The Artist or The Subject?

The Artist or The Subject

A4

Coloured pencil and Pan Pastels on Matte board

On our recent holiday to Canberra, we took the family to Questacon, which is like an interactive, educational science museum for all ages. We ended up spending two days there, because there is so much to see and do and the kids have a ball. There is one whole level dedicated to perception and why our brain thinks the way it does and how easily it can be fooled - absolutely fascinating!!! It got me thinking that I would like to do some pieces using artist's hands drawing artworks that challenge our perceptions, and so this piece was just a trial piece. No perception challenges here, but just experimenting. I now have commissions starting to roll in again, so will be busy working on those, but will try to work on some of these ideas between portraits.

A Couple of Commissions

Christina

2.5x3.5 inches

Coloured pencil on drafting film

Cheyanne

4x6 inches

Graphite pencil on drafting film

This little portrait of Cheyanne having a big yawn was done a few weeks ago, but I needed to wait until the parents had given approval before posting it. The portrait of Christina is a 21st birthday present for my son's girlfriend's sister, that I wanted to complete before going on holidays. Now the pencils are going away for a couple of weeks :))

Latest Commission - Kit

Kit

7x8 inch

Coloured pencils on drafting film

Most of my commissions seem to be cats and people, both of which I love to do, but it was fun to do a dog for a change and the pugs have so much appeal. I have another pug to do tomorrow, but won't upload the finished portrait, as it is quite similar to this one. I have included the WIP shots, but got so consumed at the end that I forgot to head back to the scanner - you get the idea anyway. :)

WIP - A Touch of Nostalgia

I love old world images and have a passion for anything antique, and so, with this in mind, I felt like doing a larger piece this time, (8x10 inches) but still want to include all the detail that goes into a miniature (Call me crazy!!!) This is a combination of a few reference photos - some were taken in a little country town called Wollombi by my parents-in-law, and the reference photos for the horse and carriage were taken by us in another charming country town called Morpeth, both in NSW.

On another note, I recently discovered Pan Pastels, which are quite different to work with to regular pastels, but they are perfect for doing larger areas such as the sky in this artwork. After doing the initial drawing on drafting film, I covered the lower half with Frisket, and then applied Pan pastels to the sky. Fixative spray was then applied, and now comes the fun part of filling in all the fine details. I'll keep you posted as this one develops.

Latest 4x6 inch artwork - Santa Claws

Santa Claws

4x6 inch

Coloured pencils on drafting film

Christmas is a funny time of year. As the decorations start to appear on the shelves of all the stores, I am filled with a sudden panic at the thought of all that has to be done in the 8 weeks between now and December 25th - shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, cards, the list is endless and overwhelming. But then the inner child emerges and the bright colours of Christmas, the joy of listening to much loved carols, the anticipation of the season to come takes over and I am filled with an urge to kick the season off with a Christmas OSWOA. I hope it brings out your inner child as you all face the weeks to come.

Little Flower Girl

Little Flower Girl

5x7 inches

Coloured Pencil on drafting film

Oh what fun I had doing this piece, especially after doing a few graphite works. I just loved doing the colours and textures and was quite happy with it until I started on the legs, where I struck a few problems with the darker shadows. Not to worry - I have decided to frame and keep this piece (something I rarely do) because the colours make me happy. A huge thank you to Juno Kughler Carlson from Artist Friends Network for supplying the gorgeous reference photo. :)

More Graphite with a hint of colour - Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom

12.5 x 14.5 cm

Graphite and coloured pencils on drafting film

This is the third in the series of graphite pencil portraits with a hint of colour. The reference photo for this lovely little fellow was kindly provided by Juno from Artist Friends Network.

I approached North Light Books to see if they might be interested in a book on producing photorealistic work on drafting film. They were very interested in looking at a book proposal, but only on traditional supports, rather than the drafting film. I feel there is an abundance of books out there about achieving photorealism on paper and more traditional supports, and will persevere with the idea of a book on drafting film, mainly because there is so little information out there about it. From the publisher's point of view, I guess it is best to stick with safe ground. From an artist's point of view, I feel we are always hungry for that elusive medium or support that will help us achieve what we would like to achieve in our minds eye, and it is always so exciting to try new mediums and techniques.

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!!!

Graphite with a hint of colour - Pippa

This is the first in a series of portraits I would like to do combining graphite with a hint of colour. The reference photo for Pippa was kindly provided by Andrea (Pencil Painting Network) and is of her delightful daughter Pippa - isn't she a cutie!!!! In future, I am going to try to avoid portraits with too many dark areas, as blending the dark to light proved a frustrating challenge, but we got there in the end.

Graphite Portraits - latest artwork 'Bright Eyes'

Bright Eyes

10x14cm

Graphite, black pencil and sgraffito on drafting film

I have always preferred working with colour, but lately have been dabbling with graphite pencil, and think I could become addicted. Whilst I adore colour, it is such an interesting exercise to focus only on shade, light, tone and texture. This latest work is of my neice Katie, and I will now be offering Commissioned Graphite portraits on Ebay and Etsy and from my website. My next project is to combine a bit of graphite with colour for some variation. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!!!

Latest artwork!!

Aren't holidays wonderful for fostering creativity - I was so much more productive in the glorious relaxed mode of vacation than I can ever hope to be in our usual hectic life. I think we should go on holidays more often!!!!! These are the 6 artworks completed whilst we were away:

Party Animal ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches)

Coloured pencils, ink and markers on drafting film

MacCheeky ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches)
Coloured pencils, ink and markers on drafting film.

The Flame ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches)
Coloured pencils and ink on drafting film.

Sweet Dreams ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches)
Coloured pencils on drafting film.

Fagan Park Fine Art Miniature (6.5cm x 9cm)
Coloured pencils and markers on drafting film.

Cool Relief Fine Art Miniature (6cm x 8.5cm)
Watercolours on Illustration Board

All ACEO's are available for purchase from my Ebay Store. The fine art miniatures will be saved for Miniature Art Exhibitions.