Skintones in watercolour

The week's hectic pace has run over into the weekend and I ended up having to go to work for a meeting on Saturday which ran over. Then running around afterwards trying to do some errands ensured that I didn't get home til around 5, so the day was shot.

I haven't had time to many inroads into projects that desparately need attention and tend to go off on tangents in the form of drawings or small paintings that aren't truly inspired or destined for anywhere but 'the' drawer. You know, the one where pieces that you lose interest in or that don't work out go to spend their days.

I did play around with a watercolour portrait, just to keep my hand in. I am continually working on the right palette for cool skin tones. I'm a real fan of blues for shadows for people with fair colouring, but they can be easily overdone and need to be balanced with reds and yellows to add some warmth as well.

This watercolour paper is Bockington 140lb and is very pale blue. The image here is taken in daylight and is quite cool overall. The image at the beginning of the post taken under artificial light and you can see that it adds a warmer tone to the piece.

I even remembered to take a couple of progress shots while I was doing this that may be useful to see the process of how I work.

Making time

This week has been so so busy, I barely have time to breathe so not a lot of time has been dedicated to art. Oh I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head. They come to me while driving quite often, as my commute is about 30 minutes each way. Its a good time to think and plan at the beginning and end of the day.

Most of my work this week has been starts of pieces, thumbnail sketches and snippets of drawings on sketchbooks or pieces of paper that are lying around. I have been fighting with a painting for most of the week, but its not doing as I want it to. I dot paint on it most days but it just won't come around yet.

So in times like this, I draw whatever comes to hand or whatever brings me comfort in terms of art. For me, its drawing eyes. Why? I really love drawing eyes, I always have. So this is where this start of a self portrait came from. Its unlikely it will go further - or not at this point as there are design faults that I can't be bothered to fix as it would mean a major redo.

Fatique takes its toll on drawing ability. I find I can draw best first thing in the morning. If I wake very early - 4 or 5am - and get up, its amazing how the pencil or brush flows. Tiredness affects my ability to think and to produce anything worthwhile.

But tomorrow I have a board meeting all morning, then the usual chores, so its unlikely I'll be able to devote a lot of time in the studio til late in the afternoon. Perhaps a nap first might be in order!

And now the macabre and strange that is sitting on my dining room table. And no, I haven't tasted it yet. I just like looking at it and anticipating a drawing with light through the glass.

Crystal Head Vodka. Designed by John Alexander and manufactured by Bruni Glass of Italy, the design of the bottle celebrates the mysterious legend of the 13 Crystal Heads found around the world and mentioned in the last Indiana Jones Movie. The 13 Crystal Heads are believed to be of ancient powerful origin by some, or a Victorian archeaological hoax by others.

In October 2008, actor Dan Aykroyd joined creative forces with American landscape artist and sculptor John Alexander to launch Crystal Head Vodka.

"Unlike most vodkas in today's marketplace that use additives, glycol, citrus and sugar to improve smoothness and flavor, Crystal Head Vodka is a pure spirit with no additives. It is quadrupled distilled and filtered three times through charcoal followed by triple filtration over Herkimer crystals from one of the planets rarest deposits of close concentrated semi-precious stones" said Aykroyd. The vodka is distilled by the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation and uses water sourced from the Province's deep aquifer glacial pools located over a thousand miles away from major sources of continental pollution.

Aykroyd is working with a leading US importer, The Infinium Spirits division of Wilson Daniels to market Crystal Head Vodka in the US. Crystal Head Vodka, which will be available initially in California, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana and Florida will retail for $49.95 per 750 ml bottle.

Perceived difficulties

When I started an anatomy course years ago, the initial thought terrified me even if I wanted and needed to do the course. All those body parts and systems and interactions and names. How would I ever figure them out, let alone get them correct in an exam. But I did and did well with it.

