Robots

Ok, I've been a little lazy about posting, but I have been working, really I have! But with the light being so bad around Amsterdam these days - as in non-existent, so cloudy, you can positively feel people yearning for Spring - it's been difficult to even think about taking a photo. But with the onset of some sunnier - if not warmer - weather, I had the chance to beg Steven to take some semi-decent photos for me. I'm not saying they're perfect, but at least they were taken by a hand that doesn't have the tendency to shake quite as much as my own....

So as for these little Robots, I've just been wanting to do some sketches with paint - didn't want to put too much planning into it, just wanted some fun images that could be plentiful and that didn't involve pouring my heart and soul into so I felt like I could finish one in a couple of hours instead of my normal agonized process which takes a week or four..... here are the first three.....

they're all 5 x 7 inches, all acrylic, no planning, just sketching with paint.......

Harlot Trampling

So this one is another acrylic with a little bit of ink over the top. Once again, I'm trying to be more daring in regards to light and shadow, and experiment with the colors a little more. Color theory is so deceptively difficult. I'm also trying to play around with forced perspective more in my drawings - lately I've become extremely enamored of Eric Canete's work, and one of the big reasons for that is just his astounding perspective. Even in some of his static drawings, the lines and perspective gives such an amazing sense of movement to the pictures. If you're interested, take a look : www.kahnehteh.blogspot.com
I would also be remiss not to mention that these ladies were also inspired by my friend Heather Louise's amazing dolls... take a look see.....

Was Kirk Douglas handsome?

I'm sure it's obvious to everyone that this was inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I always loved the idea of that story. The only thing that ever really disappointed me about it was that lack of a female character and also just the loss of Captain Nemo and his amazing submarine at the end. I mean, I know the loss was sort of the point of the story, keeping this amazing technology out of the hands of barbarous humankind because really, people just can't be trusted to use anything responsibly. Ever.
Anyway, I won't get all philosophical and start some diatribe about why this is or isn't true. This is all acrylic, with a little bit of ink over the top. I'm happy with this for the most part, I think that it's one of the first paintings I've done where I've played to my strengths in regards to drawing.... And I'm still trying to be better about the lighting; you know, making it interesting and not using 'sculpting light' for everything...

Snowball's Chance

Yeah, yeah, I know I've been a little lazy in regards to updating. I feel like it's almost a prerequisite for having a blog though - I mean, every blog I ever read there's always some hiccup of a month or so where whoever is writing misses writing. So here's mine....

Anyway.

Been experimenting with some new processes, I'll let you judge for yourselves just how successful they've been. This is marker with ink and acrylic paint.....

Amsterdamned!!!

Well, I ended up giving the whole print-of-Amsterdam a shot again.... I've had too many people (you know who you are) trying to convince me that an Amsterdam print would be more commercial, and blah blah blah. Of course they're right, but it's not what I feel passionate about, or even what I would buy, so the challenge has been to find some way to make it interesting for me as well as for a customer. My first attempt was done with a digital photograph, and I was really unhappy with the results. Not only was it boring to look at, I just really didn't consider it 'doing art' (whatever that means to you). I was making xerox copies, and it was just kind of dumb, as far as I was concerned. So this is my second attempt, hand-drawn and then hand-printed (silk-screen) by yours truly. Granted, this was Steven's idea, and he thought to make it interesting, I could do the print of Amsterdam, and then on a few I could add a little 'something' to make it interesting for myself (this is why there are tentacles in the images that you see - I also have quite a few that are 'monster-free'). The idea came from a Dutch movie made back in the '80's -something was killing people in the canals of Amsterdam, and the movie was called 'Amsterdamned'. I always envisaged some crazy tentacled monster pulling people into the canals and couldn't wait to see it. Sadly, it ended up being just a regular old serial killer wearing scuba equipment. I know, bummer, huh? Great name, great setting, and that's what you come up with? A disfigured twin in a scuba suit? C'mon, people. So this is sort of my fantasy of what 'Amsterdamned' could have been.....

Home on the Range

Still experimenting with different mediums - this one is a combination of inks, markers, and pastels used 'traditionally' and as watercolors. I like the control the markers and inks give, but i think the images end up feeling a little flat sometimes - so enter the pastels. Difficult for me to control, or get any sort of 'crispness' out of, but they do add a great texture, if one doesn't go overboard....

the Ursula 01

Well, this one came about when a friend challenged me to meld Cuddlefish and Chitty Chitty Boom Boom - so here it is, Heather. The Ursula o1! Named after that fantastically tentacled baddy from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" - c'mon, she was amazing. So this image is another blend of markers and india inks - for the water I tried to use some of my acrylics as water-color - I was reading on the back of one of the tubes this was a possibility and thought what better way to test out the waters.... pardon the pun. ugh.
Still trying to stay focused with a specific set of related images though, so once again, Steampunk inspired.....