Commission Part 3

First of all, I feel the need to apologize to anyone who has looked at my blog within the past few months.  I've been trying to organize and separate my personal and artist accounts.  I have been using my personal gmail to write this blog.  I thought it would make more sense if I was using my artist gmail account. So, I moved all of my images from one account to the other.  I had no idea that if I deleted the images from my google account that it would delete them from the blog as well.  So, instead of writing new posts, I've been going back to the blogs, reading them and finding the images that I once had.  I am nowhere close to being done :(

But I am still making art!  I recently finished my largest commission.  It was another portrait commission.  This time there were 18 people in it.  Because the painting was a surprise, my friend had to give me photos of everyone in small groups.  I took all of the photos into Photoshop and did some editing so I could arrange them in a good composition.

Once we agreed on an arrangement that my friend liked the best, I began working on the outline.

I used Derwent Inktense Pencils for this artwork.  I love the vibrancy of the colors.  I especially love that is dries like an ink, so I am able to work in multiple layers without worrying about lifting previous layers.  With 18 people there were a variety of skin tones to match.  I began playing with various colors creating a skin tone chart.

Beginning skin tones always terrifies me.  I think it is because it doesn't look anything like the person at first and it takes a few layers for the face to begin to resemble the person.

 Each face took me around 2 hours to complete and they were about 2 inches in size.

There were a few faces that I had trouble with.  I had to "erase" them and start all over.  Mr. Clean magic erasers are amazing and are not just good for cleaning around the house.  They are great at removing the intense color.  It won't remove all of it and depending on the color you first used determines what staining may occur.  You can see the color stain left on the 2 faces in the middle.

But in the end the painting turned out wonderful.

It was an intense commission, but I enjoyed working on it.  I liked the challenges that were presented along the way.  I like drawing and painting portraits.  There is a fear (a good kind) that comes with it.  Will it look like the person?  Or will it be a disaster?  I like that it is such a different style from my Mizzles.  It helps my skills stay fresh and prevents me from becoming board with my work.

Commission Portrait

2014 was a horrible year for me.  It ended just as it had begun.  I found myself not really in a giving or "holiday" mood.  I'm told it is understandable considering the year I've had, but it felt wrong.

I tried to get into the spirit a little with a few sketches, but they didn't really help.

One thing that was a good distraction was the commission I obtained.  My workout partner had seen my Frida Self portrait in the members art show at the Huntington Beach Art Center.  He originally wanted me to do a Mizzle painting for his office, but then he decided he wanted me to do a painting as a Christmas present for his wife.  I absolutely adore his wife, and was thrilled to do this for him.  It was one of my favorite projects to work on. 

I used this as an opportunity to try out watercolor ground.  I had read about it, but never used it before.  I painted on a thick layer of watercolor ground onto a 16x20 canvas and allowed it to dry for 72 hours.  I used my Derwent Inktense Watercolor pencils to create this painting.  I was surprised how the watercolor ground felt like watercolor paper when it was dry.  It was very easy to work with.  It's a little expensive for my taste.  I think for this size I'd prefer to work with watercolor board, but I felt for this gift it needed to be on a canvas.  

I also created a painting for my mom, which was a difficult decision.  I almost didn't do it because I wasn't sure if I should.  I create a drawing or painting of a family member every year for my mom.  After talking it out with my little sister, we decided I should go for it.  It was a painful, yet rewarding experience.  I decided to do a painting of my mom and dad about to kiss.  I won't lie.  I cried every time I worked on it.  But, it was something worth going through.  

I think the look on my mom's face when she saw it was the best.  And my little sister loved it too.

I'm hoping 2015 turns out to better year all around.  So far it hasn't disappointed.  There is a possibility of more portrait commissions in the works.  *Fingers crossed*

A Bunch of Malarky

Next month, the OC illustrators will have a group exhibit at the La Habra Art Gallery.  We have chosen the theme "A bunch of malarky."  It should be a fun and exciting show.  There is so much talent in the group. I have been working on a few pieces.  I'm still creating more pieces, but I've been playing with my Mermizzle theme.  Elsie has created a lot of inspiration and motivation in me. 


 This was the first piece I began working on immediately after creating Elsie the Mermizzle.  I thought it would be fun for my Mizzles to discover an entirely different world from theirs up in the tree. I used Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils, Inktense pencils, and a 3x0 rapidograph pen.



Whoa!

This second piece was inspired by my need to play with paper collage.  I like the paper collage pieces I create because I go in with no plan and never know what it will look like when I'm done.  The characters and sandcastle are cut out of watercolor paper and collaged on, but I used watercolor pencils to color them in.

Day at the Beach

Lastly, I wanted to create a simple image with very little background.  Here I used mostly Prismacolor watercolor pencils and a 3x0 rapidograph pen on watercolor paper.

Hello Friend

Which one is your favorite?