Dec 16th: Finished Ballet Ornament

Short post.  It's done.  STARS ARE THE HARDEST THING TO FREEHAND EVER!  That is all.  Moving on.

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Dec 12: Ballet ornament

I've been sort of neglectful with my blog posts.  I've been ridiculously busy trying to get all this stuff done. 
Yesterday I started making a ballet themed ornament for my cousin.   A lot of the shoes had to be made up, especially the ribbons.  They had to be painted to say "2012".  I'm usually horrid with things I can't see, but I think I did ok.

The shoes are meant to look elegant and pointed at an angle.  It seems like no matter what I tried, they didn't look like they were angled right.  I don't know why.  The proportions might be off...  but it's crunch time, so my ability to be picky is limited.  

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Dec 8: Finished Graphite Bane

I have nothing else to say blog except for: "when Gotham is in ashes, then you have my permission to draw..."

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Nov 25-Dec 2: Holiday Madness

These few weeks have been nuts.  Not only am I drawing and painting but I'm making journals, anime chibi dolls and wood burning.  It's a craft explosion in my house!

First, Bane.  I'm almost finished but I still need to do a couple more tubes and the top of his head.  He's looking pretty badass and I'm hoping the tubing looks ok when it's all done.
Second, I started a new ornament today for a cousin.  Its for his junior high baseball team.  I've decided that I love logos for bulbs!  They're perfect and easy.  Much like cartoons.  It's refreshing to do after all this portrait work.  Thanks to my bendy ruler, I now can paint words straight on my bulbs which is sooo great!  No more crooked mess. 

Also, I'm making a Naruto chibi out of felt for my roommate.  It's extremely time consuming since I have no pattern.  I'm just winging it.  I love it!  But I had the hardest time figuring out how to close up the top of the head.  It uh...well it doesn't look amazing and I'll have to do some improv stitching to cover up some mess.  But, it's fun to do and super cute.  A good gift for anime fans.  Just be sure to use a glue with a wet tack or it won't flex when you stuff it.

Lastly,  wood burning.  It's hard.  I'm definitely no pro, but I've had some experience wood burning my ukulele.  This was undoubtedly not the same.  This was pine.  Which Burns easily.   But really,  the best way I've found is to just lightly drag your burner over the wood.  Don't stab or press too long unless you really want it dark.  I'm going to stain or varnish it later this week.
So that's what I'm up to!  Everything!   Rushing to get all these home made presents done!

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Nov 12-14: Graphite Bane

I've spent the past few days working incredibly slowly on my bane drawing.  I do it in like 2 minute increments in between phone calls.
The metal tubing isn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Basically,  all I have to do is draw uniform lines, erase the middle and use a stub around the edges to create the illusion of a cylindrical form.  Again,  I'm choosing to ignore all the rules of lighting.  I think it looks better this way.

Ive decided that I like drawing weird mechanical things.  If my proportions are a little off, it's ridiculously easy to fudge shading or add some vague shape in the mechanics and it'll still look good.
The drawing will have to be gone over again when it's done in some darker pencils.  It's not as bold as I'd like. 

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Nov 11th pt 2: Random Ornaments

After giving up on the oil painting for the day, I decided to do some easy, mindless designs on ornaments.   You can't tell from the pictures, but they're actually brown, not maroon.  

The first ornament took all of 5 minutes and is just a squiggly tree with dots and sparkles around it.  The second ended up being awesome by accident.   I was attempting to paint a large Christmas star and it looked awful.So I decided to wash the paint off. 

This unexpectedly washed only the paint from the middle off, leaving a corona.  Oh it looked cool!  So I began to do this on purpose over and over again until I had some kind of metallic tie-dye going on.  Then I blotched it all over with a paper towel dipped in paint.  Add a bunch of gloss sealant and it looks pretty awesome for a bunch of nonsense!

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Nov 11th pt 1: Inception Oil Painting

Despite my greater knowledge of oil paint this time around,  I'm still struggling.   I think that proportion has a lot to do with it.  When my proportions are off, it really doesn't matter how well I've separated light areas from the dark because I'll have to eventually scrape some paint off in the end.

So I began with widening his eyes and making them look more open.  Then I worked on his face, making it more brown than red.  Somewhere in the middle of it, I just couldn't stand how his nose was looking.   It was wrong.   I tried adding shadow,  taking shadow away, making his nostrils wider...it still looked wrong.   So, I did what I always do when this happens.  I switched to painting something else.  In this case, the background.

I'm adding blue undertones to the background because it's raining.  Also it's Inception.  The mood is gloomy.  Then I went back to the face...and measured.  I realized that his eyes are too high.  Like, half an inch too high.  Oh my cow.  And I'd made them DARK.  This will not be an easy fix. 

