Drawing update

I'm pretty happy with this so far. The straight vertical lines are killing me though. I have to keep stopping to get a ruler. I can't draw a straight line by eye and if it's not straight it drives me crazy... maybe that's why I don't like to draw buildings. Anyway, the measurements have been driving me crazy. I had originally made the mirror too long, had to shorten that. I didn't even notice the bottom leaves until I went to draw the hair from life. It's good that I did notice them though since they are the reflection from the foreground.

I still need to work on some other blog entries, I have a few ideas in mind for features and a few artists that I've been following that I want to talk about.

Drawing update

I'm actually really happy with this so far. I think the chin and bottom lip look a little odd but I think they look a little odd in the photo too. Also I just realized tonight that I was thinking this is going to be another smaller drawing, but I zoomed out and I think the flower from the foreground is going to be all the way at the bottom of the paper. This could stand to be a rather large drawing and I might actually have to crop in a little.

I got an email from Etsy, and even though I don't currently have any listings up on there I still find the newsletters informative. I also enjoy browsing the listings and on occasion splurging and buying something. Anyway this one had some blogging tips. One of the tips suggests doing features. I really like the idea, though for right now I think I'll stick to art history topics, and maybe expand into a feature on current artists. I'm already trying to study more into art history so I think that would be good to write something for a feature. I have a bunch of links sitting in my bookmarks folder for sites for current artists. I could write something about them too as a feature, one a week or month or something. I'll work on it and continue reading through that article.

Drawing update

I'm enjoying working on this though I haven't been feeling all that great the past two days. I'm not completely happy with the nose but it is getting there. I think those flower designs need some work too, but I'm trying to put those off.

Small Update

I got a little bit of work done, still it wasn't much though. I'm tired and my back is hurting or else I'd be working more right now. I think tomorrow I'm going to have to have to find a different position to sit in that is easier on my back.

New Drawing

I had some debate with this drawing, I wasn't sure whether to attempt colored pencil or use pencil. I've been thinking of it in color but I was worried it would be too much of challenge. I even started this in pencil, but I erased it. I just did not like it at all. I'm not sure if I know what I've gotten myself into but I like it. At least so far. I think the iris part of the eye needs a bit more blur. Also I have to not with this drawing I'm working mostly from a photo but I'll also be working partially from life because I have the camera in the photo and I want to eliminate that in the drawing.

Found a use for my little sketch book

I think I may have mentioned before getting a nice little sketch book for taking a survey, well I tried sketching in it but I really have left it without purpose for awhile. Right now there is a rather well rendered eye on the first page, and notes on the following few pages. I'm going to use the book as a note journal for my art. I already have notes scribbled all over one page of a notebook, and word document with notes. This way I'll have all my ideas in one place and I can even sketch out some things too.
I have noticed though that very few of my ideas seem to be following a cohesive thought or series. Part of me is ok with that, because I'm just exploring ideas and inspiration as it come to me, though right now I have two series ideas, an idea of a drawing involving a mask, an idea that will have to wait till spring so I can take the reference photo, a bunch of pose ideas and some interest in exploring the addition of Cherokee text again.
Of course I also still have plenty of photos of my daughter that I'd love to work with as well.
I'm going to start working on a new drawing tonight, and I need to start working more and more often so I can keep up with my new flow of ideas.

"Dancing in the Dark"

I'm still not 100% happy with this photo, I think the lighting is uneven and it shows every flaw in the right side of the shirt. I may try to retake the photo again, when I take it outside to spray the fixative. Usually the just using indirect light from the windows works out well but after several attempts this is what I got and I'm still not completely happy. I'm also trying not to look too closely at it because I'm seeing a bunch that I think I should fix. I do this with every piece though and there is always a time when i just need to walk away.

And about 6 charcoal pencils later...

I'm finished with "Dancing in the Dark." I have no photos right now I'm going to wait for day light so I can get the best photo. I'll update again tomorrow with the photo. I'm pretty happy with the drawing and I'm also happy that I've gotten it finished about 10 days sooner that I had wanted to. It's always nice to come in before a deadline.
I've got some reference photos lined up that I'd like to use on a drawing and I have two series ideas now, that I'm working on. I've already got the next piece in mind, and I'll just have to see where that carries me. I should be posting the start of a new drawing soon.

Drawing update

I'm not really feeling well tonight, so I haven't got much progress done. I took my temperature and I have slight fever. I also have some terrible stomach pain and my joint pain has been bothering me all day. Anyway I made a little progress, right now I'm just trying to struggle with the fabric of the shirt and trying to figure out if the torso is too wide or if the shadows will make it look right. The front of the shirt definitely has to be a lot darker. I tried to fill in more of the background. I really don't want to save all of it for the end. Also the photo was taken with a flash (by accident but it worked). It's not completely accurate but it works.

"Dancing in the Dark" Update

I think the body is looking too wide, and some parts a looking a little droopy. It's all an easy fix though. I just need to finish the shirt and the background now. I do have a deadline now, January 31, though I think I'll shoot more for the 25th, so I have about 10 days I suppose. I think I can do it. I want to enter this one in a competition so I'll have to have this done before the competition deadline.
Also I had some more inspiration for new work again tonight. I took some more notes. I have a bunch of reference photos to work from and a good bit of notes to go off and take more reference photos.
I'm going to be sending out some more submissions tomorrow. Some of those time periods are up on the wait and I also have some I want to resubmit to.

"Dancing in the Dark" Update

I took a little break the last few days because I wasn't feeling well. I'm still not feeling 100%. Tonight I made little progress, and I did some measurements and I'm sure my proportions are right now. Also I've decided I will crop the paper, I have been cropping my paper a lot lately but I'm really liking it. I've just been working with the size that feels right. The finish drawing will be 16" x 20" and the frame will be 20" x 24"
It's still not to far from what I was originally aiming for. I would still be pushing for the 18" x 24" if my reference photo, extended past the waist. Still though if my measurements on the torso are wrong or I can fill in that area some how then I will. I think that is the only way the extra negative space will look right or else I'd just crop the extra few inches off the bottom. Either way the paper is already 18" x 25" I allowed myself an extra inch because of the clips on the drawing board. Despite my measurements I'm still worried about the length of the torso, though it may be how I drew the bottom of it. I'm still not sure, the cropping may make the whole composition a little more intimate which would really enhance the whole concept.

"Dancing in the Dark" Update

I've made the shading in the arm a bit smoother after trying a bunch of different techniques tonight. I like how the arm looks but now I wonder if it is too smooth in comparison to everything else. I don't want to try the same technique in the face, and beside that I'm really happy with it. So worse case scenario I'm going over the arm, again to add some texture back (hopefully it won't end up looking hair again. I also need to double check some measurements, it might be the angle I took the photo at but the torso looks really long to me.

Drawing update and some photography

So this is what I have done so far. I'm not liking the texture in the arm so I think I need to work with that more. Overall though I think it's going well. I was having a tough time with just the outline of the arm but I think I have that figured out. I'm trying to get everything in proportion. So far I think it's working out. I did no work with that shadow in the face, which I just realized that I'm still unsure of.

I also decided to take a few more creative photos I think they turned out well on their own, but I don't think I'd like it for a reference photo just yet.
This one I just don't like as much as the next one but I think it is still neat, and you can see the texture int he arm I don't like really well here.This one though, I think is really neat. I've been trying to avoid running my arm through the main drawing but I'm still laying it down in the dust around it. I had charcoal up to my elbow. I also took another photo that I think may work within the bounds of my series idea (though so far I have two I really like). That one I'm not posting though because I don't like the background, I'd be able to change that in a drawing though. I had inspiration for the photo when I was checking my stomach for charcoal dust and discovered an interesting pose. I'm still not sure if I want to include it in my series (if it ever amounts to that), I'll just have to see where I go with the rest of the photos and work from there.

"Dancing in the Dark" Update

I got a little bit of work done tonight. I keep cropping the photo in so close, it doesn't even show the wide expanse of untouched paper. Still I think I'm making descent progress. I think the cheek looks a little better, but I think the neck and the hand need some more work. I'm trying to work from the top in order to make it easier to keep my hand out of it. I have gotten better with keeping my arm up though.

Updates: "Dancing in the Dark"

I still need to do a bit more more work in the face and then I can move on to the hair. I need some gradation from that dark on the cheek into the rest of the face and the bottom lip, teeth and chin need some more work. Otherwise though, I really like the progress I've made.

New drawing: "Dancing in the Dark"

I started this last night and I did a little work on it tonight. I would have done more but my foot went numb from the position I was siting in and I needed to edit a copy of the reference photo. I'm pretty happy with the angles of the eyes and nose (which are usually a problem for me), so I'm feeling pretty good about this.