Shiva Sketch

First I start with a very loose sketch my trusty mechanical pencil. My goal is to get a general placement of the elements, I really don't worry about any details at they point.

To expedite the sketching process, I go straight into the ink with my copic multi-liners.

I hit the areas I know will be in full shadow and draw in some of the more complicated patterns and details.

I further refine elements and feel at this point that I want to knock the background out.

I filled in the sheet with Golden high fluid Acrylic gold. I love this stuff it has great reflective properties and a nice warm gold tone. I left the sketch at this point but I think I may refine it further int he future when inspiration arises.

Golden Giraffe

Here are some progress shots from my final week of production.

I stretched and stapled my green screen fabric over my studio wall so it stayed flat.

I set up my system for the grueling task ahead.

I started applying gold leaf frame by frame as I maintained the stop-motion movement. The size can take up to half an hour to get tacky before applying the leaf. Then I take a picture, apply more of the glue, wait a bit then apply the leaf move the parts and take the next picture. Then repeat.

I started with the back legs then the front and slowly moved up to the body where the spots really begin.  I left the spots free of glue to reveal the dark wood between the gold pattern.

Slowly but surely I complete the body as it walks. It is ridiculously late and I'm losing focus. Now onto the hard part. The neck.

Finally after a grueling and late night/morning I have the first stage done all the way up to the head. I continue the stop motion movement in another session and tidy up the gold leaf. Wish I had a leaf blower. lol.  This is a big  climatic 15 second shot in my film and I'm glad I've got it in the can.

RAMA - towards gold and robes

Here is some of the process for finishing my Rama painting currently on exhibition at the Stride Gallery until the end of this month.

 I left off with the painting at the fall of light stage. I must have painted and repainted it 5 times. Learning that its okay to rework and wipe away. The creation of this piece became a very organic process. I also lost my reference material when my laptop had to be reformatted.

I wanted to create darker shadows and more realistic form with this piece than in my previous sacred images. I also wanted the dark skin tone to resemble a rocky statue. I had a picture that I ripped out of a national geographic that had a great stone texture that I used as my inspiration. I added pits and cracks and highlights.

I decided to have Rama pulling back a lightning bolt instead of a traditional arrow.  I taped the shape off and painted it in with leafing resin. It takes at least an hour for it to become tacky and ready to lay leaf. My idea is that I can create crisper shapes when I pull the tape of afterward.

After gently laying down the gold leaf I rubbed it with the back of my knuckles because the brushes I have are a little too rough and tear the gold leaf leaving an undesirable cracked texture. This is the first test I have for doing it this way and it has turned out quite good for being a total noobie. I clear coated the gold leaf afterward to protect it, keep it shiny and to stall any future oxidation that might occur.

I drew out half of the bow shape onto a large sheet of paper so that I could have a symmetrical bow. I cut out the sheet and used it as a placement guide. I followed the paper guide with masking tape and gently cut it out to match using my matte knife where necessary.

I figure out an appropriate angle to place the top part of the bow and then laid down the masking in the same manner as on the lower half. Afterward, I placed the guilding glue or size and waited until it became tacky to the touch.

Here is the gold leaf applied to the inner shape. You can see the bits that are loose over the masking tape as they have nothing to adhere to. I gently brush them away and try to salvage as many pieces as I can leaving the rest to fall to the floor like rice at a wedding.

I removed the tape, cleaned up the edges and applied the protective coating over top of the gold. It shines brilliantly and beautifully. far better than any gold paint ever could. I like the implied line of the bow string and decided not to paint it in at all.

The next stage as time consuming. Since I had no plan or reference I had to improvise a flowing robe in white paint. I used a slightly translucent white and scrubbed it to give it a silky appearance. Beneath each foot I decided to have him stand on the robe as if it is helping him to float in the red void. I left some of the robe at the point of construction lines to give it a lyrical feel and to reveal some of the steps in creating it.

