Illustration Friday "Unfold" ...Sort of...

"How will this story unfold?"

Well, because of a convenient nap, I was able to get a color study done of my intended composition. This isn't the finished product, but it's all I could do before the deadline. I'll post the final some day - I'll let you know how it "unfolds."

So, the purpose of this study was to practice an interior, low-light scene. I went with a limited Thalo blue, Cadmium Orange Medium, Cadmium Yellow, Mars Black and Titanium White colors. I tended to use blue/black mixtures for the background and complementary blue/orange mixtures for the main subject and lighted areas, making them a bit more vibrant. I used the yellow in limited situations for warmth in the illuminated areas.

A big challenge was figuring out a good skin tone for this situation. But, overall, I think I did manage to learn something. So, hopefully, the final will be a little easier. It was worth it to do this rough study. It allowed me to be looser than I normally am and just focus on color.

Illustration Friday: "Craving"

A portrait of the artist as a multitude of cravings. As the saying goes: you are what you eat.

My effort with acrylic paints were slightly better this time. However, I was rather annoyed with the whole thing for a while into it. I have so much more of a grasp on drawing, but I'm still figuring out a lot of things with acrylics (and painting, in general). I had enough gumption to stick with it and I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

I think acrylics was a good medium to use on this subject, partly because of all the creamy frostings involved. By the end of it, I did have a better understanding of the medium and how I work with it:

1. I much prefer the heavy bodied Liquitex paints I have rather than the Grumbacher tubes which are more "runny." The Liquitex feel more like the thicker oils I was more used to in college.

2. The extender I have is pretty useless.

3. I'm beginning to like the quicker drying time - it serves my impatience well, allowing me to rework areas almost immediately and to utilize dry brush effects that I like.

4. I really need to invest in some better paint brushes.

I also fell back on the "easier for me" expressionistic color palette rather than taking the time to mix more natural colors. But the, sweets tend to be more colorful anyway. So, it works.

Anyway, my family arrived home from camping today. My oldest daughter made me a portrait of her own from nature as a present as today is my birthday.

And now for something completely different...

Well, the family is away camping this weekend - except for the baby and I, of course. I haven't had this kind of free time - after Lindy goes to bed - in a long time! I can actually consider going beyond the quick(er) pencil drawing for Illustration Friday.

I don't have anything to post on the IF theme yet. But, I'm goin' "color" for a change. That's right, stepping out of the old comfort zone and working with paint. My internal debate has been over whether to do an ink drawing filled in with watercolor (not really a step outside the zone as it still relies on drawing), or work completely in acrylic (my nemesis). Funny thing is, there are different parts of the design that would work well with one rather than other.

But, no. It's time to face my demons and do something different. I'm very detail-oriented in drawing (to state the obvious), and painting is a looser medium. I'm actually quite drawn to painterly works, but have a hard time doing them myself. Just...can't...stop...defining.

But, then again, there is such a thing as a fine bristle brush. It may not be popular in these modern times, but who says I can't do something detailed in paint, by golly. I wasted an earlier art life thinking to hard about what was modern and new stylistically. Think I've learned my lesson - my natural tendencies are how God made me unique. I'll just squeeze out the paint colors and see what happens - I've had better results with that approach.

So, the above post is a resurrected painting in acrylic in anticipation of what's to come (sorry if you remember seeing it before).

"Lure" Color Study

I spent some time working on the painted study for "Lure." While I'm not completely comfortable with acrylics, it was a much more pleasant experience this time. There's still a lot of "discovery" in regards to color - I don't feel like I'm totally in control of that aspect.

But, brushwork is coming a little more easily - it's more enjoyable.

"Green" - as promised...

As I mentioned before, I did another study in acrylics that I'm sharing here.

I've been working on this because (1) I need practice with the acrylics, and (2) it's part of the project I'm working on for my Saturday Community College Illustration Class. I won't go into too much detail about it at the moment, but I'll give you a little insight.

The project is sort of a memoir of illustrations based on several single words that I've chosen to represent different time periods. It took a lot of thought, a dictionary, and a thesaurus to pick the best word to describe each period. It's kind of an Illustration Friday approach to a project.

The word that inspired this particular study is "Green" - definitions used: not mature or ripe; young; lacking training, conditioning, or experience; undisciplined; unschooled.

I hope the nurturing adult, a child at the moment of discovery and wonder, and the springtime colors have captured the idea. The previous study used the same image, but the colors were darker - it didn't express the more joyous and carefree nature of youth very well. Instead, it seemed more solemn and dreary.

This was a challenging word to do. Again, I'm trying to loosen up and explore a more painterly style with the acrylics.

Peace at last...and a few doodles

I'm on the verge of Monday - although most of the world is already there. The kids are all in bed, I've got tunes from my Pandora station playing in my headphones - ahhhhhhhhhh bliss.

It was Soccer Sunday at the "Y" and I played again...well, for a little while anyway. I strained a muscle or something up the front of my thigh. Since it seemed to get worse, I decided it would be in my best interest to stop. The sad thing is that I first strained it while warming up! Sheesh! Oh well...

I did spend a little time in the studio this evening - haven't been able to get in there all weekend. I'm furthering my study in acrylic paint, doing another version of the study I shared a few posts back. But, since it's night and I still don't have a scanner, I knew I would get a good photo. So, I'll have to wait to share.

Instead, I have a sketchbook page-o-doodles that I like a lot. Yes, I love doodles. They're great to look back on and pull from for something more.

Illustration Friday - "Fierce"

The wind was blowin' somethin' fierce!

A change of pace...

I spent some time playing with the acrylics in the studio today. Like chalk pastel – it’s a love/hate relationship. This is just a little experimental work to try and figure out the medium. Being a detail person, I also wanted to try something a little looser and painterly. I’d welcome some constructive criticism. I don't consider it a "finished" piece - just exploratory.

Some of my problem with acrylics has to do with the fact that I’ve done very little painting since college (when I used oils). Acrylic is a different ballgame. I don’t like the consistency of the paint – compared to oils. I like the Liquitex heavy body paints a little better than the Grumbacher ones I have (which are more runny and thin).

I’m coming to terms with the quick drying time – like it on the painting itself, but hate it on the palette. I’ll have to invest in one of those stay-wet palette things and see how that goes (I hate buying things that require refill purchases all the time).

A More Formal Look at Color...

I’m a little tired of working with pencil at the moment – as much as I enjoy the medium, it's too much of the same. It’s time for a little color.

I used to paint with oils in college, but those materials are long gone. I like oil paints, though - the textures and the smells. However, dealing with disposal of the chemicals and having kids around has encouraged me to give acrylics a try (and they're taking some getting used to).

One of the things I’ve wanted to do is make a color wheel. I’ve been wanting to understand color a lot more than I do and explore more color options. As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to fall back on the familiar bright, expressionistic color palette that I was so enamored with in college (and it was easy). And, the natural colors that I want to use now require less “out-of-the-tube” and more thoughtful mixing. I have done some simple color mixing swatches with some of colors, but it’s time to take it further. I feel like I’m back in Color Theory 101, but this time it's not just another exercise to get through - I know what I need to focus on and where I want to go with it.

I started this exercise last night by creating a series of circles for my color wheel and dividing it into 12 sections for primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. I figure I'll work with complementary pairs at a time. I still struggle with the quick-dry of acrylics, so this way I can quickly work from the same mixture all the way across the circle.

OOOoooooo, I’m looking forward to painting!