A portrait

Last days I felt pretty much adventurous and good regarding drawing after repeating some excercises from Betty Edwards book "Drawing on the right side of the brain.". So I decided to try my hands on a self portrait. and I must confess that I am very satisfied with the result.

Of course I already posted it at PPN and my friends there said that it is a good sketch and nicley done, but I MUST work on achiving better likeness. Gosh - I was sooooooooooo sad...............

Do you all too think that I have to work on the likeness?

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My artists of the month

Two nights ago I couldn't sleep because of a very loud party across the street and so many thoughts played around in my head.
I suddenly had the idea to show paintings and drawings of artists I like very much. I know many artists do so butI think it won't hurt anyone if I also have my "artist of the month". And because I ALWAYS must do anything in a different way I think I nor will have an artist of the month neither one of the week.
No. I will have two artists of the month - one colored and one monochrome artist. (ROFL - sorry for the play with words)

The artists for this month are Juno Kughler and Doreen Cross.

Juno Kugler Carlson
(color)

Juno Kughler: 'Indian Girl'

This amazing and outstanding portait is done with color pencils and ATC size (2,5" x 3,5") that she has sent to me. Because I'm holding it my own hands and have a real look on it I can say that this is one of the best artworks I ever saw. You can't see any pencil strokes, everything is perfect and I am very proud to be a owner of a "Juno Kughler Original"!
If you want to see more of her artwork or if you want to read about her you can visit her homepage JunoKughler.com or her blog Looking Glass hours. Btw - she is good writer too.

Doreen Cross
(monochrome)

English House by Doreen Cross

Dors also paints with colored pencils and other mediums but this month she is my monochrome artist. :) I love especially her house drawings like this one here:You can see more of her artwork at Dor's Fine Art and on her blog Dors Art. She has many wonderful drawings and paintings to show.

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I hope you like my choices for this month.
If you know an artist who should be the next "My Artist Of The Month" - no matter if it is you yourself or a friend or one whose artwork you like please send me an email at cp-art@t-online.de

New leads, new luck

Yesterday I received my CretaColor leads and I must confess that they are the cheapest here - and I like them best ever!!
It is real graphite, no polymere, no synthetic or whatever leads are made of. The softer leads like 4B and 6B are REALLY dark and the harder one like 2H, 4H and 6H are wonderful to blend and light but not scratchy. I love them!
The following pic is done with a 4B lead exclusively. I wanted to try our a Tromple L'oeil drawing for a long time but never had enough "yes-I-can-feeling" to start. Yesterday was a pretty good time, hubby had a nap and I felt like trying out my new leads on a drawing, not only on maling another grey scale LOL.

I used that 4B lead in a Staedtler clutch pencil (my favorite brand for lead holders), a pencil eraser which is also new and my beloved electric eraser on Hahnemuehle 'Nostalgie' (smooth sketch block).
The graphite lead was really really nice to draw with. I could achive dark deeps and also light layers of grey.

Of course this drawing isn't finished yet but so far it was huge fun, especially because I achived what I wanted to with this lead.
I don't know why I didn't like mechanical pencil - clutch pencils - before, they are wonderful easy to sharpen either with the F-C mini-lead-sharpener or with the Dahle lead sharpener, which I also have since yesterday.

Woooo - I had huge problems to figure out, how the Dahle worked and this let me break into perspiration. But close before I wanted to throw this d.... thingy into the next corner I noticed how I have touse it. So easy! But I needed more than 10 minutes to understand. Gosh - how can one single darkhaired woman be so blonde!?!?!?
Okay, I still have no idea for what the little wholes right and left are good for - but main thing is the sharpener is doing his sharpening-job - and it is doing this phantastic.

Just a drawing

I changed my opinion, Mikes book is definately not overprized. It is great and immensely helpful. Call it expensive, but it definately is the heavy-weight champion of all graphite drawing instruction books.

Although I still only have read about 110 pages I can see a change in my work. I made a drawing - rather a sketch, for the Pencil Painting Network that Dors this time managed and hosted and found Mikes hints and tips very helpful.

Even my husband, who is my hardest critics, was astonished and amazed when he saw the picture.

I know it is no masterpiece, but I am VERY satisfied. I see where I could do more shadow areas and where I could push the darks but the paper (W&N cartridge paper - too smooth, but not bad) didn't take more layers.

I used Staedtler clutch pencils 2B and 2H and a Prismacolor woodless graphite pencil 8B (*sniff* - my last one).

And an electric eraser to lift out graphite for the tree and the branch. and some dots on the ground. LOL

It was so much fun - I think I'm back to the roots - to graphite.

Mike Sibley's book Part II

Okay. I now have worked through the first 40 pages and I like what I read so far.
What I like very much is that in his paintings there are rarely the pencil strokes visible, you know what I mean?
Some artists only work with strokes, bigger, finer, heavier, lighter, hatched, cross hatched, all visible strokes. Mike prefers to see not the single stroke and this is what I like.
And another thing was remarkable for me. Mike mostly uses clutch pencils but I never liked them and preferred wooend case pencils. I do not care if the weight in my hand changes. But I gave the 'Clutchers' another chance to become friends with me. And - tadaa - we became close friends.
I had the chance to purchase five clutchpencils made by Staedtler for 5 $ - which is VERY cheap here - and some leads (F-C). I already had mechanical pencils and bought some GOOD leads for them also - and I can't believe why I didn't used them before.
It is much easier - no sharpening or only sharpening the lead with a tiny lead sharpener (F-C) which I can hold easily. The leads I bought are wonderful also. I have no idea if the Staedtler leads are very different or how, but I am satisfied with these clutch pencils and their 'fill-ups'. :)

Btw - if someone wonders if there is a difference between clutch püencil made by Faber-Castell and Staedtler: Yes, it is - the F-C clutchers have MUCH more weight and the clutchmechanism is very much harder to use.

