New Technique

 

The main idea of this technique is to take a drawing, mount it to a board, than layer acrylic medium and ink to build up color. There is some paint thrown in but it didn't work all that well. Oils are definitely needed. 

WIP: Contour Still Life Painting

Outdoor Painting

Skarner WIP

There is so much to say so I'll start with Happy Easter, Happy April Fool's Day, and Happy Birthday to me.

I've been really stressed lately with worry about my new job and trying to get my life together. It isn't exactly falling apart but I have goals to meet. I did get so stressed I spent my breakfast crying over a ham sandwich. Though I felt better later when a few things where cleared up.

For my birthday someone made me a cake. It is huge! It is 3 layers and probably 8-10 inches high. It is a pineapple and some kinda nut with cream cheese frosting type cake.

I meant to spend the day working on essays seeing as I have 3-4 to do this week. I picked a topic for my research essay at the very least but I still spend much of the day sleeping. When I wasn't sleeping I was crocheting this little guy: Skarner

I also painted a large amount this weekend. I didn't finish anything but I'm hoping they will be up on Deviant Art soon. Don't count on that.

I finally got into see the Doctor for my lab results. There was a slight screw up the first time I tried to see her. They had put the appointment in my stepmothers name and it needed to be rescheduled. It ended up being on Friday at 8:40 am. Way to early but I didn't mind so much because I was finally getting what I needed. For three weeks I didn't have vitamin D and I realized just how bad I had been suffering without it. I was miserable but I am better now. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to take myself to my appointment, which is funny because I normally get stressed about that kind of thing, because I was hoping to pop by the Biology building. On Fridays they don't have class but they keep the doors unlocked. I was hoping to paint the specimens they have in the rooms.

Painting

I've recently bought two books and both are on brushwork in painting. The books are called the Brushstroke Handbook by Maureen McNaughton and Brushwork Essentials by Mark Christopher Weber. I love them both, for different reasons. The first has extraordinary detail and the art work is beautiful. The second is good for a quick reference. I've been wanting to paint for a wile now. I played around for a bit and then switch to trying to apply what I picked up from a quick look through of these books. Mind you the ones in the squares are india ink and white paint by Sargent Art. The bottom two pages are Crayola Tempera.

Other then painting I've been shopping for many hours over the last two days. I was looking for black pants. I didn't get any black pants. I did find the shoes I need for work though. I also bought a dress, two shirts, and I found Coraline for $5. My dad picked up the Gremlins also. He mentioned he would get the Harry Potter ones all at once because they where $10 for each in blueray. The only reason he wasn't was because they where missing the last two. I knew they couldn't be so I went and found them. He said he was using that as an excuse and that he really wasn't serious. Damn.

Now here is the too much information second of the blog:
So wile I was trying on a half dozen dresses I noticed something. I have back flab that make the perfect love handles. I don't use that term like most people mean it to be general fattiness I mean actual perfect description of a love handle as just a hand sized, squeeze me, type spot. It is cute and disturbing at the same time.

Secondly I scored when it came to buying bras. Ok maybe not the best score I could hope for but considering how often I go into flying rants about them I'll consider it a score. I have a awkward size that is very rarely if ever found in stores. Victoria secret doesn't even make up into the cup size. Those that do make them normally charge $50-60. Considering you should buy new ones every six months I'm sure you understand my need for rants. I found very close to my size this weekend, close enough I won't feel crushing disappointment after looking, and they where on sale. I got two for $20. A size or so too small in the cup and not the best shape but I'll take it.

What A Day

Ok so I didn't get anything done to show off but I figured I could still talk because I do have a lot I would like to post. I over slept because I didn't turn on my alarm and missed my first class. My second class was amazing though. I wished I had recorded it. It was on the enlightenment. We talked, in part, about the commonly used philosophy quote, "I think, therefor I am." The quote actually comes from the start or slightly before enlightenment period. Before this period it was believed you have no control over your fate and everything you do is the will of God. Basically people believed they where evil and there was no way at all to change that. No one believed anyone could change the world. The quote comes from Rene Descartes having a mental breakdown. He was a good little church goer but started to question it. His conclusion, persay, was that nothing can be trusted and his thoughts are the only thing he can trust. His trust was in the fact he could think.

