Color Pencil 2

During this semester I been trying color pencil, in my opinion is a lot of fun and easy to control, the paper I use is moleskine paper, a similar paper is bristol paper, heavy and very smooth.  I also tried oil on top of color pencil and it works but the problem is that it takes a day or 2 to dry so I have to leave my sketchbook open. Another thing is that color pencil is hard to erase, so I start my sketch with graphite pencil and then once im sure of the proportions and placement I use the color pencil.

Color pencil and Oil painting on Moleskine sketch paper

Color pencil on Moleskine sketch paper

Color Pencil

Here is a sketch on Moleskine sketch notebook. I really enjoy drawing with color pencil because pencil works different from paint, is also faster and easier to handle than other mediums, although Oil painting is my preferred medium I cannot overlook the strengths of color pencil when it comes to sketch. I hope you try it too and let me know your thoughts.

Indirect painting

Last week in my situation and environment class we were surprised by our teacher Tomutsu. He got a model wearing a costume, Richard our model came out as a chef.

During the first hour Tomutsu explained how we would approach this 2 week pose. The approach for the 2 week session was indirect painting.

First we will have to do a sketch, this sketch must be done in order to understand value pattern, one should not rely only on line drawing, also the sketch should not be a "drawing" per se, think about it as a painting in black and white.

Then we had to do an under drawing these steps were crucial for the first session because we had to find the proper cropping and proportion on the canvas. I used charcoal pencil for my under drawing.

Finally we had to paint with one color in order to match the value patter and value range. I should use a white canvas but I didn't have any at that moment.

On the second session Tomutsu explained the color part of indirect painting, he did a demo on how to mix and get different kind of whites. From warm bright whites to cool dark ones.

He also explained that it would be better to start from the background colors.

One important tip he gave me was that because the light was coming from the bottom the shadows will be reversed, that is on the bottom with soft edges and on top with hard edges. ;)

Build your own canvas

This project of building my (your) own canvas started because of the lack of any canvas measuring 16x36 inches.

Building a canvas is a lot of fun if you have the right tools, I recommend to any aspiring painter or artist to try it at least once.

Ok so first what do you need to build a canvas? Here is a list of the essential tools:

- Canvas fabric (you can also use linen)

- Wood bars

- PVA Size (a type of glue to seal the fabric)

- Gesso (an acrylic base paint goes on top of the PVA)

- Heavy duty stapler

Ok so the first thing is cutting your fabric to the right size, my canvas is 16x36 so I left 3 inches of extra room to staple it to the back of the wood bars.

Second is to seal your raw fabric, that is to cover it with PVA, without going into too much details you need to seal the fabric because if you don't then the oil paint will eat up the fabric, so put 2 coats of PVA, always wait until the coat is dry to apply the next coat.

After you are done with the coats of PVA is time to apply the Gesso coats, this coats are necessary to add an extra layer to your raw canvas so the oil paint don't eat up the PVA, also it will make your raw fabric white, I recommend to use white gesso unless you want to use the background.

Next is stretching the canvas into the wood bars. I use pre-cutted wood bars and staple the corners of it then glue them with wood glue for extra reinforcement and got the corners I use masonite corner triangles to keep the wood bars straight.

Now you will need pliers, these are special pliers to stretch the fabric, first star by stapling the canvas into the wood frame in the middle of each wood bar, these will be temporary staples just to hold the fabric for now.

Now star stretching the canvas with the pliers and go from the center to the corners, use the video for reference.

http://youtu.be/nJBgBADmDCo

Finally finish by doing the corners. Here is a video on how to do them.

http://youtu.be/feT8AOAvKTI

Finally sign your canvas...with blood!!

Julia save us

This semester I'm taking a Situation & Environment class, for the first assignment I painted a Knight, I want to thank my friend Julia without her this couldn't be possible.

Here is a breakdown of my painting process.

