A handful

 

I wanted to draw or paint something tonight, but didn't know what.  I've finished a few projects and commissions and find that I have a bit of a lull after that, as if my brain and body slow down for awhile. But I still needed to create something.  Funny how there's something inside that insists on certain actions.  Probably similar to the same voice that makes you get out of bed for ice cream at 3am.

I browsed through images that I have and came across a photo of Geoff Meeker.  Geoff is an independent communications consultant and writes a blog, Meeker on Media, that is published in The Telegram.   I know Geoff on Facebook and had asked him awhile back if I could use this image that was on his profile there.  I liked the lighting and the colours that the computer screen he was facing reflected back onto the skin.

So this is a tiny version of Geoff that I started tonight.  Its artist trading card size 3.5 x 2.5 in watercolour on Strathmore cold press.  I thought I'd show the initial sketch as well as where I am so far. I have the base layers of colour and shape in, I just need to clean up edges and intensify the shadows.  At this size, watercolour pencils come in handy for the details, as I never seem to have a lot of luck with those teeny tiny brushes with two hairs on them.  They frustrate more than satisfy.

But that will have to wait til tomorrow. For now, a little knitting of a cowl, then some sleep. With more snow predicted, it will make the drive to work interesting no doubt.

29 years later

Today marks 29 years since John Lennon was fatally shot outside his apartment in New York City.  There was stunned silence around the world, then outrage, then sadness that one of the world's most talented musicians was silenced forever.

While most people think of Lennon as part of the Beatles and the amazing musician that he was, his first love was art and he did attend art school at the Liverpool  Art Institute for three years (1957-1960). His primary medium was line drawing which became illustrations for three books that he published in the 1960s.  Lennon originally created a portfolio of drawings in 1969 which he entitled "Bag One". These drawings depicted John and Yoko's wedding and honeymoon and he presented them to her as a wedding gift. The Bag One suite represents the only hand signed prints available by John Lennon.

His music lives on.  His art lives on.  Isn't that something we all hope for?  A little piece of ourselves as a legacy to the world.

Experiments and snow

An experiment on Myrna Wacknov's blog, Creativity Journey, inspired me to try it myself.  Myrna was trying watercolours on regular printer photographic paper and I just had to join in the fun.  The slick surface has similarities to yupo, in that it doesn't sink into the paper, but pools on the surface.  You definitely need a loose style to work on this and I enjoyed trying to create a face on the surface. 

I love the way the paints run into each other depending on how much water I use or pigment.  I may go back into this with some inks to add definition or perhaps add another medium to it.  With a big box of photographic paper from a large box store, it gives me an economical way to experiment with the surface.

Yesterday was a day full of snow.  Today was a day full of snow clearing.   This is my little car sitting in 16 inches of snow waiting to be dug out this morning.  The snow on the window made me think times when artificial 'snow' in a can was used to decorate windows inside years ago when I was in the UK.  I guess I don't need that effect here do I?

Rocky the Crow

Relief printing is the third medium that I've tried using the Terraskin paper and Rocky the Crow is the result of the experiment.

I found a small piece of soft cut block which is heaven to carve and doesn't hurt my hand.  I then sketched a crow sillouette and branch onto the block.  Using Amie Roman's advice about carving out the crow and tree instead of leaving them as the relief worked beautifully on black paper, but of course on the off white surface of the Terraskin, it becomes reversed with an albino crow.

Terraskin doesn't absorb ink the same way as regular paper would and with its slicker surface, burnishing blurred the image.  I found more success with saturating the block with ink then plopping it onto the terraskin and using the pressure of my hand only, leaning into it to apply the image to the surface.  Even then, I can't get a crisp image with the block.

With the first blurred image, I thought I would try washing the ink off the surface, as can be done with Yupo.  A lot of the ink did wash away, but there is a shadow left that makes the piece unusable unless gessoed....another element for another experiment perhaps.

So I did a quick print on black paper to get the desired effect of black crow.  I didn't test first to get a really good print, but the general idea is there.  I will work more on some good prints of this image.

The results of this experiment?  Terraskin isn't going to work well for printing from what I've seen so far.  However, I think it is worth playing with more to see what other effects can be achieved with it in the print world.  Never say never.

They're here

...but may not be for long, as they're going fast.

I received the cards and prints of the Merry Christmas Hares and Purity Kisses back from the printer today and they are up in my Etsy shop for sale now. 

