Color toned

SORRY FOR THE LAME IMAGES. SCANNERS AND I DO NOT GET ALONG.

So as much as I enjoy colored paper, it's just so hard to really build up lights and darks with it. It really throws me off sometimes when I use a color as a mid-tone value.
On top of that, we only get about 30-40 minutes to do a 'still life' drawing. And the model needs breaks so nothing is really 'exact'.

So I feel like I could do a lot better with more time.


I was wrong: The actual drawing is more pleasing to the eye in person. The scan just didn't come out right... There's a glare from the graphite. I guess I should use the smoother side of the paper? I believe this is Strathmore... or was it Canson. Oh well. This was a rather long drawing, I guess I got bored with it after an the usual 30-40 minutes we have and just kinda ruined it by mindlessly sketching at it.

I think I'll use the 'preferred' side of the paper instead of the textured back the next time I attempt to shade/complete a drawing. Maybe that way it'll prevent future glare?

Question for you all! What's your biggest challenge when work long period drawings/assignments/music/anything? Do you feel like you hit a certain point during the process only to think that if you continue you'll just ruin it?

Also: Do you prefer the rough side or the smooth side of drawing paper?

The Mountain Goat!

--Billy Goat
(I promise a better picture soon)

Talk about Influential nonsense.

Let me walk you through the process of this painting.
My professor, from the looks of it- seems to be a very steady, calm and to the books sort of guy.
The kind of guy that might force you to draw a sphere and a cone under random lights and different backgrounds just to 'practice and tone your skills'.

No no, you see he had a different approach. What he did was he figured out a way to tap into this weird pool of creativity that you have hidden in the many secret pockets within your brain. You see, he taught you to paint, from nonsense.

And I say that in the most meaningful and complimentary way.

What he had us do, was he told us, "This painting will consists of 5 layers."

The first layer was to be a painting of a 'shape' that we created for a previous project. It didn't matter how you painted that shape= just as long as you did.
After completing that grand master piece...of your shape- you were then expected to paint OVER It. Over it with what?

What's your favorite song? Whatever it is, throw that on and listen to it on a loop and paint your next layer! (on top of the current one).

It's hard you know, after investing so much time on a painting, you have to go over that precious work with something else. It's a little heart breaking. This was our second layer.

The third layer: We were asked to bring in a photo of our family or some sort of memory and to paint that on top of the existing 2 layers.

Our fourth layer: We were to record a noise- any noise and put it on a cd. And as a class we placed those cds face down on a table and randomly selected one. Whatever noise you got- you listened to it and you try to take whatever you feel and put it on the canvas. Have you ever tried rendering an indescribable emotion onto a 2d surface? I have.

The fifth layer was my favorite, it tickled me. We had to paint an image or some image clip that our teacher had hand selected for us (from a magazine- the internet, a book- anywhere). His deciding factor? He choose images that reminded him- of us. It tickled me when he handed me this magazine clipping of an orange balloon shaped into a mountain goat. I wasn't sure what to do with it, other than draw my interpretation of this silly goat onto my painting.

Needless to say, I really liked the outcome and it stood true to me- a representation of my adventure from starting with a blank canvas to this awkward looking goat on different layers of paintings- each holding their own meaning.

Makes no sense.