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Nov 7th: Graphite Bane

Started work on the lower mask today.   I also went through and darkened spots on his eyes and made them look more deep set.  The picture I'm going off of doesn't show what the very top of the mask looks like, so I'll have to go back to it when I find a different picture.  

I played around with light a lot in this drawing.  There's definitely been some ignoring of the reference picture and me adding reflection where I please.  There's times when eyes will seem dull in a reference photo and you really don't want to draw them that way.  I prefer depth and light.  Especially in my black and white drawings.

The lower part of the mask will most likely be slow going.  I just hope I can finish it in a week or two.  Starting to look good though!

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Nov 2nd: Graphite Bane

Slowly Bane is appearing through the paper.  I'm currently working on the tubing.   You really have to know your materials when you're drawing.   If I look at the tubing,  I know that it doesn't bend far, only has a slight curve, but is crimped by the fasteners on his mask.  Although it's not a very metallic material,  I'm adding exaggerated highlights because ...well... I can. 

It's difficult to get the sections looking uniform.  My favorite part believe it or not is the 4 holes in the mask.  I made them look so cool.  Stupid thing to be excited about, but I'm damn proud!

I know not to whine about the tubing sections because when I get to the part around his mouth ...well I might throw things.

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Nov 1st: Gotham's Reckoning

This drawing is going to be one that I want to keep.  I can tell.  During my down time at work I'll be sneaking in some drawing time.  For Christmas I've decided to draw Bane for my brother.   I'm not even sure if he likes Bane, but I know he likes Batman so this is what he gets. 

This won't be easy.  His mask has a LOT of individual little parts that will be a pain in the ass to draw.  But what I tell myself is that I've drawn transformers before ...I can do this.

Main focus is on...well everything.   You'd think the eyes would be the most important part since that's where the only emotion is.  But if the mask looks like crap, then no one can appreciate his eyes.

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Oct 28th: Inception Oil Painting

Don't ask me how blog, but Dileep Rao wants a painting from me.Who?!  Yeah.  That guy from Inception and Avatar.  I met him totally randomly and he wants an action pose of him.   Paint for a celebrity? Yes please. Oh and tell your friends!  

This oil is difficult because the only thing I have to paint from is pausing Inception at one spot.  So what I did was found the frame, paused it on a laptop, traced the scene and transferred it to canvas. I also took a picture of the screen on my phone.  This is a bad technique because the color is all wrong and if I zoom, it's blurry and not detailed.  But... it's something.

This oil I'm doing things differently and starting with a burnt umber base. I'm determined not to over blend and keep my light colors as bright as possible. I know I can't wait to do the background last like my previous oil, and I'm not looking forward to it. Luckily, there's not too many details or colors. Just van parts. And inception was a pretty monochromatic movie anyway.

As I end the night, he looks kinda like Bob Ross with a gun.  Haha.

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Oct 21st: Finished Acrylic Joker

Painting is done in record time!  Good thing too because I finished it with 3 hours to spare before my friends birthday party. 

On the suggestion of my roomie and husband,  I added some black to the background.   I was really apprehensive at first.  But in the end, I think it looks much better.  It was missing something so I made white splotches over some of the black.  That accomplished...uh...something.  

My opinion overall,  good practice for future paintings.  Too creepy for me.  But I hope my friend will display it proudly.

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Oct 20th: Acrylic Joker

The creepiness continues.  I added hair and clothes.   I really love making a mess and dripping paint everywhere.  This lack of perfection is super liberating and a lot of fun.  So I'm all like flinging paint and dripping it and blowing on it and having a good ol time.  Then I keep getting paint splatters on his face and have to keep painting over it.  But, acrylics are forgiving.   So yay!

Unhappy with the hair right now.   It looks fake and lifeless.   I mean, yeah, it's green, but it still needs some real to it.  I'll fix it tomorrow.   My husband and roommate both agree that it needs a background of some sort.  That it's too white.   I'll add some color tomorrow because I agree.

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Oct 19th: Creepy Acrylic Joker

One of my dear friends is having a birthday Sunday.  Naturally,  I waited until the last minute to paint him something.   As it turns out, my friend has a favorite villian; the Joker.   But the original one from the old TV series.   I've never painted anything so creepy in my life.

This acrylic nightmare is going to focus more on feeling and not so much on details.  Because he's such an unnerving subject,  this technique should fit perfectly.   That and I have 2 days to complete it and I'm rushed!  Rushed or not, this is going to be awesome and creepy as hell when it's done.

Technique:  paint fast and only emphasize lights and darks.  No details.  Muddle the red and green.  Don't overthink.  Pray it looks good on Sunday evening.

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Oct 17th: Finished metallic ornament

Welp, it's finished.   After many spirals and branch looking things and snowflakes,  I think I'll call it a success. 

I want to refine my snowflake making techniques.  These are passable,  but I want more variety and better lines and detail in the future.   This was an easy ornament to do and something I'll log away as a fast way to get extra ornaments to sell.  My goal is to paint many like this for next year and sell them.  Maybe leave a space to put a name on it. 

