Oh Deer...

I have a show coming up next month at http://anthonytoepfer.com/ in Keene which is now affiliated with Monadnock Fine Art Gallery. The show opening will be June 17th. I'll post more information soon.

It is good timing too because when I am so busy with the "end of the year" stuff at my school and my own kids' school it is hard to keep making artwork. So this is pushing me to make some new pieces.

So here is the first new piece - one for the Kitsch Series.

Oh Deer!

8x10" 

Coloursofts on Fisher 400 paper mounted on Gatorboard

I can't seem to get enough of these flower pots from the 50's/60's. They are just so much fun. Thanks again to my friend Luann Udell for lending me this adorable ceramic pot. 

& thanks to Derwent for making the amazing color Lichen Green in the Coloursoft line which seems tobe  able to disguise itself as a dirty spring green and  a great shadowed yellow. 

CPSA 2011

I am happy to announce my piece Lasting Impressions got into this year's CPSA International Competition. I am really excited because it is my third to get in and will get me signature status this year.

As far as my computer issues - I am still without a real computer, but will have something to work with this week.

My past entries that got in are: 

Becca  http://www.imagekind.com/Contemplate-art?IMID=b9be6991-41a9-4b95-b0fb-999e7145d01e

& Diner Reflections http://www.imagekind.com/Diner-Reflections-art?IMID=0ebe81f7-79b2-4026-86f2-223536267c4f

The show will be at the 

Charles W. Eisemann Center

2351 Performance Drive

Richardson, TX 75082 

Jun 29-Jul 31

Publish Post

Computer Issues

Just wanted to let you all know that I am having computer issues and will be posting again shortly. I have been spending time backing things up before it dies completely and my husband is trying to piece me together a frankencomputer. 

Ageing

I'm still trucking along. Its spring break, but the kids are home so my work time is strange this week.



I realized the portrait was looking like the model but he was starting to look like an older incarnation of himself so I sent him off to the fountain of youth. Above right is the before picture and left is the after. I desaturated them so the differences in the color cast won't distract.   I spent a lot of time rounding his face more from all sides. and unsquaring his jaw. I also enlarged his irises and even thinned out his neck a little bit. Now if I could make people look younger in real life.

If you like this post, I wrote a post a while back on how to drop 5-10 years in your reference photographs: http://nicolecaulfieldfineart.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-drop-5-10-years.html

Rendering the Shirt

Today's sneak peek is the shirt. I started with just finding the lightest and darkest big shapes, then brought them closer together with a wash of a medium gray, then started adding details and hard edges. I'll leave it at this level until I get the other arm in and know exactly how it reads. Of course in the book I will give you more information than this - I don't want to spoil it! 

This portrait will be in the back of the book where I show how I put together a full portrait and what order I do things in. The previous chapters are: Supplies, Making A Reference Photograph/Drawing the Cartoon, Learning the 2 Step CP Technique, Proportions of the head, The Eyes in Detail, Other Features in Detail, Hands and Fabric. After these chapters will be full portrait WIP, some cropped in on the face and some further out like this one with all the supporting elements. 

All the titles of the chapters have not been made yet so these are just descriptions of what will be in those chapters. So far I have 3 chapters in good shape and I am starting the 4th! At the moment it is 60 pages at 6" x 9" - a good format for an book.