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.

Adding Galaxies - SHIVA

Shiva's dance of destruction inspires the creation and destruction of the cosmos. I was inspired by hubble images and added them around the dancing figure. Here is how they look all together on the finished piece.

They also look really cool when viewed thru my Chromadepth 3D glasses. Below are 7 close up examples of the various galaxies I painted around Shiva.

Go see the work at Stride, closes this Friday and will never be hung together as a collection again.

Strides website/ information.

Shivas dance of destruction

Shivas skin is painted and the figure is blocked in in the round.... but now needs a head.

You can see the charcoal o the black gesso of where the head needs to be placed. The rear hand still needs to be painted in as well.

 Here is  a closer show to show the shading details added to the figure.

 

I painted in the rear arm.

 Here is a detail of the hand.

This is the first placement of the head and shape but it didn't look right so I had to do it over again.

 I blocked in the major planes of the head and face, this time softening the edges and pointing the chin a bit more.

I added a bit more shadow depth and blocked in the eyes.

I then did a little work on the hair and added in more stars into the cosmos.

Shiva, keep on burning

I did another 5 hour session in the studio with focus on working more with the airbrush on the background flames on the Shiva piece.

Here are the tools I'm using. Compressor and Iwata Eclipse HPC airbrush. Creatix and Golden fluid acrylics with airbrush medium/extender. Home made shields cut out of watercolor paper.

The first thing I did was to use golden acrylic and smaller shield shapes to put down a variety of orange flame shapes. I really like how the airbrush can be used to create hard and soft lines.

I gently glazed over from bottom to top res-orange-yellow to create a gradual change in color. I think the flames are looking more violent now with more harder crisp edges.

Here is a shot of the entire piece so you can better see the darker red bottom and how it moves up into the yellow at the top. I think it is starting to look like a bushy ball of fire.

I then created yellow flames over the entire piece. I was hoping the yellow would be less opaque an I wasn't happy with how "canary" yellow the tone came out but I do like the gentle fades over the orange and red.

I used the airbrush and watered down reds and oranges to tone back the yellow and bring back the gradient I ant the whole piece to have from top to bottom. I am still not entirely happy with the flames yet, but I need to put in some more lights and then go over it with freehand to smooth out some areas. But first, I need to get to the art supply store for some more black Gesso and to get a different color yellow for the remaining flame layers.

Shiva, light my fire

Airbrush time!!!

This is where I left off last session. I blocked in the red and some black spots to be the deepest level of fire. This was all done freehand with the airbrush. The paint I am using is Creatix liquid  airbrush paint.

I then blocked with the variety of shields shapes in orange. I added in some free hand areas to begin the flushing out process and to add some of the outer embers.

I went back in and darkened the lower half with more red. My plan is to have the lower portion more red with embers and fade gently up into brighter yellow flames.

It may be hard to tell in this photo, but the next stage here is a subtle blocking in with a yellow/orange over top the previous layer. The shields are soaked and my hands are covered in over spray. I am starting to get the hang of it.

I worked a brighter yellow over top and worked out some more shapes. I think I am going to do a second layer of the entire process again over this fire to create more depth and detail. I like using this shield method to create realistic looking fire paint effect.  I intend on painting the rest of the painting in oil. I have to have this part blocked in first since it is acrylic and it is the background before I proceed with the rest of the painting.

Shiva begins

to come to life

I used the center line to place the Shiva figure on the big black canvas, sketching it in with black charcoal. I always rub my face and look like a coal miner during intense drawing sessions, it's kinda funny.

I'm having troubles placing the drum hand, it's still not resolved but I'm going to sit on it and see how the other stuff develops compositionally and allow it to unfold. creativity should be a risk. Artists need to take them, otherwise it would be paint by numbers.

In the next session, I whipped out the airbrush. I blocked in with red the general location and shape of the background flame. I am painting the red first which represents the flames that are furthest away. As I continue, I will paint lighter and lighter colors layered on top.

On the floor is the little compressor and some black and white reference photos. This is my first time really using an airbrush (another risk). I like it but it does take some practice.  I still might be faster by hand but I really want to get this fire to look real rather than graphical.

I revisited some blacks to help create some depth and allowed it to drip to add some interest and texture. This paint is supposed to be dry if not heat set, so I am going to wait a day to ensure it is at least dry enough to continue painting the layers.

Preparadness is key

Shiva +

I began working on the final canvases to be prepped for my upcoming show titled "Divine Inspiration" at the Stride Gallery at the end of October.

I put together this 72" X 54" frame with lumber that I found by the freight elevator and the cross bars were from a dismantled canvas. I had some repair work to do and a lot of sanding to get the frame fit for stretching.

This canvas just so happens to be the measure of man, this man, like a Leonardo drawing, that's sacred geometry that fits my person, just right.

I spent one evening stretching some of my 15 oz canvas over the frame and some additional frames while enjoying Penn's Sunday School podcast, God I love that show. lol. I game them the first coat of Gesso and let them dry overnight.

The next evening before hitting the studio, I went to see a buddy DJ a set at the Hi Fi. While there a beauty parade of gorgeous gals in artistically altered prom dresses joined me for some dancing. Afterward, I stretched two new supports, and primed them all with a pepto bismal like color, inspired by the no frills no gimmicks dress of a friend. I used the super sponge to give it a little texture.

I let that dry for a day and then came back  and gave a light sand with 100 grit. I then put a second and third coat on the canvases to create a little more texture. I added some blue to the pepto mix and coated the supports with some more texture. I am still not getting what I want, the soupy gesso seems to want to level itself out. I am trying to get it like the lead white we did in Martinho's class, except without using the poisonous stuff.

After being turned to mince meat in my martial arts class, I toughed it out and brought a jar of black gesso I purchased that morning after cutting mattes for my framed prints at Motion Gallery. I applied it with a brush in a way to create more texture on the surface.

I had some fun applying the black, it was so hot in the studio I painted in the nude.
True story.