What are you working on?

[Artyczar]

Well, I started on a new art book. Why I do these things, I do not know! They are always way too much work. This time I'm going to print the pages. No original art pages, which will keep the retail price down, but the covers will be handmade. The problem is that I have to make at least 30 drawings since it's 32 pages in total. I only have made the first one so far. They will all be pen illustrations (I'm pretty sure), but I'm just getting started.

 

[snoball]

That should print out almost like a coloring book.

 

[Artyczar]

I didn't think of that, but the book will be like a zine and only about 5 x 7 inches.

 

[Desforges]

Some 2+ months after last toughing my painting-in-progress and I am back to work today! Beyond losing my studio space a couple of years ago, the great art supply store that was just down the block from my home was bought by Michael's Crafts and moth-balled. A lot of the materials I used on a regular basis I can no longer find anywhere near me... including the metal leaf and adhesive. I ended up trying a new brand from Amazon, and so far I'm quite pleased as it adheres better than I am used to. And it was quite a bit cheaper to boot! Before I can work on the gold leaf on the upper portion of the "halo" I'll need to figure out (and actually draw) just what is going in the background.

View attachment 31061

Can’t wait to see this!

 

[Triduana]

I don’t know.. I dig that a lot

Thank you! I want to get round to doing something with this idea soon.

Really good start on your drawing - I'm intrigued.

 

[snoball]

I didn't think of that, but the book will be like a zine and only about 5 x 7 inches.

But ink markers come in fine points and many colors.

 

[Bartc]

Somewhere between a Madonna and sensuality.

 

[stlukesguild]

Nice having time to work on my art finally!

I'm thinking of a warmer color harmony for this painting... roses, peaches, pinks, etc...

 

[Artyczar]

Love this one so far St. Luke!

 

[stlukesguild]

I got a lot done today. The bottom half of the painting sans the figure is complete.

I wish I had done this years ago, but with my more recent work (the 4 or 5 years) I tend to take lots of photographs of the work in progress. Sometimes, images of earlier stages of a work give me ideas for a new work or different direction.

I also take a lot of close-ups. Considering the scale, a 5" image on the screen doesn't give a real idea of the surface of the painting or the marks. From a distance they look quite "realistic" or polished... but up closer the mark-making is quite obvious. A large part of my love of pastels... beyond the ability to merge drawing and painting... is the way in which the surface built up in layers has a weathered aspect that recalls (to my mind anyway) the surfaces of time-worn frescoes... something I loved about Degas' pastels.

 

[MrBungle]

Completing the next stage in this..

Digital Art Process - A Space Odyssey - Year 1

Greetings HAL 9000, I thought I’d share my digital process creating art in Procreate and to anyone who wants to use it as reference. Maybe get a little more out of Procreate. Or ya need something new to read. Lol. I’m a natural born teacher I guess. I’m also a guitar instructor on Taylor...

creativespark.art

 

[stlukesguild]

Looking at my work in progress I get the feeling it is becoming a bit too convoluted. It needs some "breathing space"... big flat simple areas to contrast all the detail. The hair and the figure will do that to a certain extent but I'm looking to simplify the top of the halo around her head even more than I already had planned. A couple of my old studio partners used to continually push me to return to oil paint because they argued that I couldn't make many changes in the way I work with pastels. Actually, I can... and have. I'll likely carefully sand the halo above the vertical divide around her head and paint with a flat, matte acrylic... as I did with the flat red areas in this older piece:

 

[Terri]

I got a lot done today. The bottom half of the painting sans the figure is complete.

View attachment 31259

I wish I had done this years ago, but with my more recent work (the 4 or 5 years) I tend to take lots of photographs of the work in progress. Sometimes, images of earlier stages of a work give me ideas for a new work or different direction.

I also take a lot of close-ups. Considering the scale, a 5" image on the screen doesn't give a real idea of the surface of the painting or the marks. From a distance they look quite "realistic" or polished... but up closer the mark-making is quite obvious. A large part of my love of pastels... beyond the ability to merge drawing and painting... is the way in which the surface built up in layers has a weathered aspect that recalls (to my mind anyway) the surfaces of time-worn frescoes... something I loved about Degas' pastels.