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Oct 14th: Metallic Ornament

Back to the bulb today because I have so many exciting projects coming up!  But I don't want to forget about my own Christmas presents or I'll have nothing to show Christmas day. 

I think I'm getting the hang of this bulb.  The key is in layering the metallic paint.  By keeping some areas iridescent and adding white to others to make it more solid, I'm getting something that's much more to my liking.   I really want the snowflakes to stand out.  I also added bits of branches, dots and more swirls, whatever I was wishing to paint. 

I free handed her name on the back and I'm super proud of how the script turned out.  My only issue is that it's a little crooked.   Its hard to tell what's straight up when you're painting on a round surface.   Meh.  There are tools I should acquire to help or I'll have some annoyed customers one day.  They sell flexible rulers and such that I could just wrap around the ornaments.   I think if I'm on top of things tomorrow,  I can finish it then.

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Oct 8th: Ornaments!

It's that time again blog.   Time to make ornaments!   I missed them.  I actually have some orders, but today I chose to work on ones that I'll be giving to my grandma as gifts this Christmas.  

I'm winging these so there's no telling how they'll turn out.  I love the frosted blue ornaments.  They're so pretty ... but you can't make a mistake.   On a normal bulb, if you make a mistake,  you can scratch it off.  On the frosted ones, if you try to scratch off a mistake,  you'll take the frost right off.  Unless your ornament is high quality.   Which these aren't.   They're from Hobby Lobby.  I acquired new metallic paint and intend to go nuts with it.   I want swirls and snowflakes and stuff everywhere.   And that is what I shall do.  Somewhere in there I'll add her name.

What about the oil painting you ask?  I've put it on the shelf for now. It's going to have a lot of meaning to me and I want to get it right.  I haven't quite figured out how to get my base drawing done with nothing to reference.   So I'm brainstorming.  In the meantime,  I may as well paint some bulbs!

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Sept 27th: Finished Jedi in Acrylic

Well, this mono-chromatic neon wonder is finished.  I love it. But then again, it's Star Wars and I'm biased.  I honestly don't know if I'll want to sell this one... but being as poor as I am, I might!

I really wanted to get the lighting right.  Without the correct lighting, the passion would be missing.  If only one emotion gets through in this painting, I hope it's rage.  He's pissed.

By the way, if you ever endeavor to paint with neon acrylics some day, they are very opaque and I would highly recommend mixing them with white.  Otherwise, they may not show up.  Overall, I'm ok with everything but his face.  The toy I was painting from was... well... a toy and the facial features weren't exact.  So there was some fudging.  I'm assuming from his garb and the color of his lightsaber that people will be able to tell that it's Luke.

Fine.  No more time-wasting.  I'm on to the difficult oil painting of doom!  Bring it. 

Sept 26th: Skywalking in Acrylic

Oh blog, my long productive run with you may be over.  Once again I have a full time job.  Unfortunately,  my art doesn't bring enough money in to support me fully.  So a slave to the establishment I must be.

As the last bit of art as a free woman, I chose to work on my Jedi.  Something fun and non-commital.  I chose this because I wanted to prove to myself that I can draw from a 3d figure.  Primarily I can only draw from the static form of a 2D picture.   This helps me break free.
Setting up one particularly anguished looking Luke Skywalker figure and a desk lamp, I got some pretty dramatic lighting.   I chose only to paint the reflection the lightsaber would make on his body.  It's difficult to leave the painting for any amount of time because you must remember exactly how your head was positioned, exactly how you were sitting,  etc.   But acrylics are forgiving.

I sincerely hope that this job will be much less tiring than the last and I can still come home and paint.  Even if its only for an hour a day.

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Sept 23rd (the sequel): My In-between Painting

Tonight I've begun my fun painting.  For those times when I'll be frustrated with this next oil painting to come.  And I know I will be.  So during those times, I'll be painting my dear friend Luke.  I love this toy.  I've always wanted to paint it in all its epicness.  So here's my in-between fun art :D

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Sept 23rd: Finished Graphite Portrait

Oh glorious day blog!  The graphite drawings are done for awhile!   And I managed to make the youngest kid look cute and normal rather than creepy.  Adorable+horrifying=adorifying.
To solve my problem, I over-emphasized the roundness of his cheeks and widened his squinty eyes.  This worked well.  That and fleshing out the dark spots to make him look less like a vengeful ghost or something.   I'm happy with it for the most part.  On taking a second scrutinizing look, I think that the eyes on the older boy are off... Even though his head is tilted in the picture and his right eye appears to be higher than the left, it didn't translate entirely in this drawing.  So, if I had to change one thing, it would be lowering the right eye slightly.  But I don't think it's too off to be distracting... is it?  I think it'll be something their parents will be happy about. 

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