On to the next new thing

 

 I went to Michaels to pick up two black 7x10 black mixed media pads. I bought a white one as well. But I was stopped short by all of the markers. Watercolor, alcohol and acrylic. Markers I HD used and stopped using and given away. This time I stopped to take a closer look at Sharpie's Creative Markers. I bought a 12 pen bullet tip and a 12 pen brush tip. I unboxed them but I have yet to create anything. I just hadn't figured out the subject and then I got the idea that I should create a cartoon series  but I couldn't decide on anything. 

This morning I made a vlog for my channel speaking with my very possibly nonexistent audience and figured it out. My weekly cartoon post will have to do with a humorous look at astrology. I've recently returned to a limited study is astrology a d realized this morning How much there is to share with some humor. Click HERE yo see it. It's 15 minutes long.

By yhe way, I'm still working on the Giraffe video. 

It's time to finish my Giraffe Tutorial

 Eight months ago I completed a beautiful portrait of a Giraffe. One of my nieces had gone to Uganda and brought back lots of photos for me. I loved them and I've created a few wildlife drawings from them. This particular project took about 2 1/2 hours but in creating the video I shorted it to 13 minutes. I've wanted to create this as a full time tutorial but I kept putting it aside until yesterday. I created a base file with all of the video. Now I have to edit and edit I will. 

I love this drawing. Resting on her neck is an Ox Pecker probably feeding on fleas. Many birds live with an on many animals in a wonderfully symbiotic relationship. Just click on the image to see the 13 minute timelapse version. Next week I will be presenting the full length tutorial. Oh yes! That's what I meant to tell you. For all those who read my blog and watch my YouTube videos I want to let you know that I am now creating full length tutorials only. There will be shorts but I'm sharing my work in it's entirety. I might speed up a spot here and there but as my my last tutorial, Wren in Graphite Pencil, all my videos will be full length tutorials. I hope your'll watch all or most but really alot of my video when it comes out.

Thanks!

Back to Graphite

 

 I just finished this protrait of a Wren in graphite on drawing paper. I like it. The sweet bird took me about an hour land a half to complete. I'm not to fond of the photo. If I offer it on Threadless, I'll take it again with better lighting. 

I did enjoy the process and look forward to more works in graphite. Not sure of the next project. It's either a pride of lions in a tree or another family snapshop. I find I enjoy Strathmore's 400 series drawing paper. I still have plenty of watercolor paper if I want to use it but I like this paper. This image is  8 x 10 inches. 

I used mechanical pencils for the most part in this rendering along with a #8B Faber Castell Pitt Graphite pencils and a Prismacolor black coloring pencil. Of could monozero erasers played a big part.

Click on the image of the Wren to see the video.

Thanks!

Charcoal

 

I rendered this lovely Wren with charcoal. The result is good but the process not so good. I don't know why but, as I was drawing, I felt like it would never be over. In fact it took 40 minutes. And as you can see the image is lovely. I do on occasion draw with charcoal pencils but this is really only the 2nd or 3rd time I drew with willow. During the entire project I never felt I was getting it right. But I did. I suppose that it really is the process not the result that matters. 

I won't be working with charcoal again, I don't think. I packed it and all the other media and materials away in boxes in my closet and if, at some time, I think I need it or have some desire to try again over the course of the year, I'll shop in my closet. 

I've packed away my Pan Pastels as well but this morning my Sister in Law asked for a portrait of her dog for Fiona's (that's the dog) 15th birthday. Mary has many portraits by me but she likes to commemorate. So I agreed to a pastel portrait because I'm not painting with anthing anymore. I did a painting this year for a nursery and it was lovely and fun and pure torture to complete. Painting is gone. Except for the classes I teach at the library. 

My focus is graphite. Except for this time. Mary created an AI protrait of Fiona so the AI portrait is my reference photo. Art imitating science imitating art?

And I'm drawing again.

 ...this time with white pastel on black paper. Not that that's new. Take a look at the top of the blog page. Every time I look at that image I know I can't give up this medium. I love it and what I love most is the comic sense. My tiny stint with drawing with wire brought me here. So here is the first piece, an Asian baby elelpant. Isn't he/she adorable. Not all Asian elephants have tusks.

I completed this drawing with white pastel pencil, a monozero eraser and a black pastel pencil on Canson black paper. I was aiming for humor; almost cartoonish, a bit, only a bit, distorted. I think I'm ba

I packed away my wire wrapping tools into my Betty Book lunch box and set it under my drawing table. I can see me making the odd piece when inspired but this is my medium. And I can relay attitude and humor with white pastel on black paper. Nothing to distract. No color getting in the way. No hyperrealism backing me into a corner. All free hand

This is a 9 x 12 inch drawing and it took 50 minutes total including the initial fidgeting. The video is up and running. Just click HERE to watch it.  

Thank you.

 

y.. ck. 

An update on wire art...

 I bought many thicknesses of wire and a few more tools. I practiced some techniques, realized that my fingers aren't quite nimble enough but some of the tools helped make it easier for me. I found that I wasn't as interested in making jewelry as I was interested in wire sculpture. 

I created this pendant. 

I created this sculpture of an Ibis. 

The video above gives you the sense of movement i achieved with this Ibis.

Okay. So after a few weeks, well 2 weeks, of watching many videos and trying some different techniques, I'm not in love with wire sculpting. I can see picking up some beads to create bracelets or keychains for the holidays but ...

I hope that somehow wire sculpture has somehow changed my view of drawing and moving me on to next plateau. I hope. That's what this was all about.  Wish me luck.

A new avenue

So, as many of us are want to do I asked for guidance about my art. I want to be more creative, more something. I asked this come to me during my sleep. The message came: wire and crystal jewelry design. This was totally unexpected. I am, as you all know a 2d visual artist. I was looking for inspiration in my approach. Surprise! 

Well, over 40 years ago I studied jewelry design in college. I learned what I wasn't good at. I kept my tools and they are in perfect working order.

Over the years I've tried beading bracelets and necklaces but was not all that impressed with my work. I've never worked with wire in jewelry making although I did work with it in sculpting class over 40 years ago. 

Now I don't expect this to replace drawing. My best guess is that I need a creative avenue of the 3d variety to inspire my 2d art. So I'll be taking a break while I watch more videos on wire art and practice. I have plenty of crystals about and my tools and I purchased three different gauges of wire. I'm set. I will be using pencil and paper to design the jewelry as I learn the methodology of wire and crystal jewelry design so I get to keep my hand in 2d art. I'm looking forward to creating an Ibis with wire. I almost have it worked out in head. 

My next post will be an update on jewelry design. See you then.