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.

I am loving the busy artwork of the year

Yeah, I have gotten our bedroom painted and putting back together finally. Now the train noise is softer but the highway noise is loud again, sigh...I think the hallway is a good halfway point for a bed. Two more rooms to paint and we can get everything back in order, it would be easier if Craig would quit thinking of more electrical holes he wants to put into walls after I get them painted.

New cards, framed stock photos and original 4X6 dog portraits are now setup at the shop. We will see how these are responded to. I am hoping that once the sets of pets are worked up there might be a market some of the local pet shops for sales. Pets have such beautiful expressions in their eyes and demeanour. One more dog portrait complete, I could not resist this cute close-up photo, and it was perfect for pen/ink work.

Vince picked up the two portraits done for Jill. I posted Hunter last week, this week the finished piece is her Dad. This was a fun photo to work up, there is so much expression in his face. The scanning doesn't seem to be doing well for lighter pencil shades, so I have had to tweak it a bit in photoshop. There may be a new scanner in my future that can handle all markings, gotta check the market.

Today I am working on a larger workup for Miss Molly and my little Steptoe cuddled to his teddy bear. There is also a pastel piece for Jenny to finish and what I want to have done for the Springwood Show in August to complete over the next few weeks. Only 6 weeks until we head off to the USA for family visits! We are so excited to get away and Craig to experience the new aspects of another country. I also hope to come back with lots of sketches and photos to work up for future shows and sales. It is an ambitious schedule setup, but there should be enough down time for us to figure out the next stage of our life together. Although we love some aspect of the Blue Mountains, the noise of the highway/trains and lack of secure jobs tells us that we have to move on.

Until next time....

Next 3 portraits done

These were fun portraits to mix and match different photos to make the ultimate portrait of the child. Lani's is my fave because of the guinea pig, Adrian's hair was fun with all its curls, but Alec I am still not sure about. His hair and outfit is from a photo in France, but face is more recent from home goofing. His father liked the smile better. Vince will be by this week to check out if it worked.

There is so much to do today. I am so excited for the ideas flowing. I have Dad and Debbie's portrait set up to start, frames to decorate, collage to seal, pastel to shade out, etc. Oh yeah, I've gotta do housework sometime in that time period too lol. 

Refreshed, reinvented and busy

I have just returned from Culburra Beach on the South Coast of Australia and have lots of sketches to get scratching from. I was up 5am every day to sit on the sand dune and watch the sun come up. There was always someone there fishing or walking their dog to use as models. I also worked on the wave curls as Leonardo did on waters in Florence. Jervis Bay and Kiama also provided lots of models and ideas to get my muse flowing.

But first there are many commissions to complete. I am done with all the rough sketches of the children's book and ready to begin some final drawings. The author has approved a few of them, I still need to scan in the others for her.

There is also the rough sketches of zebra pairs. The client came in before I left and picked two of them instead of just her original idea. I took the pair with human eyes with me to the beach to begin.

I still need to play around with the eyes to get where I like the size and position. It is just strange adding different elements and making them look like they belong. I'll find a happy medium in there. Her second choice was a zebra bum and head mixture I'll post when more work is done beyond sketch.

There is still the Leslie/Charlie portrait in the works too. Charlie is blending in nicely and will begin Leslie in the next intermission available. I've cut my work days at the service station so that I can concentrate on these until after Christmas atleast.