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China Doll Well this was a real slug fest.  I almost quit her 3-4 times but decided I had invested so much time and energy I was going to add some collage, some facial paint and let it go as it was.  This is for a challenge with the word prompt steam punk.   I have seen steam punk photos, (this is from Michael Cain) but really didn't get it.  But it has conventions with a pretty big following and lots of people really enjoy it, so ... It started out as a trial because I used some paper from the company that used to make Kitty Wallace paper (that was supposed to be the best paper).  It is sanded and while I have tried it before, I didn't like it then, so thought I'd try it again.   Still don't like it.  But started going forward with my pan pastels and was doing pretty well and realized I made her nose way toooooo long.   But I was pretty well down the path so lengthened some more things and moved onward.  Got most of the face in and af...

Sunbathing Still working on pastel and experimenting with color block and bolder skin tones.   I wanted to work larger, so this is 16"x20".   Since I don't have pastel paper that size I decided to try painting it in that technique I had used for pastels.   It really didn't work out the way I imagined.   So experiment time began. I was working on hot press watercolor block and after I blocked in all colors I added a layer of clear gesso.  Now I thought I would be set up for working with pastel.  It buckled a bit, was not too much.  So I then began to add similar colors to the darker underpainting and I was off.   Now I know there is a lot of color and not sure I would go again with this palette, but I think it is interesting.  I was worried about the hair but think it actually turned out ok.     While I worked with a posterized palette I ended up not using the reference and tended to add different colors into the wide ...

STUDIO ORGANIZATION REVEAL Yesterday I was Miss Build It, and I assembled the organizational furniture for the art room.  Just me, a wooden hammer, and a couple of wrenches was all it took.  I felt pretty fortunate to find both of these, which think will fulfill my needs and was able to do it for under $100.   Both are quite lightweight.  No particle board or formaldehyde either.   I have been searching on and off now for a couple of years to find something to help me keep better organized.   But it really has been a pity to see how flimsy the plastic storage is and how much they want for it.  Seems there was nothing between plastic and heavier furniture.  I have art tuff, I just never can find it, even in my crates I forget what I got.  I have limited horizontal space where I paint and really want to use it when I am painting.   So had to find a place to stash the junk that was preventing that.  Also time to throw out ...

Straw Hat Got to say that the heat here has finally broken and I got to tell you it really changes my disposition.   Do you hear my husband clapping?   Anyway It really shouldn't be mid 90s in October.   Still no rain, but at least we can come and go outside without fainting. So, I guess that has kind of encouraged me to get on an art roll.   Got lots of ideas, am making GIMP do some work for me and actually getting some results that I think I can repeat.  Also broke out a set of Gallery pastels that I have had hoarded for years, the Sennilers are next on the agenda.   Tomorrow I am getting some things I ordered that should help organize my studio.  Have threatened to do for for a while and didn't spend the money.   But found some things (a plastic cube system with doors that you can make open any way you want, a rolling tray cart, that can function like drawers but is much lighter than all that fake-wood furniture) reasonably that I th...

The Future Well am doing the happy dance.  This is my second attempt at visitation by posterizing the picture.    I have been try8ing to learn how to do GIMP and figured out how to do that and take a color picture to gray tones.  Minimizing the number of gray tones also help to better see tones.  I actually took the colored reference and postruized ti down to 5 tones, but ended up having to add a few extra to get the look I was going for. This is pastel and I tried going with pastel mat.  I have worked on the pastel mat previously and wasn't super happy with it.   You just can't blend as well - at least not initially.   But the good news is that it doesn't dust everything and does hold lots of layers. Thanks much for stopping by and taking a look.