Monday 3 October 2022

LifeBook23 and a Garden Newsflash

Hello Friends! 

I started the Life Book 2023 taster sessions. There are a lot of lessons offered every day, from different artists who are guest lecturers, so it's a case of pick and choose which ones appeal the most. Or in some cases, the ones that I have the time to do.

Some of the lessons appear to be very short in length, however, for a novice artist there's a lot of stop and pause the video to catch up on the piece you are working on. The professional artists can work at speed. I cannot. I would guess that for every hour of video clip I watch, I'm doing at least two or even three hours work.

I chose to do Tamara Laporte's Blessings of a Feather. I decided to quit while I was ahead. I made the mistake of pausing the video to work on an area and I blithely carried on working forgetting to turn the video back on. It just kept getting darker and darker. I reached a point where I thought if I don't stop now, I might just as well rip it up.  My spatters aren't perfect by a long way. They're not as easy as you'd think they are. It's all about getting the paint to the right, consistency, and then having the courage to shake the brush by tapping it against your hand over the painting to get all the lovely spatters. It's also all about knowing when to stop. I'm getting there.


Next I did, in the style of Toni Burt, "Memories". I enjoyed this immensely and took what I learned from the lesson and applied it to one of my favourite arch combinations in the Bishops Palace, St Davids. Drawn from my own original photograph.


Then began the dry spell and nothing grabbed my attention in LifeBook for a few days. All the lessons were way too long for me to think about doing. I was given a big bag of pumpkins the other morning. So inspired by one of them, this is my art for today.  Acrylic "watered down" with gel medium.  I really should have put something in to give it a bit more context. But I was tired. And ready for bed.


Something I'd like to share with you is the importance of lighting in your photography. This is the first first photograph I took of my painted pumpkin.  It's hard to think that the photo above and the photo below are of photographs of the same image.


It was taken in the evening under electric light with a flash. The one above was taken the following morning in daylight with no flash, the difference is incredible. The one taken in natural daylight without the flash is by far the better photograph and represents better represents the pumpkin painting. The second one taken under electric light is flat and the colour is completely different. It is nothing like the original painting. The following photograph closeup shows the shading. There wasn't a lot of shading on it in the original reference photo, and this is reflected in my painting as I tried to remain true to the original photograph.


Reference photo.


This is as far as I can take Andrea Gomoll Wunsche's lesson "In Tune With The Moon" because I don't have a printer and her finished piece includes printed text. At some point I can handwrite everything out and finish it. I found it didn't work out well using acrylic paints but it was a decision made because I have a lot of white acrylic paint, and I'm getting low on watercolour. However, it was drying out far too quickly and didn't blend as good as I would like it to. Still, it's a learning curve.


Song of the Selkie in the style of Lucy Brydon I really got a lot out of this lesson. Painting skin tones in greens and blues was quite a challenge as I've only just started painting portraits a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed this lesson immensely. I've learned quite a lot as well.


At the moment I'm at a grinding halt with LifeBook, which in general is not appealing to me at all. I have enjoyed doing the pieces that I have shared in this blog. It is my intention to pursue those further. I have seen two other guest lecturers work that, again, I would like to pursue but each one will take me a full day of sitting at my art table, and at the moment I just don't have that kind of time to spare. It is a shame they are presented so intensely for a taster session. Speaking to my fellow artists, there are many of us who share this opinion.

I still have lessons by the following artists that I'm hoping to complete. Melanie Rivers. Ida Lang Anderson. Tiare Smith. There are two or three others, but I can't remember their names right now. We also have another the week to run on this taster session, so I'm sure there will be a few more names added to my list.

!!!NEWSFLASH!!!

I am hoping that I have found somebody to come in and help me with the garden. We have a volunteer group here called the Befrienders who help people who need help They might do things like shopping, or they might do telephone befriending, or they might just pop in and have a chat and a cup of tea You put your request forward to them, and if they've got somebody interested or able to help you, they come to your aid.  I asked them if they had anybody who might be able to come in and help me clear and tidy up my garden, because to be honest, since my diagnosis, the garden has run away with me. I am quite ashamed of the state it is in and hope that with the help of these kind people I can get it back in some sort of semblance of order, if nothing more than getting it tidied up to put it to bed for the winter. And productive, of course.
 
