More, More Shoes

I've been inspired by my last painting of shoes, so I decided to paint some more. The above image is actually a digital print I made of a painting I finished earlier today. It's a view of stilettos from the back, if you can't tell. The lighting right now isn't very good in my apartment, so I'll have to post a picture of the final painting later. Basically, I took a not-so-good picture of the final image, and then imported it into Photoshop, where I went over it with vast, bold colors. I kind of like the result.

Shoes!

I just now finished the above painting and boy, are my fingers tired! This was actually my second attempt: I will spare you the first one as it was horrible and all wrong and embarrassing. Anywho, I painted this for my friend Dana for her birthday, which was earlier this week. I'm almost positive she doesn't look at this blog (and she's not on Facebook, where I posted a link), so I feel pretty good about writing about it even though I have yet to give it to her. If you know her, SHHH!

My first attempt was terrible in many ways; the shape of the front shoe was all off (not tall enough and too wide where it shouldn't have been) and I had a lot of trouble making any straight lines. I spent a day or two thinking about that and why I had those issues, so when I sat down earlier tonight I had a plan of attack. I decided to use a lot of water with my acrylics, which would give me a nice, smooth, inky edge. It worked quite well. I used a very small brush to achieve this, so my fingers are sore now from gripping it so tightly and from being so tense and focused on making things straight. It took me quite a while to finish, but I'm really QUITE happy with how it turned out and I can't wait to give it to Dana!

Materials: 9 x 6.5 x 1 inch beveled wood, acrylic paint, lotsa water

I voted. Did you?

Happy Halloween, Witches!

Fast Drawing

Not too much to say about the above. I drew it pretty quickly last night and didn't think a whole lot about what I was doing. I really like what's happening in the shadowy areas. I am strangely satisfied with this drawing, even though it's a bit unusual.

Materials: 9x12 charcoal paper, colored pencils

My First Drawing of a Child

So, I've never drawn children before. Angela, who I went to high school with, asked me if I would draw an image of her son, Kason. It was quite a challenge and I can't tell you how many drafts I went through before getting to the final version. I wasn't happy at all with it at first, but it's starting to grow on me. I guess it's hard (for me at least) to capture the soft innocence of a child. In any case, since she posted the picture on her blog, I figured I would post it here as well. Maybe now I'll try to draw more children and get better at it.

Deborah Goes to the Botanical Gardens

I got up early (for me, anyhow) this morning and went to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which I consider to be something of a jewel in Alabama. I walked around for a little over an hour, pausing to sit on a rock or a swing, and thought about my life while I listened to the birds sing and insects chirp. It was cleansing to be in the fresh air and to immerse myself in nature, which is something I so rarely do. Above are some photos from my trek.

Weekend Sketch

I did some long overdue sketching this past weekend. Usually when I draw, I make an under drawing first in light pencil, then I go over that with my colored pencils. This time, however, I went straight for the marrow. No under sketch, just straight-on drawing directly with a colored pencil. I wasn't really going for too much detail; I wanted just enough to capture the essence of my subject. Not being able to rely on an eraser was quite freeing as I just let myself go and began drawing without thinking. I did several sketches this way, but the above is my favorite. I hope you like it, too.

Materials: 9 x 12 charcoal paper, colored pencil

Fantastic New Thing!

As several of my regular readers know, I am going to Zurich, Switzerland soon for work. (OMG!) What better time to get a new camera? I've had my present digital camera, the Panasonic DMC-FZ20, for several years now. It is the best camera I've ever owned: it can be used fully automatic or fully manual, and features an astonishing range of controls, which is important to me as I learned how to take pictures on a fully manual Nikon FM10 back in college. But the best part about the FZ20 is its super 12x zoom Leica lens. It's amazing what you can capture with this range. However, through the years, I've found one major drawback to the FZ20: its size. It's a pretty big camera with a pretty big lens, and is not something you can just throw in your pocket and go. It can be bulky and heavy.

And so, I introduce you to....the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5A!!! Yes, I decided to stick with Panasonic. The TZ5 is an *extremely* compact camera; I can easily slip it into a jacket pocket or a purse and not worry about bulk or weight. The best thing about this camera is that technology has advanced so far that I don't have to sacrfice my zoom: I'm still getting a huge 10x zoom with this little baby! It's just what I need to compliment the FZ20: a small point-and-click that will not require me to think very much as I take pictures.

I am currently waiting on my new battery to charge, so I may have to take back all the good things I just said above when I actually start shooting, but I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

New Art!!

Well, not really all that new, but still, new to this blog. I painted this portrait last month, about two weeks before the move. I actually really like it quite a bit, so for now I'm going to hold on to it instead of posting it in the shop. Like the last two bird paintings I did, this one is painted on beveled wood. I tried to get soft contrasts between the limey background and the more muted gray tones on the border. In addition, I wanted to be very bold with my skin color choices. I'm quite happy with the dramatic pinks and whites on her face. I think the woman in the portrait is quite chic, and you kind of want to get to know her more when you look at her.

Materials: 8x10x1 inch beveled wood, acrylic paints