Ninja vs Penguin

Ninja October 20th, 2008

I was feeling ill before our trip to LA, but it seems like the warm rays of the sun did me some good. This past month, I tried to get some painting in. Ugh, I hate that it takes me forever to complete one. I was going to wait until I finished to show you the process, but I’ll settle for showing you the process up to its current state.

This painting started off as an inside joke, but it has really grown on me.

Normally, there is a bit of planning involved (rough sketches, tight sketches, graphite transfers). But being that I wasn’t taking it too seriously, I sketched straight on the wood. And this is what my handsome boyfriend would look like if he sprouted antlers.

I sketched very lightly with a HB pencil and then darkened in my lines with a 4B pencil.

I added a bit more detail with the 4B and 6B pencils and then applied a thin coat of gesso on his body.

I applied a thin coat of gesso on the antlers and used thin layers of Payne’s Grey and Raw Umber acrylic paint for his hair.

The painting was looking a little bare, so I sketched some friends.

Here they are after the graphite transfer.

For the deer:
Just like before, I add more detail with pencil, then lightly apply gesso.

After the initial pass, more gesso is applied to areas with denser highlights.

And this is where I am now—building up layers by painting each individual strand of fur/hair. I’ll admit, I went a little cross-eyed, but it’s so worth it.

Happy painting,
Ninja

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Tags: Acrylic, Los Angeles, Painting, Process

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Ninja August 13th, 2008

It’s been a while since I’ve done a personal process post, and what better motivation than my very own Penguin! Penguin was having a crummy day, so I thought I’d make him a cheesy painting to cheer him up.

Materials used
+ sheet of letter-sized laser printer paper
+ 9 x 12 inch pine panel
+ HB mechanical pencil, 2B, 6B pencils
+ white gesso
+ Payne’s Grey acrylic paint
+ Raphaël Kolinsky Red Sable Extra Pointed Round, Series 8408, no. 3
+ 150 grit sandpaper

I start off with a very rough sketch on some scrap paper to get the basic form down.

I then flip the sheet of scrap paper over, and rub a 6B pencil on the back.

I place the paper onto my pine panel, sketch side up, and trace the form with my mechanical pencil. This will transfer the sketch onto my wood panel.

It’s pretty faint, but good enough to get started.

With my 2B pencil, I add detail to my little squirrel.

Then I add some gesso to brighten the highlights and give the surface area some tooth.

Another layer of gesso and a little more 2B pencil work.

Repeat. Add more gesso and more 2B pencil.

I got so into it, that I forgot to step back and take a look at it. Bleh, there’s too much grey and the tail looks all muddied and overworked. The texture gets lost. Time to simplify.

Besides adding a great one-off pattern, another nice thing about working with wood is the ability to sand off your mistakes.

I felt that I needed to distance myself from using the pencil for mark-making. It was a little too easy and fast. I didn’t want to overdo it again, so I switched to my brush and did the fur with acrylic paint (Payne’s Grey blends very well with the pencil line work). I also added some fur highlights with the gesso.

I went back with my 6B pencil to add specs of shadow in the fur and write the cheestastic line at the bottom. I know the position of the type is a bit off, but I like the weight and flow of the script as it is. I’m afraid that if I sand it off, I would not be able to duplicate my efforts.

Happy drawing and happy hump day,
Ninja ~__^

• Taiwan-bound. Be back 7-20-2008! (3)
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Tags: Acrylic, Graphite, Pencils, Penguin, Process, Squirrel

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Ninja May 26th, 2008

Amy Sol has started posting process photos on her blog. Here’s a taste of her upcoming show at Thinkspace Gallery on June 3 in LA. This exhibit will feature 13 pieces by Amy.

Keep checking her blog for more photos!

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Tags: Acrylic, Amy Sol, Blogs, Exhibits, Process, Thinkspace Gallery

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Ninja April 25th, 2008

A year ago, I met this girl at a birthday dinner. Her name was Genevieve.

Genevieve’s a photographer’s assistant, so I’ve seen her again at 2 different weddings (and the most recent one I attended on April 5th). After talking to her, I was shocked to find out that she doesn’t realize just how beautiful she is. She’s quite down on herself because her mum is a such stunner, and she feels she takes after her dad. Which is complete rubbish. She’s got these huge eyes framed with thick lashes, but hides them (and her face) behind long strands of hair. All the things she claims are her flaws, I think just make her even more lovely.

With her permission, I painted her portrait. And here are the steps.

Oh, haha, before we start, I should probably note that I only have about 10 acrylic paintings under my belt, and that I really just sort of feel each one out. It’s a learning process for me, and each time, I try something new.

I started with a pencil sketch on pine. Unfortunately, most of the time that I did see Genevieve during the wedding, she was either looking down and changing lenses or hiding behind a camera.

I don’t think I did Genevieve justice with this sketch. You’d have to see her in person. She glows.

Then I added a little bit of white gesso to blend the pencil.

I blocked out the highlights with the white gesso and gave her face a wash of thinned down white gesso. Afterwards, I put down a layer of clear gesso to give the wood some tooth.

The clear gesso smeared some of the pencil, tinting the wood this ugly, murky shade of grey. I had no choice but to sand that section off. After the wood was clean, I applied another layer of clear gesso to the sanded area.

I then blocked in some of the shadows with Payne’s grey.

I built up layers of Payne’s grey and Raw umber to fill out her hair (pure black would have flattened out the image too much).

I used tea for the washes on her face to add warmth and color.

Then I used coffee to deepen the color and add more depth to her face.

Her lips are a blend of Cadmium red, Yellow ochre, Thio violet, and white gesso.

Her hair looked too faded and washed out, so I added more layers of Payne’s grey and Raw umber. I also overlaid washes of a Payne grey/Raw umber mix to the hair’s highlights to tone them down a bit.

Well, there you have it. If you’ve got any painting tips, feel free to share them in the comments.

Happy painting,
Ninja ^___^

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Tags: Acrylic, Genevieve, portrait, Process

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