I am finding that one of my biggest handicpas is loosing the "Illustrator" style to get things to be a bit more real... I'm workin' on it...This is the version of anothe rimage free hand again in paint only, and the same image again below, but with a pencil sketch first and then several paint washes over top.
The secret it seems to me is to make all of your main lines very lightly in a wash and then to build the colour up refining the shapes as you go. At the end the guiding lines are virtually invisible, so if they were a bit off it is no problem. The beauty of water color if you are using good paper it is easy to lift ant excess color off after the fact, even if it has already dried, with a little light pressure (cutips or TAMPONS work well go figure) and some water.
The next is a rendition of one of Torsten's pieces.
This next peice is something have been fooling around with for a while, wanting to experiment with my pen and ink a bit more, using the pen to do some really super fine detail, and then water color and some ink washes for shadow and depth...It was fun to fool around with the different things...it is called "Chronic Pain", and relates directly to my Prolotherapy experience, those having had prolo for chronic pain are the ones taking little ballons up up UP from the mountain and those for whatever reason didn't/couldn't/or wouldn't are decending to I know where not...sort of dark I know, but being free of pain is what enables me to do all of this!!! YAhhoooo!!!
Got some more watercolor portraits to show you tomorrow!! Check back in!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Eric Fischl
The figures themselves appear to be made out of cast iron, and have a very weighty look, but upon reading about them further I discovered that in fact they are cast resin, and then presumably faux finished with various materials to resemble rusted iron, which in fact you can see Fischl doing if you follow the "Samaritan" link. The use of material finish lends them an air of permanence and weightiness physically and figuratively that I do not believe resin would have afforded.
Theses Went to a very cool sculpture exhibition at the suggestion of my art teacher, you can check it to here, famous American sculpture artist Eric Fischl...said with great reverence BTW...
I found the work to be raw and powerful.
It was exhibited at a somewhat obscure (well to me anyway... half tourist and half-walking-newcomer-that-I-usually-am) exhibition hall, but in the end, well turns out that his was my VERY LUCKY DAY.
I am sort of fishing around for some more art contacts, I would love to also do some life drawing, you know naked model who needs money poses for a group of wannabe artists...no but seriously a great way to improve your perception of anatomy, and proportion etc...we did several semesters of it in college (but were all so young and shy we had a hard time not giggling and googling ...goons...)
Any way at the gallery when I inquired about a newsletter in which I might post an ad the receptionist suggested I speak with the curator who might help me. Well if this kind, and of course, utterly elegant woman was not singly one of the sweetest and most helpful souls I have EVER had the good fortune of meeting well just knock me over with a paint canvas...
She not only went through some of the printed material in the reception area with me, but suggested several different avenues I might pursue, and proceeded to take down all my info and insist that yes of course we MUST stay in touch...and then 20 minutes into my visit of the gallery well up on the 2nd floor she huffing and puffingly proceeded to track me down rushing in with even more information that might be of use to me... well just bowl me right over...so very very kind...and at the very end of it all she had found an artist taking students to help them develop their portfolios...
*Gee Toto we don't seem to be in Kansas anymore...*
In any case the exhibit was very cool...what do you think?
Another topic entirely... is anyone else having trouble with spell check?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My "Flexible Friend"...
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Update on the Villa in Pen and ink
It was really fun to experiment with the pen and all the different ways of using it. Rendering buildings, trees, roofing, stone walls, shrubs, and then later to add the 3 color washes, starting with a whisper of ink and then ending with a darker version. It looks a bit rounded and that is due to the camera lens.
I also realize that this would be great technique to use with water color. I think the color would really bring it to life.
The second piece is another freer technique and is a copy of a piece from Torsten's portfolio.
It is interesting how the photograph of the work brings out the faults and now looking at it I
would like to have another go at it. But ...I think I won't. Interesting tho and lots of fun. A real introduction for me as I have never worked with this Media and in this way.