The Eyes And Lips...Lesson Four

Lesson four is all about painting the eyes and the lips.We weren't meant to put much detail on the lips but I had to wait several hours for lesson five to download so did a bit of shading with acrylics on them while I waited.It's surprising watching this lady evolve in front of me.I seem to zone out as I work and build up so many layers before I step back and look at what I'm doing....then I get a surprise when I step back.I took three photos of the lady getting a little closer each time.Here she is furthest away

and a little closer

and closer still

Tonight I shall look at lesson five and that means I'm caught up with everyone else in the class now yeha!!

Overcoming The Fear...aka lesson three

We all have fears.I struck mine last week when I tried to catch up with my classes for Paulette Insall's on line drawing and painting faces class.I've always been scared to try and paint properly.I had told myself I couldn't do it so many times and well for ever.I believed I would never be and was not ever going to be a painter.So I got to lesson three which was putting my faces on canvas and adding skin tones with PAINT.Okies I can do that I thought....but straight away I went "but I can't paint!!!".I mixed my skin tones with some problems due to the heat here drying the Golden acrylics as I mixed.So I found a blog that had a tut for making a wet palette to keep the paints moist and over came that.I finally got my skin tones mixed and well then I did nothing...
For the next week every day I loaded my brush with paint and hovered above the canvas unable to actually make that first stroke.I was too scared to actually try.What if it looked bad,what if my natural shake ruined my efforts,what if I etc etc .......then last evening we did some herp spotting(looking for reptiles along the roads in the rural area by torch light).I started to think of all the people who are scared of reptiles yet living with a herpetologist(Reptile enthusiast hubby Grant)and having them all thru my house I was not.I loved how they moved, their colour schemes and how they looked rough yet felt so smooth and soft to the touch.....and today my brush no longer hovered....and I painted.I mean how could paint be scary when I can see so much beauty in something that scares so many others.We wont talk about spiders though OK
So here is my first lady with her skin on...she looks a bit Alien without her lips,eyes and hair but that is lesson four...onward I go and another fear has vanished

For those of you afraid of snakes I have put the reptiles we saw last night up for you.Look at the shapes and colours not the "snake" you fear.This first one is a Northern Death Adder.Look beyond him to his colour....love that luminous yellow in his bands.

This is a delicate pretty Ariel hovering Banded Tree Snake.He is calm and an expert climber.See how he holds his banded curves erect in mid air...amazing

I HATE photos of me(another fear there folks)but I'll overcome that briefly to show you a File Snake I'm holding.They live in the creeks feeding on fish etc.He feels like a file but is soft and warm at the same time.He isn't scary and doesn't bite.

So there you go I overcome my fear.I painted that scary ole face and I hope I paint more...what about you :o)

Lesson Two My Backgrounds

Darn why does life have to get in your way when you need to find time for other things?.Ive only just finished my backgrounds on canvas for lesson two of my class and I'm still a week behind to everyone in the class.The good thing is I have tomorrow and Wednesday off so hope to do lesson three and then lesson four.I've used acrylics on canvas before but not in muted pastel tones so I went for brighter backgrounds then others in the class.I also like actual texture allot so I added some texture paste elements on my canvas's.The first two are straight acrylic paint canvas's

This one is one of my own backgrounds using Adirondack colour wash sprays over white gesso and then stamping done with white gesso.Before I sealed it I splashed drops of water around and then dabbed the water off to create white splotches

My little houses that I made for the retreat have gone missing and they never got there in time.Aussie post can be ssssooo disappointing at times.I even drove them 60kms into Darwin so I could use the platinum mail service.It is a so called guaranteed overnight delivery by courier to post codes listed in its network service.Darwin was a listed postcode as was the destination address.After four days of them not arriving I used on line tracking to see they had been signed as delivered the day before(so much for overnight delivery!!!).The lady receiving them says she looked the day after this but they were not there.7 days later I am still unaware if they have turned up at all.Such a shame as I worked hard on them.As my older brother often says SH&%T happens...but it still hurts!!

Drawing Faces Lesson One My Attempts

It took me 6 days to finish my 50 little house and get them sent on time.My second eldest daughter Melissa got "employed" on day five to help cut and stick down the words.Then I forgot to take a photo of them all before they left.I'll definitely take a photo of the returns though when they come.I'm sure it will make for a funky colourful village.Doing the houses meant I couldn't get to my on line class with Paulette Insall till last Wednesday though.
The other class members are on lesson two already.The first lesson was all about drawing faces.I used to be able to do them OK 20 plus years ago and some of those old drawings are in a post here .I've never had lessons to draw but used to draw alot when I was younger and just got better with practice.I stopped drawing when I got married and have just started to want to draw again recently.So late last year I did a basic how to draw class with Jessica Wesolek.It opened the door for me to again start drawing even though my initial steps in that class were very simple.Those attempts are here .
A friend then told me about Paulette's classes which teach you how to draw and paint faces.Now I'm learning how to draw them properly for the first time and that first lesson taught me so much.Here is the first sketch I did.Paulette suggests trying to draw faces straight on but I loved how this ladies side profile(from a magazine)looked and tried with her first.I traced the face on tracing paper first on this one.

