Deconstructed apple

Ah yes, you didn't think you'd get away that easily did you?  Yes, Virginia, there are more apples...

In fact there are more apples than I could possibly have time to draw or paint in a lifetime.  And in the Apple Challenge, there are even more.  You still have until October 15th to pop your version of an apple into the comments section and links to all of them will be added as soon as possible after the challenge finishes.

For this piece, its another macro view, this time of an apple cut in half.  Its quite ingenious how the seeds are protected within the heavy layer of flesh, each within its own little pocket, sometimes twin seeds in a section.

Looking at it from this perspective, it may be difficult to even recognize it as an apple.  This in done with coloured pencil on brown paper in my Earthbound sketchbook.  I wanted it to be subdued so used mostly sepia with a touch of ochre and venetian red and white for highlights.

Portraits and turkeys

I did some more work on the portrait I started last night but am not sure if I like how its going or not.  I think it may still be in that ugly phase and I need to work through it.  I don't like the eyes and am not sure how to get around that with watercolour and ink in place already.

I have layered more pigment and added ink, almost like a value map on the face.I wanted a graphic look to the piece and its moving in that direction.  There's still a lot of work to be done on the hair and that throws the whole thing off a bit as my eyes are still looking for what isn't present yet.

I have switched up to an updated version of Blogger for posting.  Don't ask me how.  Some little box popped up and, like a five year old in front of an elevator button, I pressed it and here we are.  So bear with me if things look a little wonky til I get used to it.  However, it doesn't seem as if I'll have too many troubles with it.  And it does make loading and placing images much better.

The Thanksgiving turkeys came back today with people picking them up constantly.  Supper on days like this is a thing of the past or eaten in many stages.  There are just the Christmas turkeys in the barn now, eating like there's no tomorrow.  They are fed natural feed with no hormones, no animal by products.  They have music, a large pen inside, corn on the cob hanging in the pen to peck at and eat and a Sponge Bob ball. 

Yes.  Turkeys like to play ball.

It keeps them amused and provides something to peck at rather than each other.  They will, in mass, chase the ball if you throw it.  I need to capture that on video, its quite funny.

Walking the tightrope

I'm doing a little experimentation with this portrait. Its a watercolour on 11 x 14 arches paper. I want to go loose and a little abstract with it as well and see what happens.  The first layers are down now its time to play around a bit.

I want the colours to be bright and cheerful and there will likely be some ink in here before I'm through.  Of course that becomes the tightrope.  I can get safely to the other side or fall off entirely.

But hey, its only paper.  And being part of the circus should be fun. Shouldn't it?

Pear study

I've had a lazy day today. It was cool and damp and very fall like, so I lazed on the sofa and napped then after supper came to the studio to push paint around.

My notebook was sitting close by and there was paint on my palette so I decided to see how it would react to the paper. Although it sucks up paint rapidly, I like the feel of it for a quick study.

I bought a basket of pears at the market and took some photos of them on the kitchen counter with sunlight coming in. I love strong shadows and contrasts. Pears remind me so much of fall, I only wish I could grow them here. I haven't seen any growing, but if apples grow, perhaps pears could as well if sheltered..

Portrait of a girl - early stages

I've made a start on a new portrait and its very early stages at this point. My preliminary drawing is done with a brush straight onto a toned canvas panel. The likeness has moved away a little as I haven't worked on the eyes yet. However, I'm not worried as it will come together as I get further into the piece - I hope!

I've used a limited palette with this painting, almost Zorn, but with the addition of ultramarine blue. I want to keep it simple and feel that very often the first stroke should be the final stroke. I like the loosness and feel of simple strokes that aren't blended too much. Quite often I go back into a piece then wish I hadn't as the freshness is very easy to lose.

Going through the stages of a painting is always a little traumatic. Keeping the vision of what I want it to be throughout the ugly stages is always a challenge and is often where people go wrong and stop or trash the painting. The amazing part is seeing features appear out of the canvas and knowing that it is matching what's in my head.

Northern Ireland

Listeen Road, Castlereagh, Northern Ireland

October's Virtual Paintout is in and around Belfast in Northern Ireland. I did a quick oil painting of a field in Castlereagh, outside Belfast. Compared to what was referred to as "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, this peaceful pastoral scene provides a different picture.

I spent about a year in Ireland, mostly in the south in Cork, but I did travel all over, including the Aran Islands. I didn't go into Northern Ireland as it wasn't stable there then but knew a number of people from the north and still can pinpoint that musicial northern Irish accent that's so unique to that region.

I will be back to explore Belfast and the surrounding area and work on some more paintings. This was another 'use up what's on the palette' painting so my colours are limited and I need more browns and yellow in this. Perhaps I'll adjust it tomorrow.

Grids, projectors and other secrets

I usually resize images by gridding but its a task that I truly dislike. All that measuring, all those lines, all that transferring of squares. So I decided that I'd invest in an art projector. Not a hugely expensive piece, but one that would allow me to increase sizes of original drawings or play around with reference images to get them to the size I want without tears.

There are a couple of schools of thought about using projectors, or even gridding for that matter. One school of thought brings out the 'are you cheating' concept. This says that if you use a mechanical aid to help you, you're less of an artist for it.

The second school of thought believes that aids are simply that. A method to move you more quickly and more accurately towards the end result that is in your mind's eye.

I have a foot in both courts. I don't believe that using a projector is an any way 'cheating'. If creating an outline or pinpointing angles of facial features or landscapes makes a person an artist, I'd love to let them tackle a full piece complete with values and colour. I do believe that slavish use of a projector or gridding diminishes the ability to make that mind/eye/hand connection that helps you judge and measure and draw effectively. If you use a crutch enough, you will forget how to walk without it.

For the tedious aspects of drawing, such as transferring drawings from a master to a clean sheet of paper. For increasing the size of a piece and for accuracy when it really counts, I believe in using every aid that exists. It doesn't make me a better or worse artist for it, I am still an artist. In your job, I don't ask if you used a computer to create a presentation or a graphics program to manipulate an illustration. I accept that you do your work and use the tools that you need to do so.

After all, who where the original users of similar items? The camera lucida and obscura go back hundreds of years and are reported to be used by some of the most famous artists. David Hockney's book 'Secret Knowledge' looks into the use of tools by artists of the past. Durer's grid seen in the image above is an early form of using a grid for a life drawing. A challenge in a life drawing class I would think!

There is no stygma in using tools to help you achieve a result. The problem only arises if they are what you rely on completely so that you can not produce art without them. There are pluses and minuses on both sides. What is your take on it? Do you use tools to help you?

Finally one of several pairs of earrings I have created that will go into my Etsy store. Sterling silver wrapped from head to toe with tiny clear glass drops that looks like rain.