Atelier de la Cuiller Tordue

Today, I broke the ties that bind

2010-06-08T22:35:00.005-05:00

Today, I broke the ties that bind. Six years ago, I started with a black and white photograph, a black cold press board and 2 brand new white primacolor pencils. Several Q-tips and charcoal pencils later, I can honestly say that it has been a journey of discovery.

And in discovery that I would, I knew that I could and finally I have and amiss the sea of errors, doubt and multiple erasures and cover-ups, I am proud... no... satisfied with the end result.

My husband is much more ecstatic about the finished product and has now informed me that PRINTS are available for sale and the original to be mounted and hung on the wall.

working version

completed version with reference photograph.

This is the last (chill, people...) project that I attempt using a grid, as I have recently acquired a nice projector and thus spending more time in the actual rendering and brush strokes rather than making sure the scale is correct.

I do have another project on the drawing board that I had begun, but I was being a good girl and decided to finish this one before embarking on a new journey...

Practice does make perfect. Perfection, I don't want... the practice, I do...

et Voilá, Mecha Bugs...

2010-02-08T19:10:00.003-06:00

So... my best friend in California sends me this care package of delicious cookies and a couple of stainless steel bug construction kits... I saw that she had already done the dragonfly; I thought I would give the grass hopper a try...

There is nothing more difficult than actually trying to unscrew a tiny screw because the legs are on backwards after I had already started to fold the assembly... :/

I was afraid of the instructions "Take your Time! Follow the instructions with care. Stainless Steel will 'work harden' and fracture if over bent so it is best to get it right the first time."

Talk about no margin for error! I truly wonder how many poor souls had tried to assemble one of these with the most anal care and exerted too much force thus breaking the construct? The world may never know...

In any case, the worst thing that happened to me was just having the legs on backwards... and without further ado, here is my mecha hopper!

She started reproducing right away!

Highlights on Black - The Hand Redux

2010-01-25T19:25:00.007-06:00

So today for drawing time, I tackled the undesirable task of redoing the hand. Considering that I didn't like the way the initial attempt looked like, I had no other choice. Luckily, charcoal pencils cover what is left over from erasing the first rendition, but that is where the luck ends. Charcoal also dulls the brightness of white, as you can see from this horrid camera snapshot (I need a better camera) detail of the redone hand. Earlier posts show the rendition of the hand as it was originally done and my obvious disgust with the result.

Also, I managed to advance the portrait of the old man, some with the exception of the left ear. I tried using some white chalk in order to achieve a brighter white on top of the hat, but that only made more of a mess, so it's back to the white pencil. I would need to sharpen my white pencil more in order to make more defined details on the face, but for now, this is a good rendering. I am sorry for the photo quality, like I said before, the camera is in dire need of replacing.

As always, here also is a full shot of the artwork. Perhaps for next time I will concentrate on the right side more.

Something Different...

2010-01-18T19:32:00.004-06:00

So for drawing time today, I decided to warm up my fingers with a little origami... the last time I made a model this complex, and kudos to Peter Engle (love your book) was years ago... so I decided (what was I thinking) that the easiest by far was the origami model of the alligator:

It is far from elegant... the drawings in the book make it look a little more clean cut than my sad rendition, but my fingers are agile and I found other uses for my scoring bone!

I'm going for a walk!

While on Vacation...

2010-01-18T12:31:00.003-06:00

I spent the Christmas Holidays in France and for my birthday, my husband took me to Montmartre in Paris where they had a permanent exhibition of Salvador Dali's Sculptures...

OH JOY!

He knows I love Dali...

Out of inspiration, these little buggers came about:

Now, I am not quite done with them yet! I have to come up with a suitable color palette for these... Yes, that bat will only have one wing...

:D

Sporadic is me... Highlights on Black - Process 7

2010-01-18T12:14:00.005-06:00

The Blog has a new header! Yay, Header! In posting on my blog... I know, I know... nearly 2 years... Jeez! why have a blog, then? :P

One of my New Year resolutions was to draw/paint more. In order to accomplish this, I enlisted the help of my computer calendar with reminders and alarms! So now I have a scheduled drawing/painting/creative time 3 times a week for 1 hour.