View attachment 31260

View attachment 31262

That's some gorgeous texture. I love oil pastels for the same effect. Hard to hold off on showing those close ups, because it's so luscious.

Great job.

 

[Grizabella]

Every year I plan to start my hand-painted holiday cards for all my neighbors here th RV park in June. As per usual, here it is almost the end of June and I haven't started yet. But I've gotten interested in gansai and my "plan" is to paint snow scenes from World Heritage villages with gansai paints for everyone this year. I'm a great procrastinator, though, so I'll probably be burning the midnight oil on Christmas Eve just like every year, trying to finish the project. It's only 30 cards, but I'm not a prolific artist by any means.

 

[stlukesguild]

I don't know that I'd term myself as being "prolific"... but I did get a crap load of work done on my painting in progress. I changed the ochre/mustard tessellations to a couple of off-rose colors that harmonized better with the red-white patterns. I actually adjusted the colors everywhere including using a teal for the linear elements in the tessellations which contrasts the red-oranges and gives more of a pop. I sanded out the gold leaf in the central halo and replaced it with a simple field of crimson that was built up of some 8 or 9 layers of paint... including some neon colors in the mix. I finished the halo and the top of the painting, leaving only the section where I will add Poison Ivy and other dangerous plants against gold leaf and the figure.

 

[stlukesguild]

Moving into the far-more time-consuming parts of the painting... but also the parts that are far more enjoyable to work on: the floral background and the figure.

I'm using a variegated metal leaf in which there is a marbled red on the surface of gold/copper. I've used this several times before and like the way it works with a dominantly red-colored painting

 

[Hausamann]

What are you working on? That's the trouble. I haven't been for a few years. My average painting production works out about one in every 7 years. In truth it's longer, because in 1991 I painted several. So why am I here now? Well, age and unsteadiness is in my face and I hate the idea of going without another bash at painting again.

I started a painting, about St Francis of Assisi some 8 years ago and I want to restart it. I have been wanting to restart it about two years ago. It's been on my easel all that time, and I see it everyday. So, that's where I am at.

The painting is about a story I read about St Francis on his way to cross the mountains. He comes across two poor women begging for food. Francis offers a large portion of what his got - bread. The story goes that shortly after departing from their company he thinks that there is something odd about them and turns to look back at them, but they had disappeared. He then realised that they were angels.

Many years ago I had my one and only vision. It happened while in adoration of a women. While looking at her, her face disappeared, and in the void was a light being looking at me as if in shock and saying 'Oh, you can see me'. When I went into shock myself, her face reappeared. This experience instantly changed my life perspective, but that is another story.

The painting I wish to show is a combination of these two stories. Here, it is St Francis that sees the light beings in the two poor women.

 

[Artyczar]

Hi Hausamann. Welcome to the forums. I really like your painting. I hope you finish it!

 

[Hausamann]

Hi Hausamann. Welcome to the forums. I really like your painting. I hope you finish it!

Thanks. So do I.

 

[JStarr]

Your background is fine, your figures are rendered well, and I really like the wings/halo things you have going on; there, but not there. More's the pity we can't paint a passage which is both there and not-there, eh? CGI for paper and canvas. A sort of shimmer that is only seen from a certain angle (which HAS been done- I've seen it: https://bigthink.com/high-culture/optical-illusion-hans-holbein-skull-ambassadors/ video with explanation: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanit...hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors-1533 )

Anyway, THAT would be nifty but my brain doesn't work in a method allowing me to figure that kind of stuff out without leading to gray matter implosion- and I find your barely-there presentation perfectly done.

So, far be it for me to push at someone to get back into the studio and Paint, damnit! 'cause goodness knows I have taken some very long breaks, and so I'll just ask: What is it about this piece that is bothering you to the point you can do no more?

Is it maybe finished? Is it faces and expressions? Are you wishing to put a specific face on the angel women? Is there something missing for you?

Maybe talking it out here will help you get over your "painter's block"- this is looking pretty good; all you have to do now is get it to where you say "Done!"