Hadara and the Sun King


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Tags: paintings, process
Current Mood: exhausted

elusivetiger fixed my feng shui issue with my painting location (we're doing a lot of work to the house, which means things are constantly in flux; for the past few weeks I haven't liked the area I used to paint in). The result was that I was much happier and spent a lot longer working tonight than I expected. On to Hadara's robe with its finicky patterns!


Here's me painting the first layers over the frisket film.


And peeling it away... you can see how delicate it is. I was using the "extra tack" version of the film; I think in the future I might try the normal low tack, because this one stuck a little more than it needed to. Running the paper through the printer already abuses it a bit, and the film on top of that was just too much for the surface of the paper. I was basically pleased with the result, though I had to be more careful painting over the filmed areas than I think will be necessary with the lower tack film.


Where I stopped for the night. I painted the background of the patterns in, then put down the basecoat on her skin (I'm going to have such fun doing that warm toffee color!) and worked a little on the Sun King's robes before I gave up for the evening. You can see the book of patterns I was using propped up against the wall.

The scan's a little skewed, but it gives you a better look at the patterns at least:


Hadara's Robe of Stars

I have so much to do it's just falling right out of my head lately. But I think having this new painting place will help me immensely.


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Tags: art, paintings, process
Current Location: painting table
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: De/Vision - In Dir

When I'm sad, I make things. In this case, I made cake.


( Read more... )

I also go a little progress on "Hadara," in the form of applying frisket.


( Read more... )

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Tags: art, food, photos, process
Current Mood: tired

Willow, the Moon and Night

Size: 12x16
New brushes used up: 4.
Old brushes destroyed beyond repair: 1
Times I dipped my brush in kosher salt: 6
Times I dipped my brush in coffee, green tea, my glass of water, my milk or my gin & tonic: 11




*fallover*

Tags: art, brushes, process
Current Mood: finally!

...for those of you keeping up with the state of the jaguar business (it is becoming that, I am stunned to see):



After years and years and years of manual color correction, I finally have real software, with a real hardware colorimeter. Thumbnail exposition: When you scan something, it doesn't necessarily look the same as the original, and then you have to spend a long time (for me it was often hours) to get the colors to match when you print it out.

This will take care of that for me, forever and ever. What I print out will look like the original the first time I scan it.

One small hitch: to take advantage of this, I need to re-scan everything I've ever scanned. But that's just for existing artwork (ssh, people who know how much stuff that entails, I know, I know). From now on, art I scan will be right the first time.

This also takes care of a different problem: I was loath to finish or sell any originals once I made the decision to start saving up for this package, knowing I'd be re-scanning stuff. Willow has been lying on the table untouched for that reason, though I'm only about two working days from finishing it; I've had inquiries about several other originals that I have deferred until now.

Once I get this set up, tested and working, well... full speed ahead. :)


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Tags: art, news, process
Current Mood: whoot! *faceplant*

Frustrating night, but I got some progress done before I had to stop. The frustrating part being that I spent two hours on things that I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who will notice. Darkening the background so that it will pop the leaves of the tree better, salting the background with more layers, darkening the tree roots, lightening her skin, darkening her hair... *sigh*



Anyway, while the salt was laying in, I worked on the cover for the Aphorisms, so I photographed them both before I called it. I didn't scan either of them because... well, like I said. I'm not sure who'll notice this kind of nitpicking.



In the past two days I've finished one commission and made progress on these two paintings and I still feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I probably won't feel okay until enough of these things are finished that I can start working on new things, and get that printer funded. I appreciate borrowing hyanan's, but I want the matter done with, you know? *rubbing eyes*

I'm not finishing many sketches at this point, but I'm almost grateful for that. The last thing I want is to draw something new I want to finish when I already have six or seven things in the queue...!

Bleh.

Edit: By the light of the daystar this morning, I see it's not quite so bad as I thought. I might actually finish this in another two or three sessions.




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Tags: art, brushes, photos, process
Current Mood: bleh
Current Music: Wham - All She Wants

I was surprised at how many of you didn't know how I work... and several of you expressed interest in knowing more. So, behind the cut you'll find a photo-riffic explanation.


I draw a lot. I used to use sketchbooks for rough drafts or to explore ideas that I would then plan and execute properly on large art paper... but as Real Life intruded, I started simplifying. My sketchbooks became the place I put all my ideas, finished or not.
( One Artist, 99+ Sketchbooks and a Computer... )

And that's how I use computers in art. And why I need to get this printer... at some point!


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Current Mood: !