Suffering for art

Candy apple

8 x 10 graphite

I have an idea in my head of something that I want to draw and am working on the process, with some obstacles cropping up.

I want to create a drawing/painting of candy apples. You know, those bright red shelled, cavity producing things of fairs and fall. Its not so much the apple and candy part I want, its just some images of them that I want to capture in the right light so I can use them to draw from.

So I set out to find some. Of course there are none available. Even the ingredients for them seemed difficult to find. I can find the things to create the brittle shell, and the apples, now I need to find sticks to insert into them. And then the time to make them. This will have to be next weekend now, otherwise I won't be around during daylight hours and unable to photograph them and they will have softened or melted by then.

I've never made candy apples before. Caramel apples, yes. They're simple, you just melt caramels and coat. The hard shelled apples are a bit trickier. It involves heat and melting stuff and if you've ever gotten a speck of boiling sugar syrup on your hand you'll know what I mean when I say pain.

Is this what suffering for the sake of art is all about? Frustrated by my inability to get things set up today I created a drawing of a candy apple to satisfy a little bit of my need for instant gratification.

The look

The Look
9 x 12 watercolour

"After scolding one's cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word. And has filed it for reference."- Charlotte Gray

Anyone who's ever owned a cat knows this look. Its that mix of anger, disdain and extreme disappointment in the human race when they have once again failed to anticipate a feline's wishes.

This sketch in watercolour let me try to capture it.

# 3

Clementine # 3

graphite 8 x 10

I don't know why I drew yet another version of this clementine. I guess I'm just testing to see how different mediums look on the same subject. I'm sure I could go on to many other mediums but think I'll stop at these three.

My scanner seems to make horrible scans lately or perhaps its my tweaking ability. I prefer a photo of it, but that need to wait til daylight.

After doing so much painting for the last month, it feels good to go back to drawing again. I love the ability to create finer detail with pencil and the portability that goes with it. This little drawing came to work with me and I worked on it at lunch then finished it off tonight.

Now onto my next project!

Portrait study

Rose
9 x 12 charcoal & white chalk

I am in a portrait study group and have been working slowly at the first portrait, which is of Rose Welty. I've changed aspects of it several times due to not checking my measurements carefully enough. I think its on the right path now but I have more work to do with it. This is the progress so far.

Most of the time I draw freehand, but sometimes when I want to really be sure a piece is correct I use an abbreviated version of a grid so I can gently place the main features then go on from there unaided.

I love using charcoal and white chalk on toned paper. I can manipulate it and control it (doesn't that sound so very sadistic??) Dry media will always be my fall back to comfort.

Ripples

Ripped tide
lino print - watercolour ink

There must be something in the air, as lino prints are springing up everywhere. But why not? Its a lovely indoor winter activity and becomes easily addictive. I've just received a new supply of lino blocks and a set of carving tools as well as a sheaf of paper to print on. And today my book arrived from Amazon: The Printmaking Bible by Ann D'Arcy Hughes. A lot of the information is well over my head at the moment, but it does entice me to experiment with more types of printing besides relief.

Ripped tide II
lino print - watercolour ink & coloured pencil

The initial proof of ripples on water didn't take up as much ink as I wanted or I didn't rub it enough, so I decided to add some colour to it, inspired by Vivien Blackburn's exotic lino print. I used coloured pencil and will continue to experiment with more lino prints and colours.

I like the abstract feel of lino prints and adding colour gives another dimension entirely without the process of reduction or multiple blocks. Hand coloured...

I've seen some portraits done in lino and would really like to try that next. It may take a little planning to work it out, so stay tuned.

More vitamin C

Clementine II
11 x 14 watercolour

I am trying several other versions of the clementine reference that's in this month's Virtual Sketch Date. This is the watercolour version. I love the sunny colours of this fruit, it definitely brightens up a January day. However, technically I'm not entirely happy with it as it needs more white in it for the pith on the fruit. I should have taken the time to add some masking fluid, but I didnt. I may try a little gouache and see if that will be effective, or simply store the thought of better planning for the next piece.

Self analysis is very useful when you don't have an experienced critic at hand. And over time, you learn to spot weak areas and know almost instinctively what needs adjustment, what lines are out of whack and when to simply trash something and start over.

