Eclipse

I've started the background.  You may ask yourself, "come on!  How long does it take to colour a piece of paper a solid blue."  Well when you're "scumbling" it takes about 2-3 hours per layer.  You draw in wee, itty bitty little circles.  I go clockwise with my left hand and counterclockwise with my right.  It gives it that uneven, sponged look.  The more layers I add the more smooth it will appear, but I think I like it looking a bit choppy like it is.

I still have to work on the hands and then I'm tout fini!

I took kids 1 thru 4 to see "Eclipse" bright and early this morning.  We got there an hour before the show and there was a fair sized line up already.  Of course there weren't many teens in that crowd as everybody knows teens don't arise from their own crypts until well after lunch.  Mine did because there was no way I was going to stand in line for a few hours in the pm to see a movie. 

Oddly enough, most of the patrons that filled the theatre, and I mean filled it, were people aged 35 and up.....well, women 35 and up.  Some had Twilight t-shirts on even.  They didn't even bother to bring kids with them to make it look like they were going only for the kids and not for them like I saw in some cases.  Uhummm....not that that's the case with me or anything.  Okay, maybe it was, so sue me.  I like the books.  I like the movies.  I want to be a teenager again.  Only wealthy with my current knowledge base and not have to live back with my parents.  (No offense Mom and Dad but you cramp my style and I don't want a curfew again.)

Anyhow, now I can't wait for the next one to come out.

3/4 Complete

Just have the background left and touchups.  I'm just going to start a couple of more as well.  Probably another bullfrog and a portrait. 

Well, it's been almost 5 days since the earthquake and poor Mr. Hunter is mostly normal now.  Every now and again he retreats to his happy place with his tail between his legs.  I suppose he's still feeling aftershocks that we can't.  Unfortunately with the recent rain we received the bugs seem to be starting.  He hates bugs almost as much as he hates earthquakes.  He really is an indoor city kinda dog.

Earthquakes and Nipples

Where was I during the earthquake? 

"POP" show at The National Art Gallery of Canada.

We had just started walking through the exhibition (I was with my art class and instructor) when the building started to quiver.  Pamela (the instructor) mentioned that perhaps it was just the gallery workers moving walls for a new exhibition.  It then got louder and more intense.  It was kind of comical, now looking back, seeing people bouncing up and down.

No one seemed to know what the heck had happend and I couldn't get a cell signal.  In fact the spooky thing was that no one could get a cell signal.  Pamela suggested we leave and a couple of us thought that would be a great idea.  The building is cement and a 3 story high glass tower.  So we spent the remainder of the class (which was almost the whole class) in a pub down the street.  At least 3 of us less brave souls did.  It was also a chance to spend some time with a great artist in a pub.  Never, never turn that opportunity down!

After a lovely afternoon on the patio (drinking nothing stronger than pop people!) I felt brave enough to enter the gallery again. 

Part of the exhibition was a room with black light and patrons were encouraged to write or draw on the walls with coloured chalk.  The only space left was at the top of the wall, so I stretched on my tippy toes and drew a little picture before continuing on to view the rest of the exhibit.  I came upon a mirror at the end of the show to see that I had perfectly outlined my nipples in chalk on my black tank top.  I must have leaned on the wall when drawing.  I wasn't too embarrased though as I'm sure I just looked like part of the exhibit.  They did have, afterall, a set of twins sitting in chairs in one section.  I was the chalk nipple lady.   Okay, maybe I was a bit embarrased.

One In The Hand continues...

The picture is a bit dull but here's where it's at.

To Kurt;

As for your portrait, I'm insulted that you don't recognise this likeness of you!  I think I hit it head on;-)

BTW: Why is this post centered like this?  Ask blogger.  It won't let me fix it.  Arrrrrgggggggg!

.

Expressive Figure Painting ~ Done

The painting classes are done for the semester and although I still have a wee bit of work to complete on this one I can do the rest without the model.  The model liked the work and asked to photograph it and asked if she could post it on her facebook page.  It got me thinking about if it were me in her place would I post it on my blog ?(since I don't do facebook)  Ummmm, NO!  I don't think I'd want everyone seeing me nude.  She's a brave lady.

I asked her if she wanted it and she does so it will have a good home when it's complete as I don't see it hanging on my livingroom wall.  She's such a lovely lady I was happy offer.  She told me no one had ever offered her the art before.  My other two nudes from class (the paintings, not the models) are behind the freezer in my basement.  I suspect from talking to other artists that most art done of nudes end up in basements all over the city.  I'd prefer to get it out there somewhere.  Wouldn't it be funny though if she just put it in her basement?  I suspect that won't happen as she is quite proud of her job and I'm sure she'll want to show it off.  One of the other artists was quite taken with it and also wanted to photograph it so I let him.  Made me feel like a rock star;-)

Hot Chocolate should recognise this model.  He has a chalk version of her from the class he attended with me last semester.

Update....

Bi-law stopped by and there's a lot of activity next door.  Boy are they pissed!  Like angry hornets that have been disturbed.  Perhaps killer bees is more appropriate.  Dare I go out and lounge in my gazebo?  Ummm, maybe not until tomorrow when they've cooled off a bit.

One In The Hand continues...

 This bullfrog is so full of little lumps and bumps that you normally wouldn't notice until you decide it's a good idea to paint him, that I expect he'll be a while before he's complete!

