My first life painting!

Ta da! Here it is my first attempt at a life painting/mixed media! Oohh this was a frustrating little project! I had all these ideas. I am a great admirer of One Little House. Maisy has recently done lots of mixed media ladies and I absolutely love them. I've also been watching some tutorials on-line about layering with acrylics and generally swotting up! So there I was with all these ideas swimming around in my head when I realised that I didn't have any Golden Matte Medium which is apparently what I need to stick things and be able to paint over it. And when I looked further I didn't have a lot in the way of things to stick on either, despite having oodles of boxes of what Lovely Man refers to as "Crapola".

So I sorta ditched the mixed media thing and just went for a little canvas painted with acrylics. At least I could do the layering thing and experiment. All was going quite well. The background came out more or less how I wanted it. I had used gesso to prime over the top of my pencil sketch (I thought I read somewhere that was what you did!) And I did layers of thin colours and then used a scrunched up piece of tissue paper to dab some lighter blues and white on. I used a BIG round bristle brush to dab about a bit with the greens and some yellowy tones.

Then came Kelly. Oh my! I've never mixed skin tone before! I had a vague recollection of an art teacher at school saying you mix a pink and then add a tiny bit of yellow. Poor Kelly nearly ended up some very strange colours. Eventually she ended up like this but I haven't a clue how I did it and I'm still not sure I'm happy with the colour but hey! It is the first one and I just wanted to have a finished piece. And how on earth do you paint fine features with even the smallest brush? I retreated to my trusty Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens in the end! Hey! It's mixed Media OK?! I wanted flowers at the bottom and a butterfly but I was terrified I'd ruin it if I tried to paint them. Then I remembered my mum gave me some transfers of flowers from her card making stock and I searched them out. Whilst doing that I came across a rubber stamp of a butterfly and a gold ink pad. An idea started to take shape. Mixed Media. That means you can use anything right? So Hey Presto! One mixed media canvas, albeit a little crude and perhaps childlike!

So without further rambling I present..............

Kelly Berkey in mixed media! LOL!

I now patiently await your lovely comments (be kind ladies!) AND my order from Wallacks before attempting a more 'professional' piece! Oh and if I thought this one was an exercise in stretching outside the comfort zone go visit Kelly's blog and see what she has for us this week! OMG! Face, hands....and now feet too!!!

Kelly's Challenge

Ok so I got a bit sorta lazy this week.  Well no, not lazy, distracted maybe.  To get to the point I had grand ideas on something different and then realised that I didn't have what I needed to achieve it! I thought about plan B but that didn't seem as appealing as Plan A, and so I went off the boil a bit!  As I can't just pop to a shop for art supplies (I have to order and then hang about for about two weeks waiting for it to tour Canada before arriving in my mailbox) it means that I have disappointingly produced.......another pencil sketch!  However, I am actually quite pleased with it as it is but I am keen to stretch out of my comfort zone and do something different with it.  To that end I have made a promise to Kelly that I will get it done....soon!

From my last post, Marlene if you're reading this, here is the link to the paper article with my caricature as promised!  The Echo - Different Eh!

You never know until you try!

I have recently started writing a column for our local paper.  Usually I attach a relevant photograph along with each piece, but yesterday I wrote about our local wildlife and included the story of our chipmunk jumping down my t-shirt.  I have loads of pictures of my babies but felt that, as the story was quite funny, it warranted something equally comical.

A few years ago Lovely Man and I had a caricature drawn by an artist in the UK and they are displayed in the lounge.  So as I sat there the idea sort of popped into my head.  What if I could do one of myself with a comic chipmunk poking his head out of my top?  First of all I took a very quick, and unflattering, photo of myself trying to look surprised!  Then I started to sketch the basic lines and shapes of my face.  I then searched the internet for some cartoon chipmunks to get an idea how to accentuate their faces.  So here is the photograph (anyone of a sensitive disposition may wish to leave this blog now!!)

 

Yup, scary!  Sorry folks!  Now here is the first sketch, which at first I was pleased with, but then I went off it!  Wasn't quite right somehow.

First attempt - a little naive perhaps?

Ok, so I went off it.  What next?  Well I had this idea to try to copy the one on the wall but change my hair (it used to be short and spiky) and my clothes (I was wearing a strapless dress) and the expression.  This was OK-ish.  I didn't feel comfortable because it wasn't strictly my own work, I felt I had just copied someone else's work even though I'd changed it substantially.  However, it did give me more of a feel for exaggerating the features.

Second attempt - still not happy!

Still not happy I decided to try just one more time.  Eureka!  Third time lucky!  This, I felt, was me.  My own work, my own style and a definite improvement on the first attempt.

As promised!

Ok, so you have to keep this real quiet!  Remember I mentioned that I tried to sketch Lovely Man while we were on holiday last year?  Well I found said sketch and sneakily took a photo of it so I could share it with you! But promise you won't breath a word to Lovely Man!  

So go on!!!  It does doesn't it?  Remind you of someone I mean.  Alan Carr???  I tried again, same result!  This could mean any number of things.  Either: A) I am subconsciously in love with Alan Carr, B) Lovely Man does actually look like Alan Carr or C) I need more practice!!!

PS If anyone knows Alan Carr's address please forward maybe I could work on this a bit and sell it too him!!

Now from the back!

Kelly's challenge this week was a back view! I really enjoyed this as it's something I've done very little of...sketching people/bodies I mean! So anyhow had to have two attempts. The first was pleasing although I had real trouble getting the top arm right. Lovely Man pointed out that I was drawing her 'straight on' but that she appeared to be at a slight angle. So sketch no.2. I feel I got the angles and the arm a bit better this time but overall I think I prefer the first one!

Sketch 1



Sketch 2

Although I'm still not sure! Comments please!

Second Sketch - First Body!

Well folks I really am feeling quite pleased with myself! A few weeks ago I found a lovely lady on blogger called Lisa who sounds very much like me, i.e. realising a dream (or two)! Through her I found another blog written by Kelly Berkey. Kelly posted some pictures her husband had taken of her and challenged us to sketch one of them. Well I don't think I have ever sketched a whole body, clothed or otherwise (well actually come to think of it I did try to sketch Lovely Man when we were at a naturist camp but ...well we won't go into that one! He looked like Alan Carr when I finished!) Anyway, as I said, first attempt at a life drawing! I will post the Alan Carr lookalike some day (don't tell Lovely Man!) only the head and shoulders tho, not sure the world is ready for more than that!


Original Photo of Kelly



And my sketch:



So guys let me know what you think.