This like many things that are unfamiliar to us seem daunting and are simply perceived as difficult. Once they are broken down into smaller parts and the understand becomes clearer, our comfort level increases and with it, our ability to function and perform within a particular area. The same applies to art.

There was a point when I was scared to death of using pen and ink. It seemed so permanent and unforgiving. I couldn't erase it and hide my mistakes.

Then I plucked up my courage and started playing with ink and different pens and discovered that it is a lot easier than initially imagined. This technique of pointillism is quite time consuming, uses a fine nib and, to me, is a very relaxing, soothing method of creating an image. I am by no means an expert in it, but I enjoy the process.

This piece was started some time ago and I rediscovered it during a clear out of a cupboard. I can still see a few areas that need tweaking to create perfect spheres, but for the most part its done and it makes me want to start another piece using this same technique.

Its on the list.

Inspiration Tuesday

Steps to Nowhere

I am sharing this image under the Creative Commons license. (see sidebar)

This is an image of some steps that once led to a home in the now abandoned settlement of La Manche. The isolated fishing community was resettled in the 1960's after severe storms wrecked fishing stages and buildings.

These steps are being reclaimed by nature with trees and moss blending them into the forestscape.

I started this drawing as a doodle then got caught up it in. The shoes were done in graphite, but begged for colour so I put in a layer of watercolour pencil that was handy. I'll continue working on it, purely for pleasure as this is a sketchbook piece and is originally this week's drawing challenge on WetCanvas. I loved the shape and lines of the shoes.

A peek into a sketchbook

Between painting and full drawings, I sketch a lot and have sketchbooks scattered all over the house, including beside my bed. I also carry one in my handbag and have one tucked in a drawer at work.

Sketches can be from life, from memories, from illustrations or magazines or photos that I see. As long as it keeps me drawing, that's all that counts.

I enjoy looking back at sketchbooks and reliving memories and seeing people that I have sketched. The pile of books rapidly accumulates and is added to with scraps of paper that I sometimes end up drawing on when there isn't a sketchbook immediately to hand.

Chocolate road - completed

Chocolate Road
6 x 12 oils

I spent some time early this morning and again late this afternoon finishing off this piece. The trees were problematic and I really need to practice more with them. En masse, like this, I needed to concentrate on subtle light and colour changes within them. Not much is green this time of year so keepting the colours that are there subtle is a challenge.

I spent most of a fabulous spring day out wandering the southern shore of the Avalon, searching for new inspiration in sea and land. I walked the East Coast Trail to La Manche and was rewarded with some stunning views of an abandoned village on the edge of towering cliffs above the ocean.

The hike to the cliffs was about 1.5km over a trail that was rough in places, steep in places, and fit only for mountain goats in places, but I made it there and back not too worse for wear. I need to take up running again to get back to the level of fitness that makes a hike over terrain like that not quite so strenuous!

In the abandoned settlement there is a suspension bridge leading over the water and upwards further onto the East Coast Trail. Suspension bridges, while fascinating, won't see me set foot on one unless life and limb depend on it so I just took a photo of it instead.

The chocolate road

There is a little path on the road to my house that leads off to a marsh. Because the area is wet, it often fills with water, especially after rain or melting snow in spring.

I always look up this road as I pass it just in case a moose is waiting to jump out at me, but often to check how much water is there and see the reflections in it. As I passed it the other day, obviously some ATVs had been through the road, likely hauling wood out and had stirred up the already muddy lane. It reminded me of a path of melted chocolate and I decided I'd like to paint it.

I painted this road last summer when it was fresh and green. Now in early spring, there isn't much green to be seen except for spruce or pine trees. There are tinges of reds and purples in the bare branches of dogwood and alder fading into the distance.

I started this piece tonight on a 6 x 12 gallery canvas and hope to finish it tomorrow.

Rhododendron bud - VSD April

Working through some logistical problems, I'm now calling this attempt at my rhododendron bud for this month's Virtual Sketch Date complete.

