Your Commissions, Jill

I am working on the last piece and hope to be finished with it on Sunday, then complete the mat cutting and mounting of all thirteen. Here are the 12 others that you asked to be done... ready for inspection. If there are any matters you would like changed just ring me or send an email. I am working graveyard shifts the next two nights. 

Drawing layers of hair in graphite

I have been asked how to layer graphite and what pencils to use, hence the new blog finally being brought together.

To shape how the hair will fall, I use a 2H pencil. Do not press too hard or you will make indents in the paper that will cause issues with the further darker applications. This is just to "map" out, shape and cover white of the paper.

Secondly, I use a B pencil to start building the density, add more shape/tone and movement. This commission has dark shadows around the back of the style and darker at the face. The light shined on the bulk of curve. Use different pressures in different directions so that the hair is not superficial, more natural. Watch how the light plays on the surface and directions of each hair.

Now start using a 2B pencil for layers of tones. Get lost in how each strand builds a more natural look.

Use a 5B to add the shadows, and eraser for light to make a more dimensional look. Put a stray hair or groups of hair out of place to give a more natural look.

Continue to push and pull the pencil layers until you are happy with the finished project.


Here are some other finished projects I have completed.

I promise I am working

You have gotta love Christmas season. I am keeping up with commissions while starting a new job at Big W and still doing some hours at the service station. Household duties and blog have been taking a step back. Just a catch up on some of the pieces I have completed.

Western Australian parents of a friend:

Client's mother in law:

Client's father in law:

Client's son-in-law's Jaja:

Now working on a client's father in law twice, then her mother twice and sister in law's mother. Then a family of 7 people. When I can get a sit down time I photographed the mother in law's hair as I worked in stages to show build up and did the same with the sun spots of Jaja. I will write up the posts soon.

Watercolour portrait Weekend- "One Eye Wide Open"

It was that kind of crazy long weekend that makes you want to scream lol.... So I got out the inktense pencils to see what I could come up with.

Doing that 1930s style with modern colours kind of day. It just takes a bit of layering and playfulness. I will set her aside for a couple of days and decide what if I want to do anything else with her.

Now onto the serious work.... Beginning number 2 of the same portrait. I have 2 total of this gentleman for a family christmas present extraordinary. I will finish him this morning and get going on the mother in law. (If you follow this blog you might remember the earlier portrait done of this gentleman for the client earlier this year. )

Pinterest
Have you been hooked into the Pinterest trend? I had no desire to go around pinning things until I realised "I already do". When I am research art history, art shows, methodology, etc. I save articles, pictures, etc. So I went onto Pinterest and now hooked. When looking for how the art trends are moving I pin it now instead of the loading my hard drive with stuff to look at. Give it a go... set up boards with pictures you are gathering for your next painting idea.

Family Support of an Artist
I have decided that as much as my boys says they support me pursuing artwork, they thought it would only be when they don't want something or attention. There is no respect in being around the work I am doing, or for myself when I am doing it. The statement clincher this weekend "you are going to draw...but your husband is home." So I have began researching an article for this blog about family support, nagging and their belief that art is not really a "job" because it doesn't have a week to week pay check. Time management for yourself is nothing if you don't get your 48 and 23 year old babies to be less dependant. Any suggestions for research material would be greatly appreciated: crofttravels609@yahoo.com.au. Hmmmm at a job I was lucky to clear $300 a week, in the 2 months I have been unemployed I have netted $2500 between artwork, yard sales, ebay plus have put applications into 58 jobs and worked 2 days a week at old job for rent money. Imagine if I really inputed time into the effort how much I could earn.

Day 3 and Finished 1945 Portrait

Adventurous is trying to work on a drawing while everyone is home and still demanding on your time. I may have to look into finding my own space away from home.

Anyways....

Here is the first few layers of hair, adding the razor marks that will be lightened during the finishing stages of shading. 

I then start shaping the face with the dark shadows around the cheek area down to the chin. This will also take several layers with 2H and B pencil.

 Progression of the shading across face. Always curve your lines around like you are sculpting the face with pencils. Feel where the bone structure will be strongest.

 Then start shading in the shirt in tie. Shirt is done with the same pencils of the hat, tie is a build up of 6B and 9B to get the correct darkness and hit of light. Curve the strokes to build up depth, short soft strokes for smooth surfaces.

Then we have a finished product...well it will sit for a day or two then I will go back over where I think more shadows and detail need to be inputed. 

