The Ugly Stage

I've noticed that in the preliminary stages of a painting's life, it never looks very good. In fact, it often looks like complete shit. But the objective in the beginning stages of a painting is not to make it look good, but rather to map out what is important in your piece. For example, this painting was started yesterday. I mapped out where the shapes and lines would be, where the darkest values would fall, and the color palette:

Memo:
Triadic color scheme...
1. Shadow and Sky: 2:1 Dioxazine Purple and Pthalo Blue
2. Irony Soil: 3:1:1 Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red, Pyrrole Orange
3. Foliage: Chromium Oxide Green (dulled down with a dab of #2)


Elephant painted with: Titanium white plus #1 and #2

done!

they were happy with it <3

Commission-- getting closer

Seeing a photograph of my progress only seems to make me realize all the little things I still need to fix. The reflections in the water are really giving me problems-- I've never done a painting with waves like this before so it's kind of a learn-as-you-go type of ordeal... Definitely need to lighten some areas up. The rocks and grass on the bank look better, but they still need more definition... I also need to fix the sail on the smaller boat, because the mast is obviously crooked and it bugs me. But it looks more complete than it did yesterday so that helps.

Here are the four photos of my progress thus far, side by side, for comparison.

Commission Progress

Started work on the water today-- waves are a bitch, but I'm starting to get the hang of it! :D

Still left to do: 

> Fix the grass by the river bank

> More detail on the rocks in the dune so they don't look like brown blobs

> Finish the waves/reflections
> Finish the bottom part of the feluccas.

More Derping Around

Decided to experiment with some more sketches from the zoo. :)

Musk Ox

Sichuan Takin with Calf

Tapir

Ooooh LAYERS!!!

Just downloaded paint.net which is a free, watered down version of photoshop, but easier to use and fun. I've been playing around with adding texture layers to make my sketches look a little less blaaah. :)

On this one I added a paper bag texture and lightened the inside of the sketch to make it stand out more :)

Aztec

We took the students on a field trip to the raptor center and since the handler requested we not take pictures of the owl (in case the flash accidentally went off-- she is easily spooked) one of the little boys asked me to draw a picture of her. This is Aztec the spectacled owl. :-)

Commission progress

Did a lot of work today-- about 40% finished with the painting. I think I need to put a bit more detail in the foliage and the building needs something... I don't know what yet... Maybe when I look at it tomorrow it will be more obvious.

Yesterday's Entries

Yesterday I drew one of the children I work with-- usually they don't sit still long enough for me to draw them properly but when they are watching TV they can remain in the same pose for quite a while.

totally hypnotized

Also drew a Great Dane watching Animal Planet-- it reminded me of a Great Dane that lived next door to my best friend. :)

Cookies and Cream Great Dane

Commission Progress

     Taking a break from sketchbook to work on a piece commissioned by my best friend's parents. When they first married, they taught in Kuwait for two years. Because of how their flight home was constructed they wound up travelling all over the world. One of their stops was in Egypt, and they wanted to commemorate their trip by commissioning a painting based on photos they took there.

Photograph of feluccas (traditional Egyptian sailboats) on the Nile River

     The canvas is pretty large, 24"x36"... But after painting an entire backdrop for a musical by myself last fall this seems much less daunting than it would have been. Now that I've got everything sketched out and colors blocked, I can't wait to start painting it in. ^_^ 

Colors are officially blocked!!! :D

     The best part of this endeavor is finally getting a chance to work on my great-grandfather's easel. I feel honored that my grandma entrusted it to me. :)

Inspired by Childhood

"The creative part of us is always childlike."    

                                                                       ~ Julia Cameron

     So I guess the "drawing every day in my sketchbook" thing has kind of fallen to the wayside. First I was sick for two weeks, then I started work. By the time I would get home all I wanted to do was crash on the sofa with a beer and a movie. But recently I've been getting nagging little bits of inspiration from my work. 


     I work at a daycare and it's always interesting to watch the kids draw. Children are the most creative of beings-- they haven't yet developed a fear of being wrong so their art is still free of inhibitions.


     One of the little girls, who is about 8 years old, likes to draw little doodles in the corner of my attendance sheet every morning. The drawings are simple but very imaginative and I felt compelled to draw some of them in my book, taping her original drawings to the corners. I think hers are much better. :)

This one is a Giraffe with only one spot. 

This is a pterodactyl wearing a party hat.

May 22 & 23

So here is day 001 and 002 from my sketch-a-day self challenge. The first one I worked from a stock photo from http://kxhara.deviantart.com/. The second page was me trying to be sneaky and draw random people at Caribou Coffee when they weren't looking. It's awful hard to draw from life this way, because no one knows I'm drawing them so they are far away and never hold still. Egad I feel like such a creeper... But it's okay, because I'm an artist, right?

Day 001 - From stock photo

Day 002 - sketches from the cafe

Hello?

I've never written in a blog before, and honestly never intended to. This isn't going to be for an audience but rather for myself to hopefully keep track of my progress as an artist over the course of the summer. I've been in a creative slump over the past year or so and am hoping that by writing things down and making a log I'll be able to overcome it. So I intend to post every few days or so in tandem with my sketchbook and see where things go. :)