Portrait Pose…eRasing

It’s nice to bring up the image on my monitor to work out some kinks.



The mouth went fairly smooth.



Spooky image here.



I may have to just scratch this sketch on this paper.  This is happening a lot.
The colored pencil layers start to flake up….then the paper starts to come up behind it.  Joy….



Well, I made some eyes…but they’re not her eyes. 



Erased both eyes before I went to class. I had had enough!  The instructor showed me a technique to save the piece and we tried it here.  He also gave me a huge time saving tip for proportions that I tried out on a different piece.



I’ve since abandoned the Arches paper that I raved about a few posts ago.  Apparently that is good for illustrators…print makers.  I need a thicker stock.



If I didn’t love this kid so much I would not be starting drawing #3 of the same image.

I only get so much of my instructor’s time,  so I went straight to the face!  My nemesis!!  Didn’t want to waste precious class time on the body and clothes which I can handle fairly well on my own.



I am applying a lighter layer…evenly throughout.  Then once I’ve got the image pretty consistent, I can go in and apply more shading…details….and the like.  I cannot Wait!!  This is getting fun!!  Since I’ve taken away the hassle of proportions! 

Wacky Wednesday

It all started because I dared to attempt two portrait color-sketches at the same time.



And my “real job” has been crazy.  New instruments, new technology, new codes!  Oh-MY!



My focus ran away and hid.  She was nowhere to be found.  It was time to coax her out with some color! Some fun!  Some light-heartedness! 



Since I wanted to do something easy I brought out my watercolor pencils.  I like the way the colors turned out.  For a few years now when we go to take our family picture at the end of our vacations….we do a totally goofy pose to counter the more stylish one, as seen above.



Some of us have more fun than others!  Probably because the leap between normal and crazy isn’t as far for them.



It was nice that my dear dog got in the picture as well.  We’re usually doing many re-takes cuz she likes to wander off.



Now, I’ve never had any one head-over-heels…..rather…. heels-over-head in these wacky shots!  I like it!!



Here’s to a Wacky Wednesday everyone!  May you allow yourself some time to goof off!

Candid….Customized

I was stuck for a week on this person’s shirt print.



Received a bit of direction and started on the pattern in the easiest way I knew to portray.  Yes…Yes… the picture shows more blue…but there is a bit of green in there so I’m not totally making this up.



Something did not seem right with his eyes as seen in the image on the left.  After I gave the eyebrows more brow….the eyes more shading, and shaded more around the lower jaws…it was starting to look more like the picture.



I’m not ready to frame this yet.  I still need to elongate that face.  I’m having a bit of trouble with the paper.  It’s being a bit per-snickety and not taking the color like I want. May have to see about those ink-tense pencils before I can wrap this up.  I’ve heard they carry more pigment than wax.  Just may be what I’m looking for.  We can only hope!! Haha


Has anyone tried the ink-tense pencils?

Portrait Pose….Rendering

Adjusting, applying, and re-arranging.  This is different.  I’m really winging the clothes….I don’t much care if the folds are exact…just that they imply what they are supposed to.  Haha



I think I’m still in my Desktop View mode.  One of my favorite views!



I learned awhile back NOT to use graphite pencils to outline my figures when doing a color-sketch.  No matter how light the graphite…the lead will leach into the surrounding areas.  Just better to avoid it all together.



I am still amazed at how many different colors there are in a specific solid piece of clothing….orange is not just orange, ya know…..those folds split that light beam apart.  Who would’ve thought those shadows had that much purple?  Haha…purple my most neglected personal color!  I really should start to appreciate all it’s benefits because it is everywhere!

Portrait Pose….Repeat

Well…I scratched that last picture I started of this Portrait Pose.  Yes, I thickened things up a bit lot.  But the paper started to tear in spots! Not pretty!



I’m using the good Prismacolor colored pencils and I don’t know if it’s me [my technique] or the composition of the pencils/paper.  But I’m getting this freckling appearance.  Wish I knew how to stop that!



Not going to think too much about the clothes….clothes are so versatile.  I really don’t have to make them exact to look like themselves! Whew!  Plus, I’m more about people than clothes!