Since I started with that schedule, I have been able to advance my previous project... the project that keeps on giving me dirty looks as my husband says:

"When are you going to finish this?"

O.o

So here is a semi-completed top left quadrant. Last we saw this, the quadrant was not nearly as completed... I still have to do something about that hand... it disturbs me...

Le Atelier de la Cuiller Tordue

2008-11-26T22:21:00.004-06:00

Finally I have completed the studio. From this point on this will be home to many works of art that will be featured on this blog.

The aquarium will eventually have fish and from time to time there will be a drop cloth to cover the floor from paint spills.

The couch is for resting, which I often like to do. For now, my cat is keeping the couch warm.

Until next time, when I advance Highlights on Black...

I am Moving!

2008-11-12T16:13:00.001-06:00

I apologize for the lack of updates, but I am in the middle of moving to a new location that will offer me more room to create artwork. Of course, first things first... I will post photos of the new studio and then I will post a continuation of Highlights on Black...

Until next time...

Highlights on Black - Process 6

2008-11-02T21:01:00.004-06:00

At the end of the day Sunday, this is what I have finished thus far. For some reason I am incredibly terrified of doing their faces. Not sure why. This is the whole board:

And the detail that I have finished on Sunday. I don't very much like the way the old man's hand turned out, which probably means that I am going to have to find a way to redo that area without undoing the areas around it. The jumper turned out great and the fence to the right is not half bad either.

Tuesday is a day off, but I will be at the polls. If you have not done so, please go vote. Until next time...

Highlights on Black - Process 5

2008-11-01T21:39:00.003-05:00

Ok... So after a week, this is what I have accomplished so far. The shirt on the Grandpa came out quite nicely, but I can't say they same for the hands of both, the child and the man... I really need to improve my figure drawing... I had to improvise here in order to make everything fit into the designated scale square...

It's not bad, however, it could be a tad better...

And this is the detail shot of the shirt and the child's arm:

Until next time...

Highlights on Black - Process 4

2008-10-26T21:42:00.004-05:00

I apologize for the lack of updates, I have been busy with other work, not art related.

After working today for a good part of the afternoon, this is what I have finished.

I suppose I am thankful for the large white areas, but wow... do they take a lot of white colored pencil. The grandfathers finger continues to be a point of struggle, this is the second time I had to erase it and redo it.

Usually I draw without a grid, so this method is really throwing me off a little bit, my scale is a tad skewed but not by much. I don't have to do a lot of over compensation in other areas, so I am happy about that. I am particularly pleased on how the sock turned out.

Until next time...

Highlights on Black - Process 3

2008-10-21T19:18:00.005-05:00

Over the weekend, I hit a snag. One of the threads that make up the grid broke. Hopefully I did not have to replace the entire grid, considering it was made up of a single continuous thread. Easy fix.

Monday was a day off, and I picked back up today. Just to let you know, I started with 3 white colored pencils 5 years ago... This is what I have left of them:

I am also using an eraser, sharpener, a brush and a charcoal pencil with some q-tips for blending... I am not beyond making mistakes and misjudging the scale (1:2):

At the end of today, this is the progress made thus far with a detail shot (soon, I am going to have to buy 2 more white colored pencils):

Will show more after Thursday...

Highlights on Black - Process 2

2008-10-19T20:06:00.005-05:00

It is amazing the progress one makes if they put their mind to it... Lazy Sunday turned into productive Sunday. After one day this is what I have so far with another area in detail:

Until next time...

Highlights on Black - Process 1

2008-10-18T21:38:00.005-05:00

This is what I have so far along with a detail of the rendering:

I will post more images once I complete more of it... Stay tuned

Highlights on Black

2008-10-18T21:27:00.004-05:00

So I have been working on this piece for the past 5 years. It was an on-again-off-again type of thing mainly because of the lack of time. I used to work full time and now I still do, but suddenly I have all this free time.

Considering that since I was little, I wanted to be an artist, this is a way to make that dream come true. One of my dreams, at least...

This piece is based on this image. A random photograph of a grandfather with his grandchild at a park. I thought this would make a nice revert rendering.

So I began with 3 white colored pencils and a black board.