Sun tanned?! I think not.

I only seem to work on this when it's sunny and warm. Actually, it was so nice today that I painted outside. Unfortunately, the wind knocked the painting over a few times. Bust smudges can be repaired! Hoo hah! 

Not that this is at all exciting. But I had bought bigger brushed (in preparation for the background). But guess what! They just absorb the paint and don't reapply it to the canvas. So I guess it's back to using the palette knife. *Cries in self pity*

I have to say, my pseudo self portrait is turning out pretty tanned. I will confess that this picture is going to take place in LA, so maybe pseudo me can actually tan. Real me can tan...on my arms and legs only. Which is still a pretty big feat feat for a redhead. 

In other less important news, I did not win that "Life in Motion" contest. I am not surprised. The contest was hosted by a site that is not that, ummm, glorious. So no feelings hurt. But I swear on the bottle of water that I am drinking right now that I WILL win an IMPORTANT art competition/ award someday! 

It passes by

Click to see entire image


Tadah!!!

It's done!!

The pain is over!

Although this picture is still giving me crap. I'm trying to upload it to my site, but it keeps saying that the format is unrecognizable. Now I am worrying that the file I submitted for that contest isn't going to work either. It hasn't shown up in the voting area yet, but I believe it's because it has to be confirmed. Although they are taking their lovely time with that. Dammit, I'm losing precious voting days! 

It's pretty obvious I am miffed by this. All of a sudden I am getting competitive over a contest I originally couldn't care less about. Hell, I don't even remember what the prizes are.

If I don't win, I probably won't be that hurt (or that surprised). First is popularity voting (I never win that!). Then comes the judges' votes (I never win that either!). But maybe, just maybe, some people will see all the blood and tears that went into this. I'm not kidding, my blood was on my computer a few nights ago. 

Just to Prolong the Excitement

I have finally finishes "It passes by." It was even submitted within 2 hours of the deadline. I never procrastinate that badly, so the feeling of last minute stress was kind of invigorating. 

Although I could just show you the entire finished picture, I feel like I need to explain some of the last few details. I also just want to draw out your agony.

I was originally drawing skyscrapers. After trying to draw the windows in the fisheye lens style, I quickly gave up. Besides, the buildings were looking pretty malicious. So I opted out for a smaller, more colorful/friendly building. The inspiration for it was from a photograph of a building with a huge window in the center. Then the brick street and perspective is from a photograph of Hakodate, Japan. I really want to go there!

It is a very sad attempt at either. The perspective is definitely incorrect, and the windows are just silly shapes. I admit, I was tired of this picture and was just trying to fill space. But tell your friends that the building is just another representation of how abstract life is. 

By the way, did you notice the street tree lights? They are kind of fun, aren't they? I actually had to redraw the branches. They were originally crooked horizontally and vertically. So they started to resemble swastikas...Not good.

These lovely smoke stacks were the last additions to this picture. I had a spot that had too rapid a gradient shift from navy blue to turquoise, so "WABAM" here they are, their sole purpose to mask the errors of previous additions. 

Believe it or not, I do like smoke stacks. Even though they are quite harmful to the environment, the image they create is so powerful and foreboding. I always take photographs of the huge nuclear ones I pass when I cross the borders. 

You can't see it here, but I actually drew the smoke plumes. Those are surprisingly hard to get right. I still am not satisfied with the outcome, but I am not satisfied with this entire picture in the first place, so oooh well. 

Do physics still apply in surrealism?

Conundrum!

I am facing a problem of common sense. 

Her hair is blowing to the left <---

The reasoning is that "life" is passing by so quickly that it actually makes a disturbance.

Problem:

The Plane!

Hey! It looks better since the first screen shot!

It's coming in from the opposite direction -->. So if this piece actually made sense, her hair would be blowing to the right due to the oncoming force of the plane. Should I even bother trying to make this physically possible?

I want to keep it visibly pleasing more than anything else. Consistent movement is definitely a large factor in that. If I'm so stubborn on keeping the hair in the same direction, I could just make the plane go in the opposite direction. But the backside of a plane really isn't attractive. I'm also too lazy to redraw it.  

Default Ideas! Everywhere!

Trying to fill the space and make it pleasing is unexpectedly difficult right now. I never have to do this, but now I am trying to get inspiration from art books! Those really aren't helping either. So now I have turned to tried and true objects used in past pieces of mine. I already used the plane. Now I am using...

Umbrellas!!

I don't quite understand my interest in umbrellas. Hell, I rarely use them. But their shape is so pleasing to the eye. It just happens. 

Though these are certainly unique umbrellas. The more I look at them, the more they look like lily pads. I suppose this part could be open for interpretation. There really isn't anything that sensible in this picture to begin with.

The Sea!!

The "Life in Motion" progress has slowed down quite a bit. I have been hoping for an epiphany, but no such luck. Ideas come with time, but with a deadline in a bit over a week...

So I turned to the advice of my friends! Normally , I don't trust their input (on relationships, politics, and cooking). But this is harmless enough, so I asked away.

Lorelei suggested water. Not the most creative idea, but I didn't expect much from her. 

So here is a lovely speckle sea! Actually, as I look at this screenshot now, I need to fix something...Good job, Thea!

I also drew a little sail boat. If anyone cares.

What I really like is the chandelier above. It's like a freaky sun replacement. Oooh this is starting to have similarities to Salvador Dali. As much as his artwork creeps me out, people have noted that there are similarities in my artwork. Hmmm. 

Already at my reserves!

I have gotten to the "Life" part in my "Life in Motion" contest entry. I had a vision of how I wanted it, but when it came down to actually drawing it, I am horribly lost.

I still have the vision, but it's such a scrabble that if I draw it all out bit by bit and don't like the outcome, I pretty much have to start over. That's part of the challenges with drawing in Illustrator for me, everything is too solid. I hope that doesn't apply as a psychological metaphor to me life...

Then I had a tiny epiphany!!

I drew a chandelier.

Yes.

That supposedly solves my problem.

Actually, even this chandelier in itself posed a tedious challenge to me. At first it was salmon color (yuck). Then I changed it to a coral-ish red. But I decided that was too kitsch, so onto white it became!!

Each time I changed it, though, the brushed had to remade, then the strokes had to be done separately and on and on and on the pain continued.

My problem of "Life" resurfaced yet again.

So what did I do?

Well, what I do in every picture that I get stuck on:

DRAW A PLANE!!!

My God do I have a one-track mind for subject matter. Anyway, this is just the beginning stages. If I am going to draw a plane, then dammit it will be a nice plane!

Life in Motion

Recently, I entered the contest "Life in Motion" on art.com. Yes, as you can probably tell, I fall easily for facebook advertisements.

Although I have a looooooooooooooong way to go, I thought I would show you my progress thus-far.