Hair Raising Fun

I had hoped to have more to show than these, but I have been really busy. The piece in color was a jolly good time, and I am even using it as the wallpaper on my cellphone right now for my own amusement. Faces #441-#443. Not sure why that one sketch is rotated, but can't fix it right now! Until next time, take care!

Point Of View

Even with the distortion of the painting lying flat, I thought face #438 (above) looked better from the point of view shown, from the natural setting and light in which it was created. I took the quick picture with the camera on my cell phone. It's good to see things a different way sometimes to keep a fresh point of view. Considering this is not an actual person who modeled for me or who was in a photograph, I think she is "believable" and that the less informed person would not be able to guess that she was fictitious. A bit of imagination and a hefty dose of drawing skills. It is almost laughable that there are individuals who draw real people who try to compete with just such fictitious imagery, or others who criticize the imaginary like it was real. Would the same individuals paint a clock from a photograph and compare it to say one of Dali's, or criticize Dali about his clocks being rendered incorrectly? See what I mean about the comparison to the imaginary almost being laughable? But on a more positive note about criticism, I had a friend who was recently looking at my gallery of celebrity portraits on the wall next to some of my fictitious faces and he said they all looked real to him! And at times I have wanted some of my fictitious characters to be just so believable...so I should be flattered if someone wants to compare them to a rendering done from real life. 

Faces #439 and #440 

Until next time, take care!

Some Digital Dallying And Face #437

Even as I photographed and uploaded my painting last post, I knew with that dark background I added that I would need to adjust some of the values on the couple's faces. But I was waiting for the workable fixative to dry, so I ended up tinkering with what the adjustments might be like in a digital editing program. One thing led to another, as you can see...

This next one below is probably my favorite. I may use a print of it in a collage.

A sepia version...

Then, because I had already compressed my file with the type included, I went back and started all over again to make another one like my favorite except without the type. It was a fun digital dallying session while listening to the occasional gusts outside(Irene's bands are now passing over Florida dumping a lot of rain and wind on us).

Lastly, a new face to also post.

Face #437

If we lose power, I may be a few days without posting. But I will sure make use of that time drawing! Even if by candlelight! Until next time, take care!

Mid-Week Post

Although pressed for time, I did want to have a mid-week post with a few new faces.

Faces# 432-#436

Take care until next time, and thanks for the visit!

Serious Whimsy

After a lot of serious happenings in my life over the last few days, I felt the need to seek out some creative fun. The first piece below is done in pastel, the rest are rendered in colored pencil.

Faces #426-#431

(Because there's no face showing on this last one below, I didn't add it to my count.)

That's what I have for now. Until next time, take care!

Face #425

Face #425

This one is an 11" by 14" pastel painting. I struggled to finish it toward the end because I was feeling depleted a lot of yesterday. I think the summer heat has gotten the better of me and left me with no energy! Even with air conditioning and a nice cold ice coffee, the idea of having to move around at all just seems like too much of a big deal (laughing)! Lazy summer days.

Keep cool, wherever you are! Until next time, take care!

Sketch-Fest: Faces #414-#424

I did all these over the course of the last two days. I won't tell you exactly how long each face took...because it's not a timed event for me. Things take as long as they take. There are "artists" who I have heard gloat over having drawn something in a minutes time. And most of those things look like they were drawn in only a minute! I find there is a definite correlation between quality and putting in the time and effort to do something well. I also won't tell you I like all the faces I have done. Although I liked the turn out of some better than others, it felt good to do the drawing of all of them and just enjoy the process of it. Because it's my passion. And very lucky for me...to be passionate about something enough to not always be focused on an end result, or how much time it took!

Faces #414-#424

Until next time, take care!

Odds And Ends On A Saturday

Although I squeezed some painting in this week I want to share, the only actual face I got done was a pencil sketch (below) Face #413. After my road trip this week, I was really inspired and wanted to do a landscape painting. Everything was so green and vibrant on my travels across Florida! I probably won't do another landscape painting for a while...it really is just an occasional thing for me. This one is 18" by 20", pastel. The time I spent on the landscape painting I could have applied on getting this one finished. I have added to it since last post, but now I'm conflicted over two different ideas of how to finish it. Until I'm completely sure, I'll wait.

