Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Coco Portrait (Part 1)

Why did I get myself into? Why did I say I would paint a portrait of Coco...

Coco

With a big mug of coffee I used the new app I downloaded on my iPhone, the one called 'Inspire,' (I used it before in another post I did) and I use my dollarama stylus. I started with opening the app and I'm introduce to a blank square, so I painted one side blue and the other side green. then, I did a quick sketch of Coco on top of the half blue and green screen. Which one to pick? The odd this was, I was doing reseach on people who do pet portraits and most were painted with blue....but deep down I thought I should do green but, stupid me decided to use blue.

Preliminary Sketches of Coco

'Inspire App for iPhone' Sketch of Coco

Now, I sit at the table all set up to starting painting. The blank white canvas is kind of scary at first. Putting the first bit of paint on the palette...I wet my brush, my iPhone is playing 'Too Close,' Alex Clare. The first brush stoke almost makes my heart stop, no turning back on. I paint all the canvas cobalt blue...the canvas is just too white. I wait for that layer of paint to dry,if I put on more paint it will lift off the paint I just put on.

Table Set Up

I get the background painted on had a bit of a hard time. But I think it looks great, I put that canvas aside, so it could dry without me picking at it again. I'm looking over my drawings to see if I have Coco drawn right, she looks good. Tomorrow I'll start painting her.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Let Go. Paint From the Soul.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

A few weekends back, I stretched and prime 3 canvas'. I got some canvas while I was on vacation this summer, I have always wanted to do something on these 3 canvas' for myself. The following day I really felt I wanted to paint. How many times have I felt like painting but couldn't because I never had the supplies to do so...I started a 8x10" of a Puffin. And this time I will paint this Puffin the way I want to. While painting my Puffin I was in love but, at first I was afraid I would 'F' this painting badly. But instead of letting my fear take control of me, I just Let Go. I decided that whatever happens...happens.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself again. My artist creatively flooded me, it was wonderful...in empowering me. Like my deepest part of my soul was awaken in me. This is my real real painting since school...I'm pretty sure of it.
That fear of painting I had I just set that aside and I paint with my heart and soul...my true Artist Soul comes out on canvas.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
~Pablo Picasso

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."
~Leonardo da Vinci