Rainbow Bisque

On the heels of that last painting session, I was a little hesitant to pick up a brush again. After a little talk with myself, art resumed as usual. This is the result. I have spent some time reading about how habits are formed and broken. Subconsciously, I think it's my brain trying to break free of some of bad habits holding it back. Long story short: I have exchanged "hit snooze alarm three times" for "you have thirty minutes to draw something". I was able to make a pretty decent portrait drawing (which I think will be tomorrow's painting) and remind myself that I am not, in fact, the worst artist in the world. The painting above is a character from the Disgaea video game series by Nippon Ichi Software. I used a picture from a strategy guide to create a model out of Sculpey clay, which allowed me to draw the character from a different angle and position. I used a light table to replicate the figure and transfer the whole drawing to watercolor paper...

I would have opted not to post this at all, but I think it is kind of important. This is how my work looks when I get careless. I wasn't painting in the right mindset, and the result is...not pleasant. Sometimes I sit down and forget everything I've learned. Sometimes the paint doesn't mix or dry correctly. Sometimes I just cannot think of one specific thing to paint. I will not be calling this an official post. There are different ways to approach the same subject with a little more finesse and subtlety. There is something to be learned from this whole experience; and I have the rest of the evening to figure out what that is.

It took a long time to finally get around to painting this one. I had the drawing sitting on my table - ready to go. As I try to pin down the feelings that keep me from my work, I notice myself freezing up. I honestly wish I were just easily distracted, that would be so much easier to fix. But sometimes I just sit, think, and get wrapped up in...everything. I really like how this one turned out in some places. There are a few places where I went a little too heavy on the "black" (a combination of vandyke brown and pthalo blue). I have been trying to be more patient with these paintings and build up tone more slowly. Crocodiles remind me of someone I hold very close to my heart. They conjure memories that make me happy and incredibly sad at the same time. I miss you, bug. I've never stopped.

A hummingbird from one of my favorite research materials: over-sized books of animals. I have collected a lot of books for the purpose of drawing and painting. Over the years, I have also collected a great number of sketchbooks, pads of paper, paintbrushes, and paint. Sitting down and making use of all these materials feels...right. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the way I work and about the space in which I work. All this week, I have been getting up when my alarm goes off the first time without hitting the snooze button three or four times - that time has gone toward some simple sketches and reading. It is still tough to break my procrastination habit; but I am beginning to identify the things that make it so persistent in the first place.

A different technique from the same book as the previous cloud painting. I like the results of this one a lot more. Not much else to say really. I learned to blend outward in a circular motion. I also learned to place a little paint and water on my brush when lifting out color: this will inject a little bit of color back into the area. No more cloud-centric paintings...for a while anyway. Promise.

I've had this piece mostly done for a while now. I painted the background before I even started this blog. I had sketched out a simple line drawing of a raccoon with a conical hat and a scarf/bandana obscuring its face. I guess it was just too intimidating to finish; until last night, anyway. I got out a basic set of watercolor pencils, my trusty water brush, and a white paint pen before setting out to complete this painting. I really like the end result. Watercolor pencils create intense hues when "activated" with water and brush. These pencils create different effects and behave differently from the paint I have been working with. I am becoming more aware that my ability to draw actually goes hand-in-hand with my ability to paint - I have a lot to learn from/about both. I find pieces like this to be very difficult to follow-through on. As someone who is still learning to see and develop ideas, I find myself getting caught up in a lot of excess research. As a perso...

I'm not especially fond of this piece. I was trying a new technique for making clouds from a great book I've been reading , but I messed up on some critical steps. During my initial wash, there wasn't enough pigment on the paper. So once I applied the alcohol to the page to create the bright white highlights and cloud formations, there wasn't enough contrast to work with. I tried another wash with the same technique unsuccessfully; then I just used my cat's tongue brush to lift out the highlights myself. In essence, I took out a lot of the spontaneity and randomness out of the formations. And you know what? I could have blended that yellow more. Despite all of that, these problems are precisely what I love about art. I know what happened. I know what I can fix. I am aware of what I can do next time. I would always prefer to mess things up the first time: it means I get to try again until I am happy with it.