The commission I completed was received well by the family (Thank God!)  And only two more art classes to go until things wrap up for the summer.  I find this a sad time as I miss the artistic energy and companionship of other artists that occurs during the classes.

The fence....ha!  Mr. P. finally approached Mrs. J of J&J and politely asked what their plans for the fence were as there didn't appear to be any movement on their side.  Mr. P. has filled the valley left by the trees with top soil and seeded the area with grass.  Mrs. J's response was to laugh in his face and say they weren't putting one up that it was our responsibility to fence in their pool. 

We finally called bi-law and they'll come and talk to them about that and their fire hazard of a shed they had illegally wired (complete with black tape keeping it together) that sits too close to our house.  We let them know since we were not experts in these matters they could sort it all out with the city.  The next morning the temporary fence had been tightened up and the wires going into the shed removed.  We know though if we leave it it will be back in it's old state in no time at all and the fence won't be put up. 

The bi-law officer was wondering if she was perhaps a wee bit slow in the head telling us fencing her pool was our responsibility but we assured him no.  I believe she's just hoping we're that stupid.  She's a bully and used to people backing down.  She's confused when she doesn't get her own way and pulls out her sick card. 

"Mr. J is not doing well....."she'll say in hopes of finding a week spot in our armor.  This time she had her son tell us.

Mr. J does indeed have a bad heart and has been on deaths door for the 23 years we've known him apparently.  If nothing else has killed him thus far I'm sure this won't either. 

BTW....as his son was telling us in his phone message how ill his dad was, his dad was actually sitting by the pool having a beer and later chatting up the neighbours on the street.  They really must think we're idiots.  Let's hope the bi-law officers are used to dealing with manipulative people like them.

Bullfrogs and Nekkid Ladies

I had made a fatal error on the hand picture the other day.  It was still only a few hours into the work, but enough time had been invested that I didn't want to have to start over.  I was erasing some light pencil dust that had settled in the white section of the paper with a kneaded eraser that had a piece of "Tuscan Red" lead in it that I hadn't noticed.  Crap!  Well, even my electric eraser didn't take the colour away.  I had heard that you could lift it with a solvent, but I wasn't willing to take the chance on ruining the work.  I used a piece of fine sandpaper and was able to sand it away.  The "Stonehenge" papers tooth remained unchanged by the sandpaper and therefore allowing me to continue on as if nothing had gone wrong.  Phew!

The naked chick is the one I'm working on in art class.   We are allotted three weeks (Three half days) to work on her.  I have one more class left, though could probably use another.  I was walking out with the model this week when she was telling me her husband was waiting in the car at the door of the art school the week before and when she got in she started telling him about the pose she had chosen for the class.  He replied that he had already seen it walking out of the art school with the various students.  I wonder how he feels about everyone on the street knowing what his wife looks like naked.  And yes, I think if you saw her standing beside the painting, even though she was fully dressed, you'd know it was her;-)

One in the Hand

Click to biggify

Time to start something new.  I feel a great need for colour right now and to practise working in something other than flesh tones.

Off to the right is the start of my palette.  It's not a comprehensive guide and will grow as I "feel" out what colours I'll need.  I put down a basic colour or two and then compare it to the photo.  I adjust as needed multiple times and thus accounting for the various layers in the finished work.

Example:  the arm was started with a light layer of cream then deco pink on that then light peach.  It looked too peachy so another layer of pink.  Then it looked like it was more purple in the picture so I added a layer of greyed lavender.  Then it needed more pink in some spots and peach in others and a cloud blue in the dips in the flesh.  You keep building on the previous layers as they are transparent and show through until you hit just the right value, tone and hue.  I can do this more easily with coloured pencil but paints are definitely a work in progress!  Now this fellow is a chanllenge and may make my eyes go buggy so I suspect he will be worked in small parts divided up by many, many breaks.

"Rocks. Amazing rock formations!"

I was back down at the river today doing my morning sketching and photographing as I've pretty much exhausted the coffee shop scene.  I had one of those odd feelings and a thought crossed my mind.  What if I was here taking pictures and someone was watching me and taking my picture.  Turns out someone was.  A photographer from a local paper had been standing on the bridge watching me watch the river.  Funny.  Instincts.  We should follow them more often.

He asked me what I was doing there and I told him with a sweep of my arm "Rocks."  "Amazing rock formations here!"  How profound.  And it took me a minute to come up with that one too.   I shouldn't talk to people when I've been spending time alone solely in my right brain.  It's one of those situations you wish you could rewind and start again and say something like, "I'm an artist looking for inpiration for my next work."  No, I had to say "Rocks.  Amazing rock formations!" 

Tastes Like Chicken?

I don't want to find out what these muddy fellows taste like, but they make great models for upcoming coloured pencil paintings.  The first one that was caught sounded like a baby crying so they let it go right away they were feeling so bad for the poor thing.  I think the one on the end (your right) looks like Jabba the Hut.  (Bullfrog, not kid.)

Model Citizen

"Mom, that guy walking on the bike path looks familiar." says my 12 year old as we were cycling together along with a friend of hers today.

"yes he would," I replied "....usually you see him naked though.  He's one of the models from class."

"Oh, ya!  Okay." she agrees.

Her friend looked horrified.

He's been in various drawings I've hung in my livingroom briefly over the past two years while taking classes as the Art School.  I was flattered.  Apparently I can acturately capture an image after all;-)

In a city of just under a million people we were bound to recognise at least one of the ten or so models I've used over the past two years while on an outting during the middle of the day on a bike path.