Pastel workshop day 2

 The second pastel painting I did during my 2 day workshop was another picture with the eyes closed. The workshop tutor gave us eyes closed photos to use to make it easier for beginners to draw. It did work because everybody had a pretty good picture at the end of the day, even the beginners.

I tried to go with a darker tone this time but I still ended up with my usual style of soft coloring and blending for faces. I am happy to recognize that and accept I my own artistic temperament. This picture is pretty close to the photo we were given.

After looking at the finished picture for a while I decided I didn't like the hair across her forehead. It is realistic because it is the way it was in the photo (and how we were taught to do) but I decided to tidy up her hair for her. I liked it much better now and it seems to make more sense to me without the forehead hair. I forgot to take a photo before I framed it so it is a little duller behind the glass. I want to try another portrait like these but with eyes open this time. I just have to find a model to get a photograph of.  

 My DLP page for week 11 was about borders. I was initially going to use only four colors but somehow those extra colors made their way onto my page. Is it weird that I like to do softly colored portraits but my journal pages have a lot of bright color? My writing exercise this week was the color the negative space around the lettering.

 This DLP page is about Focus. I found a quote I liked and decided to do my first face in this journal. I was going to only use acrylics but at the end I added a little pencil to define the details, especially the eyes and hair. I did manage to go darker with my shading for this portrait and resisted the urge to smooth out the shading. I can go messier if I want, lol. I chose a wonky style of writing for my quote and highlighted a few letters here and there.

Next post I will share the technique I used for my current DLP page. 

Lots of exciting new things...

I have been very busy lately trying new art techniques. I love to keep learning new things and experimenting whenever I can.

First I will share the little demo piece I made for my technique book using the rusty materials that I made with the textile group. I tried to use some of each fabric that I had colored with rust and dye. I added some hand stitching with the rusted threads I made (I had saved the cotton string that I wrapped the rusting objects with) and a little bit of green thread.

 Next I am sharing my week 9 DLP pages. The left is my writing exercise for this week, using journaling boxes and filling them with words. I like the way this looks and will use it in the future. The page on the right is a technique I learned from 21 secrets a couple of years ago and fun to do. It is a bit of doodling but not excessive so I didn't get bored with it. A few people mentioned this would make a great quilt and I can see it as a fabric wall hanging or something. I may use a version of it soon.

 This page is my watercolors for March which is summer time here. Simple sketches and watercolors.

After this I spent a lot of time experimenting with a new textile technique I learned with my group. It is sun painting and was a lot of fun. I will share the details and examples next time I blog.













The final piece I am sharing is from an art workshop I did over the weekend. It was with David Wells who is a master pastel artist. His portraits are incredibly realistic but very captivating too. I have not properly used pastels before (only played with pan pastels a bit) so it was new for me. It was also my first realistic portrait. I am pleased with the way it came out and although I can see where I need to improve I had a really fun time. David was very sharing with his knowledge and encouraging to all.

 

 Best of all I really liked using the pastels. In the past when I have tried them I didn't see the possibilities of this medium but now my eyes have been opened. I may even like them more than painting because I love not having to clean up paint and paint brushes. When I finished for the day I just put the pastel down and walked out of the studio. I have broken my self imposed embargo on buying new art supplies and ordered a whole bunch of new products to continue with the pastels. My heart is fickle when it comes to any form of art....I love them all.

Art journaling...

Art journaling has taken over my creative time at the moment. At the start of the year I decided I was going to take a lot of online classes this year to learn new techniques because there are no real life classes like that on offer where I live. I have been so busy with them that I have not done any other creative work. I don't think that is a bad thing but I don't know where this will all lead. At the moment 21 Secrets is the class I am most interested in.

The other day I did a workshop there run by Tracie Hanson. She is an amazing artist and I love the look of her work. Her lesson was very well put together and I finally used black outlines in a piece that I am happy with. I have always struggled with using a lot of black in my art, it usually looks wrong to me.

This page is acrylics with black pencil outline and oil pastel details. Not my usual style but an interesting idea. It still needs some words but I can't decide yet what they are.

Lots of birds came out on this page. There is some sort of story here but I haven't found it yet. I do like this style of art and will do it again, maybe even on a canvas.

Life Book again

I have done another Life Book page. It was done mainly with watercolour crayons and pencils. The crayons weren't as smooth as I would like so I went over them with pan pastels for a smoother look. I also used sprays on the background. I am quite happy with the way this girl looks.

I have not had a lot of time for art in the past week or so. We are doing a big makeover of our back garden and I need to spend a lot of time out there while the weather is good. I have to get all the planting done while it is still autumn or the plants won't survive the hot summer months. They need to establish their root system over winter and spring. I probably will be away from the computer for the next fortnight but as I still try to do some art in the evenings I will have a bit to show you when I return.

Valentines heart challenge

The wonderful Jane Davenport emailed a challenge to all her online school members on Valentines Day. She wanted us to create some art with a heart in it and upload it to her album page. When I received the email it was perfect timing for me. I have been under the weather of late and unable to draw or use the computer for a while. On Tuesday I was starting to feel better and the challenge was all the encouragement I needed to get out my pencils again. I used acrylics and pencils on top of a gessoed background. The heart was coloured with pan pastels. A new product for me and I had a lot of fun with them.

What an incredible journey!!

I feel so lucky to have found Jane Davenport's website through a casual comment somebody else made about her on their blog. I looked for myself and thought how wonderful it all was so signed up for her newsletter. Only a couple of months later she announced her online class and I decided to take the plunge and sign up. It was the best decision I have made for a long time. I have been having such a blast over there and learning so much. I feel like my art has come a long way in just 6 weeks so far.

This week was pastels week. At the end of the week I have completed this page using oil pastels, acrylic paints and coloured pencils. I am quite happy with the idea although the drawings could have been a little better. That will come with practice.