Express Yourself

I decided to do a monochrome portrait collage piece, using newspapers and magazines of my daughter, she is full of personality and another creative soul.

This is the original photo which I turned to black and white in Photoshop to give me a better guide of tones and shades.

Materials used for collage, I would recommend a sharp pointed scissors as it makes it a lot easier.

Initial sketch in graphite pencil. I really should have done a simple sketch but I got a bit carried away and put in more detail than what I wanted to. A bit unnecessary since it will be getting covered up with the different papers.

Lots and lots of layers of torn and cut pieces of the newspapers and magazines.I found the magazine papers had the deepest black and the brightest white which I used for added definition. I left the background in the graphite pencil as I thought it made the portrait pop more.  

Close up of finished art piece.

Another art piece using collage for the iris and white of the eye. Watercolour pencils were used for the rest of the eye, eyebrow and watercolour paint for the skin. This was an lesson from Life Book 2013, guest teacher Kelly Hoering.

Feel free to share your experiences with collage. As always comments are welcomed and encouraged, thanks.

Until next time, happy creating!

Sweet Temptation

Glad you could join me on this follow up blog post. In the previous post "Fatal Attraction" I said I would share with you what vice lures and tempts me in everyday life. Have you guessed it? If you are thinking cupcakes, you are close! Its is Sugar! Yes the sweet stuff that makes everything taste so good. Earlier in the year I was advised to completely cut this down from my diet. Well needless to say, when someone tells you that you can't have this or that, it is then you crave it all the more!! This mixed media painting reflects that.

The artwork is actually Wk23 catch up lesson for Life Book 2013 with the gorgeous Tamara Laporte from Willowing. I highly recommend any of her classes.The theme was honouring our feelings in a mixed media painting with a whimsical character. Tam suggests we connect with our feelings and not to ignore them. The connection for me was sugar, Marie Antoinette came to mind, holding a cupcake sitting on a chaise lounge with her dog by her side.

When I want to get my ideas down quickly, I grab any piece of paper. The sketch can be either rough like this, or more detailed.

Here are some of the materials that I used for this art piece.

I liked the face on the previous art post "Fatal Attraction",so I decided to include her in this mixed media piece. To give the background a little olde worlde feel, I used a damask stencil. I forgot to take photos of the next few steps, as I was working quickly gluing down the scrapbook papers and adding in the main base colours. I also started to add a bit of depth and detail to the chaise lounge and characters.

Close up of Marie Antoinette. I deliberately made her gaze go slightly past the cupcake because for me I know there is temptation all around me, but I now choose to focus on healthier foods.

Close up of pug.

Going back and forth adding more shading and highlighting. Final touches with a white posca paint pen for the lace. I am not a great fan of my own hand writing, so I printed the title out and used transfer paper to place it on the artwork. I went over this with a black posca paint pen. Voilà! Finished.

Hope you enjoyed this post. As always comments are welcome and encouraged, thanks.

Until next time, happy creating!

Fatal Attraction

Thanks for stopping by to my first art blog post. This is my new artwork.

"Fatal Attraction"

Let me introduce you to "Fang". Don't let looks deceive you, he is more vicious than he looks! My son's Venus Flytrap plant was the inspiration for this painting. It made me think how nature uses different ways to lure its prey. As in nature, we are also enticed and tempted by lots of different things that surround us from day to day.

Initial sketch on hot pressed 140 lb watercolour paper.

Blocking in colours and getting some detail into the skin with acrylics and caran d'ache II watersoluble crayons.

Working on the horsefly and foreground details, also a little graphite pencil here and there for added definition.

I am not overly happy with the background colour and the hair looking a bit too much like spaghetti!

Close up of horsefly and spider.

Finished artwork, I decided to change the background to soft shades and tones of purple and soften the hair up.

Join me on my next blog post where I will be sharing with you an artwork that shows what vice lures me in. As not to miss this, enter your email in the subscribe box to get free blog updates, or even grab my cute button! 

Anyhoo! I hope you have enjoyed my first blog post, comments are welcome and encouraged. Thanks!

p.s If you really enjoyed this post, please spread the word! Much appreciated.