Focus WIP - Part 5

This is the latest work on "Focus" the colored pencil cougar scene. I'm going with close-crops to show these updates, as the past pictures were really to small to see much of anything. This one shows the face, which I am currently working on:The one thing I have to say about this piece - I rarely work on an animal that is so small in a scene (the eyes are maybe 5-6mm across, whereas I am used to working with eyes almost life-sized) and so this is a whole new challenge. I have to make it look crisp and detailed, yet each pencil stroke is way wider than the width of a hair in the photo... it is really making me work to achieve the level of realism I expect in my work. However, I'm always up for a challenge, and as I progress, I'm sure it will get easier for me. I am having fun with it though - this is not one of those challenges that I grudgingly accept, it's the kind that I leap into whole-heartedly!

Mural Mosaic - The Horse Gift

I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful project. Once again, the team at Mural Mosaic and NOA have created an amazing mural, with artists all over the world participating! Please visit their site for more info about the project. This picture is an image of my panel, #72 of the 238 total panels in the mural:The mural is created with 238 of these panels, and each one is 16" x 16" - meaning the entire mural will be a whopping 18' x 22' (approx. size). I will create a painting on this panel (as will all of the other artists on their panels) that matches the colors and shapes involved, and when all of the panels are reassembled, they will create an amazing image of "The Horse Gift" or "Le Cadeau du Cheval". The mural is scheduled to be unveiled at the prestigious international "Masters" competition at Spruce Meadows this September! I will be attending the event, where people will get to meet some of the artists, view the mural, and purchase prints of the entire mural. I haven't been to Spruce Meadows or the Masters since I was a teenager, so I'm very much looking forward to it. I have until July 1st to finish this painting, and so you will see the work-in-progress (WIP) posts as I progress on the panel. As of yet, I haven't decided 100% on what medium I will work in, although it will likely be acrylic paint. And of course, as I mentioned previously, I would let you all know what I'm watching on my TV - it is now "The Simpsons" Season Three. I'm back to working nights, and I'm going to see how this schedule works for me. I'll post more on that later.

Focus WIP - Part 4

The foreground is complete! The picture shows the piece with all of the background and foreground finished, and all that is left is the cougar itself (and the multitude of snowflakes falling in the sky). The varying degrees of camera focus in the foreground was a bit of a challenge - it is supposed to look like some of the grass and rocks are out of focus, and some are crisp and clear. I think it will look a little better (it will all come together) once the in-focus cougar is added... it will add some much needed reference points for all of the depth in this picture. I'm excited to get started on the cougar, and should be able to finish the picture in the month of May!

Another Addition to the Studio

Once I had mounted my drafting table, it became very apparent that I needed a better place to put my TV... which I almost can't work without! I had resorted to setting the TV beside and behind me on a shelf, but I found it distracting that I couldn't see it in my peripheral vision. Of course, I had always planned to wall mount the TV at some point, but now it had become a necessity! And so, here it is:

Because of the weight requirements, I mounted a 2x6 to the wall first (screwed into both a stud and into drywall anchors) and then mounted the swing-out arm unit to that 2x6. It is solid as a rock, and is the perfect height not only for viewing, but also for changing DVD's (which would have been difficult if I had mounted it closer to the ceiling which I originally had planned!) And, as you can see, "The Simpsons" is in my DVD player... right now it's Season Two.

Focus WIP - Part 3

This is the latest step in "Focus", the colored pencil cougar that I am currently working on. Dimensions are 15" x 21.5". This photo shows the piece with the entire background done, leaving the foreground and the cougar left to finish. I find it much easier to do a background first, as the cougar will have hairs that extend over top of the background, which can easily be done by layering with the pencils. The struggle with this piece is maintaining the varying levels of camera focus in the piece, from distantly blurred (in the sky/trees) to close, but still fuzzy (the rocks/snow just behind the cougar), and next will be the foreground (more snow and rocks), which is mostly in great focus, but also blurs as it approaches the bottom of the image (closest to the photographer). I also find that the blurred backgrounds tend to look disjointed or off somehow when not put into context by a focussed foreground - meaning that I usually am unhappy with how my background looks until I finally put a foreground in. It makes it all come together and it is then easier for our eyes to place the blurred background where it is supposed to be - in the background! I must admit that I am excited to be able to work on the cougar soon - the animal of the scene is always the most enjoyable part to work on, which is part of why I leave it for last. I will post again soon with a look at the foreground in progress.