I'll have more faces next time! Until then, take care!

Busy Signal

Do you remember before the days of voice mail, call waiting, and answering machines, if you were trying to reach someone who was otherwise predisposed you'd get the typical busy signal noise from the other end of the line? Well, maybe that's the noise you hear now as you read this post because I am otherwise predisposed. Unfortunately. But I thought I'd show you a quick update of the mermaid I was working on. I have several different ideas of how I'll proceed from here with this piece, but guess they'll just have to wait until I have less going on! Until next time, take care! 

Happily Ever After

Face #410 and #411

Historically speaking, there has always been a strong element of idealism in art and visual imagery. And there still is...just pop open any magazine and look at the glossy ads with the perfect models seemingly living perfect lives quite oblivious to reality! And I could certainly draw beauty queens and prince charmings all day long, living happily ever after. But when you are doing a blog of a thousand faces (trust me on this one) you would know to look for the intricacies that make people different and the faces would not all be that of "ideal" cover models. And that's whether they are drawn from imagination, or from reality. Otherwise the repertoire can be very limited if it's all just idealism. That being said, however, I have no objection to the occasional fairy tales...

Face #412,  a mermaid painting in progress 

It starts with a humble line drawing

Then color gets added...

And here, below, is where I left off for today.

A close up...

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Until next time, take care!

Creative Control

      A blogger friend who couldn't leave a comment here recently contacted me by e-mail to comment on my work. And yes, a visitor may certainly feel free to e-mail me comments if they wish. But just to reiterate something I stated back in February, 

    "I began this blog with a clear cut objective and goal in mind. Not unlike a mountain climber, I didn't feel that I needed comments (good or bad) every few steps I made on the way upward toward my objective! This is, after all, a personal goal to draw a thousand faces. But I am still grateful for anyone out there who is silently following along! "

     That's been my policy since I started this blog, and it hasn't changed. I do review my stats periodically to see if anyone is out there, to see what posts get the most hits, to see if anyone has linked to my blog. That in itself is an eye opener at times. Evidently, the most popular posts have been the celebrity portraits. Although I enjoyed doing them immensely, I am not going to shift my focus to doing them exclusively just because they are so very well received. (Nor am I likely to change something just because it is not well received by someone.) That is what they call creative control, my friends (wink and a smile)! It's the right to paint a bunch of heads inside a giant blue head if one is so inclined!!!!

     On that note, I actually was inclined to do some work today. Here is face #409, below.

Thanks as always for the visit, take care until next time!

Face #408

Face #408

Well here's another thirty minutes of my life I won't get back (self-deprecating chuckle). This face, as well as the one in my last post, were rendered in a way I don't normally work. One from a photo, one from imagination, but both varying from my usual line drawing at the beginning of the process. I just started to throw down large areas of color here, and then tightened it all up through until the end. I don't think it's for me, but was glad to try a different approach. I can see why some artists like to work this way, but where I am a die-hard fan of line it seems to be the better route for me to start with a line (and not a glob)! It's another face closer to my goal, though!

Until next time, take care!

Thirty Minute Rendering

Face #407

 I was aiming for a slightly looser rendering here, but pushed things a little farther than I should have and actually wanted less detail than this. But for having invested only thirty minutes, I can't really complain. I could go back in and smudge out some of the detail. Or I could go back in and and get the very detail and likeness I was trying to avoid. What I love about pastel, is that neither option is closed off!!!

Until next time, take care!

Face #406

Face #406

I love the look of old drawings done in red and white chalk, and thought with this face I would experiment to see if I could get the same type of look from pastel on toned paper. I think the use of a blending stump really added some richness to the effect.

Thanks for visiting, as always. Until next time, take care!

"The Deconstructed Dream"

The Deconstructed Dream, 18" by 24", pastel

Faces #401-405