It is interesting to see the texture of the clothes up against the skin.  I kinda like it!

WIP….Desktops

I am such a digital pack-rat! 



Being of the more visual sort, I get a real kick out of seeing art in it’s “Work-In-Progress” mode. 



Possibly because it hasn’t defined itself totally yet.  The piece can be taken in so many directions.



I especially love it when a drawing surprises me!



What is there not to like about the colors in the pics here?  Anytime I get to use the whole color spectrum, I’m happy!



Graphite pencils….Ya gotta start somewhere!  I must admit, I miss the erasability of graphite.



Desktops!  I’m not the neatest person, that’s for sure.  I also tend to spread out!  If I don’t see it, I forget I have it! Haha



Art journaling in a whimsical way.



Photo-realism…my latest passion!



More graphite work.



More messy desktops.

So, now you can see what I see as I try to bring something into creation.  I love it when I have lots of ideas….all lined up in a row…in my head.  But that’s not always the case.  Art evolves with the person.   Something I may have wanted to do one day doesn’t always carry the same weight the next day.  What I find important is the doing!  The trying to learn new things, to challenge myself with a new picture or new technique.  For instance today…I have no interest in painting.  But that may change. 

I think it’s best to not force yourself to like something you don’t.  This is also the beauty of not being in a super-structured environment.  I have the freedom to choose what to spend my time learning.  With that being said….I can see the flip side of that super-structured environment too!  We can gather information/inspiration from other sources in unexpected ways.  So really either way…it’s a win-win, if I keep the right attitude.

A penny for your thoughts too!  I’d love to hear your take.

Portrait Pose

So….I arrive in class after missing it for 2 weeks in a row….and lo and behold, my instructor had other obligations.  Since they like having us around, they set me up in another room with a table and “great light”.  There was a newly graduated college art student leading the kids camp and it just so happens….her favorite art media is Colored Pencils!  My lucky Day!  She gave me a few quick tips on drawing the pattern of the shirt then ran off to attend to her excited students.

I only got about this far….when fear set in!  I really need to observe someone drawing a pattern.  They don’t have to go into a lot of details….but just enough for me to get it.  So…this sketch has been shelved.



I had not brought any extra paper to start on my next pose.  Thankfully….my college-teacher-helper-friend was available to show me her favorite paper in the store.



Cut down the big sheet into workable pieces.  Since I had already done the grunt work earlier I was ready to get started.



Apparently, I need to use more color when I color-sketch.  You know, more color, more wax….thicker! 



This is not what I’m used to doing….and I’m a little unsure if I can make it work. I need to see what these pencils can do…their limits.  Experiment time!

Candid Continues

Colored in the ears….will need to go back in on that left ear, cuz it looks folded!



Spent some time around the eyes….will need to go back in on that left eye’s upper lid and un-sag it.  And go in around that “lacrimal caruncle” of the right eye and sag it!  Haha



I have been told that: to draw teeth…don’t even think about drawing them individually….just hint at the gums.

I drew 4 lines in a box to attempt the pattern [see tiny blue lines on right collar]…..I have no clue how to draw this shirt’s pattern.  Hopefully, someone who knows more than me about this sort of thing, can explain [or show me] how to imitate that shirt pattern.

Candid

Wow!  It’s been about 12 days since I last posted something here….that’s what happens when I go off and play! Haha. 
If I really had my act together I’d prepare some posts ahead of time and have them preset to post….but that’s if I had my act together.



I was able to sketch a bit while out on vacation. Which was good. I woke up early one morning and got a good 3+ hours of sketch time in…undisturbed! Coffee pot full, view of the beach out front and the bay out back….Heaven!



Just before I left on vacation one of my friends approached me about my open-offer to sketch a “picture for practice”.

So, I did the grunt work at home (scanning, enlarging, templating the picture) before our trip.



The head angle in the picture is not straight on… go figure!



Still need to shade in around the face which will help to unflatten it. I’m always so tentative!



Candid photography!  Usually I love it but this may prove a bit challenging!   I had to extract the subject out….then enlarge him about 300%.  I think I’ve lost lots of details to the guy due to the smaller image….my imagination will have to play a part to make this work.  

It’s teacher-help-me-please time!