Printmaking

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

"Shining Through the Dark"

Woodcut print on rice paper

````````````````

Knock on Wood: Latest sneak peek

``````````````````````````````````````````

This a small look at my almost-finished painting.

My photo reference was an old family photo, like most of my others. As you can see from this bit, this painting is different, more sketchy, and the figures are suggested rather than fully defined. I'm excited to show you the whole piece! I should be posting it soon...

```````````````````

Cream and Sugar

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

My great-great grandma, Lily:

Grandma & Grandpa 

``````````````````````

Charcoal Drawing: Still Life

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

I did this charcoal drawing in my drawing workshop. This professor teaches an Academic, realistic form of drawing.

``````````````````

Sketching Possibilities

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

A small sketch...

I drew this quick sketch in pen and colored it with pencil. I used the same photo reference of my great-grandma that I used [ here ].

I'm considering making this into a painting, but I haven't quite made up my mind.

````````````````````` 

The Reveal: The Musician

``````````````````````````````````````````````````

Here is the almost-finished painting of my great-great grandpa. The portrait itself is finished, but I may add a little more to the background, probably a subtle framework. 

The black is India ink painted with a brush or drawn on with pen. I used acrylics for the highlights.

This painting is 32"x47."

``````````````````````````````

Practice Makes Perfect (or good enough)

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

I like to draw a few small portrait sketches before creating a "serious" drawing. 

These are pen sketches of my great-great grandma: 

At first I didn't like working with a pen, because I couldn't erase imperfections, and I couldn't blend as I would with pencil or charcoal, yet sometime during my college "career" I fell in love with the pen. I love the hatch marks that can be made, and it forces me to look very carefully at what I'm drawing. Each mark counts! If I make a mistake, I call it character. So it both encourages me to be careful with the marks that I make, and forces me to let go of my need for perfection.

`````````````````````