art ramblings and A Painting

[gwendolyngrey]

I just 'finished' a new painting, and I'm left with the overwhelming sensation of having SO MUCH that I need to work on.  

I seriously need to amp up my drawing skills and really the only way to do this is by doing a lot of drawing from life, something which until this very week I hadn't even thought about doing since my junior year of college.  The past few days I've taken to drawing during my lunch break... drawing things in the real world, not stuff in photographs.  None of it is interesting or deep:  flowers I pass on my walk, the salsa jar on the table in the break room, gestures of sheep in a nearby meadow (sometimes I love working across the street from the historic area!), etc.  And it's really proving to me that I'm way too used to taking shortcuts with my drawing and relying on what I think I know about an object instead of what's actually there.  It would also behoove me to step outside my comfort zone a bit and stop always drawing things that I know I can already draw (more or less).

Also, if I want to start successfully incorporating backgrounds and settings in my work, I'm going to need to be able to draw and paint environments and landscapes MUCH more convincingly.  Again, I think I'm going to have to start going outside and doing some plein air paintings instead of heading straight for stock images on the computer.

And then there's color!  Good lord, color.  Basically, I need to start putting a lot more thought into the color scheme of a painting before I even think about picking up a brush.  Having a vague idea and making decisions as I go simply creates a lot more work in the long run and leads to a whole slew of headaches along the way. 

All that said, I really enjoyed painting every evening after work (even if it was only for an hour or two), and I desperately want to keep working and improve.

Inyhoo, new painting!


The plan for the summer is to put together a decent body of work and then actually get out there as an artist and start selling myself.

This weekend is Ft. Fred though, and I need to make a petticoat to go with my new-ish pink jacket or I'll be stuck wearing my ancient stuff.  I also want to finish the miniature I'm working on, but I don't think I can get it done before the weekend. 

Comments

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

That's beautiful! I love the way it's framed too.

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The composition didn't work on the entire board so I thought I might as well use the extra space to paint in a border... I kind of wish I had gone crazy with it, but it seems to work okay. :)

[jubilima.livejournal.com]

I think it is exquisite. I would be interested in purchasing a piece of your art.

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! My previous work that I still have is available for sale, and I'm always open to commissions (oil paint or charcoal... I'm not opening up commissions on miniatures until I know I can regularly do them successfully).

[christylee.livejournal.com]

Omg that is beautiful!

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

WOW that's gorgeous. I love it.

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had fun painting it...

[lindseyerin37.livejournal.com]

It's beautiful!

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[jenthompson.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! :)

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[ashamanja-babu.livejournal.com]

How lovely! The shadows and highlights in the fabric of her dress are so perfectly real.

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really glad you like the dress, as it's one of the main things I fought with as I painted it. ;)

[jade-nolan.livejournal.com]

oooooh, steampunk historical Padme! I like it :)

[idlewild-grey.livejournal.com]

Ha! Evan asked me if I meant to make her look like Leia... I guess Star Wars is pretty firmly wedged in my visual subconsious!