October- Faces and Figures

September 27, 2011

October 4, 2011

The Travelers
October 15, 2011

My first attempt at painting figures. It's based on a photo I took of my sister and her husband on the metro in Barcelona. 

Tummy Monster: THE RETURN

 The Epic: Tummy Monster #2 

Oil on Canvas 

The return of the epic tummy battle! Although I'm not quite satisfied with the flow of this painting, I really enjoy how this one melts down the canvas (hooray for over using turpentine!) Needless to say my obsession with this image has not subsided and there will be more Tummy Monsters to come...depending on if I ever quite get time to pursue my own work. But, this is the beauty of going home and having no responsibilities for 3 weeks-  I have time to paint weird creepy things I can't quite get away with working on at school... boo stupid Jesuit fear of nudity. 

Once upon a time...

 Snow White & Drizella Tremain : they would do anything for love. 

8x8 Canvas and Gouache

Once upon a time, there lived a stunning woman named Acacia who was besties with two of the silliest princesses in all of the magical kingdom. And every day Acacia yearned for a painting of her two friends. Until one day, she asked her beautiful and oh so talented friend Maura to paint them for her. Maura gladly accepted, especially seeing as Acacia's birthday was just around the corner. First, Maura consulted her squirrel friends as how to best tie these princesses together. Then, she toiled with pencils and gouache for days. After a little singing and some hard work, Maura had created a masterpiece and surprised Acacia with the gift on her birthday! And ever since that day, Acacia has treasured the paintings of her best friends, as she knows they are an enchanted token of Maura's love and friendship. The end. 

tummy monster:

"The Epic" 

Woodcut Reduction Print (5 colors) 

So, I spent 18 hours in the print studio over a span of 3 days. Yep. I'm that BA. 

And there are more prints to come, I promise. I just have to photograph them...eventually. 

From Paris With Love

In Paris I spent so much time sketching, it was beautiful.

 Here are a few of those drawings:

This sketch got me kicked out of the Louvres. 

Fancy tea at the Crillon 

This drawing got me kicked out of the cafe across from the Notre Dame.
They're bastards, don't eat there.

View from Deux Magots 

everything's not lost.

just an update: more figures.

Here are some drawings from the past 3 weeks of Figure Drawing. I'm getting a little better at drawing men, so woot for that! Only with practice right? 

Gestures

                   

10 min. Poses 

So far, I think this is my best one. 

nice parks and naked men.

Ireland Update!  


So, I have just gotten back into the swing of art things. I had my first life drawing session last thursday night at the Trinity Arts Workshop. This is basically a tiny little room, shoved full of people and drawing boards, and one naked man on a table with a sheet on it. In terms of any "nice" drawings, I basically was drawing like crap. But, we did some contour drawings (when you don't look at your paper at all and your not supposed to lift up your pen or pencil). You are just supposed to focus on really "seeing" the subject your drawing. I enjoy them because they are quite freeing, and surprising when you finally can look at what you've drawn. Its been 2 years since I last was in a life drawing course, so I am hoping I improve! And this workshop is only 4 Euro for students, which is SHWAAAET. You don't often get the chance to draw naked people for that kind of money! 

       (Sorry these are hard to see! I need to find a better way of photographing pencil!)

I also bought a set of oil pastels as a reward for finishing my last start up program paper. This is my first drawing of anything on the Trinity campus. Its a pretty grass square towards the back of campus, people play frisbee and read and such there. Its also where campus stops being so touristy because it's pretty far from the front gate. Anyway, its just a quickie, but I like it. 

This is my first drawing I did upon arriving in Ireland. I drew it when I was living in Rathmines. Its a self portrait, (which I have never really done before) and its totally terrifying. I finished it and realized, "Dear God! It looks like I'm going to kill something." But I suppose thats just the face I make when I'm concentrating...Anyway, I've grown to like it because at least it portrays some sort of emotion. I decided I wanted to begin my trip with a self portrait and end it with another self portrait. I think they will be interesting book ends for my work here. 

Rawr! 

Portraits

"Queen Mary the First?" March 2010 

 

"Joshpants" April 2010

"Rachel?" June 2010

"Rachel??" June 2010

So, these are a taste of the portraits I've done since January. For me its fun to look at the first and last ones...its like my hand has grown from a stumbling caterpillar into a little butterfly fluttering it's wings trying to fly. (and now I'm done with the cheesy metaphors) Anyway, if anyone actually reads this, and for some reason has a fiery passion to be drawn and wouldn't mind sitting still for maybe 3 hours, let me know!! I always need some faces to draw. Hopefully while I'm abroad I will meet some lovely people who will sit for me... for free. That's the dream.

Anyway, in my portraits I try my best to draw people as I see them. I try to find them and capture who they are to me on paper. I question my drawings because I am never really sure if I have found my subject yet. It's a very odd, slightly philosophical process of problem solving and drawing lines...and listening to some good tunes.

Oh! And I took all of these pictures on my cell phone (because my camera died) so unfortunately these are the only photos I have 'till I am back in Spokane.