I don’t have much to say lately… So instead of me rambling about nothing of great importance, you can watch me draw a Red-wing Blackbird.
This drawing was my piece for this month’s #BirdWhisperer project. Red-Wing measures 9 x 9 inches, graphite and color pencil on Bristol paper. He has a new home in New York.
I told myself I wasn’t going to create any art for Month of Love, a weekly challenge in February, created by artist Kristina Carroll (she also runs Month of Fear in October–another addictive challenge). This is my busiest time of year. It’s essential I focus. My mistake was taking a peek at the challenges/themes for this year’s event. I thought, I’ll just take a look. Looking doesn’t hurt….
Said no artist, ever…
Ripley for Month of Love
Month of Love (and its counterpart) are hosted through Tumblr. Click on the image above to read my official blurb. Below are some snippets from the creative process.
Graphite Pencils, Charcoal Pencils, Charcoal Stick and a Kneadable Eraser
Ripley is Graphite and Charcoal on 9 x 12 inch acid free drawing paper. It would have been nice if I’d had some charcoal powder on hand, but I made do with a stick I borrowed from my daughter’s supplies. I haven’t worked with charcoal since my college days. It was fun and messy! Working with the stick also turned out to be the better option as it gives the drawing an organic rawness that would have been absent with the powder.
I worked on the drawing over the course of two days. On one of those days this was all I worked on. Now it’s time for me to get back to work on my personal project. I have my first exhibit of 2016 coming up next month! Details to come soon…
http://www.amandamakepeace.com
http://makepeacearts.tumblr.com
You may have noticed I like birds. My friend and artist, Melissa Gay, also likes birds. You might call us bird whispers! We both have our own unique approach to depicting these feathered creatures. What if we created a work of art from the same reference photo? How similar or dissimilar would be they? I thought it might be fun to find out and Melissa agreed!
Here’s a stock image of a Gyrfalcon I found on DeviantArt. We both took a few days to create our piece of art and then without even showing one another, we posted them on Facebook.
Same bird. Different art. Completely different vibe!
Melissa and I enjoyed this little experiment so much that we’ve decided to repeat it once a month. If you follow us on Facebook, be on the look out for our posts around this same time each month. You can also find our posts using the hashtag #birdwhisperer.
Amanda on Facebook – Melissa on Facebook
You can see more of Melissa’s art at www.melissagay.com.
“Some of my kin look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers. But some of my trees are limb-lithe, and many can talk to me.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
Tolkien’s Ents have always been a favorite of mine. I suppose that’s not too surprising if you know me well enough. If given the opportunity I’d spend an entire day roaming the woods. I only wish our forests were protected by such magnificent beings.
I created this shepherd specifically for the EBSQ Inspired by Tolkien exhibit. If you like him, click the LIKE button here: http://www.ebsqart.com/Art-Shows/Exhibits/Tolkien/429/1/
One might think drawing is the first step toward a painting, but for me at least, the first step is a ton of thinking. I’ve always been a thinker. Looking back, I think some of my thinking as a child was misinterpreted as shyness. I wasn’t always quiet because I was shy. I was quiet because I was thinking, observing, mulling, and creating. These days I do have my moments, especially if I’m with family or friends, but for the most part I’m still a quiet person. It may not be best habit in the world, but while other artists are working on a gazillion thumbnails on paper, I’m mapping them out in my head. Like I said, not the best habit.
This week I’ve been getting back to work on a personal piece I’ve had planned for months. I took the reference photo for the painting in February, but I’d been mapping it out in my head months before I finally had my daughter pose for the shot. In March, I created a quick sketch to include in my sketchbook Daydreams & Wanderings. Yesterday, I began work on the drawing I will later scan for the painting.
I don’t recall how the idea developed. So many of my painting ideas come from fleeting thoughts or things I’ve seen. I’ll jot down an idea in words first, which seems to lock the image in my head for later. Initially I named this idea Her Bones. What you can’t see in any of these images (because it’s in my head!) are the bones surrounding and laying beneath this young woman.
These bones are her tools of divination. She is The Bone Oracle.The drawing is still in the early phase. I have a lot to develop before I have her where I want her. Follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on her progress!
I’m in the zone right now. The one where I don’t want to stop painting. I don’t want to do anything that will disrupt my rhythm. I imagine all creative people experience it and the torture when they do have to stop. That drive to create is always there, even when I’m tired. Last night, after clearing a couple TV shows off our DVR, I headed back upstairs to paint just a bit more before bed. But that never happened. Instead, at ten o’clock in the evening I gave my daughter a drawing lesson. In the last year she’s begun drawing more and more and showing signs that she’s inherited the artist gene from her mother and grandmother. I always try to make the time to show her how I do things not because I’m her mother, but because it’s the right thing to do for any young creative person. So when she asked me last night if I’d show her how I draw a tiger, I said of course.