Until next time.
Stay safe. Stay well.
Debbie. xo

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful creative work - the arch one is just wonderful. Having said that I loved them all for different reasons. Interesting the difference light makes as you show in your photos of the pumpkin paintings.

    That is great news about the garden and I hope they can help you get the garden into better shape.

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    1. Ragged Robin, thank you. Yes, it's amazing the difference the lighting makes, one is flat and uninteresting and the other one has more 3D to it.

      It is good news about the garden. It'll just be basically helping me tidy it up for the winter now and it's up to them how much or how little they want to do. It's not going to be a regular thing, apparently, because of it being voluntary.

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  2. What a difference natural light made to your beautiful pumpkin painting. LOVED the feather - well, loved them all actually. A shame many of the other videos are so long and time-consuming. I am sure you would love to do art all day but there are always other calls on your time. Glad you got something from each of the different styles though.

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    1. Thank you Bovey Belle. Yes, it is a shame some of them are so long. One of them on its own would have taken me over 6 hours. And they're supposed to be taster sessions. I would love to sit and do art all day long, believe me. I would also love to be able to sell some work. Who wouldn't? It would be wonderful to earn an income doing something you really love.

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  3. I'm so glad you have found someone to help with the garden. I wish I could find something similar -- I have a lot to do when I get home and I'm not much looking forward to any of it, recovery being slow! I love the art you shared here. I've been enjoying Este MacLeod's color challenges for September and there are a few tutorials in my head I'd like to do but mostly I like to try to do my own thing. You are so right about the natural light and the difference it makes in the photos. And the spatters -- I love how they look but they are very easy to get wrong! Thanks for coming by recently, too!

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    1. Thank you, Jeanie. Yes, it seems to be the season of tutorials and such now, doesn't it? I've lost count of how many 'tobers there are!! I am slowly figuring out ways to do spatters successfully. I think if I'm going to get the tutorials done that I would like to but haven't got time right now I'm going to have to take an hour or so and work my way through the list, making notes and taking screen captures so I can do them at my own pace later.

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  4. What lovely art you are creating, my friend. Lighting makes such a difference in all areas of life doesn't it, Deb? I've learned that in my photography over the years as well as home lighting. As I've said before, I see a happiness in your work that is lovely to view.
    Befrienders sounds like a wonderful group! I'm so glad to hear you have been in touch with them and they will come to help. Take care of yourself. xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Martha Ellen. I should have realised sooner about the lighting on my photography, but somehow it just jumped out at me with this particular painting. It's very noticeable indeed. My painting does indeed bring me great happiness. I plan to keep on with it as long as I possibly can. Have a good evening. xoxo

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  5. What wonderful artwork you have done, my friend. I love the feather. The colors are beautiful. The difference between the pumpkin photos because of the lighting is amazing. The second one just "pops" and seems to have depth. The archway is so pretty. I think the moon painting came out very well. I find so much to see in it. The Selkie one is gorgeous. To not only be able to do a human face, but to add a seal's face done so well, You have come so far and learned so much. It's awesome.

    And I am happy you were able to find someone to help you with the garden. I hope you are able to get all done that you want this season.

    Love and hugs,
    Darlene

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    1. Thank you, my friend. Yes, I was totally amazed at the difference the lighting makes. It is incredible, isn't it? I nearly didn't do the Selkie, but to be honest, the seal's face was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. These lessons break things down so that you don't have to be terrified of drawing them. As one friend says, it's hard to believe I've only just started in the last few weeks doing portraits.
      As for the garden, they won't be doing everything. And it's not a long term thing, apparently, because it's all voluntary.
      Sending love and hugs your way. xoxo.

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  6. I like the moon image - Good look with the garden helper.

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    1. Thank you, Sue. The moon image is supposed to have printable text on it, but I don't have a printer.
      Yes, the garden help went very, very well. I am hopeful that next summer it will be productive once more.

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  7. Just love the feather (the others too). Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog too. I'll be back :-)

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    1. Thank you Wessex Reiver. I normally don't write so much about art it's usually about my garden or my rambles out in the countryside which are unfortunately temporarily curtailed. Look forward to reading your blog in the future.

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  8. Love the beautiful artwork 👍👍
    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you Veronica Lee for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed my paintings.

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