Sketch for a painting
Today I did a sketch for a painting I am planning.
There are still some fundamentally flawed aspects of this piece, but I like how its going.
You Are At The Archives for 2014
Letter better theme
For a while now I have been working on an Boggle App with a friend of mine, Blake Badders. He has been doing the programming and I have been doing the UI & Music.
Now that my Calendar is finished I can devote my next week or so to full time working on the app, Called "Letter Better". Hopefully Ill be able to get as much done as possible and we can release this thing.
Here is a sketch of the main theme. I originally recorded it so that I could remember everything I had done, but I figure I can share it with you guys.
Calendar
My 2015 Clemson Calendar is now in print!
Its going to be ready in a couple days, will you?
If you would like a copy and see me regularly then let me know and we can bypass any point of sale system. Otherwise, Etsy is nice and easy!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/212566694/clemson-calendar-illustrated?ref=shop_home_active_1
Cheers!
Work in Progress
Here is something I have been working on today. I always find it hilarious that when I don't pay too much mind to what I'm doing my male figures always start off looking like me. I guess thats what I get for doing so many self portraits when I started painting.
Working Digitally pt. 1, The Tablet Monitor
A lot of people ask about how I can paint on a computer. And there is a lot I can say on the matter, But I am going to start with what I use to input.
Its a Tablet Monitor which connects to my regular computer and allows me to draw on the screen. Its got 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity which means that If I push hard my paint comes thick and my brush is larger. If I draw softly my paint comes out thin (transparent) and my brush is thinner.
These are some figures I started today and have been working on entirely digitally.
I can chat a bit more about the programs I use later.
P.S. The monitor itself is a Yiynova MSP19u+. It works just as well as any wacom product I have used, the only draw back is that it doesn't have tilt sensitivity. But I never use tilt so Im not troubled.
I have had some problems with the pen, but I figured it all out.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask!
Old timey Oil Portait
This is a little step by step of an old-timey portrait I did of my brother and his wife.
Basic shape and value block out
Get a little more colour and start to work out the shapes and textures of the dress/jacket
Now start to hone in on the detail of the faces with the understanding that they are the most important parts of this piece. Once they are done its really any ones game.
Now I can start to pull some background details together, do some slight value adjustments (my camera is doing crazy value adjustments in this shot)
And don't have a shot of the last details, but at this point you get a pretty good idea!
It now hangs in my brothers house.
Water Colour Portrait Sketch
Last night my lovely wife Meredith was kind enough to sit for me for a little while after dinner so that I could try to paint her using some watercolours. I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt. There is still heaps to learn about this medium and predicting how it is going to react in different circumstances is half the fun. The other half is having to compensate when it reacts in a way I would never have predicted.
I used to think that watercolour was not forgiving. It turns out, however, I just need to ask for forgiveness in slightly different ways.
Art Classes flyer
Alright guys! Nows the time to get this show on the road. If you know anyone who might be interested please share this with them. Available for 12+ kids and adults alike!
The current location of theses classes is in the Basement of "All In" coffee shop, Downtown Clemson. 106 Earle street, Clemson, SC
The 15 week fundamentals course will cost $375 per student.
The open studio session will cost $375 per student, per semester (15 weeks), or have a "drop in" rate of $30 a week.
A list of required materials will be sent to your email once you have signed up.
Colour studies for sail boat on hartwell
I am glad That I got to hear back from a few of you yesterday, thanks.
Today I went out and took some studies of the lake. They aren't anything special, but they will definitely help my colour choices for my sail boat piece. (and yes, I know I know, it was unanimous that the catamaran launching was the kicker, but there were a couple of boats perched like my reflective piece out by the sailing club so I just had to take it down).
The interesting part was that the water close to me didn't get nearly so dark as I had made it out to be in yesterdays sketch. 10 points to Griffindor Boerma for first pointing how distracting that was.
Sailing boats on hartwell
I did a number of studies for a new painting this morning.
These were my two favourite.
I know which of the two I'd go for but I'm after some public opinion, which one is more compelling?
Trick or Treat
There is always more to do be done but I must move on to my next piece. I hope you enjoy it!
I am alway up for feedback so let me know what you think.
Trick or treat in downtown Clemson, SC, happens every year on october 31st in the afternoon->night. The store owners all bring out there candy and help to host the event! Originally I started this piece after sunset but I thought that the "golden hour" would add even more depth to it and I love the play between the light coming from the sun and the light coming from the store.
Justin Donaldson
Halloween Detail
These two figures are going to be key to the piece, so I need to get their expressions right.
Everything else in the painting will need to guide them, support them, return the viewer to them.
There are still some slight anatomical issues, but I should be able to quickly sort those out.
Water Study
This morning was a rough start kinda morning. For no reason other than my body didn't agree with me that I should get up. In fact, I don't know what part of me was suggesting that should I get up because every part of me that I can think of was definitely not in favour of the idea.
So I took a walk... Didn't help.
Drank some coffee... getting a little better.
Multiple cups of water... not as effective as you might think.
However I decided to proceed with life anyway. With any kind of reading out of the question it was time to do a paint study.
A couple of days ago we trundled down to lake Hartwell for a baptism. The water level is lower than normal and so its steeper grade was replaced by a fairly shallow grade that resulted in some really awesome colours coming to life in the water. Where the transition from the shallow orange/yellows of the lake to the deeper green/blues normally happen fairly quickly, we were able to see a drawn out gradient.