The First Day in the Studio

This is the first official day that I have been able to work in my studio - I mean REALLY work, on my art, in a functioning studio space. It is great... no, better than great! The wall-mounted drafting table is excellent, and although I first thought the 4' x 6' drafting table would be WAY too big for my needs, it allows me to spread out all of my supplies and still have my laptop on the table for my reference photo to be displayed. I've moved some of my numerous house plants into my studio as well, which makes the whole room a lot more inviting. I can now say officially that I have an art studio. It has a nice ring to it.

Today I worked on my cougar colored pencil piece titled "Focus". I am in the process of doing the background and foreground around the cougar. I plan to leave the cat for last, as it is the most precise and detailed part of the picture (and the most fun to work on). Look for a new post soon with an updated picture of "Focus".

One thing I am always asked as an artist is what I listen to (if anything) while I work on my art. I know one person who listens to music, and I even know an artist that listens to books on tape/CD while working. While it may be hard to believe, I actually have the TV on. Yes, I actually have TV on while working on my art. I don't actually WATCH the TV, I simply play DVD's of TV shows that I have seen before, so it doesn't require my attention to actually watch it. From now on, my blog posts will include what is in my DVD player that day. For example, today I started (for the umpteenth time) "The Simpsons" (Season 1) on DVD. "The Simpsons" has always been a favorite for me while working on art, as it is easy-listening mindless background noise.

An Addition to the Studio

I have finally (and I really do mean FINALLY) finished wall-mounting my drafting table. I purchased this drafting table (just the table top - no stand) last year when we first bought our house, with intentions of one day having it in my art studio. It has been sitting in the garage ever since. Of course, my studio is 9' x 11', and the table is 4' x 6'. Do the math. There is certainly NOT enough room for this table to stand in this room, with space to move around comfortably. Hence, the wall-mount idea. I designed this entirely myself, using supplies I purchased at Rona, Princess Auto, and Napa Auto Parts. It was a lot of trial and error. More error than trial. But finally, it is working, and working WELL. More impressive than I even expected, in fact! When raised up, with the legs tucked under, this table takes up exactly 4 inches of my room, and is completely adjustable from a flat table to any height/angle, including a standing easel height. Below is a picture of the table at a working height:
And this is a close-up of the winch system (which happens to be rated for 10,000lbs... nothing like over-doing it right?) and also shows the rollers that hold the table in the tracks that run up and down the wall:
All in all, despite 3 days straight of construction work, and 5 (or more) trips to Rona, it was a success, and I can now say that I have a functioning studio, a space where I can actually go and work on my art AWAY from the rest of distractions that come along with working out of a home!

The cougar has a name! "FOCUS"

After much thought and consideration, and a lot of head-scratching, the owners of the Cougar WIP (see previous posts) have thought up the perfect title! This piece will now be referred to as "Focus". When looking at the work-in-progress today, it simply "came out"... and it seemed to fit perfectly. The cat has a very focussed look in his eye, and the picture itself is a study in differing depths of field. I won't be renaming the previous "Cougar WIP" posts, but in the future, look for "Focus WIP" for the remainder of the work.

Cougar WIP - Part 2

The background is now complete! Today the owners of this commission piece get to see the progress on the piece for the first time. I hope they are happy with it! I am glad to be done the blurred background - this is definitely one of the most difficult effects to achieve with colored pencils. I am looking forward to getting to work on the foreground and the cougar, although I'm not sure which I'll do next... I tend to rush into finishing the animals in the scene, then get easily bored with doing backgrounds/foregrounds. I'm trying to make a habit of completing as much of the scene as possible before I work on the subject. So, I will likely move on to the snowbanks in behind the cougar next. This point in the picture shows approximately 60 hours of work.

A Great Advertising Opportunity

An exciting new era for my advertising is about to unfold... literally, in a magazine! The Night of Artists (NOA) based in Edmonton releases an annual magazine to the art world, including galleries across Canada and art collectors to a reader base of 10,000 for starters. This means that potentially 10,000 people could see THIS full page ad staring them right in the face! I had a wonderful opportunity (much thanks to the NOA crew to approach me and invite me to advertise with them) to put in a full page ad (yes, the ENTIRE page is mine!) and I am so excited to see my work in a published magazine. It comes out in March, and you can guarantee I will post pictures of the ad as it appears. I created the ad myself (including some fancy Photoshop work involving some creative tree construction!), which makes me extra proud of this new step in my career. Here's a zoom of the text for the ad: It may sound lofty and and a little (just a little) conceited, but that is how one must advertise oneself, right? I anxiously wait for my copy to arrive in the mail! (The art used in this ad is my "Repose" colored pencil piece, 20" x 28". The original is not the same crop, as the ad required room for text, hence the Photoshop work.)