Jamestown Sea Captain and my busy summer.

                                                               Jamestown Sea Captain
                                                   Colored Pencil on Graphix Frosted Acetate
                                                                         17.25 X 11

Each year I find that summer seems to play tricks on a person, it sounds like a long season, "Those lazy hazy days of summer".  But in reality they are fffffffffaaaaaaaasttttttttttt!  Whizzing by at ultrasonic speeds, no time to catch your breath, enjoy, or even get art enough art finished.  Life as you can see has crept up on me and my summer plans.  The portrait above has been waiting to be called finished for many months now,  and for a variety of reasons.  This guy was a wonderful character we came upon on a trip to the Jamestown Settlement a couple years ago and he played the part well as he stood in charge of the ships upper deck.  So I knew I needed to capture his relaxed but confident nature.

I had worked on Graphix - Duralar (Brand name) before, in a long forgotten workshop given by Robert Guthrie at a CPSA convention, several years ago.  But it was Suzanne Vigil, a portrait artist in northern VA who inspired my completion of this portrait.  The double frosted surface (frosted on both sides of this graphic film) created smooth skin tones so easily.  But and I repeat but, your layers are limited to about 4 on each side of the surface.  Like any new surface it takes a little getting used to.  Lifting color is as easy as a vinyl eraser, used gently as to not make a slick area on the surface.  It is acid free and archival so it meets my requirements of a surface suitable for creating lasting art.  Click here for a link to  the Dick Blick   page to see more about the surface.

Working on both sides of the acetate was a little confusing, as when working on the under side you are working the mirror opposite of your image.  And while that might not be confusing on a floral or still life, on a portrait I found it tricky. (To keep facial proportions correct for a likeness.)  Until I realized I could flip my photo in Photoshop and work on it in reverse.  Unfortunately, it took me a while and some cursing to figure this out!!!  Transferring onto the surface is easy because you can see your image thru the surface and should be done with a slightly lighter than a mid-grey pencil, graphite works also.  All in all I may try this again for CP portraits but it requires matting and framing behind glass, which I'm trying to get away from.  But skin tones are so smooth and hair and beard stubble is fun to create.  So who knows.

Photographing the image was a challenge as it is shiny after the layers of pencil are added.  Thank you to my son Chris and his great photography skills in helping me to finally get a good image.

I will tell you, that working on this surface prepared me for the next new one I will be featuring in my next post later in the week.  So tune in for my update............. along with my CPSA convention notes.

Hope your catching up to your summer plans...........

Gloria

Sanded Surfaces Workshop

                                                           Reflections Of Sea Life SOLD
                                                                      8.5 X 12
                                                   Colored Pencil on Uart Sanded Paper

My summer workshop for sanded surfaces ended on Saturday and a good time was had by all.  I love when students are so eager to learn and do so well on the new surface.  The class worked on the above seashell piece to gain experience on the Uart paper as their first sanded surface.  Uart is a pastel paper that comes in many grits from 400-800 and we worked on the 800 grit for this piece.  They learned how layering is different from normal CP papers and how to blend on this surface.  I start them out on Uart as it is a tough surface and takes CP very well with layers and layers to be added to make the rich colors and textures of these shells.  I hope to add a photo demo to my website soon on this piece.

They then made the change to Ampersand Pastelboard, a hard board primed with marble dust in the primer.  Using their own references for the 5 X 7 piece of white board.  Ampersand acts similar to other sanded surfaces but the hard board gives a different feel.  It enables one, upon completion to spray with fixative and then to preserve with several layers of sprayed Archival varnish to be framed without matting or glazing.  Just like an oil or acrylic painting!  This is my favorite surface to work on.

It was a lot to cover in 3 full days but they were troopers and I enjoyed having them in my home studio.

I hope you try a sanded surface and let me know what you think.  I'll be getting ready for the CPSA convention next week in Brea, CA, where my Harley piece was accepted.  While in CA there are workshops to be enjoyed, new techniques learned and a whole lot of great art and friends to catch up with.  While the hubby and my trusty canine hold down the fort here at home.

I just posted on my website the new classes for Fall so have a look and maybe you too can learn this wonderful medium.  Rest assured I'll be checking email if you want info or have a comment.

Stay cool and enjoy some color this week.

Gloria

40th World Sketch Day - Sketches

                                    Colored Pencil on Mixed Media Strathmore Visual Journal
                                                                          5.5 X 8

Some of you may not have heard of a "Sketch Craw"  or World Sketch Day but it's kind of like an Internationally observed day to sketch everywhere around the world.  Oh no, now I have the Martha and The Vandellas song "Dancing In The Street" playing in my head.  Anyway, it's also kind of like a college bar crawl, going from place to place sketching for the day.  Wine or alcohol optional, but sketching your lunch is encouraged.  I however only had a few hours in the morning to spare so I invited lots of friends, students and other known sketchers to participate.  For more information see link:
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/  or the Facebook Sketch Crawl site at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2204425203/?fref=ts

The crazy weather we have had here in VA had me searching for an indoor/outdoor location close to home (due to a busy schedule), and of course a bathroom since there will be coffee involved ;-).  It seems the more I try to plan anything outdoors the rains come and ruin it.  So with coffee in hand, my small sketch kit and a folding chair I headed off to a local nursery to get started.

It is advisable if your inviting friends to a business location to call in advance to get permission.  In this case Richmond's "Great Big Greenhouse" was gracious enough to let us come in early at 8 AM.  A really nice nursery with wonderful plants inside and out.  It was really hard to NOT shop for plants and great garden and home accessories but get down to the business of sketching.

So I placed myself near the front entrance in the greenhouse so I could be aware of the few who said they might join me.  Near the collection of indoor ferns on sale.  After getting started on a small vignette at the edge of the plant table I greeted a previous student of mine, Cheryl who was happy for an excuse to get out sketch, shop and catch up.  You know this is also a great social event, if others hadn't been on summer vacation several others said they would have come.  Here's a photo of the ferns from my iphone:

I actually sat a little lower than this view when I did the above sketch.  The day went from threatening clouds to sunny skies so I opted to stay in the greenhouse.   I next moved on the Bonsai plant area which I love, and found a really neat asian garden lantern.  Since I'm on a quest to learn pen and ink sketching, I'm currently leaching myself this thru a 75 Day Sketch Challenge.  Only Ink is allowed, no pencil underneath  just ink.  I started this on June the 28th and will end it on Sept. 10th.  Each day you have to sketch something in your journal for 75 days.  I figure this would make me practice a more sure line, since it can't be erased or camouflaged by adding color.  Brenda Swenson started this challenge on her blog at:  brendaswenson.blogspot.com/    She's a water color and ink sketcher and does some really great work.  So as I bungle thru sketching with a micron pen in a Dick Blick ink sketchbook I received as a promotion, I'm learning to shade, hatch and double hatch my way thru the challenge.  I hope by day 75 it gets easier and faster and maybe a tiny bit better.  (By the way I'm going to have to check out this sketchbook more as it does not show bleed thru, is smooth for the pen and it's soft grey sheets would take some white pencil for highlights. After the challenge that is. )

I actually love journaling, travel journaling and working my way thru new challenges.  Sketchbooks need only be for you, not shared or publicized but enjoyed.  Getting out my first sketches always makes me feel better about how far I have come on my art journey.  Danny Gregory, author of "An Illustrated Life" and "An Illustrated Journey" encourages folks to journal, and document, but most of all enjoy the process.   Although many do so in watercolor and pen, I choose to mainly work in my beloved colored pencil, but still I can see the use of ink when called for and definitely for the script part of the page.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, whether on not you observed World Sketch Day or not.  The next one should be in October this year as they seem to do 4 per year.  Grab your sketchbook and whatever your favorite media or just a regular pencil and try it.  I know next time I'm planning on making it past lunchtime before I cave in and shop!  ;-) Keep it colorful!

Gloria
And her new plant adoptees spent the rest of the day in her garden and conservatory getting acquainted....... 