Compare with the original photo, and I already see areas that need darkening. It will be left until I am refreshed and have good light to produce right effects.

Part 2 - 1945 portrait

Well yesterday I got sidetracked with a friend coming from Perth and taking husband to the doctors, so I didn't get to touch the drawing.

This is the ending result of Day 1

I finished the "C" strokes of the ribbed band, discovered a buckle and strap along it and filled in the brim. I used the B pencil to start the shaping of brim and added contour with the 9B pencil.

Start of Day 2:
I started definition of eyes, brows and beginning shadows for depth around the face. Using the 2H pencil I being picking where I want to add the shadow and lines of the face. The eye is the most important role so must be dealt with carefully. This gentleman has very light blue eyes that should command the portrait.

I used the 2H and B pencils to contour the shadows for shape, not going too dark until the finishing touches. They pupil begins with a light touch for colour with 2H then B for making the outline and pupils. Do not start the lashes until you are satisfied with the shading. I then used a 6B pencil for initial layout of eyelashes and adding more contour around the socket shadow, finishing with a 9B for depth and darkness.

Next I build up the shape of the ear using the same pencils and "C" strokes for curves. I blend with paper stump to fill in all colour and keep building until I am satisfied withe the definition. I do all this by  trail and error judgement of my lines and shadows. The smooth Bristol paper being used is forgiving of colour, but do not press to hard for dents in the paper that will make white lines the graphite is missing.

Next start building shadows of the skin colour for hair and forehead. If hair is begun before a base effect is established you loose all the strokes you do for hair. Using the 2H I continue to softly add graphite then blend until I achieve the colour of the skin in this area. Pay attention to how the shadow of the hat brim curves around the forehead and light falls directly on the frontal features. 

Now take the HB pencil and lightly lay short "X" strokes in various places where the hair lies. Pay attention to where the hair line directions are, and ends at sideburns, neck etc. Do not layer to deeply for beginning, this is just a base hair definition. This gentleman's hair is not thick in most areas so the lines will be further spaces and hair shafts are short so they will be dealt with in short strokes. 

Once you have the base hair layout then look for where the hair is thickest for more defining strokes and build up. This section will take a few hours to complete then I will use 2B pencil for added shadow definition and distinction. 

Hopefully I will get the hair done and start shadowing the mouth, chin and neck today. Husband is home throwing up and son is off work. If they know what is good for them they will leave me alone most of the day. I will keep track if I get further than these steps and list them tomorrow.

Day by Day Portrait

I have received 5 portrait commissions of 3 people, so I thought I would try to give a blow by blow build up of what I do to complete one. 

Set up your area with paper, pencils, etc.
Have husband come home and have you run him to Scotts Auto for work truck parts and find out son has killed your car battery.
Sit down to the drawing board and sketch up a light sketch wit the F pencil. I use this grade because it doesn't scratch up the paper and is easy to erase as your work over your photo.

Answer the door 3 times for people and answer 2 marketing phone calls. 

Enlarge the photo with any photo program that will allow you to zoom in and out for detail. I zoom closer to the hat for detail of the badge using 3H and B pencils work up some resemblance to give the impression of depth and detail. 

While close up I notice there are ribs in the band. I use the B grade to show indent of ribs while following the shape of the hat around the band. Then fill in with "C" strokes over each rib varying the pressure. This can be tedious so I switch to the top of the hat using the 3H and start filling in shadows. This is purely a feel and look exercise. Look at the shadows and follow the shades using varying pressure strokes, then blend with paper stump lightly as if it is going across the surface of the hat. Blend up layers to darken and feel your way across the shape of hat. Then back to the "C" strokes.

You are not trying to duplicate the photo. Why draw it if you just want the same image. You are capturing an essence and spirt of the subject. 

Now hubby is making another entrance to the house with work truck and I have to start dinner. In between I will continue working the band then brim. 

Until tomorrow's update.

Back in Action - getting show ready

Feels good to get back to the drawing table, it took awhile to get the mind back into the groove of thinking out how I want something to lay out or tell. This week is finishing touches on pieces for the Springwood Art Show on 24th August to the 26th of August. I have got three pieces finished and framed, just need the wire to hook them up...but the last piece isn't finished.

First piece, "Bourbon Street Snooze", is graphite and watercolour pencil. Just subtle touches of colour in the composition to give a slower side of the fast pace of Bourbon Street. In a crowd of many this guy was resting in a doorway like no one was around. It touched me, and I hope it touches someone else with its undertones of suggestion.