In addition to packs of three cards, you can also buy the cards singly.  I have produced limited numbers of 8 x 10 prints in both the hares and kisses and some 12 x 18 prints of the kisses.

I have no time tonight to play with my rock paper so it will have to wait til tomorrow sometime.  I have a board meeting in the morning, but Sunday looks like it will be a snow day 10 - 30cm forecast!  Perfect for some painting and digging out Christmas decorations.

Rocky the Puppy

 
This is my second experiment using different media on the TerraSkin paper. This sketch is the start of a puppy using coloured pencils - Derwent Coloursoft in this case.  I suppose I should really use the same subject for each test, but that never appeals much so I'm varying them.  After all, its about the paper's reaction to media, not subject or colour values.

So what's the verdict?  The pencils apply smoothly to the surface of the paper and I'm using a light pressure to avoid applying too much pigment to the surface and overloading it.  I think that TerraSkin acts similarly to drafting film but with a bit more tooth to it but opaque, not translucent.  I will still be careful in what colours I apply and how they are applied, as I know I can easily reach saturation point without achieve the depth that I want.

As with drafting film, you can erase coloured pencil down to the white again  on this paper without damaging the surface - always a bonus in cp work! 

Rocky the Snowman

My TerraSkin paper arrived yesterday and I cut up one of the sheets to give it a little test run without committing myself to a large painting.  This is the resulting image, perhaps another Christmas card in the making?  What else could he be called but Rocky??

This paper is created from >75% mineral powder with <25% non toxic resin to hold it together. This produces an environmentally friendly paper. It is reported to be multimedia paper and similar to 385lb watercolour paper.   I bought half a dozen half sheets to play with as I didn't know if I'd like it or not.  However, it was very economically priced compared to what I usually pay for 300lb Arches.

The paper is substantially and feels like 300lb paper in terms of weight but has the smooth surface of Yupo and behaves similarly to that support but not as slippery.  TerraSkin is exquisite to draw on and erases beautifully without marking the surface.  The manufacturer claims that because it is fibreless it doesn't absorb ink as traditional paper does, therefore using 25% to 30% less ink when printing or drawing and doesn't bleed.

My test on this paper wasn't thorough or scientific.  I simply sketched out my subject and then used watercolour to build layers.  The resulting impressionistic image works for me and I do find the characteristics of TerraSkin similar to a subdued Yupo.   I will try a graphite drawing on it next and then some pen and ink, as well as coloured pencil to see how it performs before I give it a thumbs up or down.

From a purely environmental perspective, I think its a superb product and after reading about some of the woes of the paper industry, it may well be a support of the future.  MOMA uses TerraSkin for their consumer packaging now, leading the way into the future.

Design and Source say:

TerraSkin has 2 end of life options available, it is infinitely recyclable(with proper infrastructure or take-back programs) as well as degradable,when left out in nature for approximately three to nine months.

 TerraSkin is very versatile and can be used in multiple paper and paperboard applications as well as thermoformed items.It can be embossed or hot-stamped and is also FDA approved for direct food contact.

 In 2007 TerraSkin was awarded the Silver Cradle to Cradle certification by MBDC. www.TerraSkin.com

Crow

Its time to create another lino print and this may be it.  I have played around with an image of a crow and tree, breaking it down to its simplest components, yet still have it recognizable.  I was inspired by one of Amie Roman's prints of a crow and thought I'd try my hand at  producing something along the same lines.

With a piece of soft-kut I will try carving this.  Regular 'battleship grey' lino even when heated seems to cause problems with my forefinger so the soft kut should be easier to carve with less pressure on my hand.

Oh the joys of getting older...

Indecision and decision

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Well my dears, indecision still grips me in some ways, even with your help at hand.  A couple of weeks ago I posted a number of paintings that I wanted to turn into greeting cards and have decided on some but  demands on my time has put a slow down on the process.

For now I can't give a final decision on which will be printed, however, initially the fish appeal to me and the water.  Local demand bent to Purity Kisses and the Merry Christmas Hares for the immediate print process, however, I have done some test prints of other cards on my current printer.

I have a new printer on order - and Epson Artisan 810 which should allow me to print higher quality images for small volume card numbers.