Next I did a freehand lady sketch

This one is a freehand sketch of a young lady.I liked how her hair fell at the side.I've just fixed her eyebrows after I loaded her here as I had not realized they were lopsided till I put them on my blog LOL

The last one I did last evening and its also done freehand.Its from a magazine image and I was in awe at how symmetrical this ladies features were.I shaded areas as her true features are so fine and chiseled.

I'm off to do lesson two now which is making a background on canvas.After that we get taught how to put a portrait on the prepared canvas and paint it YICKS.Lesson three is posted on Tuesday(my time)so hopefully I will be caught up with the other class members by then :o)

My Class Has Begun and Is It A Scanner ??

I'm really excited as my on line class with Paulette Insall has just begun.I'll be learning how to draw and paint faces on canvas.Lesson one is downloaded but I'm madly making 50 faux glass mini houses to send for a swap that is nearly due so I can't look at the lesson yet WAH.I drew this a while back and it was on my blog but I deleted "that post" so here she is again.I will try to share my journey thru the class as I go.I'm hoping my ability to draw faces gets better and improves from this humble try....maybe she should be called "Eve".Oh my I have never really painted before so this is going to be very interesting to say the least.

My scanner/printer broke and I mentioned to my 13yr old son Tim that I had read some place that someone turned their old scanner into a light box.I then explained that you use a light box for tracing stencils as the light shone from underneath the glass so you could then see where to trace on the stencil.Tim loves making stuff and has draws full of Dick Smith bits and pieces.He went off into the bedroom with the old scanner/printer and came back half an hour later with my recycled but usable light box just for his Mum.

OMG I didn't realize my image is reflected on the glass above LOL.Tim put a new switch upper right and it runs on a 9Volt battery

That's how it looks with the light on...perfect

Woven Heart

Well I did sit here all day and make that woven heart from the post below.It has Fantasy Film and Angelina Film woven in several layers to make the heart and background plus Opals.Also there is Angelina hot fix fibres under the house and around the heart,a faux lead light window at front of the house,hand sewn on beads, and words at edges imprinted using metal stamps and a hammer.It's amazingly shimmery and glistens in the light.I was aiming for a woven heart to represent the interwoven united hearts of all Australians who have reached out from all the corners of our country to those devastated and those souls lost by the Feb 7 bush fires in Victorian.They call that day Black Saturday now.

Here is the faux glass window/door closed and a closer image of some of the detail on the front window

The woven heart from front before I stuck it down

and from the back

National Day Of Mourning

Today is Australia's National Day of Mourning to reflect on the devastating February 7, 2009 Victorian bush fires that engulfed parts of Victoria and sent us all here in Oz into a palpable deep sorrow for all those lost (209 and counting)human and animal lives,plants left like wilted burnt matches,crumbled chared homes,burnt crashed vehicles as people tried in vain to escape and for the survivors who's hearts and souls will be forever scorched.Millions of dollars has been donated to help but with my hubby still unable to heal and return to work for over a month now, I had nothing materialistic to give.I woke at 4am today and could not sleep so got up.I've had the last ten days off work and I have thought about you all in Victoria every day.
I've blogged before about the small child who drew for pleasure and believed fairies lived in her garden.She grew to be a shy caring,creative young woman.I even showed you some of her drawings from over 20 years ago.There was something else that young woman did when she felt alone and lost.She wrote little stories and poems that went with her drawings to record how she felt and why she created what she did.Well today when I could not go back to sleep,while my jug boiled and hissed,I thought about her.I have not been creative or even wanted to be for many weeks now.I recalled a survivor calling the deadly fire "the February Dragon"...the winds on that day were over a 100km per hour in some places and carried the fire with it.I imagined seeing what that person and many many others saw,as a huge racing beast from which no one had time to escape and these words fell out.....

THE FEBRUARY DRAGON
by Annette Husband
The February Dragon came over the mountains,across paddocks,down roads and hills
He was fast and furious and had a burning heart,stoked by the fires of Hell
The day turned to night,he opened his mouth and roared pure fire at all human,plant and beast
He engulfed them all in his hunger.Their homes,their hearts and bodies fueled his feast
Leaping with joy at the kaos he rode on the racing winds and laughed as he fed
Till the February Dragon had his fill,leaving the green brown land now black and the souls of Australia raw and red
We have all cried for the loss of life of men,women and child,for the creatures and plants that now lay scorched on the once beautiful land
From all corners of Australia we felt your pain.Our hearts interwove and we stretched out and cradled you in our hearts and hands
We will hold you all gently,we will listen,we will try to give you what you now need,we feel your pain and we stare the February Dragon in the eye
After the darkness there will be a shinning light,a strength in you all,you will rebuild homes,grow plants and a Nation will never forget the struggle,fear you felt and tears you cry
Know this February Dragon we will help them be stronger,to rebuild,to heal and your fiery Hell we will fight
February 7,2009 will not be forgotten.Australia will uplift,carry the broken,be one and unit!
Annette In Oz

There is something else that I hope to make today...I think I shall put the light on on my craft desk and make a beautiful heart...maybe a woven one to represent the united hearts of Australia.Hold your loved ones close,your heads high and be something for each other.