Making a Mark: Techie Saturday: auditioning your photos

Making a Mark: Techie Saturday: auditioning your photos

Sunflower Sketch....

original drawing using charcoal and white conte on a blue toned paper
size: 9"x11"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

the photo on the left is the original, the one on the right is using the Lucis filter
Reference photos taken by MaryAnn Cleary copyright

In order to do a sketch not only from life, but to be later have a reference photo to use, I sometimes take photographs of what I am sketching or something that I would like to sketch. In this photo, I wanted to capture the light on the sunflowers as the sun began setting. The light would only last a few minutes and then the moment would be gone.

I not only took the photo, but then I also used some software that manipulates the photo to bring out the dark areas. It is an Lucis Art Filter that I added to my Photoshop Elements program. Sometimes, when a person thinks that a photo has totally been lost due to being underexposed, this software can bring out the details. It can also be used to give the photograph some fun effects.

In this post I wanted to show how I sometimes uses photos for my drawings. I am not one who does an exact replicate of the photo as I feel that photos should be used as a reference tool. If a person wants realism, then why draw...take a photograph. To get this photo, I also had to take around ten to twelve shots with only one or two really being able to be used. As Making a Mark noted today, it definitely does take several shots to get a really usable one. I thought it was my poor photography skills, but it is nice to know that even a professional photographer takes numerous photos before getting a good one.

The White Orchid

ORCHIDS
original drawing with conte on toned paper
size: 8.5" x 10.5"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

This drawing is of an orchid that I drew from a plant that I have....hopefully it will be able to stand my plant care and survive. I thought that I would take photos as I progress through the drawing. I may add some more finishing touches, but for now I need to just set it aside for a day or so.

I am thinking that I may do something more with the background and flowers, but for now it is best to just leave it alone. If there are any changes, I will add them.

Here is the latest change...a couple more adjustments

MaryAnn

P.S. Please feel free to leave any comments.

A Light Box..

Tutorial on how to make a light box.

Today I found a great link with a step-by-step procedure for making an inexpensive light box out of PVC and a white sheet. Lately, I have been trying to get the light just right on my oil paintings so that the light does not bounce off those tiny spots of woven fabric beneath the painting. Some canvas types are much worse than others. This light tent/box should definitely help with taking the glare off. It can also be used for taking photos of other items where a person needs a crisp and clean photo.

Enjoy! MaryAnn

P.S. I am going to try to make one and I will follow up with photos and results.

Attachments....

Attachments
colored pencil on illustration board, 12.5" x 19.5"
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

Yesterday, I was able to spend some time reading about getting organized and how I would really need to do so in order to move on with marketing my art. Those piles of papers, the clutter around my computer, getting my studio set up as a studio, files on my computer, paper files, my inventory, my mailing list....the list goes on. Like the drawing above, things are strewn all over the place and even though they are necessary, everything needs to find a place. This should help with managing my time better as I will not spend those precious moments constantly trying to remember where I put something.

As I read through Stanfield's book, I'd rather be in the studio, I am realizing that the marketing portion of my art will take considerable time and commitment. I have made the decision to leave the corporate world behind me and to venture to this new, but familiar, frontier - at least the art part, not the marketing side. I believe in me. My family believes in me. According to Stanfield, it is important to get organized, stop wasting energy, so that there is more time for the creative mind. "An effective routine is built on knowing what you have to do and when you have to do the things you know you have to do!" (p.28, Stanfield).

Right now I have a lower level room in my house that is filled with my "stuff" from China. I have procrastinated unpacking and getting those things put away. "It is too cold. I need to paint. I have no place to put it...." The list goes on. That room will make a perfect studio. I have a wonderful view of the river and the light is perfect with the northern exposure. So what is stopping me? It means commitment...commitment to doing my art daily, to setting up a routine, to doing what I love. However, I also find myself fearful. I fear that I won't be able to make my house payment or that I will need another job or that who in their right mind would decide to leave such a good job....my "monkey mind" tries to take over and convince me not to take the risk. I undermine myself.

So today, I will make my list, begin to get things into order, and start on being an artist. I believe in me.

MaryAnn


Stanfield, A., I rather be in the studio!, Pentas Press, Colorado, (2008).

"Attachment" - this is a colored pencil drawing with many layers. I burnished some areas to bring out a paint-like quality. This was done while I lived in Arizona a few years back. The drawing was accepted into a couple of juried shows and I remember someone wanting to trade me a set of pottery dishes for it. I decided to keep the drawing.

Where to Next?

"Julie"
acrylic 16"x16"
an early work done after Zemsky-Hines workship
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

Many years ago I took a workshop by Jessica Zemsky and Jack Hines when I lived in Montana. Jessica and Jack live in a little town called Big Timber, Montana. It is beautiful in that part of Montana. As a result of that workshop, I initially began working in acrylics and sometimes watercolors. One of the things that is troubling me now as an artist is that I love working in several different types of media. As an artist, I feel that I should be developing my technique and style. Does that mean I must stick with one medium? I hope not. As one of my art instructors, Jim Garrison, in Arizona said, "painting is like drawing, only you are using a brush and paint instead of charcoal or a pencil". I also feel that depending on the mood and feeling that an artist is trying to get across to the viewer, one media may work better than another.

