Painting Techniques from Dcreamscapes

Sometimes, when I am totally stuck in the rut of I-MUST-DO-SOMETHING-GOOD-NOW-OR-I'LL-BECOME-A-STARVING-ARTIST, that's generally a time where I have to really loosen up. No one really cares if the pictures look like they do in my head, because they can't see them anyway. That's why it's really good just to borrow a book from the library, open it up, and just pick something to practice.

Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds In Watercolor by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

This one is one I often go to. It may not be 'fine art', but I love her use of colour, movement and her lighting. One thing that you cannot find in a regular art book is how to do fantasy lighting. It's very different to natural lighting. She always goes into exceptional detail about the steps she has taken in her painting - she doesn't keep many secrets.

I've applied her use of light and glow in a small sketch (3'x4')  in watercolour.

Another great thing about picking up a book and just going for it is that you end up doing things you wouldn't usually do, like start with shadows instead of adding them in last, nor would I try shadows in blue for the face.

I've used salt around the edges to create that textured look.

The white spaces were going to be leaves, but I liked them there, so I kept it like that.

It was a good experiment to try, and definitely something I'd recommend to all people with a valid library card!

The adventures of creating a hoop-skirt part two

You may have seen this image already, where I went to my local Masters store (Australian equivalent of Lowes)  to find something that can hold its shape and weight as a hoop-skirt without buckling or without needing an extra layer for a particular style of dance.

You are about to read the saddest story ever told.
(As sad as hoop-skirt stories go anyway.

They were completely fine with me going around an trying to turn their things into a circle. Yellow tongue seemed very promising if I was to make a bustle skirt, but couldn't hold itself without buckling. However, I will have to keep that one in mind.

The best I could find was plasterboard jointer. It made such a clean circle when stuck around without any effort in my half. The downside (or the only downside I could see for now) was that it needed duct tape to hold it together, making it seem unprofessional. That didn't deter me - I was the only one to know.

I did this outside, as my studio had too many things in the way. I probably could have done it all inside, but it wouldn't have fitted quite as well. Unless I moved my work table outside, but doing this outside was much easier.

I threaded it through, then wound the two ends in duct tape to finish it.

It did everything I wanted it to do - it could hold it's circular shape even when lifted and weighed down by the heavy fabric I used for the toile.

At this stage, I thought that my toil (or prototype) was complete, that I wouldn't have to search any more for a hoop or boning. So, I started to sew up the waistband (because I only held it with a belt while making the toile)

And I thought the image was so humorous, I decided to make it into a meme.

So everything was fine. I bent it previously to see how much bending it could take. I bent it quite a lot before it took serious damage, so I assumed it would be fine. I tested it in the car, to see that it would fit. I even did this BEFORE I left the store. Even then I bent it to the point of no-return, I managed to fix it with duct tape and a pencil. The plasterboard joiner seemed like the one.

Until I got to the studio.

I was about to meet the CEO of the dance company, when, while doing a parallel park, I moved the hem of the skirt out of the way and a chink occurred.

One little moment. One little chink.

I stood with my boot open for a while, staring at it. The chink ruined the whole shape. It was now a tear-drop shape instead of a circle. I was already late (I blame St Kilda Rd) and now I didn't have anything tangible to show her. I internally promised myself, I will not cry, I will not cry.

Even though it's too late for the skirt idea to be in this show, I would still like to figure out the perfect, non-buckling, car-proof hoop for a hoop-skirt. Perhaps next show, or the one after that, could then use it.

Strange things they let you do at Masters Home Improvement

Was looking for a hoop that can stand on its own, slightly flexible and not too heavy. This isn't something that will become a crinoline as you might suppose,  but a dance instrument.
Simply tell them you'll bring your own duct tape, and then kindly ask the department manager to take a picture of your experiments for your blog.
I ended up using plasterboard link strips. I hope it keeps its shape for the skirt!

Working on Australia Day and sketch

So there's nothing better than spending your public holiday working in a timber yard for double time and a half. Catch is, tradies don't work on public holidays. It's pretty quiet out here.
So my sketch tip to me today is draw from everything - tutorials, sketches, paintings, real life, photography. You'll be using different parts of the brain for each.

Sketches

Sometimes the hardest thing after losing ones confidence is to just pick up your Biro and try again.

I've been losing momentum - and I know I've been losing momentum - getting caught up with how great everyone's artwork is and how I'm not there yet. I read a very simple article on how to be a great artist. It took them about a thousand words to say, "just keep sketching, sketching, sketching..." it suggested to sketch endlessly, on the bus, in the waiting room, always, from reference or imagination.

That's sometimes the hardest part, just doing it. There's no use waiting for inspiration to hit, something to click or to start believingmI'm yourself. Just pick up that Biro and start drawing.

And look! That wasn't so bad now, was it?

The ones above were from imagination (mostly - the face of "The Voice" and the cow from "Girl with a Cow on Her Head" had inspiration from ads and people walking by)
The article also mentioned that one should always practice their flaws. Well, my current flaws is my feet, so today during work (as a check-out chick in a timer yard) I draw some feet on the back of a receipt. So, yes, these ones are much smaller than they appear on screen.

Figure Measurements Sheets

There have been a lot of things coming up in recent days that are great opportunities to design awesome creations, keep me busy, and drive me insane. I'm looking forward to every bit of it!

One thing that I've known in my head (as we were taught in class) is that nothing will be handed to you, and that you'll be responsible for everything you create - providing the labor, the colouring pencils, time sheets, breakdowns. Everything.

I knew that in my head, it's another thing to see it in reality. For example, there simply isn't a measurements sheet that suits my style of pattern drafting. (For example, very few, if any, measurement sheets do Waist to Seat in figure 11, but instead wrap the measuring tape around the crotch. Waist to Seat is just as effective, and far, far less intrusive!)

I think somewhere in my mind I had the idea that pattern drafting was pattern drafting, and that was that. No, apparently not. I looked and looked far and wide across the internet, yet I could not find something that suited the way I do things. So, I had to take it into my own hands.

Firstly was to draw the figure. Every figure that was in similar pose to what I needed was already scribbled with writing, so I couldn't use those. So, from scratch I drew my own figure. It's not as neat as the others, but it suits my needs.

So here it is - my measurements sheet.

Going through old photos (Galadriel Costume)

A friend of mine recently asked me to be costume designer for her fashion shoot "Gothic Forest." I was looking for something to put up on the Pinterest board, thinking that I didn't have any pictures of anything that I had made. When, lo and behold, an old image of my Galadriel costume was found!

Terrible resolution, but it shows the dress well enough.