So, to be fair, I have decided to send my first pick of three as well as on of the Christmas Hare cards to a randomly chosen person who posted on the previous thread.  I used a random number generator and, excluding my own name in the posts, was given the number 16, which translates into Amie Roman. of Burnishings.  Just email me your mailing address Amie and I'll send the cards to you as soon as possible.

To everyone else, thank you so much for participating.  Using this blog as a sounding board and receiving input is so vital to me.  I know what appeals to people and why through conversations and feedback.

Experiments

A Christmas parade prevented me from getting back to the churchyard to get more photos today, so I'll save that for another time.

Meanwhile I've been experimenting with an image for another seasonal card, both in sketch form and digitally.  I'm considering animal themes, especially those indigenous to the island and putting a twist into them, part fantasy, part reality.

Here's the sketch of an idea that I have so far and then a digital version above.  I am considering a lino print of it as well and see what works out best. I like being able to play digitally as it provides so many possibilities and ideas that I can move forward with.

Winter sketches

I've done a little sketching lately, mostly while sitting in the car as either wind or rain prevents me from venturing out. Scenes constantly flash before me as I drive from place to place, wishing I'd taken the camera with me usually.  Or I see something when I'm in a long line of slow moving traffic.  I dare not pull off the road and try to get a sketch or shot as it would take forever to get back into the stream again. 

But on weekends I sometimes manage to find time and less traffic and take the camera and sketchbook with me.  Today, I did some shopping downtown which in St. John's is always a challenge in terms of parking, but more interesting than a sterile mall.  On the way back I stopped to pick up T.O.O. (the other one) in my favourite haunt, the Anglican Cathedral church yard.  He had gone to find any remaining conkers from the trees there. 

The cemetery is reported to be the oldest in the city, going back to the 1600s.  Most of the gravestones are long gone, having toppled over and nature reclaimed them.   There is a monument there and I stopped for a little while to do a sketch of it.  I will try to get back there tomorrow and get some photos of it.  I'm not sure what it stands for - perhaps a later tribute to those who died or some particular family in the city.

I love old churchyards and cemeteries.  They are an artist's paradise in terms of inspiration, especially in winter when the colours are muted and the sillouettes of trees against the sky are dramatic. This church, while smack dab in the centre of the city, links to the past and makes you forget the present while you're visiting.

Faces

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Lately my oil painting skills just aren't working for me.   I started a portrait last week and seem to scrub and paint and scrub and paint til finally I think I'm going to let it sit for awhile and revert to watercolour or even dry media.

This week has been crazy busy and perhaps the busyness has something to do with my inability to paint well.  I do find that distractions do put their footprint on what I try to do creatively.  Switching media often helps me see something in a new light.  So here's a sketch I did at lunchtime today, a different pose slightly, of the same woman, and tomorrow I'll transfer it onto watercolour paper and see what happens.

I've been filling up my last Moleskine with faces.  Sometimes sketchbooks fall into different genres.  I have one all completed in red ink, another devoted to animals and now people.  Nothing I do in sketchbooks is done with purpose - or rarely.  It seems that something just guides me in a particular direction - or I let myself be guided.

This sketch was done on a plane of a previous portrait that I was doing for a portrait swap.  I'm still not 100% pleased with the original outcome of the piece I did and may have a do-over as this sketch, done with no pressure, has more of a likeness than the original.

Ahhhhhh, how the brain and hand work or don't work in harmony sometimes...

Merry Christmas Hares - finished

I'm flitting between several projects at once as is my usual style.  Ideas jump in and out of my head and I like to have the option of working on alternate pieces.  When one starts to frustrate or while I wait for something to dry, I can move on to the next piece.

Tonight I finished the Christmas Hares and am happy with the final outcome.  I will work on some prints and cards from it so stay tuned.  I just need more time in my days and more money in my bank account!

Then on to finish a dog commission.  Funny, however many commissions you do, there is always the lump in the throat feeling, waiting to see a reaction.  I sent an update on what I had done so far and it came back positively last night, so I can breathe again.  I will send the little dog off to its owner next week and concentrate on others in the wings.

Christmas Hares

I have been considering creating a Christmas card and various ideas float around in sketchbooks.  I wanted it to be round, part reality, part fantasy.  A late night sketch of a Newfoundland hare and thoughts of a winter night made this marriage.

There are no rabbits in Newfoundland, but hares, arctic and snowshoe hares which were introduced in the mid 1800s to help feed the population.  These are large animals and are prone to fight in the spring which looks like little boxing matches and they take jabs at each other.  The classic 'mad as a March hare'.  I love the shape of hares and wanted to capture that sense of movement and shape and mimic the circular form.

