The Value Of Things.....Going "Dark Side"

Today, I am working on this new drawing.  I approach each drawing in a different way depending on what I'm trying to achieve. You can probably already tell what my subject here is.

  I will put all the values in first which will also pretty much, draw in the subject as I move along. There was no need for an elaborate initial sketch with this drawing. Detail will come much later. 

  I can't really say what my attraction to skulls is all about, but I do know that being able to draw a human skull also aids me in rendering a portrait. Knowing how the human face is designed, primarily by it's foundation, the skull, I can much easier depict a person accurately. 

  So here is the start........more progress yet to come.

My Darkest, Darks

Here I go, starting to lay in some of the darkest darks. I do not start putting the darks in until I am positive that what I have so far is correct. Once you lay that dark in there, it's very difficult to lift it back out if you make a boo boo. The darkest darks are absolutely essential to make everything stand out and really pop. 

  I use, what I affectionately refer to as my "Fat Boys". Basically it is a 9XXB pencil. It's a hybrid, a graphite and carbon mix. Very soft and dark and as a bonus, they don't leave that nasty graphite shine that plague us pencil artists but they do have a drawback. They are grainy. In this case, I am liking the grainy texture for this piece but it doesn't work for all applications. 

 My hubby, a great pencil artist in his own right, doesn't care for the Fat Boys and really won't use them. They can be difficult but I seem to have figured them out. Well, back to my drawing board to see just how far along I can get on this guy today.

The Old Man

I have been working on this guy for awhile now. He's being done in several layers. The most time consuming part is the skin texture. It has to be done in small areas at a time. I must say that I do take frequent breaks. If not, I would probably end up cross-eyed. But, stepping back from what you are creating also lets you see what needs to still be done. 

  It just takes patience. It's not a race. I still have my hippo to finish and another 8X10 portrait that needs some finishing touches added. I also sketched a new drawing up this morning. So much to do, it keeps me off the streets. More updates to come soon!

On My Drawing Board

A pair of eyes..........So far........graphite on Bristol. 11X14. It's Friday and the start of a three day weekend, at least for some. I hope y'all have a great and relaxing labor day weekend and I will be back on Tuesday with some more progress, barring any unforseen circumstances. Bye for now!

Third Times The Charm

Ok, so I had a couple issues with this painting.  This is the third attempt at blocking in the subject. The first time, I did like the proportion of my subject but, didn't like the position on the canvas, so I gessoed over it. 

  The second attempt...... Position was better, the subject was not, in my opinion. Because the subject is my hubby, I suppose I'm a bit picky over how I depict him. So, I gessoed over it again. 

  Now!  I like it!  Position is good, there is already a tiny likeness of my hubby and proportions are good. This initial blocking in does not have to be perfect just close. I will adjust as I go along. The next step will be laying in the darks. To be continued.......

The Drawing Process And I Am Available!

Available for artistic hire that is....Last Friday, I showed the initial sketch of little JJ. This is what I have done so far. I may finish her today, I may not. I never know. I do have a consistant way of working a portrait. A regular process. I begin by drawing in an eye. I don't add details, not yet. Once I have an eye in, yes and it's always the left eye first for some reason, I then start putting in the values. A typical 8X10 portrait usually takes 3 to 4 days to complete. 

   My larger drawings can take a few weeks. I do have some very interesting, much more intricate drawings in the works so I work on my 8X10's in between working on larger, more time consuming projects. I am available for commissions. I can be reached at ellenbelshin@ymail.com for any questions, comments and information on having a portrait done of someone you know, dogs, cats, grandma, anyone! Here is little JJ now.....getting close to the finish line. I will catch y'all later. Make the most of your Monday everyone!

It's Friday....Let's finish out the week with one more drawing!!!

 My new sketch....It's not a great photo, I edited it so y'all could see it, my drawing is very light. Sometimes I can't even see my own work.

   I am going to add a tint to this drawing,    The remainder will be done in graphite. This is a pretty intricate sketch. I don't always fully sketch my subject out. Sometimes not at all. I think it depends on my mood or just how lazy I am at the time. Terrible, I know but I love the sponteneity and freedom of just a blank piece of paper to begin with, I dont always need a "road map" so to speak. I'll be back with more progress later. Yes, I am still working on the hippo as well as a painting on canvas too. Much more to come as well. Follow me, if you'd like so you don't miss anything.

Beards!!!

I have been working on this beard all morning!  Do you have any idea how much hair this man has on his face!! I create beards in small, individual strokes till the beard is completely built up and full. This one is no exception and I will continue to work it. I create beards, mustaches and animal fur in this same way. I need to draw more females so I can take a break from facial hair. Although, I would still have those voluptuous female heads of hair to contend with. In reality though, I do enjoy the process. And I do LOVE a man with a beard. 

Going...Going...Going.....

More progress on my hippo yesterday. It's slow going but I really do enjoy the process. It's very relaxing to me and I can get so caught up in it that the day just flies by! 

   My drawings are created by applying several layers of graphite. I approach my paintings the same way as well. Even in the lightest areas of the drawing, there can be at least three layers. All layers are done ysing a textured stroke......

Which results in skin texture which you can see in this closeup.....

It's a very time consuming process and I don't always add texture to my subjects. Sometimes I blend the graphite in or, I will add simple texture in the darker values simply by using a pencil with no blending. The hippo drawing gets a rest today as I am starting a "surprise" portrait for someone. Have a great and creative Tuesday everyone!

Back To The Drawing Board

Another Monday morning and I'm back in the studio. I have a lot to get to this morning! First on my list, I have got to move this hippo graphite drawing along. It's truly a labor of love. I'm trying out my new pencils on this guy. Then......next.....I have a couple sketches to tackle. I will be back here later to post an update.

Ain't that the truth!

Recycle And Reuse

Today, I decided to reuse an older canvas that had an unfinished painting started on it. I do this a lot. I bet I have canvasses that have a couple layers underneath a finished painting. It works for me! I knew I was never going to finish this particular work so why waste a canvas. 

   I broke out my bottle of gesso and lightly covered the canvas. Some of the previous painting still shows through but that's not an issue. As long as it's obliterated a bit, it won't be a distraction when I go to paint another image over it. And, sometimes, it can act as an underpainting of sorts as well. Now to just decide what to put on it......to be continued..........

Getting Motivated

Day two of this new blog. Trying to get my artsy mojo working. I have two graphite drawings in the works, several sketches floating around in my head and last night,  I had the urge to break out the paint once again. I think I'm going to work up a couple of miniature paintings. I have these two miniatures that I did recently...............

A skull in graphite. This is 1X1.5 inches and..........This one..........

An apple and a

half is smaller at 1X1/2 inch. Colored pencil. 

       I'm itching to do a small portrait on canvas so I think I will start one today. In the meantime, I am also going to be working on this graphite portrait of Mark Shepard The King Of Hell from the CW show Supernatural. My fav show right now.........

So far, I am just laying in the shadow areas. Here's to hoping everyone's hump day is great and creative and I need to get off my computer right now and get to work creating something myself. Talk at y'all later.

FINALLY...............getting my act together and starting a new blog. I have had a blog in the past but sadly abandoned it due to circumstances beyond my control, nothing too serious though. So here I am again. This little blog is going to be devoted to my art and my life, in that order so hopefully, y'all can glean some sort of good information out of me. I hope my art will inspire some of you to try your own hand at creating something beautiful. For now, I haven't uploaded any of my work but feel free to count the pencils you see in the photo at the top of this blog. That should keep you busy for a bit. Also.....Here is one of me being lazy......I'll be back soon with more!