Through the Eyes of a Painter

Ok I have to be honest here I didn't sketch today ... but that was because I spent most of my time in front of my easel painting. So I'm cheating a little here. The sketch below was done just before the end of the year I know it doesn't count but I did want to post something :0) ... To make up for it I will post two tomorrow. ©TCDART 2013

I began under painting with acrylics. I like to keep a photo copy of my original sketch handy as reference because I know I will end up painting over most of my lines. Plus i use it to help me figure out where I want my shadows. I normally don't like to share a painting during this phase because there is always a moment during the Under-painting of any picture when I get extremely concerned. I mean good god! Bilbo is looking more like an an alien than a Hobbit. But I know that this will all work out when I get to the Oils. Yet it is still scary. You just have to remember that during this stage your just laying in the dark for the shadows and that this will add more depth as you go. I wanted to share this in case you are a new artist and like me teaching yourself as you go. Don't be afraid of what you see now. Look past it and keep going. In many ways this is like life. Inevitably you will hit an ugly spot yet its those ugly or rather ...

Started working a new Painting.  My Hobbit buddy below. I have toned my canvas (18" x 24") with a white and burnt sienna and re sketched the major parts of the sketch I posted the other day ( Sketch book Day 1 ). Next step is to start blocking in the under painting in acrylic. ©TCDART 2013

Its day 4 (1/4/2013) Still working out details from my Family Tree Idea... here are my first Pass on Mamma and Pappa Tree. They are still a work in progress (WIP) Mamma turned out a little more diva than Mamma but I think I can work with this. Mamma Tree Pappa Tree ©TCDART 2013

Got some brush practice in today as well..Worked a little on a desert background. It feels kinda empty at the moment. ©TCDART 2013

Sketch Book Day 3 (1/1/2013) Kit Harrington :Game of Thrones Wanted to work on something a little life like. So today's sketch is Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) from Game of Thrones. I was using a magazine photo as reference for the sketch. There is a lot of detail left to be done on this one though. I have the basic lines in and some shading on the face. but I need to do a lot of work on the hair and cloak. He almost impossible to see but I do have the rough outline of his Wolfe "Ghost" penciled in with a Blue prisma-color. Blue pencil is great for laying in rough lines because they are virtually invisible to a camera or scanner. The worst thing about using a blue pencil is that it is virtual invisible to a camera or scanner! :) Here is a close up on the face so you can see a little more of the detail.  ©TCDART 2013

Here are a couple more sketches for day 2. The first one is very rough but I wanted to get it down on paper. I have to apologize for the image quality... The pencil lines are pretty light and my cell camera was having a hard time.  I spent the better part of the day helping my son set up our old desk top Computer in his room. He wants to use it for games. Well we haven't used that one much lately and after hours of updates it finally is up and running.  So looking at the below you might be thinking how do cows relate to computers?? The layout is a view of a Window looking out into a country setting with Apple Trees and Cows. Some of the cows are munching on apples from the crates below the trees and one rather inquisitive cow is peeking in the window at us.  On the inside of the window we have a desk with various items strewn about.  The Idea here is all about view point. Every element in the picture is a reference to personal comp...

Day 2... Family Tree I have a couple sketches today but the one I like the most is this one. ©TCDART 2013

Sketch Book 2013 - day 1 A Hobbits tale Here is the first Sketch of 2013... The Hobbits tale. Like many people the work of J.R.R. Tolkien inspired me greatly and while I love Peter Jackson's movies I have a slightly different vision of hobbits in my head. I guess   so when I first began this sketch I could have taken a much more realistic approach similar to those images we see in the Major movies, but that wouldn't be me. The halflings I see are a little rounder and more stout and yes a little more cartoonish.  My son and I recently watched Jackson's Fellowship of the ring and that is what most likely inspired this. As I watched the movie I began to think about how I imagined Sauron's Eye when I was a kid. I always pictured it sort of sideways enveloped in smoke and flames.  The Hobbit or There and Back Again By Tolkien, J. R. R. (Google Affiliate Ad) ©TCDART 2013

Wow... seems quite unbelievable that 2012 has come to a close. The year flew by so fast and left me feeling a little out of sorts. Looking back I started out with a great many plans and goals but as happens all too often 'Life' takes over and changes our direction. One regret I have is that I only completed a couple paintings in 2012. I started quite a few but none that I felt were truly complete. I struggled with a lot of self doubt and internal criticism. When you take control of the inner voice you can use it to push yourself further and force yourself to improve. However if you let the voice take control, you can become weighted and even paralyzed with the fear of rejection and criticism. You'll convince yourself to stop trying because your work is crap. Looking forward to the year to come I know I need to focus more. So how do I do that, well one mistake I made in 2012 was not having a solid plan. I am going to change that for this year. Here is my plan to chan...