Sketchbook Project 2013

Done it again! Signed up for 2013.

This year, I’m committed to graphite with a touch of white acrylic here and there to pick up what the eraser can’t.  It’s all about the values, and an other worldliness.  My  objective is to concentrate on basics; strengthening my compositions through black and white values, and giving my right brain a work out, but keeping it raw, (resisting the temptation to refine).    I’m also experimenting with different papers. I’ll  eventually paste the pages into the sketchbook.  I’m  reserving one color perhaps, to introduce  later on..maybe;)

Above are pages 2 and 3.  Lots more to come.

Photo Friday #3

Pause #21

Been playing with the lighting to keep this series fresh…at least for me;)

Digital Painting Tutorial Part 3

Final “Spring”

Because Spring is part two of a four-part project, I had be sure that the choices I made for this piece will harmonize with the previous work.

I have a very clear vision of the overall project, and have decided to contrast the moods of the seasons greatly.  On the other hand, I will needed to organize specific consistencies.

They are:

*minimizing of neck and body

*some sort of collar appropriate to each season

*the same necklace representing nature’s hardships

*long hair with a life of its own

*a certain amount of dimension and texture in the back round

*a value gradient dark to light from bottom to top

*one element of disguise

*clear difference in position of the head and eyes reflecting the qualities of each season

(*perhaps a border when all four have been completed)

Below are the steps I took  to stylize Ms. Spring, ultimately  leading to the finish (above).

Photo Friday 2

Sketch Distortions

Quick sketches with a twist of Photoshop distortion to push them just a little further.

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Photo Friday

Every Friday starting today, I will post one photograph.  No words:)

Digital Painting Tutorial/Spring Part 2

Okey Dokey, part two is mostly about the way I manipulated my photos to provide a back round and a dress for Ms. Spring.  There have to be myriad ways to deal with photos incorporated into digital paintings.  I’m simply revealing the way I went about it in this piece.  And, I have no problem revealing this to you.  I think that the photos in this context will get the job done better than my painting of said areas.

Four Seasons:Spring Tutorial

Spring, It’s the second in my Four Seasons project.  Last time with Digital Winter , I explored an overview of the digital painting via Photoshop layers.  The focus of Spring is painting the skin.  I’m using Photoshop CS4 and Wacom Intuos 4.  I’m still working on the finish, but here’s essentially, how I’ve  painted the skin thus far.

Happy Mother’s Day

Who Are YoU?

A recognizable style.  Most artists have one or two.  Many work most of their lives mastering one medium.  Often one is a fine artist OR makes commercial work. I know this is rapidly changing. The lines between disciplines are blurring and that thrills me!  While I am not competent in any discipline other than visual art, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.

I paint portraits, illustrate children’s books, wrote a kid’s book, make fine art, teach, and instruct a creative expression class on a hospital psychiatric floor.  I have painted silk, run workshops, made street art and illustrated brochures. Each endeavour delivers whatever the market will bear monetarily, but all inform and excite me (except for the brochures).

I work in oils, acrylic, digital painting, simple printmaking, silk, and pastel, and play with oil sticks, watercolor, clay, wire, photography, multi media, collage and just about any material I can get my hands on, including beet juice and congealed butter in my dinner plate.

The downside of course, takes me back to my first paragraph;little to no recognizable style. Even within a given medium, I’m inspired to experiment with different ways of working.  I laugh when I look at this blog’s  Illustration Friday archives just after clicking the tab on my Pause Series.   I think I’m still fishing around for one thing that suits me best. In the meantime, expect images of any sort from this blog.  At least my inconsistency will keep us all guessing;)

Harsh

Another in the self-portrait series.  This one reflects a moment of angst, appropriate to experimenting with the drama of harsh lighting.

Photographing this oil painting was a chore.  The gloss from the painting medium produced not only glare, but dots of shine reflecting the layers of medium on the raised bits of canvas texture, even though this is ultra smooth canvas. The image color, even with the aid of PS, was/is an issue.  Got to say that both portraits look far better in reality, even though “pretty” was never the goal;)

Digital Painting Tutorial

Above is a screenshot of the basic Photoshop underpainting of “Winter”.    Below is a visual tutorial of the painting process. Please feel free to ask any questions that may come to mind, since my text explanation is spare.

Digital Winter

ANOTHER new project:) Four seasons, beginning with winter.  The subject for each season is a lovely young woman.  I chose to paint this series digitally, while my oil portraits are drying between layers.  Next post will feature a layer by layer separation and progression, so stand by.

Facelift

It’s been many years since I’ve worked on a self portrait.  It was time.  I’ve decided on a limited series, in order  to experiment.  This first oil painting is pretty straight forward, but distortions abound.   It’s a manual facelift. 

Here’s the progression.  The changes in expression are awfully funny, (at least to me).  I’ve used lots of glazes via Gamblin Neo Megilp with my oil paint.

Gifts

My wonderful Dad has Alzheimer’s. Like my Dad,  I tend to look back a lot at scattered moments.  One I will never forget is opening my birthday gift this year, from my Dad.  With the help of his caregiver and my Mom, my Dad was able and proud to gather, wash and paint ordinary rocks.  They are not so ordinary any more.  Each is brilliantly colored and  labeled with the name of a family member.

I felt it only fitting to present my gift to a small section of my yard.  It holds many memories of moments. The bird feeder was constructed by my kids and husband and incorporates marbles belonging to my father-in law’s childhood.  The bricks comprising the circle and the rose planting came from my grandparent’s yard.  The violets were lovingly transplanted from my parent’s home one stiflingly hot day by my Dad.  The pig was a gift from my in-laws as a house warming present over twenty years ago.

I remember playing in my grandparent’s yard.  I remember mentioning to my Dad that I coveted his violets.  I remember moving into my home, when my kids were small and were most often involved in making something meaningful.

Discarded

Pause Consensus

All of you creatives who commented on my last post, aiding focus and offering your thoughtful opinions, thank you!

I am pleased to report a common thread, with one image the majority favorite.  I’m flattered that it has been referred to as classical.

I am also delighted  that opinions varied widely and for a variety of different reasons.  These three were all chosen more than once….

The unintentional Elvis look-alike

The “crown of thorns”, ( never occurred to me), but I love the association.

              This last one is more distorted than the others but seemed to elicit interest as an image associated with pain. I can see that.

You’ve given me plenty to think about. THANK YOU.

Pause #20

Editing.  Culling.  Selecting-  I’m curious: If you were to choose three of the strongest images to best represent contrasting nuances of expression, which would you choose?  OR  which of this grouping is the strongest image?  For the Pause Series.

Petite Flowers

The last in my three-part SPRING uplift;)