This piece is watercolour on 300lb Arches paper and is about 8 inches in diameter. There is still some tweaking to do and a decision around what little thing to add to make this say 'Christmas'.

My laptop is now covered in little white dots of ink from the spattering. Note to self:  Move pieces off the main table to spatter them!

Elephant poop and sketches

I just put in an order for some paper from my regular mail order company.  While I can get a lot of basic supplies here, pricing tends to be more expensive here and bargains can be had along with unique finds in art materials.

Today I found tree-less multimedia paper and ordered a few sheets to try out.

No priming is needed as this paper doesn't buckle, and makes an ideal surface for oils, acrylics, charcoal, pencil, pen & ink, watercolour & more. 

Terraskin is made from 75% mineral powder (ground calcium carbonate or limestone) combined with 25% non-toxic resin. Tree-free, this paper uses no water or bleach during manufacturing.

This 348 lb paper feels similar to a 300 lb watercolour sheet, but is not as stiff as it does not contain any sizing.

There are quite a number of tree-free papers available it seems, including elephant poop, yep, the real thing.  Odorless and bacteria free.  Don't think I want to make that kind of paper. However, its a logical progression seeing that the diet of elephants, like horses or cows is predominantly grasses or other woody matter.

An additional link to more hand made papers is here.

Green Living Tips points to a number of varieites to look out for:

Bagasse - the pulp that remains after extracting juice from sugar cane.

Mango - Mango paper is usually from Thailand. It is made from kozo (paper mulberry) and mango leaf.

Banana - Made from waste bark of banana tree which is cut after the bananas have been ripened.

Cotton - Can be made from old cotton rags, clothing and general cotton waste

Jute - you've probably seen jute twine; usually brownish in color and quite coarse. It can also be made into  high-quality writing and specialty papers

Elephant poop - yes, you read it right, poop - but it's bacteria free and odor free :).

Hemp - Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was the owner of a mill that made hemp paper and that Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on paper made of hemp? Hemp has somewhat of a undeserved general reputation; but industrial hemp is an incredibly useful plant. 

Straw - as straw fibers are very similar to wood fibers, it makes an excellent paper. Oddly enough, the USA was once the largest producer of straw for paper making; but the industry no longer exists.

Tamarind -  contain petals and leaves from tamarind tree

Coconut - the husks of coconuts were usually discarded, but the fiber is now being used to create paper with a thick texture

However, I digress.  I was going to subject you to a glimpse of the contents of my head before I go to sleep at night.  Or perhaps during the night too sometimes.   Most nights before I sleep, I draw in my sketchbook.  These drawings can be snippets of anything, rather like a notebook for ideas, or notations about dreams.  Most come from somewhere in my head and have no references, simply memory to go by.  Others start out as a photo in a magazine, then morph from there.

These are a few that arrived over the last couple of weeks.  Some have futures, their thumbnail forms rough and strange. Some are destined to be trapped in the sketchbook forever.

Moving ahead

I've been doing some marketing with my art over the last few months and its starting to pay off now.

I have one of my pieces accepted into the Provincial Art Bank which I'm very pleased about.  This provides a showcase for my work to a broader audience.  Pieces are displayed on a rotating basis throughout government and government related education buildings around the province and may be displayed at times in the provincial art gallery at The Rooms.

I've used a free public advertisement service to promote animal portraits and contacts have been good from that source.  You take a chance when doing this but I created special offer for the holiday season and that seems to bring out collectors and commissions.

Finally, I had dinner tonight a St. John's restaurant that displays art from local artists in its rooms.  I asked about displaying there and was told they're interested in new artists and charge no commission for sales.  I will be setting up a meeting to show some of my art there I think.

With every marketing piece that I do it has a fear and pleasure aspect to it.  Like many artists, marketing myself becomes a daunting task, but as with all things, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.  There is always a risk of rejection, but you take the punches with the good times.  Lately, the good times are becoming more frequent.

I still haven't had a lot of time to play with my new camera, but this image at the top of the post was taken early one morning this week with a telephoto lens. It is a Northern Flicker which frequents the birdfeeder outside the dining room window now that it is stocked with suet cakes.  I think this is one of this seasons 'babies' as it seems rather round and a bit small.  I love the colouring and markings on these birds and occasionally they wake me by drumming on the side of the house.  That, I'm not so keen on.

