EDM #97 Draw a present you have received.  Why is it special?

Graphite and ink on sketch

David bought this for me a couple of years ago for Christmas and it is still a very special gift.  I always keep my IPod in my purse and whenever I’m bored or stuck in the car traveling  I am able to pull out this little piece of technology and I’m instantly entertained.  I guess I’m like a three-year old in that aspect and I always have to have something to do in a car or I will get really cranky.  Cars make me claustrophobic after a while and I have to take my mind off  of being in a metal box rolling at high speed.  I have lots of music, movies, games, books and a few photos that keeps me perfectly content for hours so it’s the coolest thing ever,  except maybe the ITouch….

Theatre Masks

Pigma Micron on Bristol Smooth

(click on image to enlarge)

Just how awesome  can a Zentangle be?  I guess this AWESOME!  Though I have way too many hours in this and I’m very excited  how it turned out.  My niece Leigh is studying theatre in college and was the inspiration behind this piece. I was looking at her pictures on Facebook and I was thinking how cool…the pancake make-up… the costumes…the lighting…..Then,  BAM! the Theatre Masks were born.   I like when ideas sneak up on you and hit you like a ton of bricks!  Leigh is such a beautiful individual inside and out and I’m very excited to see what her future holds because I guarantee that it will be just spectacular! 

   BTW, I’m still working on the Van Gogh painting and it’s still going horrible, but I’m trying to hang in there!

Gypsy

Graphite on Bristol Smooth

     I sent my cousin an email asking her if she would like to see her picture now or let it be a surprise.  She replied, “NOW!”  So I sent it, she loved it and put it on her Facebook wall.  I am so relieved and since she has seen the picture…I can post it! 

    The picture she sent me was so cute and the dog is adorable, but I laughed the whole time I was drawing him!  I don’t know what Gypsy was looking at when his picture was taken, but he was cross eyed as could be.  So Thanks for the Laughs Gypsy!

Rocks

Colored pencil, watercolor with watercolor pencil, pastel and ink

 on Strathmore 140 lb. coldpress watercolor paper

     My rock models were variations of grey,  black and brown.  I thought it was really boring so I added different colors.  It looks more like something you would find in a fish bowl.  This took me three days to complete and I can’t decide if I like it or not, but it was  good  playing with all those mediums at one time.  

 It was brought to my attention that my poor blog has been neglected, and it has.  I had been doing so well with keeping up with my posts up until this month, and I promise I will try to do better, but this is what’s been going on:

1.)  I have three portraits I have been working on.  Pretty easy… One lil white dog, and one portrait drawn twice.  It’s for my cousin, and we are trading services, she is making me two handmade wall hangings and I am drawing her portraits.  I’m sure the portraits are Christmas presents so I can’t show that, but I’m pretty sure I can post the dog  after she gets it.  

2.) I was trying to participate in the Drawing from the Masters group.  This month its Van Gogh.  Almost two weeks of work, and it looks h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e!! (so far) I’m not disppointed I knew it would be a big stretch for me  BUT even if the painting tanks, I’ve studied the life of the artist and you’ll will have to suffer through a mini report. 

3.) I have been trying to think of a new name for my blog, trying to come up with my own banner and changing the format.  I like the black, but I think it just too hard to read. 

4.) I have been working on a way over the top,  Top Secret project that even the hubby knows nothing about it!

Throw in sickness, soccer, and school and that’s about it.  I will try to better, I promise.

Graphite on Bristol Smooth

From a photo taken by  Canis Lupess at Wet Canvas 

    I have drawn so many dogs that they almost have become second nature.  When I have too many flops and my trash can over flows,  somehow drawing doggies always make me feel better about about my drawing ability.  This dog is the result of feeling really bad about my struggles with trying to learn other mediums.  The process of making art can be so overwelming at times,  well most times really and sometimes I lack the patience that  art requires.  I have faith that I’ll get it eventually and I guess that will have to be enough for now.     I’ll just have to press on.