I started off with a pencil drawing on Arches 140lb paper, then added the base values for the flower. I covered the flower with masking fluid and did a watercolour pour for the background. It didn't go exactly as planned but isn't bad.

When I removed the masking fluid, it roughened the paper in spots, making it difficult to add detail to the flower. I tried more layers then thought I'd add some pen and ink to it. Of course then I couldn't find my Rapidograph and started in a dark blue ink Micron pen. This morning I finally found my pen and added some more touches to the piece tonight.

Am I happy with it? Not completely, but isn't that the way with all pieces we create? There are elements in this which work better than others and I think I may use this reference again with a different medium and see what happens.

Water on Earth Day – Newfoundland’s pristine reputation?

Newfoundland benefits from being an island in terms of its ecological footprint on the earth.  Lack of industry limits pollution of air and water, but the simple act of living creates its own challenges.  Raw sewage still pours into the ocean from harbours, as it does in many parts of Canada and the world.  The problem is being addressed, but it will be years before the harbours are fit to see anything besides seagulls in them.

There has been clean up of rivers in the past few years and one success story is the Rennies Mill River which now teams with fish and wildlife.

 

Fish are the equivalent of the canaries in the mines and are the first to show that something is not right with the water.  Frogs as well are never present in polluted waters.  I am lucky where I live in that both are there in the water that flows from its source to the sea.  If they leave, I will know there is a problem.

     

The Atlantic ocean is clean by many standards but still poses problems for fish and mammals that make it their home.  The fishing industry is dead or dying so the incidents of whales becoming entangled in fishing nets is limited.  Ghost nets still roam the sea, making life a misery for those who encounter them.

Plastic carrier bags and rings that hold six packs of cans together cause death on a  daily basis for both sea creatures and those on land through slow suffocation or entanglement.

While Newfoundland is blessed with clean air and clean water, we still have a way to go towards a cleaner environment and a smaller footprint on the world.

Inspiration Tuesday

Ryan's Gate - summer
click on the image to view full size

Welcome to Inspiration Tuesday. This image is yours to use under the Creative Commons license (see side bar) if you so wish. If you do create a piece of art with it, I'd love to see it.

There is something appealing to me about old fences and this is a favourite of mine. I've drawing it before in silverpoint, but in winter. It is the entrance to Ryan's meadow where hay is made each summer. The gate and fence are hand made from trimmed trees and hammered straight into the ground. They eventually rot with wet soil and weather but are generally fairly long lived.

Rhododendron bud - part I

I've been working on the reference image that I used for this month's Virtual Sketch Date. Flowers are not my forte, but I like to keep challenging myself.

I thought I'd try a poured background for this piece and used a mix of acrylic inks and watercolours. The paper was 140lb but not as sturdy as I thought as it roughened the flower bud when I removed the masking fluid. This is the piece in its current state and I have to try to give the bud some shape as well as add in some leaves to balance the piece.

Stay tuned and cross your fingers!

The master syrup maker

Maple syrup is synonymous with Canada and one of the rituals that spell spring. It is delicious syrup but labour intensive to reach that final amber liquid.

This image is one provided by Paulette for a drawing challenge on Drawspace. She's lucky enough to have a relative who is in the industry - this is the syrup master at work, monitoring temperatures of the boiling sap. I did a quick sketch then added some colour to it.

Some facts about maple syrup:

• Canada produces 80% of the world's maple syrup - the majority coming from Quebec.
• Maple trees most commonly tapped for sap collection are Sugar Maple, Black Maple, Red Maple, and Silver Maple. These maple trees are common in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada. The Sugar Maple and Black Maple provide the highest sugar content, and therefore are ideal for a better maple syrup yield and shorter boiling times.
• Production is concentrated in February, March, and April, depending on local weather conditions. Freezing nights and warm days are needed in order to induce sap flows.
• It takes approximately 40 litres (10 gal) of sap to be boiled down to 1 litre (1 quart) of syrup.
• In Quebec, New Brunswick, eastern Ontario, and New England, the process has become part of the culture. One tradition is going to sugar houses (cabanes à sucre) in early spring for meals served with maple syrup. A typical offering is pancakes, baked beans and sausages, followed by a Tire sur la neige (in Quebec), maple taffee (in English Canada), and sugar on snow (in the United States). This is thickened hot syrup poured onto fresh snow and then eaten off sticks as it quickly cools.