Its useful to draw or paint the same piece over and over and I see something new each time I do. The next piece will be in charcoal or carbon I think. And perhaps large. I'm trying to break out of small pieces and the transition is difficult. There is a comfort level for me in both dry media and in size restriction.

Going to larger pieces provides a new set of challenges in terms of the technical aspect of creating something larger than life on paper so that it is drawn correctly. Just the sheer size can become daunting as well, when I'm so familiar with working on a small size and the time frame that it encompasses. Larger works mean larger blocks of time for completion. I'll need to bridle my need to see completion earlier.

Three heads are better than one

Dora
9 x 12 graphite

Joe
9 x 12 graphite

I did some portrait drawing from life again tonight. The class doesn't seem to be moving in the right direction, so I don't know if I will continue, however, I do enjoy the chance to draw faces any chance I get.

I was the model for one of the 30 minute poses and it felt odd being there again. I used to model a lot for artists years ago and can't remember body parts going numb quite so quickly as they do now!

Susan
9 x 12 graphite

These are approximately 30 minutes each. I was trying to do some simple value maps within a couple of them to see if I could translate them into more refined drawings later, but without the model in front of me, it would be difficult to do.

This last scan is terrible for some reason. A bit of light under the cover perhaps. And I can't be bothered to scan it again right now.

Does size matter?

No comment
18 x 12 oils

I wanted to experiment with a larger piece to see the impact of it. I've always worked on small canvasses, perhaps feeling safer there. I took the small graphic self portrait that I did for the sketchbook project and translated it onto an 18 x 24 canvas. Of course in my haste to get something on canvas, I didn't paint the background, so the face and hand is currently bare canvas. Once it dries a bit, I'll go back and add paint to that section.

The rest is painted. I started out with just venetian red on the canvas, then wanted colour, so the sweater was added in viridian which I toned down a lot. I'm not sure if I want that in there now or not and if there would be more impact with all white and just the red, like an oversized lino print or whether I should go for a strong graphic feel with colour as the background.

Its quite nice to work on a much larger size, if not a little intimidating. Everytime I walk into the studio, the size of the piece hits me. However, often size does matter...

I have a lot of images on my hard drive and on an external hard drive and on cds. Some of these are well stored with lots of neat directories and files telling me what is in them. A lot more are stuffed away all over the place, leaving me searching forever for a particular piece.

To make one little part of my life easier, I've set up a Flickr account to store some of my pieces, but in particular the Watermarks pieces so that I can view them at a glance and know what areas I've covered and where I want to go.

I've even managed to create a little slideshow of the watery marks I've made so far. I'm always so impressed when something electronic works for me!

Clementine

Clementine
9 x 12 oils

I took a photo of this clementine months ago while it sat on the kitchen counter awaiting its fate. I liked the colours and shapes and knew it was destined for a drawing or painting in the future.

The future came in the form of the Virtual Sketch Date this month. I chose this image and hope people will enjoy drawing or painting it as much as I did.

Fruit series continued

Lemon III - Fruit Series
Oils 5 x 7

I started a series of very simplistic fruit paintings to get myself back into the swing of oils. I don't know if its worked, but I've enjoyed the process and it helps to not have to worry about complex shapes and values in these cropped images. The image unfortunately still has a glare to it as its wet and its at night. Better luck with an image tomorrow I hope.

The other fruits in the series so far can be found here and here.

Also, just a reminder that the January reference for the Virtual Sketch Date is online now. I have provided the image for this month and encourage you to try it in whatever medium you enjoy. The reference can be found on the VSD blog here.

Fog bank

Fog bank
9 x 12 oils

Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967)

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

There is a subtle change in the light. You strain to see the separation of sea and sky and realize that there isn't any. The fog bank is resting on the horizon, almost resembling land at times. The mirage of the sea, not the desert.

The foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland. Fog is frequent there as the Grand Banks is the meeting place of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the much warmer Gulf Stream from the south. The foggiest land areas in the world are Point Reyes, California, and Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, both with over 200 foggy days a year.

Confetti tide

Confetti Tide
5 x 10 watercolour

I've been studying waves and the ocean's movement in watercolour, trying to figure out how to capture the motion in a freeze frame of the eye. Its a lot harder than imagined. Both in concept and in the medium as well.