Plein Air Colored Pencil Painting - On The James River

A week ago Richmond had it's second Plein Air Event sponsored by Brazier's Gallery 

on West Main Street.  Nationally known artists from around the country and locally competed in an week of plein air painting with the beneficiary our local Richmond Symphony.  Having participated in a past Richmond Symphony fundraiser and as an ex flute and piccolo player, it's a great group to support.  Two of my friends and I went down for the Fast and Fresh painting on Sat. morning where artists where set up on Monument Ave. in various locations to paint from 9am to 11am, with a judging and sale afterwards.  I have to tell you I met some plein air painters I had only read about in Plein Air Magazine, I was a groupie for sure.  Oil, watercolor, pastel and acrylic all media represented except my beloved CP.  But what this morning out had accomplished was just what I had hoped it to, inspire and motivate my two friends to try plein air working for the first time.  Resulting our plan to do so this last Thursday.  

 On June the 20th my two art friends and I,  plein air painted at James River Park in Chesterfield County, VA.  I of course worked in Colored Pencil while the other two worked in oil and acrylic.   Working with other painters is not new to me as I am often the only one working in colored pencil.  My usual goal when working outdoors with painters is to accomplish as much as possible in the same amount of time as they are willing to work onsite.  My slower to develop media means I'm usually the last to leave with less accomplished.  I accept that fact and by now I have learned to set a few goals for myself for each outing.  This time the goals were to get as much done faster than I have ever done in the past and to get a good feeling of atmospheric perspective.  I worked on an 8 X 10 hardboard that I had primed a while ago, a pale greyblue color with Colorfix's Blue Haze Primer, creating a sanded surface.  It seemed the perfect color to work fast and fresh on my own (see reference to the plein air event above). 

Above is the cropped view of my photo taken before I started. 

After scouting out a location at the park with a view of the James (which was very muddy after some thunderstorms the night before). We set out to work, my friends for the first time ever working plein air.  I thought to myself, "if it's their first time then I just may be able to accomplish a lot this time".  I usually work on white Ampersand Pastelboard (my favorite because of the ability to get truly light - lights) colored pencil being a translucent media.  This meaning the blue under-color of my primed board will show thru and change my hues and brightness.  On this bright and relatively cool June day I would be able to work more quickly not starting with a white surface.  Here is what I was able to    

accomplished in a 3 hour period of time (above).  Now this photo turned out a little more warm in tone than the second one to the right, not sure why.  The right one is also a bit bluer than the original due to my great photography skills, not sure why either.  ARGGG.  After arriving home and a quick bite to eat a late lunch, I took the above photo and sat down to work less than 30 more minutes on tweaks and missing info like: the ripples in the water and deepening the tones a little.   Really, I only worked a short time on this.  You will notice I added a smaller version of a tree on the on site photo to the lower left foreground, to point your eye into the painting a bit more.  Not sure if I like it but it's there to stay.   

What I learned this outing:

 #1 You cannot use watercolor pencils for an underpainting on the Colorfix primed surface, it will lay down well but when hit with water the color beads up on the surface and does not sink in like it does on the Ampersand Pastelboard I usually use.  When I have worked on the pastelboard I work 5 X 7 but this blue primed sanded surface allowed me to work 8 X 10 and get a lot done.  However it would have been faster if I could have underpainted with the WC CP's.  With this subject matter the blue hue of the board did not impact the overall tone much.

   

#2 Working with inexperienced plein air friends allows me time to get more done, thanks Kathy and Suzanne for trying this with me.  Next we are off to Suzanne's.

#3  There's nothing like getting out to see other professional artists plein air paint to get the inspiration juices flowing.

#4  I have great friends who will accompany me to paint plein air and to go out of their comfort zone and try new things.   

So everyone get out there and do some sketching, painting, observing.  Whether it's fast and fresh,  or as slow as CP we all can benefit from working outdoors.  First time or not we all have something to learn.  I'm already contemplating my next plein air goal in colored pencil.  Have a colorful day!

Gloria