Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival => Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board => Topic started by: Sallying Forth on September 18, 2005, 08:12:23 PM
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Today I woke up and said to myself, "Self it is about time to get back to ALL the creative pursuits you were doing." So today I took my whole piece of crescent board to a picture framer who helped me cut it into "bite-sized" pieces. I asked my h to cut this board up for me so many times I finally decided it was time to get it done myself.
Now I have enough pieces to experiment with a type of art I stopped doing. In essence it is a fictionalization of reality and exactly like my writing technique. I take a photo from a magazine, ones of nature are my favorites, and cut it up into 1/2 inch or 1 inch squares. Then I rearrange the squares to form a picture which depicts the same thing only changed. For example, if I have a rushing river photo I rearrange the squares into a rushing river which is somewhat abstracted. It is the form or shape of a rushing river but the actual picture maybe different. Pictures of water are my favorites and I've collected lots of them for the past 3 years. The rearranged pieces are then glued to a board. Finally I duplicate each 1/2 inch or 1 inch square on a bigger board where the squares are blown up to twice their size. My media is colored pencils.
What this exercise taught me years ago was to truly observe color and how each color is made up of many colors. Then I would go outside and observe the colors of things in nature and see how there is no true blue, no true green, etc. I found the process was like meditation, drawing me deeper within.
I will post the picture I choose, then what it looks like reformed and then my progress.
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Sally, Sounds cool,
I love color and used to paint animals from rocks. I would make frogs or bunnies, dogs, cats, bugs. I loved to paint and made some money on the side. My big frogs sold for 40.00. Sometimes the efforts are not worth the pay. You must love your art first and payment is second.
I quit for different reasons my H used to complain all the time about the mess from my paints, and with work it was too much. Now that my H is no longer in my life I have recently picked up the colored pencils to get back into the creative side of me.
What you are working on reminds me of a quilt I made from various colored prints to create a landscape with green hills and blue skys with a big red sun. I took forever to make it I only made one.
I love to paint and create, I as very angry at my self for allowing my H to stomp the fun out of it.
I may go beyond the colored pencils after I finish up the tons of paper work Im dealing with for my upcoming divorce.
I can't wait to see your finished piece. OR
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I too, have been attempting something.
I went and asked everyone I know for an animal. After I got all their animals, I drew pictures of them with a computer program I have (it's called opencanvas, it's almost like photoshop, but for designed for creation instead of just changing). Each animal is drawn in a different style with one similar concept. I don't ever erase. Every mistake I make is left in to be appreciated. A lot of it is absolutely awful, but that's ok. Other times, it's amazing how well it turns out, and I can be incredibly proud of myself.
I find it helps to keep me from being too hard on myself.
On top of this, I come up with a title for each drawing, directed to a random person.
For example, this drawing (which I really enjoy) is titled "Tell Your Regret Sloth To Stop Staring At Me, I Never Said No"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/El_thom/Human%20Experience/RegretSloth.jpg)
and was drawn for my friend Jenna Young, but titled for my friend Ashley Withers.
In contrast, here's one that's not so great, but I still accept as my own work. It's called "Your Faith Bear Is Alarmingly Large, But Could It Walk A Tightrope?"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/El_thom/Human%20Experience/FaithBear.jpg)
and was drawn for my friend Henry Horton, but titled for my friend Jillian Parrish.
So far, I've got about 17 of these, and I'm set to draw at least 10 more. If anybody wants me to draw an animal, go ahead and contact me, and I'll tell you if it's still available.
And don't be too harsh on my bear, regardless of whether it looks like it's vomiting strawberry jam or not.
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You creative people are great! Wish I had some talent.
Can't wait for Sallying's things. el Thom, I love your work.
Plucky
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I like your work el Tom. It is very different. I love your titles.
I've done the same with my artwork. I drew a lot of pictures and just left as is. Some are even half done. Some have mistakes but I can't erase watercolor pencil. Once in place that's it.
