Picking up the paint brush, again and again

I've come to the conclusion, that the hardest thing in life is repetition, the grind. Doing what you know you need to do- to be proactive- and to be productive- Every- day. When I feel like it, when I don't feel like it. When I feel like it- there is nothing in the world I would rather do, I mean really? Art=Dream Job. It just doesn't get better- I was built for this. Then there's those days common to us humans, where even the best things in life just don't seem that desirable and I don't want to paint and be creative. It's the last thing in the world I want to do. If I have to repaint that face for the fifth time, I'll just scream! Despite all that, you go to work anyway. I've found ways to help fight the don't feel like it blues. Music, heroes, and friends.

Music just helps set the mood. Is it going to be fighting music, melancholy music, get up and go? Epic? whatever is needed, music can help get there, but it doesn't do anything at all for me when I get stuck on a project that I just don't know how to fix.

That's when heroes come in- the best of the best. I sit here, and I look at them. I know they've had the same struggles as me and they got through it either by sticking it out or help from friends and mentors. I read about them, what they said, what others said about them, and what their hands crafted. They make me feel better and worse all at the same time. They inspire. I see how far I need to go and how far they have come. I study techniques and observe skills. I covet. I admire. I despise. I love. Then I go back to my project and I work again. If they can do it- may I can too.

Last of all friends. Not the least important mind you. Having a good set of friends with similar passions can be quite motivating when it comes to the painting department. Even better if you work with them. They know what  it's like to go through lulls in the creative juices and how to keep squeezing art out when it doesn't feel like there is anything left for the day or the week- or the rest of your life. They encourage, they tell you when it looks stupid and the most helpful ones tell you how to fix it. These are the indispensable ones on bad days and on good days, because they can make any day turn out great.

So here's a post for the creative lulls of life. They come, they go. The trick is to keep going anyway.

Carnation Lily Lily Rose

This is last weeks progress. I would have more documented, but the recorder just was not working with me. Frustration. Above is the progress captured successfully in the camera, and below is the true progress of the painting as of now. Haven't had much time for it, but when I do, it's wonderful

Learning to simplify

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose- Sargent

 I tend to put in too many details. to over complicate simple beauty, so I'm studying Sargent this week. Next week I'll put up the finished project, but I'm doing a this mastercopy Sargent

  

 This is where I am so far with the study. Slowly getting the kids put in there and trying to get the right color harmony. I think the hardest part to replicate is going to be the grass ironically. I don't understand why he put so much detail into them. It's just grass, but there is more detail in the blades of grass than there is in the strands of hair. Don't understand that, but I am learning alot.

 

 I really like how he simplifies her hair, and the folds. There's detail, but there is a simplicity to it. Color, but just what's needed. Simple and few strokes. One day, I'll get it.

Mastering principles of form empowers artists to make ANYTHING, so if you want to make anything, you have to know how things are made, or at least the principles behind how they look. For anyone who wants to draw from their head, this exercise proved to be most helpful, although I found it quite stressful the first time. You're not getting graded, so I'm sure it will be much more relaxing. This also helps you get more control of whatever you like to draw/paint in and forces you to notice how light falls on objects.

Here's the list of the principles that makes the things around us look 3D

Highlight is where the light hits directly. The shinier the object the more distinct the highlight.
Light side is the side where the light hits.
Midtone is where the sphere is turns away from the light, but not completely.
Dark side is the shadowed area of the sphere facing opposite the light.
Reflected light bounces up onto the darkside of the sphere and makes it lighter, but not as light as the light side.
The shadow, well, you know that one, but it is the area on the ground that the light is blocked by the object
The last one that I don't actually mention in the video is the "Dark Accent" it's at the base of the ball, where no light can reach, or at least, very little light.

Take a perfectly round sphere, rubber ball, little beachball (or as close as you can get) and light it with some lightbulb. Make sure that you can see where the highlight hits. You will have seven different areas of "Form" that make that sphere look round.

I started out just lightly putting in a circle, sketched in the shadow, (as round as I could get it) and then split the circle into the the five main areas of form.

The video below shows how to capture all seven parts in a sphere. Getting all seven in the right spots makes it look real. It really doesn't quite come together until the end.

The next video has the same principles only for a cube. I never had realized, or I had forgotten, that cubes have highlights, dark accents, and reflected light, just the same as a sphere. I had only really thought of them as lightside, midtone, darkside and shadow.

If you try it in pencils, make sure you have a 6b around if you want to get those dark darks.
If you try it in charcoals, make sure you don't smudge your paper and build to your darks. It's much easier to add more charcoal if it needs to be darker than to erase it off. Charcoal just likes to smear.

Best of luck.

Tide Swells

Beautiful day. Felt like it was going to rain all day, and it was kind of cold, which made painting interesting. Was fine though, as soon as I forgot I was cold.

Went out and got to paint today. My original intention when I started was to paint the rock on the left. As you can tell, that really didn't happen. It was all about the water and once I started on it, I really couldn't stop and til I got the bottom finished out. Think I still need to mess with the values in the front part of the water. Don't know.

Plan for tomorrow is pushing back the water behind the rock. Also going to push that little rock back. It's too dark.

Day Three: Covered the Canvas

Got everything covered today. It makes me feel better when I look at the canvas. I at least know that the overall color is working and I just will have to finish working wet into wet for the shadow side of the rocks. Looking forward to a little bit of palette knifing. The waves are going to be a challenge. I don't think I've ever done water like this before. So we'll see how it goes.

Day Two: Portland Rocks

So I have a bit of work done on the real one now, I would have got more done, except a storm came in and ruined all my fun. Only worked on half of it cause I want to work wet into wet when I get down to the other rocks. It makes my life easier that way, but having all that open canvas is so daunting. I'm starting to like the corner of the rock, but we'll see how it goes. It's been awhile since I've messed with cool and warm oils. Like it so far though