This wave breaking on a smooth shore reflected colours of the sky and the shore and the cliffs sourrounding it and reminded me of confetti. There aren't a lot of sandy beaches in Newfoundland but the ones that exist are beautiful and stretch on for what seems like miles, becoming treasured places that people are loathe to share with the world in case they become overcrowded.

Of course here, there isn't the commercialism associated with beaches in other parts of the world. You won't usually find a plethora of buckets and spades and inflatables or t-shirts that you have to pass on your way to the shore. More often than not, you simply come upon the beach almost by accident, announced by a small sign and a few cars.

Drawing from life

I went to what should have been a life drawing class tonight, but the model didn't show, so we took turns drawing each other. Here are the results from three half hour poses. I felt like I was just warming up when it was time to go again.

I love drawing from life and wish I could do it more often. Its so different than using a photographic reference. A couple of the sketches had me itching to paint them instead. Perhaps I'll bring some colour to the next session.

Sunday leftovers

Shannon

9 x 12 watercolour

I've spent today piddling around, finishing up leftover pieces and making starts on other pieces. I was calling this portrait done but have now noticed that the left shoulder needs extending to make the arm look correct. Funny how I don't see these things sometimes til they are online.

I had previously invited people to send me images of people or animals to include in my sketchbook for a project that I'm participating in. Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel sent me an image of Snowy, a sweet little dog that may not get as much of a look in in the blogging world possibly because Dermott has power in size. However, Snowy, here's your chance to shine. Your own page in my little sketchbook. Dermott, Snowy can negotiate on my behalf if you'd like to be included as well. It may involve food and sleeping rights next to the heater...


Finally another sketch inspired by lino prints and the strong graphic look they achieve. I wanted to see if I could recreate something similar in coloured pencil using again my most available and cooperative model. Me. Why red? Why not?

Relief printing

Fish
linoprint 4 x 5.5

I've been investigating relief prints or lino prints lately. I love the graphic look of them and wanted to experiment myself. I haven't done anything resembling printing for many many many years so I thought I'd give myself a refresher course and try a small print.

Of course, living on this island sometimes makes accessing materials difficult, but I did come up with the basics and have sent off my mailorder for more things today. Because it is a refresher course to me, I thought it may be new to others too and I will try to share my process here.

I first spent some time reviewing some videos at Wonder How on relief or block printing that we very useful in outlining the steps to take in creating a piece as well as sharing some tips for success.

The next decision was what design to use. It would have to be something that could translate easily into simple lines and shapes. I then remembered an old piece that I painted on wood many years ago, a sort of stylized fish and ocean and thought I'd see if I could create that as a simple line drawing and reduce it to fit the lino block that I had bought(4 x 5 1/2).

I outlined the size of the block on paper and used it to enclose the drawing of the fish. This was the final drawing.


I transferred the drawing to the lino, then went over it with a fine marker to make sure the lines stayed put. The piece is reversed now and will reverse again when printed.


I then used a carving tool to cut away the areas of the lino that would not receive ink. The decision around what to leave blank and what to carve I found a bit tricky and needed to do a few thumbnail sketches before I was brave enough to make the first cut. No going back then! The block cut like butter and I became absorbed in it, burning supper in the process....

Then came the fun part - making the first print! I used a spare sheet of glass as a palette and water-soluble block print inks for the print. I had a small brayer which was the perfect fit for the block, so I spent some time getting it coated with the right amount of ink. Too little and it would be patchy, too much and it would blur into the cut lines.


I made sure that the block was coated well with ink in all directions then plopped it onto a sketchbook page for an initial proof. I need a baren to be able to really make the ink adhere to the paper well, but as that's not available here and on order, I had to make do with the back of a wooden spoon. I've since found a rubberized grout float that I've 'borrowed' which should do the job nicely til my baren arrives.

I peeked to make sure the ink was doing as it should, then peeled it off the block and let it dry. The results are in the first image of this post. I played around and mixed some additional pigment to alter the blue and for a little more practice, then printed them on Somerset printing paper that I have. The pieces seem to be richer on the Somerset paper than on the plain paper and are obviously more absorbent.


