Learning Acrylics

My bed, my art station! ...LOL... (See photo. ...I just shove stuff to the side when I want to sleep!)
Acrylics, I suppose, can be separated into two endeavors: technique and color. One technique, I've been practicing is "sfumato," the gradual blending of one color onto or "into" another. Think of the appearance of airbrush, and you'll understand. But it's all BRUSHWORK. In the one photo here, notice the "bright star" effect on the right side of the little painting (NOT the lousy planet). That's my best sfumato effect so far; it really seems to "glow" like airbrush (or spray paint), although it's done totally with a sable brush. It's somewhat difficult to do smoothly, and requires a special technique and lots of practice. (The rest of that little painting is just "celestial experiments," really, no big deal.) ... But sfumato can be used with any color transition on any subject which needs that "smoky," smooth blend.
As for color, besides wrapping my brain around HUES (and their mixing) I'm also learning how to adjust VALUE in each of the hues ("colors"). To lighten, just add white (or, really, add the original hue TO white, which is more efficient usually). To darken, you can add black, but that will distort some hues (especially yellow, which will often turn green, since black has a great deal of blue as a component, e.g. mix ultramarine blue with burnt sienna for a nice black). So to darken, it's better to simply add darker versions of the hues. For instance, add yellow ochre to yellows (or add burnt umber for a really dark yellow); add thalo green to darken greens; alizarin crimson for reds... etc. This really works well. Note the photo of the color bars I did, practicing this stuff. ....
....Now, there's one more characteristic of color which is fundamental: CHROMA. I've always been confused by this concept, because it's a completely separate idea from VALUE, yet they're similar at first glance. But it's pretty simple, really. First, start with a hue (color), and then think of a gray (white mixed with a little black) but not just any gray. No, this gray must match the value of the hue. For instance, yellow has a light value, and red has a darker value, naturally, in their normal state. So, for a lemon yellow, mix a grey that is mostly white, you know, very light. And for a cadmium red, mix a darker grey, one which is the same "darkness" of value as the cad red. Now, to reduce the chroma of one of these hues (or, in other words, to make the hue DULLER) simply add some of the grey. And to make even duller? Just add more of the grey. But remember, you're NOT making the color darker (or lighter) when you do this. The color will remain at the same value, but will get progressively duller and grayer as you add more and more of the correct-valued gray. ... Does that make sense to anyone? LOL. ...Oh, well, I tried.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to this week.

OK, this is a little better...

I adjusted the ocean, and got most of the glare out, too.

My first real painting

I consider this to be my first "real" painting, EVER. Now, I've experimented with oils (a simple apple) and spray paints (easy and kinda "fake" paintings, really) and, of course, watercolors (I color my caricatures with 'em) ...but I've never sat down like a real painter with only my brushes and canvas and paint (and an idea) and painted a composition, with a variety of OBJECTS and textures and hues and values and even chroma considerations. I really haven't. It's a frightening proposition.
I think I WANT to be a real painter, and be (in my own mind) in company with the old masters, from Michelangelo to Vermeer to Gauguin to Norman Rockwell, to be in company with history, in an emotional way. I think that's where my heart is wishing to lead.
Anyway... I'm somewhat satisfied with this. (Although I just noticed I didn't adjust the chroma in the sea [the distant waves should be duller], nor did I add white highlights [sparingly!] to the waves under the moon.) ... The medium is acrylics (on canvas), and I'm slowly starting to learn how to use the acrylics. I have a lot of knowledge of colors and art and whatnot in my head, yet I've amazingly delayed doing any real painting. Now, I'm IN it, and can't hide behind statements like, "Oh, I'm just experimenting," and, "I just taught myself to draw a few years ago, give me a break." No, now my work must stand on its own, even if I'm really just beginning.
To be honest, I'm excited by this painting. I drew and painted a dolphin, and it LOOKS like a dolphin. I drew and painted a moon, and it LOOKS like a moon. I created a night's sky from my imagination. The weak part is the ocean. Maybe with the chroma adjustment and the highlights it will improve. We'll see.
And there is a big GLARE from the camera flash. I need a new camera. The buttons on this one are broken, and I can't adjust anything (like turning off the flash).
Next painting: a sailboat!

