"Window Light"

I've finished my latest drawing, and I'm not as happy with it as I could be. I'm a bit frustrated with the texture of the paper. I don't like the background or the one arm very much. I think the face still needs work, but I like the hair. Anyway I've decided I'm done working with it, because I'm just getting more and more frustrated and it just feels like I'm going around in circles. I think it could be better but it's not horrible. For my next drawing I'm just going to cut off a piece of that white paper from the huge roll I have. I want to work a little larger but it's not going to be much more than 18" x 24" because I'm limited by the size of my drawing board. I think I have a good idea of which reference photo to use (I was trying to decide to between two).

Been Sick

I have been sick lately so my original deadline of Christmas has been blown past, again I'm only a day or two from finishing it's just a matter of staying up late enough to finish it. I'm going to try to just finish the drawing in the next few days. I really want to finish before New Years. For next year I'd like to have about a drawing each month or so. Because if I finish this one I'll have completed ten drawings this year, so next year I'd like to have at least 11.

Getting there

I'm almost done with the face and the hair needs a little more work, but other than that I'm happy with it. I'm having to sit in awkward position in the chair to keep the reference on the monitor, so my foot went painfully numb. Or else I probably would have at least finished that sleeve. I think I lightened the face a little too much when I was trying to smooth it out. I'll just go in and fix that tomorrow, then I'll fix that little piece of hair that bothers me and I think I'll at least try to finish the sleeves and arms if not the whole thing.

Update

I no longer feel that the face is too wide, though right now I'm not too happy with the texture that I have in all the space where I have new work done. I think I just need to spend more time layering white over black because I absolutely hate those blending stumps. So many people swear by them, but I just swear at them. It doesn't work for me. Though right now my usual method is not working. Also right now that chair is looking too dark though I do think the bottom of the face needs more shadow. I think I succeed in making the face not so wide and I tried to take a little off the chin. I think it still needs some work. I'm pretty happy with the hair and I like the contrast with the wall, though I do think it could use a little more white. Maybe I could also emphasize the wood grain more. I mapped out the borders, and it looks like it will be another 8" x 10." I don't think that's so bad. My next drawing is definitely going to be a bit larger though. I have mixed feeling about this paper though. On one hand it doesn't seem to wear out as fast as my sketch book paper, but the texture is causing me a little bit of problems in the face. I figure I'll be able to fix it with a few more layers but it is a pain.

**Looking at it now maybe the angle on the chin is too severe and that's why it looks off.

Another Update

I got a little more work done tonight and also decided how to crop it. I haven't actually drawn out the lines this is just my test from photo shop. It's also helped me compare a little more. The angle on the eye is off, the face is too long overall, that curl needs to come in a bit more because right now the face is too wide, and the hair in front needs to puff out a little more. I think the nose could use some more work. I think if I could pull it off it needs to come back into the face a little more and I need to fix the shading on the cheek some of that highlight is a little too right. I think that's why the nose looks off to me, because it's too far out. If I pull it in more then the angle won't be so severe. And that eye, the top of it is just off. That top lid. It's being such a pain. I'm rather liking the hair though.

Update

There are quite a few things I feel need to fixed, but I am a bit happier with it. I think maybe I'm making the head a little too wide but that is an easy fix. I also need to define the dimensions soon. I seem to have some how drawn the face straighter than it is in the photo, so now I have do decide if I want to crop at an angle. I think the angle makes the photo more interesting but I'm not sure if I want that for the drawing. I'll have to see. I think few parts of the face need to be a bit darker.
Also this is only work from tonight. I fell asleep early last night and didn't get any work done.

New Drawing

I've started a new drawing, obviously another black and white. I'm working on a huge piece of paper, but I'm going to cut it down. I'm using gray paper this time. I didn't want this drawing to be huge, just another small piece but I wanted to work on tinted background. So far I'm pretty happy with the eye I think a few of the angles could be adjusted, and the mouth is looking odd because only half of it is finish. Taking a photo of this was also a pain but the color her is pretty true to life. I'm going to be taking a few reference photos soon based on the ideas I was working on earlier. I was just eager to get back into another drawing so I went ahead and started this. It will be good to work on while I work through a couple of ideas.

New projects

I've sorted through reference photos and come up with some ideas for new drawings. I was originally planning to work on my painting again, but I have just lost all passion and drive toward it. I enjoyed painting it at first but then I just became frustrated with whole thing. I may eventually go back to it or I may end up trashing it one day. For now it will sit. I may try to paint again, though I think I might be better suited to acrylic. Most of all I need to get over all the stigma I feel. Some of it relates to my art classes in high school. I've been feeling that as an artist I should paint, and not only should I paint but I should use oil paint. I felt like it was something I had to strive to, like I couldn't be successful or taken seriously if I didn't. Though maybe in the end my drawings will help me stand out more, and right now that's what I'm going to focus on. I think my next drawing will be black and white, probably charcoal. I have one reference photo that I think would look great on colored paper. I'm also planning to work larger again soon. Though not as large as "Angelic" and "Angel on my Shoulder" because the drawing board I used for that has since fallen apart. I also have a few reference photos lined up for colored pencil work. As always I'm also thinking ahead to other pieces. Not just my "moments of life" work but also looking into some more conceptual ideas, along the lines of "Angelic" and "Angel on my Shoulder."

"Day at the Zoo"

I've finished my drawing. I'm not going to update my site until tomorrow though. I'd like to take a photo in daylight and compare the two. I'll use the photo I like better for my site. I don't mind this photo right now for updating my blog I just don't want to update my site until I take the photo in the day light. I think I really need to stop looking at this though I'm seeing so much I could fix but I think the paper will rip soon if I try to work on it more. Besides I've signed it and for me that means I don't work on it anymore. I like my date that put on it to be correct.

Almost finished

I would have finished tonight but I started to get a bit tired. I think you can already tell in that new part of the board. I got a bit lazy in the leg of the pig (I'm guessing it's a pig), and the grass next to it. I think it's all salvageable as long as I come back to it tomorrow. If I finish this tomorrow I could working on my painting by the end of the week. It would be really nice to finish the painting before New Year. I'm already beating my deadline on this drawing. Really at most I'll be fiddling with this for two more days rather than one. Either way though I only have to finish the bottom half of the painting, really. I do suppose if I get frustrated with it and stick a paint brush through it that will just mean I get to move on to something quicker... hmm maybe if I do that I can call it finished, deem it a sculpture and call it "Artist's Frustration." Really though I do think I'll finish it, seriously then just take a good break from painting.

Drawing Updates

So I think I'm only a few days away from being finished. Tomorrow I'd like to get that board done and maybe fiddle a little with the trees. I do suppose I should probably start thinking of a title. I don't know maybe it will just come to me when I'm done and I turn it vertically.
Honestly I almost posted this on WetCanvas, but right now I don't think I want any hardcore critique. I'm pretty happy with it despite the imperfections that I can see. Besides I don't think they could tell me anything I don't already know. I'm mostly done with the second face, but I think it still needs a bit of tweaking especially around the chin area. I think everything that is tentatively done could maybe use a little more tweaking.

I think after I'm done with this I'll try to finish my painting, but I don't think my passion lies in painting right now. I think only started the painting because I thought, that was the thing to do. I mean artists paint... right? Well I suppose not all of them do, not even all portrait artists. I think I've struggled far less with colored pencil and I think I enjoyed it more. Plus colored pencil gives me the color that I want for some work. I think I just forced my self into painting because I felt like I should be painting. Just like I think with painting I might like acrylic better but I pushed my self into oils because I felt like that's what I should use.

Another Update

I've worked for about an hour. I probably would have worked more but I'm developing a headache and my shoulder is starting to hurt. I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. I'm not so happy with some of the glare on the photo. If all goes well I should be working on my drawing tomorrow. I might be able to get some more work done on that second face or maybe a bit more of the board.

Update

I've had some issues with colored pencils. First I lost one then I tried to replace it only to be sent different pencils than what I ordered. After checking the Prismacolor website I'm almost sure that the pencil I've been looking for might have been discontinued. Still though would be nice if it wasn't listed on the site I ordered from. I have emailed Prismacolor though to find out and I'll be calling the company I ordered from tomorrow to find out why I was sent pencils I didn't order.

I did finally give in after just telling myself that the pencils probably aren't being made in more, and did some work on my drawing. I also gave in and used a bit of black. I also defined my fourth border. I was on the fence between 10" and 11" but with some advice from my husband I went with 10". The dimensions now are 10" x 8" which really works out rather well because I won't have to order a custom mat for the frame, I can go with a pre-cut mat and a ready made frame no problem. The ready made frames, I think work out all around. They are cheaper for me, and it's also a bit easier to think of a familiar size too. So if someone is thinking about their wall space they might already have an idea of how an 11" x 14" frame will look. I still plan to get my frames through Pictureframes.com, they have really great mats, and their frames seem to be of good quality and price.

Small correction, I forgot it will actually be an 8" x 10" when I'm done because I'm going to turn it over.