|
Post by AirCoaster on Nov 22, 2010 11:08:43 GMT -5
Hi Gang, I wanted to share this with you as it was very inspirational for me. We are studying pastels at the moment in Mixed Media. I have never really gotten very deep into pastels, I guess I thought they were too messy. This was my first attempt in a long time at pastels. The concept here is to create an image for a quote, but the image has to be meaningless on its own in regards to the quote . So, it is an exercise in the linked image/quote scenario. The quote makes the image have worth. The tagline is, say it slowly with the punctuations; "I Think (serious thought) ,... I Think I Am (surprised) ,.... Therefore, I Am (smiles) ,..... I Think (questions his thoughts)". Positive feedback is welcome, all others will be ignored.
|
|
|
Post by windrunner on Nov 23, 2010 5:16:22 GMT -5
Positive feedback: it is nice, no doubt about it. I like it, your drawing skills are very good. I won't do cheap jokes like "OH! good self portrait there dude!", I promise. It is well proportioned, and looks real. Shadows are well positioned and brings deepness at the right place. The triangle "eyes, hand and ear"works. Congratulations!
Negative feeedback (do not read): colours. I hate pastels too (only good for certain landscapes, dead nature and fruits and all that but specially for children at the kindergarten) You may try some mixture of "aggressive unrealism" and use unusual colours by drawing with (for example) deep blue and red with a bit of white; I think the brown color of the background paper doesn't help with yellow and light red...but you are not reading, so, why am I writing this?
Anyway, keep us updated. We'd like to see more!
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Nov 23, 2010 11:31:04 GMT -5
Laughing here Damian. Your negative feedback has been considered, since it was actually a critique. I have seen some lovely artwork done in pastels, so I am not yet ready to discount them.
The ground color is actually more of an ochre hue, greenish brown. The scanner didn't present this as I would have liked it to, true color. I will enhance it for the final. I mudded up the ear a bit when adding the highlights, got a bit excited and forgot to fix the darker colors before I layered the highlights onto them. I thought this came out good for my first attempt at creating a rendering of a physical object with pastels. Any other work I have done in the past with pastels has been experimental, and that wasn't a whole lot.
I am learning, and that is what counts. Thanks for your feedback.
|
|
|
Post by beana51 on Nov 23, 2010 14:25:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Nov 23, 2010 16:32:42 GMT -5
Yep, a very interesting medium Vin. It gets really crazy when using water and oil pastels. My studio, such as it is, is a complete mess just from the learning processes alone. Moving from one medium to another isn't as hard as it use to be. Its just a matter of finding how to use the new medium to get a similar effect. Lots of experimentation, lots of scrap paper being used.
But pastels aren't that much different than any other medium. When creating artwork you still have the medium close at hand, and several tools stuck between the fingers of both hands, and the music in the background soothing your soul. Then you take your thoughts away and allow your hands to do the work.
I stalled a bit at first with this one, being I hadn't worked much with pastels, over-thinking again. Then I told myself, let your hands do it, they know where to go. Experiment, apply the good stuff to the artwork, compare, do it all again until your hands decide they are done.
Being creative can be so rewarding.
|
|
|
Post by beana51 on Nov 23, 2010 18:09:00 GMT -5
Well said!,unlike computer art,which also requires skill, ones expression often comes from the heart,Yea! one's loins.....I learned a lot from my grandson,his zeal to learn,express ,project is is his passion...I guess preconceived ideas are often ,adjusted as to a Mosaic of inner feelings.. My moms aunt,was a sclpturer..About 5ft tall,started in poverty,during the deppersion..long story ,But she passed on world famous,might add rich,sent a whole generation of kids thru college,..her works adorns the capital,and are in every museum in the world.My last meeting with her ,some 40yrs ago...she was now doing art in metal..there she was 20ft up on a scaffold,sparks from the torch covering her!.."ICARUS DESCENDING "she called it!..it was a study in determination,belief in ones self,and a joy to give her fellow humanity beautiful art....weather one doodles,looks at a flower,or a tree,in the artists eye its a wondrous thing to behold....HAVE FUN!..Continue. your bliss...again thanx for letting an old fart Bloviate with you. Here of all places TOH!!...Have a good thanksgiving...Vin!!
|
|
|
Post by windrunner on Nov 24, 2010 8:02:18 GMT -5
Laughing here Damian. Your negative feedback has been considered, since it was actually a critique. I have seen some lovely artwork done in pastels, so I am not yet ready to discount them. The ground color is actually more of an ochre hue, greenish brown. The scanner didn't present this as I would have liked it to, true color. I will enhance it for the final. I mudded up the ear a bit when adding the highlights, got a bit excited and forgot to fix the darker colors before I layered the highlights onto them. I thought this came out good for my first attempt at creating a rendering of a physical object with pastels. Any other work I have done in the past with pastels has been experimental, and that wasn't a whole lot. I am learning, and that is what counts. Thanks for your feedback. The learning process never ends as long as you're having fun with it. Oh! and by the way...I wouldn't buy a "pastel" even if it was done by Picasso or Degas themselves in their golden moments of artistic inspiration; sorry world, I dislike pastels as much as I dislike watercolours...and salads! ;D
|
|
|
Post by bushpounder on Nov 24, 2010 22:40:27 GMT -5
Damn, John, FINALLY a self-portrait!!! That looks GREAT, buddy. He/she really looks like he/she is in deep thought. You captured that perfectly! Don Wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Nov 26, 2010 8:18:44 GMT -5
I hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving. I did, I stayed home and worked on some techniques. I'm trying to work my way towards producing some aviation art, just not there yet. Thanks for all the kudos.
Actually Don, I was trying to remember what you looked like ...... it was a Christmas present for you ...... d**n, now the cat is outta the bag........ *chuckles*
|
|
|
Post by bushpounder on Nov 26, 2010 22:18:53 GMT -5
LOL!
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Dec 19, 2010 12:09:53 GMT -5
Hi Gang, I finally finished the six weeks of Mixed Media. The final project was to read an article of our choice, and create a cover page for the article using at least two mediums that we had learned during the course. We had to include digital because of the text that had to be added, so I went with watercolor, acrylics, and digital. Let me know what you think.
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Dec 27, 2010 7:55:09 GMT -5
Obviously, no one thought much of this to give a reply. Oh well, I got 100% plus another 10% for most improved student. So, it was worth it.
|
|
|
Post by Tom Constantine on Jan 12, 2011 1:59:55 GMT -5
I guess I slept through class John. I just discovered this thread. Both works are excellent. I like the hominid very much. The Tomb Raider Reborn cover takes me back to the 60s and the Ace Paperback work of Roy G. Krenkel. Looking at your class work brings back lots of old memories and certainly a little regret that I didn't continue with my art education. RE: Pastels, I did a portrait of a lady friend in 1961 and haven't touched them since. My medium of choice after late '63 was leather. I still have the tools I used. I will scan the only surviving piece of work. Its worn and discolored but you can get an idea. It is supposed to snow so I will probably get to it "later today." I drifted away from all of it when my eyesight began to fail. I spent 10 years in denial until I finally saw the eye doctor and got glasses. By then computers owned me
|
|
|
Post by AirCoaster on Jan 12, 2011 9:31:12 GMT -5
I totally understand Tom. Believe me, I still have problems with the eye thing, but I enjoy this stuff too much the let it sit and idle as it did when I was bringing up the family. Thanks for the kudos, I enjoyed every minute of the experience.
|
|