Here's some watercolor pencil I've done in the past:
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The last one is colored pencil not watercolor pencil. :)
The first one is called Mind Altering Experience.
The second, Mind Altering Experience II.
The third, Tumultuous Uprising. I drew this with both hands at the same time.
These first three all came from out of my head.
The fourth, Pansy Profusion and is in colored pencil (not watercolor pencil).
The fourth one I staged some pansies from my garden.
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SF,
OMG, they are beautiful!
SF, I can see the intensity of your feelings reflected in your drawings. I really liked them all, but love the first one, Mind Altering Experience the best. It somehow fits like a hand in glove with what I know about you through your posts. On the other hand, pansies is sweet and quiet and reflective, like the life you could've had if you'd been born into a loving family. Shame that I couldn't get your images to blow up full size.
Keep posting 'em!
Grrrrreat! Marta
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This is wonderful, Sallying and El Thom. Love the dynamism in your pictures, Thom. Sallying, I love the delicacy, the washes of color. Particularly love Tumult and Pansies.
How do you get these to post?
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Hello SF and El Thom,
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing it with all of us. :D MP
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How do you get these to post?
Every time I do it I have to remember how. :?
Below the box where you type your message is an arrow and the words "Additional Options..." Click on the arrow and you will see how to add images.
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SF, Shame that I couldn't get your images to blow up full size.
Grrrrreat! Marta
These are all thumbnails.
Here is the full sized Mind Altering Experience. It is my own face, btw, which I drew by looking into a mirror.
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Here is Tumultuous Uprising bigger -
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Pansy Profusion bigger -
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Onlyrenting could you repost in a jpg file? I can't see .doc files.
Thanks!
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I am going to challenge myself and try something different and NOT do a rushing river. I found two very stunning photos which I like. I haven't decided which project I'll tackle first. Here they are:
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Absolutely breathtaking!
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http://www.xanga.com/TrueStoryofPrinceNez
Again, done on computer, this time with the focus on working with shading, rather than the shape like the animals.
I drew all of these tonight, and I'm absolutely drained, but I'm really proud of them.
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Wonderful pictures, Thom. I love the vivid colours, and the characterisation you achieve. Brilliant work!!!
(I notice the sun is always yellow though. Loosen up on that one, if you can!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:)
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This should be the frog rock
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Here are the fence post of two horses. OR
[attachment deleted by admin]
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I notice the sun is always yellow
I meant for the sun to be a bright yellow all the time because I was trying to represent some idealism in the drawings. Looking for something better, then taking what you get as an obstacle rather than a part of life will break you down, I suppose is the main theme behind the series.
Not all my things are like this, this was a new attempt at certain things. I plan to start attempting new styles for myself, and maybe tweaking this one to fit whatever I'm drawing.
For some reason, I always have to draw in a series. I have a hard time putting any substance into my drawings otherwise.
I also work myself into a lot of my artwork, basically because I'm kind of vain. Each time, I just do a portrait of myself with a deviation of some sorts (in this case, my snoz is huge, which isn't like me at all; I've got a standard to small nose) The skinny body, unruly hair, and sideburns in desperate need of a trim are all mine, though.
Although red really isn't my color...
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el thom and SF I love your work
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El- I have tried doing the computer stuff, not that easy takes some concentration to make it all happen like your vision. I like the guy and love the big nose. I love your work and appreciate your efforts to incorporate the different moods.
SF I love all your work the pansies are my fav. lots of details that look difficult to achieve.
Do you find a release from the stress of life. I find when I was stressed my painting always had too much going on in them. It was hard to be simple. I love your work, very beautiful.
OR
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OR-Love the frog!! He looks like a jewel.
Thom-What happens to Prince Nez at the end? Does Dad knock him down?
SF-My husband is the gardener in the family and he flipped over the pansies.
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Thom-What happens to Prince Nez at the end? Does Dad knock him down?
That is an amazing and hilarious interpretation of it, I love it.
The original intent was to show that in order to gain status with, he nearly or did destroy himself.
Not that child beating is funny or anything, that just totally violated all of my expectations, and I really like the idea of that.
Basically, I like to let everybody make their own interpretation of my art. That helps when I make so much of my art so abstract. I don't have to worry about real meaning, just emotion.
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Wonderful pictures, Thom. I love the vivid colours, and the characterisation you achieve. Brilliant work!!!
(I notice the sun is always yellow though. Loosen up on that one, if you can!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:)
What color of yellow October? :lol: :lol: :lol:
I see white, yellow, brilliant yellow and chrome yellow. Oh no, now I can't see! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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OR,
I love your frog rock. So this is a rock painted to look like a frog? It is very realistic.
The fence posts are very cool. These are outside your house?
I can't seem to draw animals for some reason. Flowers, still lifes, abstracts and abstracted faces. A teacher in art school told me my work is very unusual in that I don't keep it on the page. Her comments were about my still lifes. I think that could be due to being an INFP and thinking globally.
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SF I love all your work the pansies are my fav. lots of details that look difficult to achieve.
Do you find a release from the stress of life. I find when I was stressed my painting always had too much going on in them. It was hard to be simple. I love your work, very beautiful.
OR
Thanks OR, the pansies took over 48 hours to draw. They are mega-sized pansies, the paper is 15 X 23 inches. Pansies are one of my favorite flowers because of their faces.
I do find it relaxing, kind of a meditative state.
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Thank you everyone for your comments about my artwork.
Here is an unfinished piece. I kind of like it unfinished. If you look closely you can see the sketch lines.
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SF WOW)))))))))))))))))))WOW))))))))))))))))))))!!!!!
What did you say you painted with ?
The horses were done for some girls to hang in their room. The wood was cut like a fence post for those narrow places.
I started with a plain rock out side of my home, I lived in a rocky area, they were free! Rocks will never look the same, they all look like some type of animal to me now.
I love your work, amazing.
...........off to work.......OR
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Here is an unfinished piece. I kind of like it unfinished. If you look closely you can see the sketch lines.
I like the unfinished picture too - reminds me of the ancient Greeks. They would always leave a wedding dress hem unstitched, or a part of a sculpture unfinished, because they thought the gods would be jealous of perfection, and therefore it was a way of saying; 'I am only human; don't throw a thunderbolt at me!'
Very sane (and healthy) idea, imo. Not at all N. :lol:
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wow ya'll this stuff is amazing! Love it!!!!
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SF WOW)))))))))))))))))))WOW))))))))))))))))))))!!!!!
What did you say you painted with ?
...........off to work.......OR
OR,
The unfinished work is colored pencil.
Actually all is colored pencil. The pansies and unfinished flowers are regular colored pencil. The rest is watercolor pencil.
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This watercolor pencil drawing was done while I worked on memories about being forced to be right handed. It was also done with two hands.
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Changed my mind. Here's the preliminary piece which I am calling Tiger Eyes. I am also doing a still life called Sea Harvest.
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Finally drawing again and gaining some insight. Also bringing up some unresolved issue with my bro who allowed my award-winning, first color drawing which was framed under glass to be destroyed. The frame fell apart and he just put the artwork in a drawer. I asked him for it but he couldn't find it. I didn't know what I thought about that but violation. Now I have a word - disrespect. :x :( I am still at a loss with this because he never really apologized. My artwork was treated like trash or a piece of paper to file away in some drawer. And this by a bro who is also creatively talented. I am still shocked. :shock:
Drawing again has been good too. And I've realized that this type of controlled drawing style is not for me. I like the entire process from beginning to end: finding the object to draw, staging them and drawing them. I may or may not finish this project because I've got another already to go which is a still life. Here is the beginning of Tiger Eyes: