HOME | DD
arallsopp — Evey
Published: 2007-11-12 23:04:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 626; Favourites: 6; Downloads: 8
Redirect to original
Description
Ok. Go easy on me, and lend a hand wherever you can.After 15 years, 12 drawings, and a busy weekend, I've finally picked up a brush...
This is the result. Hopefully you'll recognise my Evey. I'm not overly enamoured with the result, but I do feel its a move in the direction I want to go.
Its based on my earlier biro sketch .
Time taken: 15 years, and about 55 mins.
There's another view of it (in context) here .
Related content
Comments: 35
"After 15 years, 12 drawings, and a busy weekend, I've finally picked up a brush..." what do you mean by 12 drawings?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Seems crazy I know, but at the time of writing, I'd only managed 12 drawings in the previous 15 years. They're all on here, and most are sketches.
I guess I just got myself into a space where creativity wasn't valued. After 10 years, my home life was in tatters, and a corporate existence was dominating my output.
After I met Evey, she uncovered an old sketch of mine, and asked why I wasn't still drawing. She gently nursed me back to a state where I could express myself properly, and all of my gallery is testament to her continued encouragement.
Evey is now my wife, and the baby in my recent works is our son. Although we're very busy trying to tend to his needs as well as each other, I'm still afforded a chance to draw. I'm really hoping to never go through another hiatus like that again, and with Evey's help, I never will.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
That's an impressive story. I mean you are damn good. I think if someone had encouraged you when you were younger you could be even better now.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thanks Nuno.
I know what you mean. I always avoid the first page of a sketch book because it feels to precious, too clean, too loaded with anticipation to get anything quite right. Canvas only comes in ones, so every one feels like the first page.
The way round this for me was when Evey bought me a pad of canvas textured paper. Straight onto page two, and begin the painting in acrylics
Its not too precious, and at the end of the day its not like its serious stuff.
I've no idea why I have to jump through these hoops to get myself going, but I've found what works for me so I thought I'd share it. I hope you're able to begin your painting soon, and look forward to seeing it here
Thanks again.
Andy.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I think it was a good start...there are allways things to push forward but that comes with time...the biggest step it is already done!!!i also need that first step...i have a white canvas in a canvas supporter for almost 3 years now and the only thing i have done was some small
scratches on it with a colored-pencil!!!
I hope that day comes in the near future...
Enjoy it as long as you can becouse you are on the good way!!!
Rock on m8 and good luck with the future paintings!!!
Sorry for my english!!!
[[[]]]
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Andy. Wow!!! I think it's great!
Proud you picked up a brush after such a long time! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks Patrick. You know its been a battle for me, so I really appreciate your encouragement.
I'm very pleased that you like the piece. I'm learning loads from dA and there are bits that I'd already change if I did it again. Still, it stands as an attempt and will hopefully give a record of my improvement.
I'll keep sketching (I'm not going to let that go now) but I hope to be doing more painting as soon as I can. The only issue is I find it really hard in anything other than daylight, and we're just not getting enough of it
Thanks again.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome Andy!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You're kick start is definitely a good one - I love the colours and the way you build your character up.
It looks a little melancholic - her right side is a tad too dark for the rest of it, but I love the rawness in it.
Very beautiful, emotional piece.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks for this bluemoon.
I'm really glad I've been able to retain some character. Evey says that she wasn't sad, but awestruck and a little vulnerable about the miracle growing inside her.
I think I got the expression better in the earlier sketch, but am growing to like this piece.
Thanks again for your comment.
Enjoy Illinois.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Its beautiful, very energetic and moving and i love the autumn colours you have used too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks Bex. Your ongoing support of my efforts is much appreciated.
I'm glad its come across as energetic, because it was so stilted in its creation.
...and that's not even including the 15 year start/stop approach to almost picking up a brush
For an insight into the creation process, well, see the post above
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
love love love this.
Love your style, love that you were making little whimpering noises when you were painting it, love that you were shouting at the canvass, love that you ran away and hid when I counted to ten to open my eyes and see it, love that you see me in green.
love you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hi darling.
Above everything else I've done here, I'm really glad you like this piece.
You know what a struggle it was to start, and its you that has had to suffer my odd moods whilst I wrestled for excuses not to do it.
A relationship with you (and I'm counting Edward in that) is the best thing I ever made, and if you feel just 1% of that coming through, then I'm a happy man.
Thanks for sharing (all my dirty secrets
Husband.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Nice job! I like the colors you used. Reminds me of autumn.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks for this. Autumn is her favourite part of the year and I'm sure there's an analogy in there somewhere
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
also it seems to help if you keep your brightest color in the halftones that occur just before the plane turns into the shadows..
Just some random stuff that seems to help me with color... really you just have to figure out what works for you..
I cant remember which master stated this... but when asked what makes a great artist he said "500 paintings".
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh dear. You'll have to work with me on this one. I am truly grateful for your taking the time to help me, and am sorry I'm yielding so little comprehension.
I'm looking at your untitled piece, which has really pulled off what I was aiming for here. What I'm not yet understanding is how you do it. Hopefully this will be uncovered in the early part of the next 499 paintings
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ha good luck.. Ive got to be on around 150 paintings by now and I still dont have a clue
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Not bad at all for your first time out with a brush in 15 years. Some suggestions... make sure that the color follows the natural structural planes of the face. (ie color on the left temple area is running horizontal and not really describing the face moving away from the viewer. Second.. you can describe the planes of the face not just by changing the VALUE of the color.. but also by changing the TEMPERATURE.. ie.. as flesh moves away from the light.. it can become not darker... but just more neutral.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions Jeanine
You know I admire your control of colour, and the way you can see and record form. Its great to be able to get your input on this
Right. Let's see... Colour following the structural planes. Yes. There's definitely something amiss there. I struggled a lot with the left (her right) cheek and temple, grateful for the way that paint allows us to obscure previous attempts (some were truly awful), but never quite pinning why it wasn't working. This side of the piece doesn't really inform about the structure of her face, and this is something I'll have to watch. A lot of the problems I was having are to do with using pigment rather than monochrome pencil. Time and time again I'd want to slightly darken a part of her face that was showing as a too bright buff, only to find that I'd brushed a dark olive green across it. Must remember what is on the end of the brush!
Ok. The temperature of the colour. Hmmm... Now this is something I'd never thought of. My colour theory is way out of its depth here... Let me go google for a sec...
[5 minutes pass]
Oh goodness. Nope. That didn't help. I'm lost in a world presided by Messrs Planck and Kelvin! Ok. Am trying again... More neutral. Right. So, rather than show shadow by adding slashes of brown and green, I could be mix the colour to have a little less hue. Hmmm.. I know what I mean, I'm not sure I'm communicating it though. Goodness. My understanding of language doesn't seem equipped for this. Sorry I'm being so lame. Got anything you can point me at?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
See my reply to this on my underpainting image...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
you know, this is really, really good, especially considering that you haven't picked up a brush in 15 years - it's really well done, quite harsh in places, soft in others which creates a nice balance, and your colours are lovely, that whole right side of the painting is really effective in converying the form of the cheekbone and the area surrounding the eye, and the very bright yellow of the hair actually works really well in bringing those areas out and generally adding a warmth to the whole face.
really, really nicely done.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aw shucks
Thanks for posting this mate. I've got to say, I was a little afraid of coming back here to see what comments had been made. My worst fear was probably none, so I'm actually quite enthused.
Gotta love dA
I'm very glad that you like the colours, as I had a real battle with them. You're in the UK, so you'll appreciate that being at work from 9-6, with an hour's commute on either end rather precludes accessing any kind of natural light. Apart from the ceiling halogens in every room, my place has one table lamp with a tungsten bulb. As such, lighting the room is often just a choice of 'how bright orange should this be?'
I too prefer the right side of the piece. The light was stronger here (she was sat on the table next to the lamp) so I found it a lot easier to read. As a whole, its growing on me now, and I'm actually beginning to look forward to the weekend when I'll see it in daylight
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
i have the exact same issue with painting at the moment, i actually haven't painted in a few weeks because i get hoem at night, and it's dark, and no lightbulb in existence you can have in your home is a proper substitute for daylight, with the consequence that at this time of year i invariably paint in black and white, or just don't paint at all, rather than paint something, think it looks great and then see it in daylight and the colours are all completely different.
yeah, this time of year, weekends are the best time to paint. it's a lot more productive than trying to get anything done at nights - that's if you're actually able to say 'i'm going to paint this weekend' and follow through with it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I hear you. I'm working through my frustrations in pencil now, as at least graphite stays the same colour under halogens, fluorescent tubes, daylight.
Mind you... you should see the paper. Cream, white, blue, green even.... Why on earth weren't humans created with an adjustable white balance. Evolution really short changed us artists...
Its probably our own fault for trying to be comfortable and portable with our work. If we were real artists we'd be clinging to the underside of a cathedral ceiling inches from the fresco, never having to wonder about what it would look like if we took the piece outside
This weekend I'm going to try to get the house, mind and soul a bit closer to ready for our little one's arrival, so look out for some black and white pieces coming from me
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
i'm kind of glad we don't have to resort to laying on our backs and painting frescos on chuirch cielings - although it's probably better for your posture than being huddled over a desk and squinting in artificial light.
hospitals always seem to have pretty good light, but i think it'd be taking it to extremes to go and paint in hospitals at night just so you could have a reliable light source
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
We're doing it all wrong.... What we need to do it join forces and open a winter gallery in the UK that only uses artificial light. Artists could submit work, giving a guideline such as "done under halogens (est 3200K)" and we could recreate the relevant viewing experience in a booth around the piece
It even reduces the risk of art theft, as the works would be less attractive as soon as they are removed from the gallery.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
(Andy is hiding until he works out whether 'far out' is a good thing or not)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You know, "far out". It's synonymous with "wild" or
"crazy" or "it blows my mind" or "my god, it's full of stars!"
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
(Andy nods gratefully in Divine-Right's direction and crawls back out of his hole.)
I'm really glad you like this. I'm battling like hell with paint right now, and am currently hiding from all things pigmented. Still, its good to know I got one good piece out there before the meltdown
👍: 0 ⏩: 0