So obviously my mind got to racing about what kinda paintings I could compose down there. And hopefully I can get the time to go down there soon to take some serious studies, but for now I decided to just play with the idea.
canoeing in the reflection pond
My next Clemson piece is almost finished. It was amongst a number of pieces trapped in my laptop.
As you might be able to imagine, I am so glad I don't have to start again on this one!
Any feedback is always welcome! Enjoy!
a study in value
Here is a piece I was able to save from my laptop!
A study in value that I think I will continue on to a full colour and fully finished piece!
Anders Zorn
I recently started studying the paintings of Anders Zorn. More on what I have been learning later.
The part that hits me is that this painting is not an oil painting. Its watercolor!
Ill leave that to sink in.
Art lesson exercise
This morning I have been trialing an exercise for "increasing confidence in colour" to use in my art course.
What if you mess up though? well... that cost you only a matter of cents in materials and hopefully not much more in pride.
If you are interested in Classes in person or online then drop me a line! The more interest I get the more that I can put into making it the best it can be!
Cheers
Palette knife ...er... spoon
a.k.a lower class solutions to upper class problems.
Have you ever been half way through painting your oil portrait when your butler informs you that your palette knife has in fact disappeared and the carriage in which you ride into town to buy your supplies is already in use. All you can do is take another sip of tea and wallow in your upper class problems.
But alas, no longer.
there is a solution!
The humble clear plastic spoon is your saviour!
In fact, you can now look right through your knife... er... spoon and see exactly where you will hit, how much paint you have picked up, and use all its different grades and angles to get exactly what you want! neat!
Painting ;)
Today I had a visit to the Optometrist.
It turns out my vision is great, but they dilated my pupils to roughly the size of a classy dinner plate. you know, the china ones.
I immediately became a vampire, Dodging rays of sunlight and thirsting. Non necessarily for blood, but my eyes certainly felt dehydrated.
Needless to say when I got back home the last thing I wanted to do was stare at a screen.
In fact, regardless of my desires, these moon sized peepers could not read the time on my watch let alone deal with intricate details.
So I began on a painting (where I could step back and slowly work Large mass into smaller details as my eyes saw fit)
His name is Dain. A fella I met a couple of months back as I was doing a colour study for his portrait.
(some details were... yet to be revealed. and some poses worked a little better than others)
And as it turns out, My time in water colours has definitely helped to broaden the way I think about, and achieve my paintings.
I'm looking forward to see how this piece progresses.
I can now see again.
No longer vampiric.
Still thirsting.
Art Classes
Starting in January I am going to offer some art classes!
I am still working out the details but I would love to start spreading the word and gauging interest.
The plan is to do some all age classes that explore the foundational skills of making art.
Possibly even an 'open studio' class that will involve a very casual atmosphere where people can bring in whatever projects they are working on an get some help. Start new drawings or paintings and work through them to completion.
These classes will be for young (12+), campus aged, and old alike, all skill levels.
If there is enough interest we can start to branch off into different media, styles and subject matter.
IF you would be interested in any of the programs I have talked about, or perhaps some that I have not then contact me and let me know! and spread the word!
wade in the water
Nothing went to plan today.
To start things off my laptop crashed and who knows if I'll get all the info back from it.
(this includes multiple paintings, one that was going to try and finish today).
To console myself I decided, heck, If I cant get my computer to turn on I'm going to go into town a little early before work and do a painting that I keep thinking would be very nice.
Finding the right Sketching medium for me - Watercolour
I took a quick break from work this morning and made a sketch of the view from our "front yard".
I have been hunting for a while now for the sketching medium that would best suit my needs.
(I consider it a sketch if the end result doesn't have to be finished /pretty).
Pencils smudge, pens are real limited in their tonal ability, Copic Markers don't transition well between tones (and bleed through most papers I have tried them on), Casein dries quick but is a whole lot of stuff to carry around just to do a sketch. Ink & water was my second most recent discovery, allowing me to essentially paint my sketch in black and white.
And then a little while back I saw some water colours that looked a whole lot different to the ones I had seen previously. They were semi-moist, compact, the artist using them was making some real nice work and then BAM! he closed his sketch book, just minutes after using it. I thought, "Now that will let me sketch just the way I want to". And glued into this old waterproofed sketchbook they fit right into my pocket.
So while the other media definitely have their place, I have found the easy yet versatile medium I have been searching after for my quick sketches & studies.
Copic
Casein
Ink
Pen
Pencil
Current Project
So recently I have been given a bunch of time due to a giant gap in another project that I don't have any control over.
I have been wanting to make a series of paintings based in and around Clemson, SC, where I live,
with a focus on people and culture. In my head these illustrations are taking a note (strong note) from Norman Rockwell and a bunch of the Golden Age illustrators. I figure it my chance to learn from some greats, enjoy myself, and hopefully get to make a little money from it in the long run.
If you guys have any great ideas of things that I should paint please leave a message down below. I have a whole bunch in the works but here is the first one.
An obscure pair of statues on campus near downtown that every time I pass them I get this image in my head of this little girl and boy posing on them. The girl playing off the left statues playful grin and the boy acknowledging Americas' heavy respect of the military (That was a culture shock when I first got here for sure).
I can't wait to show you guys some more.
cheers,
Justin
Posts