Second piece, "Quilted history", is a collage of newspaper, card paper and scrapbook designed paper with oil pastel painting of the character and gold ribbon in the quilt pieces' ditches. The art of quilting is fading away, material has become to expensive, women don't have the time or patience for it and modern society finds going to a store more convenient than making your own blankets. There is more to the history of this work than just making a warm piece to your home - it is art, history, community togetherness, women bonding and making use of your resources. 

The third, "New Orleans Blues", is a collage of music paper, acrylic paint and ink. I drew this out while sitting at the hotel in New Orleans. It is a feeling that you get while hearing music there, a sort of vibration that reaches out to touch your heart beating with it. There is no face to the person playing, and his instrument is the torch between you both.









The fourth piece is a joker carrying a bag pipe through a crowd of people. The joker is the only one in colour, everyone else blends into everything else. It takes a lot of guts for a person to come strolling around a festival full of people dressed in purple tights and bag pipes. This piece will be about being your own person even when the odds are against you. I'll post a break down of it being completed (hopefully by Thursday for the show).

The other piece completed this month I am not sure if it is telling the story to another person as I feel it. This gentleman was playing his guitar busking on Beale Street with a big man playing the drums. He sat there with this cigarette hanging out of his mouth, but never did his fingers leave the strings, ashes just fell onto his legs as he played with his eyes closed and swaying with what the chords were doing with him. If I would have had the money their CD would have been bought. The emotions from this man were compelling. I stood there drinking in his features, mood and melody. To be that close with one's art makes me want to cry. I have only painted his image, I need to go deeper into what he made me feel.






For September I will be getting more work together for the Blackheath Art Prize. It runs 28th September to 1st of October. Maybe I can get my groove back for it. I have entered the Springwood Show for the past 3 years, but this will be my first for Blackheath.

Cheers!

End of USA Travel

We are finally home and trying to settle back in. The boxes have piled up of my household goods finally sent from Mom's house to here. It will take lots of time to sort where to put it all. In the midst of Daniel moving back in and suitcases built up from our 2 months away.

I did make some great discoveries while away.

In New Orleans there is inspiration for painting in every direction, but in a dark corner at the French Market my husband found an artist busking his works. He bought me an autographed print called the "Birth of Jazz" and the man's name is Donald V. Williams. I went back to watch him at work. It was amazing watching the detail he was putting to paper without so much as a reference photo.

All over New Orleans are prints of Don Davey illustrations for sale. I bought his 1976 "Royal Street: New Orleans" whose detail of the ironwork leaves me weak at the knees and "French Quarter Nights: New Orleans" 1987 whose sax player on the side street made me hear the music there all over again.

But there was also works every where in Florida to make my eyes dart with wonder. The Shady Oak Gallery in Micanopy had several graphite artists to choose from, but Marita Parish stood out about the rest. Her detail to the animals with a slight addition of colour was highlighted by the beautiful mat work to accent and embossed seal placement on the drawing. If I had room and money I would have brought every print of hers home. 

Then there was the unusual... Brooke Olson caught my mother's eyes as well as mine. She has resurrected the ancient work of silverware jewellery. We have attempted this with some old pieces and tools, it is not easy to achieve the beauty she accomplishes. There are rings, watches, bracelets, pens and more...each have a personal touch and character. Her webpage: www.etsy.com/shop/ForkingQueen. I found her work at a Russell, KS antique shop. 

I could have followed the art trails for years with the availability in each state. We visited the Hummas House in Baton Rouge that had beautiful paintings by Gougain, Degas and more. The Edgar Degas House in Creole, New Orleans is a B&B with more to offer. The building is run by Degas' nieces and apparently where he lived while painting in the USA. The Fairhope Artist Gallery in Fairhope, Alabama gave a distinct look into the local artist's flair. The House of Blues in Orlando, Florida gave a different direction for colours with music paintings. In Memphis, TN the shops along Beale Street had more to offer than booze and music. The colours of the paintings, local artists on the street busking with portraits in pastel, stain glass windows showing the history of the people of blues in that area and Memphis Music Shop has prints so colourful your aura will fill into rainbows. 

Wherever you go on your travels near home and afar look where you would not ordinarily seek art and you will be surprised with what you find. As for me.... I have two months of travels to fill my soul and hope to relieve their magic onto my own canvas. I wish I had a year off just to fill the paper with what my mind found to dance with in imagination.