For now, I will continue doing my daily paintings in oil. I love using the small gallery wrapped canvases as I can paint part of the painting on the side to draw the viewer into the painting. I also like the quick and more instantaneous results (good or bad). Other media that I enjoy working with are conte and charcoal together on a toned paper as well as watercolor and colored pencils. When I use either of the last two media, I use many layers to build the values and colors that are needed. A work can take many, many hours to complete. However, I like the flexibility of using them wherever you are, especially the pencils.

By the way, Julie is my daughter. She now has her own little one, Nico, and lives with her partner in Montana not far from Big Timber.

Please leave comments as they would be appreciated. I would like to know how others figure out their style and who they are as artists.

MaryAnn

A New Book Came in the Mail....

As I sit in my log home wishing for warmer weather and spring, a delightful surprise came in the mail. During these winter month's it take so little to brighten one's day.

A few days earlier as I was searching for information on the business side of art, I ran into a promo for the book called "I'd Rather Be in the Studio" by Alyson B. Stanfield. I had been to this site before, read about the information and since the book had been published, I decided to order it. It showed up nicely packaged and within a couple of days. I must admit after glancing through the book, it is packed with a lot of excellent information. Most of the information, I already knew about. However, Alyson takes it one step further so that it seems to make it easier and also so that you stand out from the crowd.

As I get through this book and the recommendations, I can pass on what I feel is working for me. Areas where I know that I need work are managing my time, prioritizing, and wondering if I will every accomplish everything on my list. All this is covered. I am realizing that all of this is going to take time, but by taking small pieces everyday, I know that some day I will reach the "tipping point"......hopefully with a lot of work!

For now, I also need to focus on who I am as an artist. Sometimes I feel like I am spinning my wheels trying to figure that part out. I love to paint and draw, but what is my style and who am I. That seems to be still evolving....or is it something that continues to evolve as one progresses.

Today as I grabbed my little list notebook, and I was looking at a small pot of baby daffodils in my kitchen, I did a quick sketch. Something clicked inside me. I had lost some of my spontaneity in my drawings. One can work from real life or photos, but it is important to draw, draw, draw. So I will carry a little sketch book with me, a pencil or some type of drawing tool and draw quick sketches of my environment. One can look at things and think, "oh, that would be fun to paint", but without doing some sketches a person may miss out on an opportunity for a great painting.

So here is my little sketch from my "things to do notebook" that I will use for reference for my "painting a day". It is simple, but I like the composition. Next time I will grab my sketchbook, but I was trying to be spontaneous today......

More later ~ MaryAnn

A Little Drawing.....

Nico's Toes

(final version)

copyright MaryAnn Cleary

The process of getting to the end of "Nico's Toes"....with photos....



TOOLS USED

1. a piece of toned Canson Mi Tientes paper smooth side
2. erasers...all types and varieties (kneaded, red, white, pencil....try them all to find what works for you)
3. charcoal pencils
4. conte sticks (black, sanguine, white)
5. a chamois (small piece of tanned leather)
6. a small cotton cloth
7. an erasing shield
8. smudge stick
9. tape, newsprint and a drawing board
10. photo or draw from life....(I like using charcoal and conte to sketch from life)

Here are some of the things that I use for this type of drawing technique

The PROCESS......

Stage 1: The paper is first taped to newsprint that is on a drawing board and then a rough sketch is drawn.

Stage 2: Here charcoal and the sanguine conte are used. The chamois will actually pull some of the charcoal or conte off of the paper when rubbed. The small piece of cotton cloth will blend and soften the charcoal/conte. It is best not to use fingers due to the oil on your hands. This could have a detrimental effect on the life of the drawing.

Stage 3: Above one can see the progression of the drawing. The conte is blended, charcoal is used in the dark value areas and then an eraser is used to pull out the lighter areas. Using an eraser is much like drawing.

Stage 4: This is were white conte is used to add highlights. This must be used at the very end of the drawing and I do not blend it.

Nico's Toes...not the final version..

Stage 5: This was supposed to be the final drawing with my name signed to it. However, I really did not like it at all so I set it aside for a day. After looking at it for a day, I knew that I hated the end drawing so I ended up redoing it. I erased a lot of the dark areas out with both the red eraser and one of those soft, big ones. I then added more of a sanguine color and redrew some areas. My mistake with this one was probably using charcoal to do the initial drawing instead of a sanguine conte. By using the charcoal, the dark areas were just too overworked. The drawing at the beginning of the post is how I am going to leave it. (I may soften the highlights at the top, but for now I will leave it as is.)

This really wasn't one of my better attempts, but I thought that it would be helpful to see the process. Even if one goofs up, it still can be corrected. Next time I will use a lot less charcoal and start the drawing using the mid-tone sanguine conte and then use the charcoal and the white for the light and dark areas. It is very important to save the white for the very end. There have been times when I just could not resist putting it on the paper. What happens then is that the white gets muddy looking, especially if a person tries to work it in with other colors.

When the drawing is finally finished, I use my chop (this is a stone with a mark carved into the bottom of it) from when I lived in China, and then also put my signature on it. With this drawing, the chop actually showed up better when I erased some of the charcoal areas - when I decided that I hated the drawing. In the almost final drawing, I did stamp the chop onto the drawing, but it did not show up too well. In a future post, I can show some photos of my chop (I did get several), but one is special as it was done by an artist who was very good at it. He went to school to learn calligraphy and was excellent.

Hope this process was interesting...

MaryAnn