So I already benefit from the book. Joanie, a close friend, mentioned at PPN, that she finds the price too high and I I think too that this book is a little bit overpriced (not my reduced copy). But when I compare it with the books we can buy here in Germany where we have to pay 16 $ for a tiny brochure size A5 (140 x 210mm) and not more than 40 pages with big letters it is cheaper than everything in Germany. In general seems Germany to be a developing country concerning pencil art, especially colored pencils.
So Mikes book is much more worth than these - how much I will know when I go on. And he is an outstanding artist, very well known and maybe the name raises the price too.

I guess there are many books about drawing in USA and UK which are at the same level and cost only the half or less. Can you recommend good books on graphite drawing?

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I'm a Fan!!! (Part I - Music)

I'm a fan! I am a fan!! I am a huge fan!!!

Some days ago I watch TV (he he - as if I never would do that ...). A show I'm normally not used to watch because there is more german music and the talk masters are not even what I like to listen to. But hubby likes that show and so of course I watch it with him because he also watches shows with me that he don't even love.

As usual in that show bands come and play their music and so this time too. The talk master announced that group but I was very busy with a drawing on my leap so I didn't hear much about their introduction. But suddenly my ears got as big as Dumbo's ears!

There was a sound that made me swing and jump and I couldn't believe my ears and also couldn't keep my pencil calm and controlled in my hand because this pencil suddenly seemed to have an own very swinging life.

I looked up and saw three very cute guys dressed as we'd have the 50's - and so was the music. "Umbrella" - everyone knows that song - as Elvis would have sung it.

Great! Phantastic! Amazing!

Hubby and I looked at each other - a wide smile in our faces and jumping and teetering on our couch. We both have a very different music taste - he likes german music and is a huge Elvis fan. I also like our King ofRock but apart from this I'm 70's/80's girl and a rock fan, I love Lighthouse, 3DoorsDown, Nickelback partially but also some Jazz.

But this music is for both of us - I myself think "the baseballs" fill in a gap and bring different generations together.

I am not used to buy CDs very often but the next day I ordered their CD - and unbelievable but true: Every single one of 12 songs is cool! This happens to me very rarely.

In the meantime I saw another interview with "the baseballs" and the boys are really very cute and very heartily and friendly.

Digger, Sam and Basti, you guys are great!

Now have a look and enjoy:

GOT IT!

Since a long time I dreamt to have Mike Sibleys book "Drawing From Line To Life". Although I know it is good to let money roll I sometimes have problems with letting roll too much for a single product.

Short words: Mikes book is really expensive. 35 GB Pound plus Shipping is a lot. But as a subscrieber of his site I now received a newsletter with special offers of copies with little cosmetical mistakes so I could save 10 Punds- 12 Euros. Of course I grabbed this chance and purchased my copy!!

Mike wrote in an email that he will send the book next day and that I should look out for a big blue postbag. I had no idea that he meant huge when he said big:

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Okay, this all was my husband - first because I am a better photographer and second there is a little thingy about me which is not dramatic (for me) but I am not used to talk about it if it is not necessary. But at PPN - our Pencil Painting Network friends asked me my husband presents the book and not I myself. See reasons above. LOL

But I think it is time to say that I am kinda handicapped. I was born with a malformation of my limbs because my mother took a pill with name Contergan. In UK it was called thalidomide and worldwide more than 10000 babies where born with malformations, most died and the most who still live have long legs. I don't. ops - no - I mean of course I surely live but I also have no legs besides my short arms.

Okay, this is what might be important. But I hope this will touch you as much as it touches me and my life - nearly in no way. Of course I have my borders but they are less. As you see I had huge luck, got a wonderful husband, studied, can drive my car (If I would have one LOL) and have a happy life. I can do nearly everything except walk, ride a bike or wash the windows (but honestly who'd miss THAT?) and as you know I can paint and draw - not more or less.

So please please my friends, don't feel "urgh" or "argn" - just be like you always are. :))

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My video

Drawing day 2009

Today is DRAWING DAY!

Let's try to draw over a million pics today. I'm in - who else?

My drawing or maybe it will be a sketch only will be posted later on here.

Ouch

Because I hurt my finger (it thought to have a little fight against a door knob and lost...) I couldn't do any artwork for a while. But some homoeopathics and a little resting helped a lot and now I can show two pic - one finished for a challenge at PPN and another one for my own pleasure.

Her is the finished one:

 

I used my beloves Caran d'Ache Supracolor pencils - dry - in combination with a black Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen and a dark green Staedtler pen. I wanted to try out such a cimbination for a long time and I must say that I'm pretty satisfied with the result.

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Then I started a picture I grabbed from a journal that I'd modified the way I wanted it. Again I used my Supras, this time on Clairefontaine Pastelmat (light grey).

Before .....

... after  adding water.

To be continued.....