self portrait: mini me

this is a picture of a painting of me painting myself! Still in progress but I think it's headed in the right direction :)

People paintings

We started doing a bit of figure painting in my painting class. Here are some results. The top figure was a long pose we worked on for about 4 hours. I used oil paint due to the amount of time we had and the lusciousness of oil paint ;) Even with the amount of time we had for the painting there is still tonnes I could have still worked on and made better.

The bottom painting was a quick half hour study which I did in acrylic paint. As you can see it's unfinished... I didn't even touch the background. With that said I think it still is interesting and holds a lot of energy from having to paint quickly.

Alternative figure drawing

This chair drawing is brought to you through my figure drawing class. That's right figure drawing! This is what happens when our model does not show up :( we cry briefly then we pull a chair into the middle of the room to adorn with fabric and pillows, and then we draw. Probably the best drawing I've done so far in the class ... the model never moved or needed a break so I could draw for the whole hour. However, I would have much preferred my figure drawing class to be equipped with a figure. Perhaps next time.

ding-a-ling

Just thought I would share these quickly painted brass bells. Cheers!

It's a two painting kind of day

Here is the finished version of the "reflections" painting I previously posted about. Like I always say, there is still so much that I could still work on but overall it's pretty successful. I quickly regretted using striped fabric for the background. However, I still try to hold to my original thought that it would be a more interesting composition.

Secondly, this is a fabric study I did in class. I am pretty happy with it. The best thing about painting fabric is that it doesn't need to be reproduced exactly for it to still look like fabric. I could paint fast because I wasn't worried about the proportions or structure (still tried to be accurate though). YAY two painting day! ciao

Reflections

I started a painting today of shiny, translucent, and/or reflective objects. here is the beginning of my painting. What we are looking at is an espresso cup, screw driver, butter knife, and glass beads arranged on tinfoil which is on top of striped fabric. So far I am pretty thrilled about it. There is something magical and unexpected from painting reflections. I am truly looking forward to how this will turn out.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all the artwork I am making! Looks like everyone is getting artwork for Christmas ... whether they like it or not!

Figure Drawing

During my figure drawing class we got an extra long (30mins) sitting with the model enabling me to make a more refined drawing. I am thrilled to have the time to work extra on the drawing. Although, it is still lacking in areas I like how far I was able to get with the drawing. I am looking forward to more "finished" looking drawings from this class.

Figure drawing is such an interesting practice. Sometimes it's considered over done but I continue coming back to representing the figure. I think that their is so much diversity among people that it could never be overdone or become boring.

Next post I hope to include some interesting painting that I am working on ;)

a toy painting

Here is the finished version of my toy painting. Well, it's mostly finished ... I could definitely work more on it but I just don't have anymore time. Overall, I am satisfied with the painting at this point. It's bright and vibrant and mostly makes visual sense. I have to say I enjoyed the subject and I am surprised at how difficult some of these objects are to interpret with paint. 

That's all for now! Onward to my next project.

Under-thing

I am painting a still life of toys. It is a fun subject! everything is vibrant and reminds me of my childhood. This image is of the underpainting of which I am covering with oil paint. I will put up a picture of the finished painting when it's done (hopefully soon).

BUNNY!

Here is a painting from my class. It's a bunch of random things ... including a bunny. I am pretty satisfied with it, of course there are things that I could always work more on or change like that bottle or the background ... etc, but I had to walk away and I decided this was a decent point to do so. Also, sorry for the crooked picture taking!

Art school is about drawing skeletons

Chances are if you take a figure drawing class they are going to make you draw a skeleton. You will have to draw it a million times. This is my skele drawing ... it may look kind of sad, but to be fare the skeleton model was pretty sad itself. The class is pretty wonderful when I am not having to draw boring skeletons, which really wasn't that bad. I would just like to see some meat on those bones!

I can hear the rustling of paint brushes after a long summer's slumber.

After a summer of neglect towards my paint brushes and pencils, I have hopped back on the school and art making train. Full steam ahead! I have already made several exciting projects and I am in the process of retraining those painting and drawing muscles.

Here is a pic of a black and white study and a colour chart I created for class ... back to some basics.

I will be sure to update frequently with upcoming painting and figure drawing projects :)

Pin Cushion!

Here is a painting I did for my painting class. It's a pin cushion. I am rather fond of it ... not because it's overly spectacular but because it was really fun. All the tiny pins were interesting to do. I thought they would be painful and that I had made a terrible choice in subject but the repetitiveness proved therapeutic. Also, my acrylic skills are improving and I am even starting to love the medium! The trick is using fluid medium along with the paint ... I wish someone told me sooner.

Painting Paint

Actually I didn't paint paint I painted a lovely landscapey type thing. I have not worked much with acrylic paints but I am getting better at it ... oil is better though!

Print Class!

I am taking a short course on print. For my final project I made a book on growing up in Edmonton, Alberta. Things about my home that I am nostalgic for and reasons I left. Here is a sampling of my book with the cover and three pages of six total.

Design Class Chair

As a group design project, four of my classmates and I designed and fabricated this lovely cardboard chair.

It starts as one rectangular piece that can be used as a table and makes easy storage.

Or the chair can come apart to create a functional chair with a foot stool or small table surface.

It is made from cardboard sheets, glue, and cardboard tubes. It was cut using a laser cutting machine, such as architectures use to build models of building plans.

Life's Cycle: a book

I made a little booklet expressing the journey of life. Life starts with a tricycle, moves to training wheels, and then finally an adult bike. All through the journey the cycler gains life experiences as represented by the paint splotches.

The book folds up and the bicycles move through the pages encouraging interaction.

Design Project: Mag-Knit!

For my design class we were given the challenge of making a toy for children. I made something I call Mag-Knits... it's a magnet inside a knitted pouch shaped like a square, circle, or triangle. The intention is that the child could match up the lines, represent things with the shapes, or build intuitively. The toy is meant to be open to interpretation and imagination!

Drawing in Progress

This is a drawing that I started in my drawing class, it is graphite with oil pastel medium mixed with mineral spirits on paper. I am still working on it, or at least I would like to still work on it but haven't found time.