I'll try them on a few other supports and practice a bit more. I have one more small lino block to play with and need to research another design for it. I quite enjoyed the process again and can see all sorts of possibilities for print use. Once I receive my materials I will have more scope with tools as this piece is carved with just one v cutter, making it a little clumsy at times, especially on the curves.

Redheads

Shannon
9 x 12 watercolour

This is a quick portrait of a friend's daughter which was painted mostly while I was on the phone with my friend. I had sketched the portrait last night then thoguht I'd see if I could get that special colouring that only redheads have.

I haven't finished the hand yet and will. The hair needs a little deepening in places but the rest will stay as it is. I don't think I was quite strong enough in the shadows of the sun across her face, as I was wary of going too deep and making it look harsh.

I'm starting to like watercolours again for portraits and just bought a big pad of watercolour paper, so I'm obliged to continue. Or that's my excuse anyway!

Marsh at twilight

Marsh at Twilight
9 x 12 oils

On my drive to and from work, I watch the skies and the water and the landscape, creating paintings in my head but knowing that they may only stay in my head as I won't have time to do everything that I want.

With some snow on the ground when I drive home in the evening, it gives a glow to the fields against the darkened trees that border them and tonight I saw the dying edge of the sun sinking behind the trees. The bright gold was like a slit in the sky, sitting on the treetops against the darkness and I so wanted to capture it.

A small stream winding through the marsh remained open, its movement preventing freezing and reflecting a glimmer of the sunset. I stopped the car and looked at the scene, trying to memorize it, then came home and took out my paints. Here is the result.

Alla prima portrait

Self portrait
oils 7 x 9

I'm trying hard to loosen up my oil painting and act on instinct instead of overthinking things. So I worked on this piece for about 2 hours and think I have a likeness there, but the hand needs some work. The position of the fingers was complex and I sort of glossed over it. I also need to work on brightening the skin tones. I want to replicate the translucent skin, but not overwork it. To do that now, I may have to wait til the first layers dry for a day or two before adding more paint.

I'll go back and tweak some more. The eye colour isn't right yet. My eyes are blue but not quite that blue. I find one of the most difficult things for me in oil portraits is getting the eye colour correct. I need to do a series of colour swatches for different coloured eyes to see what mixes I can come up with. These ones need to be greyer to tone them down I think.

I do need to look around and invest in a good book on colour and oils. Any recommendations?

Ice

Iced
yupo, watercolour 7 x 10

My mind is still working around elements of water and a series around that is part of my 2009 plan. I have looked at different forms of water, such as fog, snow and ice as, being winter here, there seems to be lots of it and will be for awhile. There are also creatures that live in or are dependent on water which also interest me.

I have been experimenting with different mediums and supports that I haven't used for awhile and in this piece I used Yupo. This support is a plastic sheet that doesn't absorb water so the paint sits on top until it dries. It can be washed away down to brilliant white again or different effects can be obtained through adding other things to the sheet. In this piece I tried some crumpled plastic film, removing it after the paint had dried, or nearly dried.

The effects left on the surface remind me of ice crystals or the look of ice under your feet when you stand on a deep frozen pond or lake. I'll do some more experimenting with this technique and see if it goes anywhere. I want to see how much I can layer it without it disintegrating the underlayer or muddying the paint too much. It seems from what I've read, you either love or hate yupo!

Sketches from a coffee shop

Sketches from a coffee shop

Graphite Moleskine 8 x 5

I sketch quite a bit and most if for my own enjoyment and doesn't often see the light of day through other's eyes. I love to sit in coffee shops and people watch. Expressions, gestures and capturing movement are fascinating to me. I flit from face to face and see how much detail I can get into a sketch before the person moves or before they notice I am sketching them.

I often find people will use the same movement over and over even if you think they are moving around a lot. I get the gesture in place first, then add details as the movement is repeated. If they move out of range, I can often use a similar gesture in someone else to complete the sketch.

This is the end of a sketchbook that I carry in my bag daily. Its also a kraft covered holder for receipts, gift cards and grocery lists. The pages are a little smeared by now but that adds to the charm.

Its now time to break out a new sketchbook or perhaps make one myself. I've been looking into creating a sketchbook for some time, but haven't acted on it. It doesn't look too complicated so I just may try my hand and see what I can come up with.