Mackenzie King Estate

Mackenzie King Estate - Gatineau, Quebec

SOLD

The Mackenzie King Estate was the country retreat of Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. This historical estate, the legacy of Mackenzie King, belongs to all Canadians. Mackenzie King was Canada's 10th Prime Minister and held power for 22 years -- the longest ever for a Canadian prime minister.

King had some quirks - one of them being ruins, which he created on the Estate. To give his property a more distinguished appearance, King collected stones to erect ruins scattered through the gardens. If you look carefully, you can even find the Coat of Arms of the original Parliament Buildings in Britain.

The Estate is said to be haunted possibly because King died there or because of King's own psychic activities. King had an avid interest in spiritualism and sometimes invited mediums to his Estate for private consultations.

I visited the Estate last year with a friend. It was a glorious day in early May and the Estate was beautiful. There was still the starkness of winter, just being overshadowed by the new green of spring. I took this photo looking up the path towards some of the ruins. The shadows and strong light appealed and also gave a sense of the quiet of the place, broken only by footsteps on the dirt path and birdsong above our heads.

The end of a legend

Buddy

2001 - 2009

Today Buddy died. He'd had a stroke or small heart attack about a month ago, but recovered. The last few days his face was a lot darker than usual, often indicating that his heart wasn't pumping as well as it could or carrying enough oxygen to his lungs. He was found with his very best friend B.D. standing next to him, looking confused and a little lost.

Buddy and B.D. (Big Duck) were Muscovy ducks and brothers. I had eight of the ducklings from that hatch, both male and female since they were about two weeks old. About a year later a coyote attacked the little flock and killed all the females and one of the larger males. That left me with just three. Buddy, B.D. and Chester. Three males together is not a good mix and their were lots of fights. So Chester went off to befriend a Toulouse goose while Buddy and B.D. remained on the farm.

They were never apart for a moment. You never saw one without the other. They spent all their days together and their nights. They ate together, explored together, slept together and pretended to bathe together. Well Buddy got wet, but B.D. puts his head in the water and pretends he got completely wet. They're not strong swimmers and not dependent on water like many ducks.

They are very large ducks, almost the size of geese but extraordinarily placid and laid back. They move slowly and lounge in the shade whenever possible. They are quackless and hiss which to someone who doesn't know them, sounds menacing, but in fact its their version of quacking. They come to greet me when I get home like dogs, hissing and wagging their tails and bobbing their heads with crests erect. They liked to hide under the steps to the house, hissing when people walked up. For people who didn't know them, it sure made them move fast to think of 'monsters' under the steps.

Its just a duck you say. No. Buddy was much more than a duck. I can't explain how or why, but he was very different, as is B.D. They were the characters of the farmyard. Everyone who came would comment on them and ask for them if they weren't in sight.

They would catch mice and eat them and in fact become anemic if they didn't get enough protein. That led me to an adventure in buying dead mice from a pet store one day when we didn't have any 'fresh' mice to feed them.

Buddy, I will miss you, but I think B.D. will miss you even more.

Creativity

Call it drugs, too much sleep or whatever, but odd ideas come into my head for drawings and this is one of them.

I've been sketching, nothing concrete, technically competent or complete, but there's a part of me, even when sick, that still creates. I liked the intense gaze for this, complete with bird, adding a surreal - or real - element to it. The eyes aren't matched but that's what comes from drawing lying on the sofa! The drawing provides a jumping off point for other elements to join in, for things to change, colour to be added or subtracted and suddenly a new piece is formed.