The psychiatrist is in

Its interesting how non-artistic people view the world and need to be coaxed into seeing what we see.

I'm doing some commissions and find that individuals rarely have a vision of the final piece in terms of size and what they feel is value for money.  I try to steer them in the right direction, knowing almost intuitively how a piece will translate onto different size canvases or paper.  Most people are happy to be steered and understand a little more of the process of composition, reduction and enlargement.

Commission work often consists of part psychology, part intuition, part patience, part education and a dash of luck, combined with holding your breath until the piece is accepted.  So why do it?  Because its wonderful to see different people or animals and watch them come to life.   99% of people are amazing to deal with.  The 1% that are difficult I look at as helping me learn.  I learn to anticipate the person's vision of the final piece and have never had a piece returned or major changes to do. 

This sweet dog is a start of a piece in watercolour.  Black dogs are always a challenge, but the smaller size makes it easier as there is not so much detail work.  If it were a traditional head and shoulders portrait, my work would be cut out for me.

Stumbling blocks

I'm in my usual multi-tasking mode and have several paintings that I'm working on simultaneously.
I'm nearing completion of one portrait with another in the wings and a commission hot on its heels.I'm using watercolour and sort of fell into a technique that almost borders on pointillism.  I lay down the usual washes of colour but start adding to them with swatches of colour, allowing the viewer's eye to blend them optically.  This technique seems to give depth to skin tones rather than flat washes.

I am moving more towards impressionistic images in portraits.  I like the edginess of them and how they make you look twice.  I've never been drawn to 'sweet' portraits with pristine shading.  It smacks of chocolate box art and those paintings of innocent faced children in fancy frocks barefoot in the grass.  It may be the image of the monied class who want to depict their child as perfect, but its not for me.  I like a portrait to be a little different and yet represent the true personality of the sitter.

I need that push of a deadline to really get into production.  Without a deadline, even if self imposed, I tend to procrastinate.  Then suddenly, time is upon me and gives the incentive to get into action.  There's also a part of me that just loves having my time filled, so procrastination of one thing leads to production in another.

Production means forward movement and completion.  There are nearly always points in a painting that I start to lose interest in the process or the subject and need to concentrate to move through that phase to get to the end.

Stumbling blocks come in many forms in art and everyone has their own, often they are similar to others.  Procrastination, loss of inspiration, production blocks, the list goes on and on.  The common thread is that many people share these blocks and many get past them to continue producing art.

Sunrise

 

Drawing from memory has advantages and disadvantages.  We all have an internal Utopia where nothing is true to reality and that comes out when we draw from memory.  We know shapes and volume but don't often reach perfection in creating something from our imagination.  Its edges are fuzzy and likenesses warped and molded through our experiences and visions.  It can become freeing and provide very interesting results, but if you're aiming for realism, it rarely works.

This piece came from that place in my head.  I'd seen the sun rising over the lake on the way to work and captured it in my memory then tried to recreate my version of it tonight.

This is pastel stroked over a sheet of lovely ink stained paper.  The colours work, but aren't the reality that I saw.  I think I prefer to live in that Utopia at times where colours are brighter and landscapes unreal.

Portraits in progress

Its good to be back home after a hectic few days in Toronto. I took today off to catch up on some work (and sleep) and made a concentrated effort on progressing with a couple of portraits.

I added more layers and refined shapes in the watercolour portrait that I'm working on for the portrait swap at WetCanvas and its finally starting to go where I want it to.  The ugly stage nearly had me tearing up another sheet of paper but I worked through it and am coming out the other side.

I also agreed to do another swap with someone who's sign up partner had not forwarded any images.  I know she was anxious to paint and I'm always happy to do more portraits for practice, so I am doing a small piece in oils for her.  I've had time to only block in basic shapes and values so far and will work on it more over the coming week and hopefully have it on its way within 2 weeks, provided I don't get too slap happy with the oils so it doesn't take forever to dry enough to ship.

Christmas commissions are coming in now, due to a little marketing on my part.  Its always good to have that extra work and I enjoy the challenge.  I know my own cut off point in terms of workload and don't surpass my comfort zone.  I'm also not afraid to turn down commissions if the images provided aren't suitable to provide a piece with the quality that I want to provide.