This was mind blowing because now he realized he has control. He controls how he sees the world and his actions in it. That wasn't something they believed at that point in time. I think this is pretty cool because now we pretty much all have this thought that we can make the world better or change it in some way.

There was also a lot of police cars wile I was at the campus. I don't know why but I am thinking someone was hurt. It happened twice wile I was there. Beyond that I came home and painted. Since it isn't a still live I'm not posting it here. Sadly, or maybe not, I got so into it I lost track of time. Now it is 1am and I'm just not going to do it. -fail-

Back again!

Well that was an eventful trip to grandmothers. We left in the middle of the night and I spend the next three days painting. The first day I had to have been on an adrenalin rush. Not only did I spent the whole day painting I also took two, 3 mile walks. One of them barefooted. They looked at me like I was crazy but it worked out the cramps in my feet from using my stepmothers shoes to paint in. By the end of the third day the sheds at my grandmothers was painted. We went to visit her at one point during those first few days, she wasn't doing to good though. She was tired and a bit drugged from an operation. Next time we visited she was hopping around all over the place showering everyone with hugs and kisses.

We had bad news with it though, my cousin may be going to jail. He was behind a van and the car in front of the van stopped short. The person in the van got out and he hit and killed her. I don't know any more details then that.

The reunion went well. I didn't talk to many people I didn't know most of them. There was probably somewhere between 50-70 people, a good bit probably not in the family. I know in the past my grandmothers priest comes, friends of the family, neighbors, and I think even friends of family members who no longer come because of a divorce. Kinda wild.

I actually payed attention to the capture the flag game this year, only because I was asked to spy for Robert who is the only adult that plays normally. Randy wanted everyone to team up against him, they probably should have. He did something slightly illegal in the game, he tied the flag to an electric pole.

I met the man my aunt is interested in, I really like him and I think he is good for her. I also volunteered to work on grandmothers house this summer if it is not sold and they want me.

We picked up some stuff that was in grandma's living will. Anything that was gifted is to be returned and she had a few other wishes. My dad gets a few old bibles, a small rocking chair for children, a doll bed made by an older relative (this is to be offered to one of my aunts), as well as a few other objects and a portrait drawn of his grandparents I believe. He also asked for all pictures done by this one artists. It was pretty tough figuring out who the artist was. I had the feeling it was a guy  but my dad thought it was a female friend of his grandmothers. All we had was the last name to look at. First we tracked down who dad thought it was, she had the right last name. Turns out she was his grandmothers sister. We found it on the old family tree dad put together. Then we wondered if it was her or one of her children. Finally my cousin Rachel, who has done expensive work on the family tree, confirmed it was not Helen but her first husband.

Grandchildren are not apart of the will unless their parents pick up something for them but I did get pictures. They where ones of my mom or of me seeing as I was the only one who could claim them. I believe they also agreed that any stuffed animals that my grandmother made would go to the great grandchildren. The grandchildren already got stuffed animals from her.

I also got a lot of yarn from my Aunt Joy. She always has a ton in boxes all over the house and she lets me pick some up. My chest is now filled again. I had to take down all the blob bunnies so I could use my floor again. She also gave me starwars ties. Kick ass.

That is all I really wanted to say about my trip. Today sucked but I had to write this out. What made today suck was a lot of things, almost a thousand dollar text book bill and my ipod being washed. Not to mention my stepmother being nasty about the incident because I pissed her off.

I'm just left being tired.

No pictures with this one. I have one but I'm not waiting for my camera to charge in order to add it.

Color Theory Practice

I kinda failed with this one. I didn't have the black or white paint needed for the project in the book. Fabric was needed too. I skipped that as well.

Area 1: Fabric piece
Area 2: Match Hue
Area 3: Complements
Area 4: Opposite Values
Area 5: Opposite Intennsities
Area 6: Original Hues

Mine are: Hues, Complement, Opposite Intensities....kinda.

As an added Bonus:

My "I have extra paint lets play" painting. My dad says he likes it, which I find really funny, he doesn't like modern type art. I told him so and said it was just because I am his kid. He said that was a part of it.

Color Practice

Reading Color by Betty Edwards inspired me to get back into color theory training. I took one of the images in the book to use as my recreation piece. The original was The White Duck by Jean-Baptiste Oudry. I used a split complement of yellow-orange, red-orange, and blue-purple.