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A miniature- I have one. :)
Jul. 20th, 2011 08:08 pmI finally brought it out again and finished the portrait miniature I started a while back!
More pictures and a detailed write-up on The Blog!
More pictures and a detailed write-up on The Blog!
art ramblings and A Painting
Apr. 27th, 2011 07:25 pmI 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.
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.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Feb. 14th, 2011 05:46 pmHere's hoping they won't always be frogs...
(also, this marks the first time I've ever thought "Oh, I should do a painting/drawing for cards this coming holiday" and then actually went and did it.)
(also, this marks the first time I've ever thought "Oh, I should do a painting/drawing for cards this coming holiday" and then actually went and did it.)
following a sudden bunny trail
Jan. 5th, 2011 11:42 pm
First finished "thing" from 2011!
Okay, so it's really just a quick, digital painting, but I still had a lot of fun doing it. I've never actually done any digital painting before (crappy oekaki dreck from when I was 16 does not count) and I wanted to try something new. I don't have a tablet or even photoshop or gimp so I used the online drawing program on deviantArt and just drew with my mouse.
And let me just say that "painting" on the computer is nothing like painting with a real brush and paints. It's much more immediate, but also much less responsive... or perhaps that was just my mouse. If I had all the nice technology I could see myself really getting into digital work, but that day is still quite far off. Although I think I'd be much happier doing costume renderings this way than with pen and watercolor. Guess I should probably start saving for photoshop...
So I finished the first painting for my show this Sun night! It's of the Maiden and the Prince (ie. Lynette and Mike) and is derived from images from the photoshoot in Jan. I had critique yesterday, and true to form, I finished the piece the night before it was due. Honestly, I'm not sure I ever get anything done more than a day before it's due. The thing is, I generally know how long something will take to accomplish, and unless I have a rock-solid deadline nipping at my heels, I tend to put things off until they won't be put off any longer.
But back to the point.
I still have three paintings to go, but I'm quite happy with how this one turned out and how it was received during critique. Yes, there are things that could be improved, and I'm not at all sure whether I like the black background or not, but on the whole I'm pleased.
It was actually extraordinarily satisfying showing the painting to Katie and Mike (separately). I had it in the truck of my car, and when I opened it and Katie glanced in, she sort of gasped and said "ohdeargod" (or something similar... my memory is like a sieve) and then when I pulled it out she just stared and mumbled about how it did look like Mike and how un-nerving it was. Apparently, seeing one of our best friends in the back of my car (in effigy) was rather strange. Mike, on the other hand, was INCREDIBLY pleased with it! He oo-ed and ah-ed properly, but what really made me happy was the big grin he got whenever he looked at it. This is the second time I've painted him, and this painting is ever so much better than the old one from over a year ago... and I know he thought so too. Perhaps the most ringing endorsment is that it is now his profile picture on facebook. :-)
I always think it's funny to contrast the the difference of reactions from 'artists' and 'non-artists' to paintings. My Mom likes Lynette's expression, Mike likes how much he looks like him. On the other hand: my illustration prof, Ed, LOVED the prince's collar, my favorite bit is the shiny gold trim on the prince's shoulder, and Gil raved about one of the studs on the prince's sleeve...
