Change is the only constant. So bring in the new year.

To end off the year my final sketchbook drawing and process are below.

It started with a simple sketch in pencil, drawn in with copic multiline and outlined with a regular old sharpie.

It may be the end of the year but that does not mean “it’s the end of the world as we know it”. Try not to have a catchy tune in your head. I love how music is the soundtrack of our lives. A few notes are able to evoke a strong emotion and bring us back to a moment in time. Audio is a powerful thing.

I then coloured in the body and antlers with Copic markers for a deep rich colour.

As we approach the end of the year, for me, it is a time to reflect and gather ones thoughts. . Every year I write a list of all the things I did in the previous year that made it awesome, then I make a list of the things I’d like to accomplish in the next one. I also make a list of all the people I love just to remind myself how lucky I am to have all of you. Finally I buy myself a new moleskine day-timer and begin filling in everything I have booked so far. It’s great that as the previous year comes to an end we all have the opportunity to begin anew. Like a final chapter in a book the new year offers endless potential and the chance to begin a whole new story. Let’s all start the new year on the right foot while making a step in the right direction!

I filled in the background with watercolours so they would not be as vibrant as the main subject, though sketchbook paper is not well suited to the material, it was a risk I was willing to take.

2014 has been both a challenge and a joy. The things that occurred were both difficult and interesting. There were notable tribulations some acted as a real test of my intentions and morals. TO say the least it has been engaging. It has been hard personally and I’m sure many readers can relate. I remember all those who I have lost, this year I had 6 funerals for family, friends and acquaintances. I hope next year there are none.

I added some texture with prismacolour pencil crayons onto the watercolour paint. I masked out the deer with painters tape by cutting around it with an exact knife, being sure not to goo too deep as to score the paper below.

Nothing mean more to me than knowing that after my vulnerable and heartfelt words that there are those of you who read them. I feel so deeply and decided to share but the vulnerability often makes it difficult. Your deep, rich resonating replies mean the world to me, I really appreciate it. I am so grateful that you let the conversation commence and your opinion/viewpoint are honoured.

I splattered white out with a tooth brush and misted the paper to create blurred flowers and to set the background further back. This photo was for Instagram and has a vignette and some tilt shift added. I wish it was easier to draw blurry like this. I like how it has turned out but may revisit it with more pencil crayon and copic marker in the foreground in the future.

I look forward to the new year and all it may bring. I hope yours is awesome too! Cheers, see you in the new year!

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!

Ganesh - Deep Purple Rays

After my week plus of Systema training in Toronto and one night at home to recoup, I hopped right back into the studio as any professional bunny must!
"They keep going, and going....."

My task was to make finish off the background radial stripes. I mixed up a new purple, making this one favoring the red side of the spectrum and using a richer chroma Viridian hue for the green stripes.

 

 I gave a quick spray over the background with a clear varnish to ensure the tape would be removed without lifting the paint layer. I also stuck the tape to the wall first to remove some of the stickiness before application.

I find thatt he green painters tape is not sticky enough and creates areas of bleed so I decided to us regular masking tape. Here is the piece entirely taped up. I have already started applying the darker of the two green tones around the outside of the Ganesh painting.

I made a stronger contrast between the two tones for this hue. It should pop more and create a bit of dynamic undulating energy to the overall piece.

I then started to paint in the deep purple rays onto the missing stripes. I am putting it on fairly thick and painting around the edge of the canvas so that it need not be frames.

I then painted in the lighter purple hue to create a circle of light radiating out from the center of the painting. I really liked how the colors I mixed turned out.

I paid careful attention to my edges and to not push the paint underneath, that way there would be less clean up required once I removed the masking tape.

I removed all the masking tape. I used nearly an entire roll. You can see a small portion stuck to grandpa's chair. The oil paint was still wet and got all over me, but I couldn't wait until it dried to remove it to see what I have.

I am really happy with how it turned out!