Another sketch was of Tripod, just a roughing in of eyes and fur shading, perhaps to turn into a detailed pencil drawing. The first drawing I ever did of Tripod sold at an art show and was awarded Best in Show. The judge of the show bought it in fact. Its time for another serious piece, despite the cat's disdain for me.

Creativity has been the subject of debate and many beginning artists don't understand it well or confuse it with technical ability, believing creativity will win out in the end. That's a rather romantic notion, but never rings true in the final product. To successfully create a creative piece you need to have the technical ability to apply a medium to a surface, no matter how your change your final subject or composition.

I've also been working off and on on the oil painting of my daughter as a child. Its slow going and I have wiped and rewiped elements of it several times. Perhaps the turps are getting to me. I want it loose and free, but what's coming out is tight and controlled. Even a happy split between the two would do about now. And for some reason the camera won't oblige to provide an update tonight. It probably needs its feed of new batteries.

An apple a day...

Is supposed to keep the doctor away, but I'm not sure in this case.

This cold/flu whatever it is has really knocked me out so I'm taking a couple of days away from the blog to recover. My befuddled brain doesn't make a lot of sense in terms of drawing or painting, but should be back before long, raring to go again.

Monkey update

Portrait of a monkey
coloured pencil 9 x 2

Between drugs and snoozing on the sofa, I did a little more work on the monkey today to build up more layers. The little face reminds me of a friend's monkey from years ago. He had a spider monkey called Judy and a little dog named Romeo. They were a pair indeed, always causing chaos wherever they went.

I wandered around the property for some air today and to look for inspiration. There's not a lot growing yet as the snow has just gone, along with the ice from the pond. However, even with the starkness there is still beauty. This pond is on my property and is where the ducks love to swim. At this time of year, the water is so clear you can see to the bottom and occasionally little trout will dart back and forth from the brush at the sides. I liked the sharp shadows that I and the fence made against the water. Shadows, both their shapes and the negative spaces around them are very interesting.

Portrait of a monkey

Portrait of a monkey
coloured pencil, 9 x 12

.

For some reason, my body saves up illnesses for when I don't have to work. Today was a holiday for me and sure enough I woke up feeling blah - sore throat, temperature, aches and pains - a cold. My first all winter.

Its probably a combination of being tired and travelling through busy places with lots of people that did it and hopefully it will be shortlived.

I've been searching for inspiration all week without much luck and looking forward to this long weekend to get some drawing and painting done. I fully intended looking around my property to see what I could work with, but weather and how I felt stopped that. Instead I wandered through some images online and this little face appealed to me - a portrait by Samantha.

Humans always seem to find primates fascinating, perhaps because they so closely mimic looks and expressions of humans that we see some of ourselves in them.

Fatigue and drawing

I'm completely uninspired this week and haven't done much drawing or painting. Its likely fatigue that's my undoing and an four day weekend should help that as well as give me some extra time to get back on track again.

Meanwhile, I'll share another of the letters that I have elaborated on. This is out of the 'bedtime' sketchbook. This sketchbook lives on the table beside my bed and some nights before I fall asleep I draw in it. Sometimes things out of my imagination, sometimes things from magazines. Its a repository for the strange and wonderful as well as the strange and ugly. But it is all practice and ensures that something goes on paper most days, even if I don't have time and energy to do so otherwise.

Inspiration Tuesday

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Click the image to see it full size

I have no idea why this image won't post straight. I'll keep trying, but for some odd reason it won't.

This is an image that is available under the Creative Commons license from my own collection of photographs. You may use the image as you wish, provided that you attribute it to me and link to this blog.

The flowers here are Pulsatilla vulgaris, commonly known as the Pasque Flower. It is one of the first flowers to open after winter and depending on where in the world you are, that may be around Easter.