About the art: my design mind is wandering from sleeping birds to fairytales to storybooks to robots and back again. So I sat down, grabbed two concept sketches, a small graphic art pen and some Yupo. They key with using ink and the Yupo is to work from right to left (I am predominantly left-handed, though I paint with both hands) to avoid dragging your hand through the wet ink. It took me a while to get into this habit. So many times I just begin on the left and make a smudgy mess of things. Oy! These two seemed effortless, however. Watching the tin man come to life in this piece brought a big smile to my face, as he is my favorite character in the book.
6 Comments
About the art: beginning with a gesso'd piece of canvas paper, I sketched the figure, sail and boat roughly with thinned oil paint. For this piece, it was important to resist adding too many colors - shades of green, this one, with a bit of blue in the background. Pippi stands out because of her hair and skin tones, which were developed over many layers. Canvas paper wants a lot of layers to build deep colors, and this one was no exception. There is a point, however, where the piece crosses from "needs more" to "ooooooooh la la!" I didn't always know that, and abandoned paintings too soon in the past as a result. But not this one! Pippi kept encouraging me, as she does. Yay.
Veterinarians administered vitamins, hydration and valium to support the whale. Experts and volunteers worked together in a herculean effort to save it, with the whale blowing and making sounds throughout. With each report and video, I cried. I admit to being teary as I write these words. The people's heroic efforts ultimately failed to save the giant, and local tribes appeared on site afterward to reverently handle the remains. I like to think those final days for the whale were as good as they could have been, in the hands of loving, determined and compassionate humans. And for me personally, this story of helping someone who wears a very different skin touched me to the core. About the art: beginning with a piece of canvas paper gesso'd in white, I sketched the figure outline roughly with a brush laden with thinned oil paint. Working outside-in first, adding a first layer of background paint and using it to refine the sketch. Then the faces of our star duo, followed by the boat. Coming back in for the bodies. A long drying time. Repeating the outside-in and inside-out building of layers, darkening the darks, making the shadows more moody, then the highlights on bodies and heads. This pair makes me smile BIG! That talon of the eagle resting on the pooch's behind - affection or instinctive grasping? A reminder they are friends, but also predator and prey.
And if your heart has the capacity to love more (safely, of course) then spread some love around. Because if Pelican and Panda can figure it out, so can we. Now, I'm heading out to sea in The Malarkey. Want to join me? About the art: This painting is the first in a series inspired by Lear's poem. Beginning with an old acrylic abstract painting on paper covered with a thin coat of gesso (the underpainting adds a lovely texture to this piece), then roughing in the central figures with thinned paint and a wide brush. Working next from the outside in, using the background paint to refine the figure shapes. A long drying time. Then the details of the faces, boat shape and sail. Many subsequent thinned layers to create shadows and dimension. Another coat for the background, using a rubber wedge to create motion in the sea by draaaaaagging the paint around. Alternating darks and lights until the saturation reached my satisfaction, then another long drying time followed by a coat of varnish.
The November Reader Giveaway continues the social experiment of a Questions Exchange - five questions each (thee and me!) asked and answered. Leave a comment on any blog post this. month to be automatically entered (and thanks to reader Trina T. for this suggestion!) The first winner is artist/photographer/teacher/podcaster/blogger and friend Carl Stoveland. And WOW did we ever have FUN! I'll publish segments of our hour-long interview over the next several weeks, as there are many treasures to be revealed! But first off, here's a little introduction from each of us, just to give a little taste of what's coming.
About the art: I have not had a playdate with the AI bot in a bit, and I do believe it is missing me (if AI bots can be trusted, which, trust me, they cannot) so off I went on a malarkey caper in imaginging mashups of things and characters. And OH-HO do I ever have an inspiration folder now! The point of which is launching myself out of my art box and onto the playground. And so, beginning with a gesso'd wood panel, I covered it in a wash of hot pink. An underpainting which only survived in snippets, but inspired me to run off the deep end of the jungle gym and put a tiger and some donuts on it. A lightly drawn form, a few circles, then the first layer of background paint. Once dry, I worked from the mouth outward, adding successively thicker layers until the I reached the desired intensity of color. More layers for the background, more layers for donuts. The "sprinkles" achieved with the end of a chopstick dipped in various colors and pressed into the paint. Finally, a layer of varnish to gloss up the place. This guy makes me chuckle every time I walk past him. :)
I admit to being curious, dear readers! If you were a monster, which one would you be?
About the art: beginning with a piece of oil paper gesso'd in white, I roughed in the central figures with a wet brush and thinned oil paint. A coat of loose background paint followed, cutting in to the figures to further refine the shapes. A long drying time. Armed with inspiration images by Robert McGinness to inform the color palette and style, I worked from the inside-out and top-down on the figures. Many layers of thinned paint, resisting the urge to make things realistic, embracing the abstraction of background and merging forms. Ending with the red tie and another layer on the background. And voila! A mod werewolf and his damsel, who are great company in the studio. It's the final week for the October Reader Giveaway! You could win a "Question Exchange" with me - five questions of your choice (some from me, some from you) in whatever format you wish - email, text, voice message, Zoom, whatever! Let's get to know each other a little better. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on any blog post this month. And as always, thanks so much for participating. :)
There is a sense of growing cameraderie and collaboration in the world; a rising tide of raised voices and elevated engagement which is building community and connection. From this tide hope hops and dances the jig! So I will unleash my unruly rabbits upon the world and let them insert a bit of "uh oh" in all who ought to be wary. Pretty sure I have a rabbit outfit that will be perfect for the next protest. About the art: beginning with a sheet of watercolor paper gesso'd in white, I sketched a rough outline of the rabbit with a small brush laden with thinned oil paint. As I had several pieces going at once, I next painting the first layer of the background color, cutting into the figure to refine its proportions. Then a nice long drying time. I worked the figure from the details outward - eyes, ears, nose and mouth, then body and feet and the unexplainable platform he sits upon. Another coat of paint on the background and then the ear fluffs - wet into wet to leave them trailing off into the wind. Something new is happening for the Reader Giveaway this month! One lucky commentor will win a "Question Exchange" - five questions each (the winner and me) asked an answered via email, text, phone or Zoom! To enter, simply subscribe, read and comment. The winner will be announced right here in the blog on November 3.
About the art: I'm continuing my exploration of incorporating the wood panel color and texture into paintings. It feels very exciting to me ! For this one I began with a sketch and created a stencil to mask off the figure shape. I taped the top and bottom and then put on a smooth coat of black gesso, preserving the wood for Santa's figure. Then some painstaking pen and ink for all of the line work, and a tiny Posca Pen in white for the highlights. Though a figure of this size and detail might seem tedious, it is actually quite meditative. It requires full presence to be in control of every line - no mind wandering when using pen and ink on wood! I'm delighted with this one - grinning every time I walk past it. :) The May Reader Giveaway continues! Please leave a comment on any blog post this month to be automatically entered. The winner will be selected at random at the end of the month, and will receive a piece of original art in the mail - FREE! Thanks to everyone who reads and comments...you provide valuable feedback, insights and confirmation that I am not a voice alone in the wilderness of the internet! Hooray for all of you! Thanks a million! xo
Congratulations to Charlynn T.! Wonder Mike chose your name at random as winner of the March Reader Giveaway! Thank you to everyone who commented - your participation, feedback, community and encouragement are a bright light in a wild world! Thanks hugely! A new contest begins next month.
|
AuthorLola Jovan 
Categories
All
|