EDM #116 Draw something green

Graphite on sketch

      Sorry, the image is a little crooked.  But I’m feeling rather crooked at the moment.  This is my third week of no soft drinks, chips, cookies, cheese, white bread, pasta, candy bars, ice cream or any thing else that tastes really good but is extremely bad for you.  I have already lost about 6 pounds which is really good considering that I haven’t been working out, but it’s still very hard.   I still drink a half a cup of coffee in the morning and tea if I start getting caffeine withdrawal headaches, but mostly its water for me about 3-4 liters of it a day.   The whole family is in on it, so it could be worse…  But eating healthy?  Counting calories and fat grams?  It isn’t fun so don’t believe the hype!

    I’m not giving up on junk  forever.  But like most things are fine every once in a while, but not fine everyday.  I was promised that I won’t miss them after a while.  

 HA! I still want it, so we’ll see.

(click on image to enlarge)

Nathan

Graphite on Bristol smooth

    I learned a lot  from drawing Nathan and I’m glad that I stuck with this portrait to its completion.  What I have learned is that there’s a fine line between drawing a button (nose) Benjamin and a Benjamin Button.  Drawing this little guy took four attempts and to be honest I didn’t think I would ever get him drawn right.  When rendering  portraits  I do not like any of the paper showing through on a face.  And though it may seem funny,  I draw as though I am applying make up.   It just makes it easier for me to break down the shading elements. The only white   (color of the paper) I have is the white of the eyes.   I really don’t know how I would draw a man considering the few portraits that I completed were women, but I know this does not work for children, because it ages them too much.  In my earlier attempts,  I had an elderly man’s head sitting on top of a toddler’s body. GROSS!   So, I didn’t know what to do…I knew that I couldn’t shade a whole lot, but I still felt that not filling in the space with graphite was just wrong because unless you were a zombie or a vampire a person’s face is not stark white.  So, after much thought I shaded the entire face in a fine layer of graphite and used a tissue to wipe the graphite off  the paper leaving  a slight stain.  Then, I  used an old blending tortillian to do the rest of the shading on the face.  Now he has a more youthful appearance.  That’s what I love about drawing…it is never what you expect, you always find little surprises and you’re never bored. 

EDM #240 Draw a pencil

Graphite on sketch

 This is a sketch of one of my Derwent Graphic pencils with a value scale.  I have drawn more value scales than I can count.  When I first started drawing scales, I used (light to dark) 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B and 6B.  Now,  I just use a 2B mechanical pencil and blend and  blend and then I blend some more.  This technique was gleaned from reading Lee Hammond’s book Lifelike Drawing.  Great book by the way.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their drawing.  

Remember those lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

We Will Never Forget…

Beamer

Graphite on Bristol Smooth

     I guess summer is officially over now as today is Alana’s first day back to school.  It makes me a little sad and lonesome.  We had a fun time together even though her idea of learning to draw was to color drawings that I completed! She’s a slick one!  I hope she has a great year!  Well, enough of being melancholy, on with the drawing!

   This is Beamer the dachshund.  I have never met a more camera-shy dog in my entire life.  Beamer would be playing along happy go lucky then when the camera came out the only shots that I could get were of his backside!   I didn’t use a flash, so couldn’t have been the light.  This was a really strange situation  because even though I ended up with this shot, there was a lot of unnecessary stress that was put on the dog by me.  I don’t like that.   I really don’t know what to do if this comes up again, maybe I could let the dog sniff my camera  or something… Beamer is a sweet loving little dog.  What if I get a big, not so sweet, not so loving dog who is as camera-shy.  I don’t want to get my arm taken off to the shoulder!  Maybe I should talk to the vet when I bring Sam in for his shots.  Better to be safe than sorry.  

  Thank you Beamer’s Dad and Sorry about that Beamer!

Bird of Paradise

Acrylic on 7 x 9 Canvas Panel

     Wow, this took a while but I am very pleased how it turned out.  I used thin washes, so there are many many layers to this piece.  Using thin washes is time consuming, but it adds a lot of depth.    AND  I didn’t have any trouble mixing color which was a great surprise.  I do need to work on blending and I  need lots of practise with brush strokes.   I’m still very excited that I finshed it!  I am going to live with this for a couple of days before I varnish it just in case I want to change something, but I am calling this done and I’m ready to move on to something else.

      I wish I had some words of wisdom for painting in acrylics, but this medium is still  foreign to me.  The only thing I can say is just to paint and if you mess up just throw on some gesso and try it again!  

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!!!!!