Thumbnail sketch

Color Study (I don't have a photo of it)

Drawing on canvas (placement & proportions)

Outline drawing (get as accurate as possible)

Painting the values (Burnt Sienna)

Adding Color

Working on rendering and textures

Final Version

Yifan & color pencils

Hello dear viwer, lately I have been exploring color pencil on Moleskine sketch paper, here is a portrait of my friend Yifan, Color pencil is easy to control, similar to graphite pencil, however the fun relies on mixing colors, the way I approach it is that as long as the value pattern and value range is correct it will work.

Yifan

Hiroshi 祥

A sketch of my friend Hiroshi, I'm currently working on a more elaborated portrait of his, hopefully I can finished it by the end of the summer.

Graphite pencil, Color pencil and Pitt crayon
 on Moleskin sketchbook

Dear Paulina

When a great friend leaves to another city, another country to an another society...

I would like to share my thoughts about a great person I've meet during my years in school, a fellow artist and a beloved friend, she is the kind of person who has an amazing energy and goodwill. 

Wherever you are Paulina I know you will do great, because greatness lives within yourself.

A painting for you to finish, I hope you like it and I hope to see you again very soon :)

Please stop by her blog

http://www.groovyfayuca.blogspot.com

For Omari

Omari 20x40 Oil on Canvas

Dear Victor...

2012 was a year with ups and downs

A year when you thought the world was over for you

During 2012 you lived in Japan and later moved back to San Francisco

Your relationship ended...

in 2012 you became friends with Akira & Jasmine

For 2013:

Keep doing art, sincere art

Do not get attached to past things

Make lots of new friends

Work hard, dream more, learn new things.

And when things don't work out anymore, Change!

Help others without expecting something in return.

And love more intensely, let love take over your actions.

Thanks Victor for a good 2012.

From a place called Acceptance:
The stars have spoken and I've listened, I have made it through the night, the sun is rising again and I can see the morning start Venus in the sky, I'm going out to enjoy this new day so don't be surprise if you see me smiling again, thank you to all of my friends that lend me a hand or a shoulder I will never forget you and I will always be grateful

Digital Value Study

Before the finishing this piece i want to share the value study, I am going to do a color finish next and finally a digital composite.

"look at the stars, they are talking to us..."

5 stages of Grief/Loss

Hello viewer! Today I would like to share with you my experience of grief/loss. Last July my relationship with my ex-girlfriend ended, and since that event, grief has become part of me. during the whole experience of grief, I've jumped between these 4 stages for months and is just now that I am getting to the last stage.

The first stage was Denial, although it lasted a sort time I used to wake up in the morning and my first thought was that the breakup had been just a bad dream, for a few seconds my denial convinced me that "this" was not happening to me, and whenever I actually became aware of it I went to bed and during those hours my mind was at peace, but whenever I woke up I had certain feelings, the only way I can describe them is if you can imagine a knife stuck in your chest, is a heavy and sharp object in the middle of your chest, is really hard to breath.

Anger.
I am not a violent person yet I felt like I wanted to hurt somebody or something, my body became really hot and my brain will block any external signal, I couldn't hear, smell or feel anything, whenever I felt anger I would take my friend's bike and ride it for hours until I was exhausted.

Bargaining is another stage where I kept going on and off, the idea that I could do something to stop all these things seemed possible, "if i do this" "maybe if I say this" those were my thoughts, I had convinced my self that bargaining was an option, nevertheless I was wrong and when I finally realized that there was nothing to be said or done to get her back is when I arrived to the 4th stage.

Depression, sunk in my depression I lost  a lot of weight, I remember spending 1 or 2 days without eating anything, I did not wanted to go out or see my friends, I just wanted to sleep, it got to a point where I didn't want to draw or paint.

All these stages still live inside of me, I believe they can leave me but only if I can get to the last stage, because getting there means that I've learn from every and each stage, and so I'm ready to embrace Acceptance.

Every sketch means every stage, I had not being able to finish them because I could not visualize acceptance, but one day it came to me and so I was able to sketch it. I hope this help me and help you if you are going through a similar situation, we are not alone, this experience should not be personal, family and friends can help us to get to the last stage, but the decision of moving on is still up to us.

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance