Hatrack River Forum: Showin' my artwork

This is topic Showin' my artwork in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

A long, long time ago, Shan asked me to make a portrait of her and her son in front of the Space Needle fountain. I finally finished it!

You can see a small version here, and a larger version here.

Just thought I'd share. [Smile]

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

Nice!

Posted by whiskysunrise (Member # 6819) on :

Wow!

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Thanks. [Smile]

Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :

[Hat]

Well done.

Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :

that's wonderful.

bev,

didn't know you could sketch. good on you!

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

[Blushing]

Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :

Beautiful artwork for beautiful subjects. [Smile]

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

Cool. I like the perspective provided by the fountain and the needle behind. Very nice details on the faces. [Big Grin]

Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :

Wow, Beverly.

[Hail]

Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :

Wow! I wish I could draw like that! That's really good!
[Hail]

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :

Awesome! Very confident and decisive.

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Beautiful. [Smile]

Bev, will you give me lessons?

Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :

I gotta add to the "WOW". I'm impressed. Wish I could draw like that.

Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :

Thanks for sharing your art. Excellent composition. Have you given any thought to fleshing it out in color, maybe a painting?

I'll have to put some of my carvings on sometime.

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Thanks, all.

Raia: Sure. [Smile]

SC Carver: All my life, I have struggled with color. I would take a pencil drawing that I felt was among my best, and ruin it by coloring it. I am not gifted with color. I wish I was! [Frown]

I enjoyed taking art classes both curricular and extra-curricular, because it usually forced me to "stretch" myself. Especially where color is concerned.

Recently, I've discovered that I can get a look I like by using pastels and colored pencils together--but only on an inked drawing. I have a lot to learn yet. [Smile]

I will actually be taking some watercolor classes from a neighbor these next couple weeks. I've been meaning to get some more training in watercolor. Unfortunately, watercolor requires patience: something I don't have an abundance of.

Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :

SC Carver, do put up your carvings. I love sculpture and relief work and would really like to see yours.

Karl

Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :

I wish I had artistic ability.

Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :

::explodes with envy::

Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :

Most totally awesome artwork!!!

Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :

Ain't she the greatest! (big smile) It brings back such happy memories of Nathan's and my fun vacation last year!

(Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

Edit: And for those that may be wondering, the price was very reasonable for such excellent work!

[Party]

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

[Smile]

I'm so glad you like it!

Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :

*Grins slyly* I particularly LOVE how young you made me look. You'd make a killing drawing royalty, y'know!

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Yay!! *dances* I'm getting lessons!

I like to draw Disney, and things that are already animated, or already drawn, so it looks more like the original. [Razz]

I can't draw anything real.

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

[Laugh]

Shan

Raia, I started out drawing Disney. [Smile]

Virtual drawing lessons is admittedly a difficult proposition. But we might could work something out. [Wink]

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

wonderful work, bev!

I always have the highest admiration and awe for people who have artistic ability like this -- because it is so beyond my abilities. It is truly a gift -- and you use it wonderfully!

Farmgirl

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Hey, I've given a virtual voice lesson before. [Razz]

You really started out by drawing Disney? Then I have hope!! Here are a few examples! Those are just some goofy things I did for fun. This I'm more proud of, but again, it's something that was drawn first, so it doesn't really count.

I'm really not trying to take away from Bev's thunder, I'm so sorry Bev! I just want you to evaluate me, and tell me what to do. [Smile]

If you want me to make another thread, I'll gladly do that.

Oh, and the photos suck... the pictures are a bit lighter than that. [Razz]

Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :

quote:
Originally posted by beverly:
Thanks, all.

Raia: Sure.

SC Carver: All my life, I have struggled with color. I would take a pencil drawing that I felt was among my best, and ruin it by coloring it. I am not gifted with color. I wish I was!

I enjoyed taking art classes both curricular and extra-curricular, because it usually forced me to "stretch" myself. Especially where color is concerned.

Recently, I've discovered that I can get a look I like by using pastels and colored pencils together--but only on an inked drawing. I have a lot to learn yet.

I will actually be taking some watercolor classes from a neighbor these next couple weeks. I've been meaning to get some more training in watercolor. Unfortunately, watercolor requires patience: something I don't have an abundance of.

Color can be hard. We all have different gifts, I was always better at color than getting the proportions right. I wouldn't worry about it. Some of the most powerful art out there is monochromatic.

Color is something you can learn if you put sometime into it. The more you experiment and the more you’re around other artist the more tricks you will pick up. The color pencils might be an easy way for you to transition to color since you are used to pencils. Watercolor pencils might be fun too.

Keep it up, you definitely have some talent.
[Smile]

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Raia, I don't mind you posting those, not at all! They are lovely! I will email you my thoughts about them, but perhaps not tonight. I am headed to bed ATM.

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Goodnight! [Kiss]

Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :

sketching is a hard-earned talent.

Posted by Zotto! (Member # 4689) on :

Very nice work, bev. Your lines are crisp and strong, and the shading is very well done. [Smile]

BTW, how in the WORLD are you getting those tones without smudging the pencil on the paper? Whenever I attempt something like this, I get fingerprints all the heck over the page. Useful for IDing me, but not very pretty. *envious harumph*

Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :

Nice drawing Bev, good clean lines and lovely subtle toning. Well drawn hand too.

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Zotto!: The image you see here has been digitally altered. The original actually has a fair amount of smudging on it, partly that just happened as I was working on it. My hand would brush it, and smudge the shading I already put in. So at various times I would erase, creating "highlights" in fields of gently-smudged shading.

But even so, when I scanned the image on to the computer, I hated the way it looked. I honestly don't understand it, because the "preview" image that the scanner software showed picked up the pencil excellently. But every saved version was all pixelized and looked horrid. The lines no longer looked clean, the shading looked all grainy.

So I took it into GIMP and did a few different things, one of which was to use the "smudge" feature to smooth the graininess. I also strengthened some of the lines.

So, what you see here is not entirely a product of the original. My hand is not steady enough for me to be truly satisfied with what I do on paper. Taking it afterward to digital format, I am usually able to get closer to what I am hoping for.

Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :

Wonderful drawing, Bev. You're very talented.

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

Beverly - what settings do you see when you scan? Don't know your computer graphics experience, but the type of scan, the file you save as, and the resolution can make huge differences in your final product.

Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :

Not much computer graphics experience here. Someday I'd like to take classes, learn more.

It was so hard just getting it to scan at all. The software really doesn't seem to be very good. [Frown]

Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :

Nice finishing, beverly. I used to sketch a lot, but along with artistic ability from my mom and my grandma, I inherited a belief that if I do art I will starve. Funny how that works.

I will make a comment that I hope helps in the long run, and it's something my mom learned later in life that she wished. Children's skulls are shaped different from adults. I don't know to what degree that is true for any given child. Just the cheek on the child toward the middle of the drawing looked like a grown-up's in some way I can't quite put my finger on. But it's a nice sketch.

I also quit drawing and writing poetry after my son died. It was just hard for some reason. Well, the poetry was never much good. Even before that it was always pain pain pain. I look back and it's like "What the hell was I whining about?"

You know what's great, though? I can't do noses and your noses are fantastic. It's the irony of life- I have a beautiful nose but I can't draw them. I am unabashedly vain about my nose. Okay, now I'll have to see if I can get some of my stuff posted. I'll start another thread.

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

Wait - Chris Bridges posted in this thread about bev's artwork -- but he didn't show off his own artwork?

I was reading his blog and saw a link to this and was just blown away! I had no idea Chris was an artist as well as a columnist/writer!

Farmgirl

Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :

Chris's stuff is very impressive. I like the Grandma the best. Pen & ink is tough. It requires a lot of confidence.

Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :

I made a painting of my Dad for my mother's day lesson inspired by this thread. But the eyes are all wrong so I keep meaning to redo it sometime.

Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :

Super neat bev!

Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :

So cute!