Paying Bills with a Wow

Tonight, I looked into a child's eyes, and I said, "Wow." A mother's gaze, just last week, moved to one of my drawings (of her daughter), and she said, quietly, "Wow." On a recent evening, upon my sailboat, there was a lightning strike in the ocean's distance, and then a hush, and then a crash, and within this night's darkness and storm, an opening in the rolling clouds, and a star, bright and far, and this star was, this short moment, directly BESIDE the terrestrial bolt of lightning, and, I could swear, my own beating heart whispered the same, a hackneyed "Wow" of astonishment.
Our sense of wonder wanes at times. A million little debts fill our years, and they take our souls. I fight the decay of our natural greatness. I fight the plunge into bill-paying and cynicism and heartless practicality. Let us gather our strength for the beautiful and the useless, for the elements of the heavens rather than the elements of mere function. Otherwise, we are animals, gathering meals, pawing at the earth, grotesque in our efficiency, grotesque in our pride of annual savings. We can take little to our afterlife, whatever that may be. We can take nothing, I'm guessing, but memory, the memory of children and mothers and our struggle and our conscience. And it is in these little moments, at play and at work, perhaps in our artwork, even in cartooning, that we find our worth, our souls, little moments... That's all we have.
Perish one day by your own clock. Allow me to take these million moments, and pay my bills, and pay my debt to the myriad folk who pass into my life, making it worthwhile, and not mere duty.
The debt collector most ominous is my own heart, and its bills are not negotiable.
You must live with yourself. Good luck.

Architectural Illustration

Hmm, this is interesting. It's exactly the opposite from live cartoon illustration, and that's satisfying. There's some mathematics involved, and an engineers scale, and the use of a technical pen, and I think I might love this. We'll see. Apparently there's a ready market for portraits of homes. I'm very curious. ... This quick photo is of a ruined work. It got wet and smeared on my boat during a surprise rainstorm. But it's my first "home portrait," and everyone says it looks great. Hmm... Part of me thinks it looks as good as anything I see on the Internet, but, then again, I made a lot of mistakes. ... This could be an excellent addition to my freelance career. I REALLY like my Rapidograph technical pen. (This was my first time using one.)... This work took about 15 hours, but a lot of that can be attributed to the simple fact that I was learning to use the scale, and the pen, and the architectural techniques, et cetera. More to come!...?

My New Home

Some of you know this, and others do not, but I have a new "home." Well, okay, I technically still live in my same old apartment, but my new home is now completely purchased, and I have a clear title from the state of Florida, and one day I'll move onto it. Her name is Wind Song, and we are developing a special relationship. She's an old Islander 24, with full keel, and these things have sailed around the world. It's that kind of boat. And my other sailboat? Well, I only had a down-payment on it, actually, and it's not really an "ocean-going" boat, so I'm getting rid of it. (It's a Starwind 22.) ... Anyway, Wind Song is tied to a dock in Apollo Beach (Tampa Bay), and I'm spending all my time and all my money on her. She's been neglected, but she's still beautiful. I'll update her refit often.

Another Spray Can work

This is really just a practice piece, and is a little sloppy, but, gosh, this stuff really is fun. ...
I'd like to do ocean themes. Dolphins and whatnot. But the "space theme" is the easiest for the novice spray painter. ...
A lot of guys do this stuff and sell it on the street, and appear to do brisk business. A couple even do small ones for the party favor business, just like caricaturists. Hmm...
But a lot of these guys aren't really artists, I don't think. They just learned some simple techniques. I think my "artistic eye" will help if I pursue this medium further.

Spray Can Paintings

I've been experimenting with using spray paint (from cans, like you see in Home Depot, "Painters Touch" brand, I think) and the results are interesting. The support is just cheap posterboard, and I'm trying to combine markers and now acrylic with it. One can use stencils and various masking techniques, just like in airbrushing. Actually, that's what spray paint is, a version of airbrushing without the delicacy (but I'm finding there are ways to control and manipulate the spray which cannot be done so easily with the traditional airbrush). And this is a very FAST medium.... I've only done three paintings so far. The photo is of two of 'em; the other one sucked pretty bad.

It's a miracle

Funny. Last night I actually started to have fun while drawing. I've always been TERRIFIED, if I were honest. But, last night, I was thinking of SPEED and STYLE and some such craziness, and then it happened. I felt that strange emotion of "play" and child-like items of the soul. Then, at one point, I drew a little boy, and the drawing ended-up very much like a portrait (which I didn't intend); and everyone behind me (a big crowd) were murmuring something, and finally a woman spoke up: "It's a miracle!" A warm wash flowed through my veins and I said "wow" and finished the drawing. Now, THAT is humbling.
I should never draw again. I'll never recapture that moment.

No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.

That's a quote from Aristotle. It gives hope to those of us who are emotionally unstable. LOL.

Shoulder Problems

Man oh man, this might be bad. My shoulder has been bothering me a bit the last few months, but no big deal, right? Apparently, it IS a big deal, because last night it suddenly reached a new level of aching, and, sure enough, when I awoke this morning, the first thing I noticed was that my shoulder hurt. Right inside the joint. This might be bad. We'll see. I don't have insurance, or even much savings, so surgery would be impractical, if the situation warranted. We're in the busiest part of the year, the proving ground. If it holds out okay through the next two months, then, okay, I won't worry about it.

Cute one from tonight

I wanted to do a different basketball pose.

Some from tonight

A demanding mother...

Okay, this mom and her son came over, and she's speaking in this thick, fast New England accent, "You any good? Will you make me look bad? You any good? The girl last night was awesome. You any good?" ... And I just say, "Most people like my drawings, and you probably will too." And I shrugged my shoulders. Pressure! ...So, anyway, I make her look good (Yes, Mike Duron, I stole your shoulder) and she loves it so, so much, in the end.... It was a happy experience. Funny. Nice, people. ...When leaving, she said, "Wow, you made it actually look like us. I've never seen that before." Nice.

My style is changing...

I liked this couple's drawing. My more simplified/stylized style is coming out here, I think, or something.

A Cute Little Boy...

This little boy was so cute with his stuffed doll, Bruce (from Finding Nemo, I think). He wanted me to include Bruce in the picture, so I drew him RIDING Bruce. He loved it. I didn't like the likeness, but the experience was so heartwarming, I simply HAD to post it.

Naturalism Still Life

Here's a slightly closer look at my apple (whose hues and values were distorted by my camera's flash; see previous post). I was consciously trying to imitate the Naturalism style of the 19th Century, which characteristically has lost edges mixed with clear edges, and a "painterly" appearance. When done well, it's quite lovely. One thing I noticed was the varying amounts of "sheen" in the dried paint. I think that's why one must use varnish at the end, after it's completely dry.

My Very First Oil Painting

I wasn't going to post this photo because the flash distorted the hues and values too much, but I figure there's no harm in showing it. Specifically, in the shadow area, the reflected blue light is actually MUCH darker, maybe a value 4 rather than the value 6 or so which it appears to be in the photograph. In fact, the entire composition is rather low key, and a good lamp must be used to bring out the light. ... And this IS my very first oil painting EVER. It's alla prima, starting with a direct sketch with raw umber and then low values with alizarin crimson, and then higher value hues. I watched a grainy video demonstration on YouTube and tried to copy it. It is somewhat successful. And, yes, that's the bathroom vent above the toilet. A good place for it, I think.... By the way, it's an apple. LOL.

Typical Football Caricature

Reminds me of an Esly drawing

I remember seeing Esly drawing a rollerblading girl being pulled by her dog, so I tried this one like that. The family spoke no English, but very much liked the picture. The girl was quite sullen the whole time, until she saw the picture, and I thought she was going to cry, and then I thought she was going to hug me, but anyway, she smiled and smiled and wanted me to take her picture. THAT is why I do this job.

Basketball

Typical basketball drawing.

Ball Hockey

Anyone ever heard of Ball Hockey? The guy explained it, and I attempted to draw it. I like my drawing of his head, anyway. Very nice family.

Hockey Player

I like creating new poses on-the-spot, and this one was a little different. ...and left handed.

A Little Princess

I drew a Keelan, et al

Boy, gosh, I've been struggling with my quality this year. I think I've been distracted by a number of things, but working with Brian (and now Mike D.) has been helped me. (Which is another example of why working with other, superior artists is so critical to improvement, despite the embarrassing costumes at AK.) Anyway, I took a few photos tonight, because it's a good way to document one's state. I'm still shy of photographying the actual models, lately, but I can say that some are nice likenesses, and some are lousy. The triple is particularly lousy, likeness-wise, but I still like some of the line quality and "style" of the drawings. The last boy was a Keelan!

My Secret

A couple of you know about my "secret," but now I'll share it with everyone. My SECRET is my Starwind 22, and it's also my desire to learn and practice sailboat restoration. Eventually, I'll be living on a sailboat, probably near Tampa, but that's some time off. That's the plan. I've also been selling all the "toys" I've collected over the last three years since moving to Florida. At this point, I have two items remaining: a complete windsurfing rig, with board, mast, boom, the whole thing; and my 15' US-1 sailing dinghy. I'll be posting these items on Craigslist this week for $250 and $375, respectively, for quick sales. The photos are of the Starwind 22.

An Island Unto Oneself. A New Week of Sailing.

This is the island to which I tied my sailing canoe this week. It's about 50 feet across, and located in the middle of the Banana River Lagoon. I almost stepped on another stingray, and saw more dolphins. None of them seem to want to play with me, so that's sad. (LOL.) It was very windy, but my little canoe sailed great. I paddled a lot, too, and am now quite sore. But that's a good thing. I'm making more adjustments to my rig, and really must make a nice, comfortable sleeping/relaxing area, which I'll do this weekend. I bought nav lights and an anchor light, and will anchor-out for my nights this coming week.... It's funny. My best friend (a girl, of all things) recently left the country (for good), and I am extremely depressed, so I think my canoe is filling her space. Maybe I'll name the canoe after her. I didn't expect to feel this devastated. One last time, I guess. I've said that before. But friendship and love are such cruel temptations. I'll probably give my heart to others, I don't know, maybe. I don't plan these things. I'm just gonna sail, watch the stars, play with the dolphins and manatees, paint pictures, and allow the humans to do as they please.

Drawings tonight

Here are some drawings I did tonight. Even though I'm working a lot on likenesses, all three of the teenage girls here look MUCH too similar in my drawings. The flash didn't work for the girl/guy couple, but I can say with confidence that my drawing of the guy was a very nice likeness. And a little funny. And I'm giving attention to VALUE much more. For instance, the guy here had a much lighter skin tone than his girlfriend. (Note: the flash does weird things to drawings.)

Stingray!

I saw my first stingray today. All I could think of was Steve Irwin, who was killed by one of these guys (in a wild stroke of bad luck). Stingrays are generally timid, and only "sting" when sensing a desperate need for defense. ... I followed this fella around a while in the clear-as-air water. In the photo he (she?) is mostly covered by sand, which is their way of hiding. Cool.

The Sea was glassy and clear

More testing of my sailing canoe today. There was no wind until afternoon, so I got to paddle a lot. I need it! Also today I learned to "paddle-sail,", in which I lash the mainsheet and the tiller (so the boat sails itself) and then I grab a paddle and stroke along with the wind, which, I found, dramatically increases speed during light airs.

Designing an Ocean-going Sailing Canoe

I was wondering if I could build a cheap, tough sailboat which can go out on the ocean, carry plenty of supplies, be unsinkable, and, finally, be small and light enough to carry around atop my Jeep. I came up with idea of a polyethelyne canoe (around $350) with home-made outriggers, sail, and lots of floatation. And so I made it. It's modular, so the outriggers/sleeping platform/maststep/daggerboard section disconnects from the canoe. I filled the canoe, to a large degree, with lightweight floatation foam (and soda bottles). The vessel has a capacity of about 800 pounds, so it can carry me and all the food and water I need for extended periods, like, several weeks, which island hopping and ocean passages require. I know it's crazy, but not really. I've read many books on sailing and passage-making and boat design, and so I have a good understanding of what's necessary, what's dangerous, what's possible. ... Anyway, it's still just a prototype, and not even painted yet, but I've been testing it over on the Banana River Lagoon, and it works! I still must adjust some elements, and fine-tune and paint it, but my theories have been serviced well.

Pastel on Velour

I painted this last night, after a lot of struggling, and it came out okay. You see, I bought some velour paper a few months ago, and tried it, and thought, "How the heck do some artists thrive with this stuff? It's really diffifult!" But, last night, after understanding more about colors, I tried it again, and it's wonderful! It took a while to figure-out, but I finally was able to discern some secrets of its use. I would love to be able to do formal portraits "live." You don't see that much anymore, only quick caricatures and silhouettes and the like, it seems. Anyway, I'm still learning, obviously. The photographic reference was of Sharon Stone, but I moved away from the likeness as I experimented with the materials. Oh, well. Velour paper, is strange. If you make a mark, it STAYS there. So erasing or smearing, really, but its unique ability to blend colors is remarkable. You must, however, use the pastel in particular ways, which takes trial and error. Lots of errors! LOL.

Silhouettes

Hmm, I've never given any attention to Silhouettes. I thought it was some kind of "craft" of cutting-out photographs onto black paper or something. Boy, was I wrong. What it is, is a portrait cut "freehand" with just a piece of paper and a pair of scissors. Really interesting history, too. It seems that, before the invention of the camera, artists in Europe and America did a big business doing these "poor man's portraits." As is the case today (in a way) most folks could not get a real portrait because the cost was prohibitive, so they paid for these quick "shadow portraits." We know the faces of our ancesotors (in the 17th to 19th centuries) to large degree due to this art. Of course, the camera changed all that. The commoners paid for THAT, and silhouettes were largely abandoned as a way of familial record. But the art is still alive. And it's real portraiture, with works in galleries and museums, and artists hired by the celebrated and by the wealthy, and by presidents, and by simple folk like me.
So, inspired, I grabbed my nose hair scissors and a piece of typing paper and tried to cut a profile from memory, of some kid. Came out okay, although a little too small. I was amazed this could actually be done. Very cool.

New stuff, kinda

Ok, so maybe I won't do digital caricatures. (I'm continuously getting excited over different activities. It's comical. Just ask Wayne {my housemate}. LOL.) Anyway, here's a couple of kids I drew about a month ago. I've been shy about photographing anything lately, but I found this on my camera, so I thought I'd post before I delete.