I gave him a helmet with the fabric coming from the top of it. I decided not to paint it with shadows which would give it solidity and weight. Instead it is more like an outline or X-ray style. I did not paint in the gems or add any gold so that the simple color palette would not be disturbed.

Here is a shot of the full piece in the studio before heading to the gallery space for hanging.

Here is a current active link to the Gallery page for more info and a great article about the work:

http://www.stride.ab.ca/main.html

Check it out before it is to late!

CONTRAST AND COMPARE

Just when things get tough, the tough get going. I had a very uplifting experience yesterday. I was picking up about forty dollars worth of streamers for Dunia's art installation project. I was downtown at Scotia centre. On the second floor one of the main retail spaces had been converted into an art gallery by local artist Edward Michell. <-- (click here for his website, but then come back:)

Edward Michell's work is abstract and material based, the opposite of my figurative and symbolic works. Our art couldn't be more different, hence the title of this post 'contrast and compare'. On the other hand, I couldn't have felt more on par with another artist. Usually, I glance over abstract art, but for years now, I have witnessed and enjoyed his creations, visiting his booth at every past stampede I have attended. I went into his current exhibition in Scotia Center and was happily greeted by the creator. We had a conversation which put a shine on my day and encouraged me to go back into my studio and keep at it.



Edward was very welcoming, friendly and apt to share his experiences and stories. I have found it difficult to find successful artists in my field who are willing to open up. Artists I've talked to tend to border on secretiveness and avoid opening up, are socially inept or abrasive and arrogant. Often they are competitive. Edward Mitchell is an established artist with no hint of these character foibles. Then again, spending that much on an ounce of gold and being knee deep in tar sands probably keeps one humble.

He doesn't rely on grants, he said he has never received one. He even paid his way thru school, going part time an working throughout. He has taken a different route to build his career. Edward isn't with a gallery but instead has an agent. He is currently in over 32 shows, with upcoming ones in London and Toronto and of course in the mall right now and the stampede this upcoming summer. He emphasized that his success, in so far, has taken hard work and that he was very lucky! ( This is something that I keep hearing time and time again.) At the end of the day nobody gets a free ride, it takes hard work.


Here is a picture I found on the net of him working in his studio...

He told me about the provenance of his work and that each item is measured, the gold, the tar sands etc for each piece. He rented out the space which is close to $32,000, and is donating a portion of all sales to Starts. I cant believe he just told me how much it costs to rent a space in the downtown core. I have got to tell you, I had no idea! That is more $ than I have ever made in a year, and stores are having to clear that on a monthly basis. Wow consumerism.

Eward Michell and his crew did a great job hanging lights and blacking out the walls to turn the space into a functional gallery. The best part is he is there in person to field any questions. His pricing is not high as he is the gallery, so 50% is not tacked on top of everything, making the price tag of the work reasonable. Considering the materials, the cost of renting this space and a studio in this city, the size of the supports and frames and the need to wait a year for the tars and oils to cure before they can be exhibited. His works are a steal!




It's a small world, and even smaller in the Calgary arts community. E.M. and I have quite a few things in common it turns out. He just so happens to have stretchers built by my friend Chris Melynchuck, who passed away from cancer, he built the best stretchers ever. (type his name into this blogs search to see my posts about him) Edward has a studio across the street from mine, close to my place of work. He too is a graduate of ACAD. He is also a trail blazer, doing things his way.

When I told him I was a struggling artist, he said he saw my show at the Untitled Society and added that I was very talented, whether or not its my work he is thinking of, the supportive sentiment is greatly appreciated.

It's nice to be able to talk to another artist, one who has experienced a greater level of success. I am breaking into the business finally, and need as much guidance and support ad I can get. It is uplifting to know the dream is still possible! You learn as you go, there are good days and bad, some are helpful others are confrontational, it's nice to see someone with success willing to share his experiences.

If you'd like to see Edward Michell's work in person, you can see it Monday -Saturday on the second level of Downtown's Scotia Centre near the escalators. Better yet, if you can go purchase one of his works....,do it, and say I sent you =;)