Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Latest Graphite portrait - Wonder


Wonder
5x7 inches
Graphite and coloured pencil on drafting film
I started this one again, after getting halfway through and being dissatisfied with the smoothness of the skin (my husband says I'm a perfectionist - how rude!!! LOL ). The next day, I went out and bought some graphite powder, emptied out my minerals powder foundation from it's container, and filled it with some graphite powder; and dug out some of my softest makeup brushes. I then applied the graphite in much the same way you would buff mineral foundation onto your skin and was much happier with the results. The mineral powder foundation container has little holes in the lid, so I could give it a shake, and get just a hint of powder and then use the makeup brushes to pick it up. Perfect!!!

17 comments:

Debra Keirce said...

And your portrait is perfect too Karen! Absolutely stunning!

You asked where to get drafting film. There are probably other places, possibly cheaper ones, but I bought my sheets from DickBlick.com.

Barbara A. Freeman said...

Karen, you have out done yourself on this one!!! I enlarged it on my screen and it's flawless! I think you have really got something going here! I love the way you approached the skin. What a perfect idea. Oh, those eyes!!!

Arcobaleno said...

Wonderful!!!!!!!

Reena said...

Maybe a stupid question but what is a mineral powder foundation container? How does it look?

The drawing is lovely as always :) I wish I was half as talented as you :)

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Deb, Barbara, Arcobaleno and RG for all your fabulous comments - you truly make my day.

RG, loose mineral powder makeup is all the rage so you would find it is available in most makeup brands at any pharmacy, drugstore or even your local supermarket. The cheapest is probably CoverGirl which is the one I have. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, but are usually a clear plastic container, with an internal lid that has little holes in it, to let the powder out, and an external lid, so it doesn't go everywhere. Good luck!!!

Debra Keirce said...

LOL! I thought it was strange that you would ask where I got the film, but then I thought maybe you were wondering who sold it in the US. I LOVED working on drafting film. It's so smooth, you can really get a lot of detail in, and if you smudge the wax of the pencils, you get a sort of airbrush effect, don't you? I will definitely work with it a lot more in the future!

Mona Diane Conner said...

this beautiful Karen, your husband can ill afford to tease! lol

Great idea for application of graphite. I've been curious too about trying pastel application with those small sponge sticks that come with pan pastels in the art store (like eye makeup applicators), but when I tried them, they seemed to pull too much off the mylar I was working on, so I'll try your way next time.

Unknown said...

I knew you would love the drafting film Deb and look forward to seeing more of your works. I'm amazed more people haven't used it or heard of it.

Mona, it's funny you mention the pan pastels - I was only looking for them the other day in the art shop and couldn't find them. Do you use the pastel on the Mylar much?

Unknown said...

Lovely portrait and interesting technique, you must have a lot of patience:)

Unknown said...

Thank you Sam, patience is not actually one of my virtues, except when it comes to art!!!!

Unknown said...

Karen, I have to admit Im just the same, as much as Id hate to admit it!

Carol Andre' said...

Karen, You have really hit on something here- they are gorgeous. Wonderful work, ideas, etc. I just looove these children portraits- maybe even more than the animals!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Carol, I must say I am enjoying doing them as well!! :)

artbykarieann said...

Amazing Karen, and quite an unusual technique, I've never even heard of graphite powder!

Unknown said...

Thank you Karrie - I read about it from another artist online, but could find nothing about it in any of my numerous art books, so really didn't expect our art shop to sell it, I was delighted to find he did. He did say I was probably more likely to find it in a hardware store, as it is great for fixing squeaky doors and lubricating tight hinges etc.

Claudia Finn said...

what precious work you do and an inspiring blog!! so so well done!!the pencil expressions are delightful especially of the baby!!:)

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Claudia - such lovely comments!!! I do appreciate you taking the time to stop by!!! :)