adelia ~ watercolors, gouache, colored pencils & oil pastels on old paperadelia is the last gentle soul to grace one of these cards... i've got a few blank cards ready, but i've felt no urge to paint on them. i've painted a few faces in a watercolor journal that are the complete opposite of these, and i got a new 4" x 6" stillman and birn journal earlier this week that i'm working in, but nothing on the cards!
after i drew adelia she seemed so stark - i was seriously tempted to put some hair on her, but the inner voice was not in agreement. as i painted her such a sweetness came into her eyes that it surprised me, lol, the one painting her. it really made me stop and think about how little the analytical (she-needs-hair) mind knows...
the front and back of the pocket moleskine i just finished. i call these small journals my 'daily books' because i usually do something in them every day. and it's where i put all of the pogo prints... that's a pogo print of lunette on the back. it's really addictive to make pogo prints of your artwork... ; )
prismacolor pencils in pocket moleskineone thing that i'd never done before is draw a face and only color (what i thought would be) the highlighted areas with white. then add color for lips, eyes, cheeks, etc, but not color the skin in all the way. these pics aren't great so you really can't even see what i'm talking about, but in person you can. they have a lot more 'movement' than faces with all of the skin colored in. (obviously this is not gonna work if you're using white paper, but you could do the opposite and only shade the darker areas while leaving the rest white)
prismacolor pencils in pocket moleskineagain, not a very good pic, but more practicing. besides the highlighting thing i fooled around with different kinds of eyes and lips - i learn a lot by doing these faces. they don't take long and if you don't like something you can (more or less) erase it and try a different way.
prismacolor pencils in pocket moleskineanother thing that i really like to do is not draw the outline of the face in until i'm finished with the eyes, nose and mouth. i've learned a lot about the relationship of the mouth, nose, and eyes to each other by drawing them without the hair and outline of the head.
just in case any of that might be helpful to fellow aspiring face painters. i know that i'm always looking for tips that can give me insight into what makes a face 'work'. and now onward to my next daily book, which is the stillman and birn journal...
XO
OH Lynne, you sure do know how to make a face "work"! Love all of these photo's and I still havent used my pogo yet. Hoping for a mild weekend, and outdoors I will go, camera in hand. Thank you for your always inspiring posts. xo
ReplyDeleteI received a pogo for Christmas and can hardly wait to use it...just capturing small photos of my works is a wonderful breaking in point. I realize that the beautiful woman is sweetly smiling without her hair...perhaps a lot like my friend in recovery from her breast cancer. I love these gentle women and as I have said before I would love to see them in a small book...for possible purchase. They are poetic and so authentic. You bless me. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
ReplyDeleteHi Lynne u know i love it when u tell us what they say to u lol otherwise i have to guess but i like that too lol love Adelia shes perfect and has no need of hair ..
ReplyDeletehugz bev
Adelia is the most precious, endearing being. I love her completely...any hair at all would have diminished her essence.
ReplyDeleteI say this after 6 hours spent on my Mia's dreadlocks. I am for being bald. Orr at least gray and uncombed.
I love you Lynne!
and the visible text...continued to live...not prevented...perfection.
I am astounded and overly-joyed.
♥♥♥
Adelia is francis's one and only child. She's go be the last if her kind. Androgyns that were able to have unisexual births. Their off springs would regenerate if you wish. But then the forests n waters became polluted and their spirit world took shelter in cube to small to allow for freedom and their spirits became stale and aging muturing excellerated n the grew too old before the new cells could form and regenerate. Adelia voice silenced as she stood alone reaching out to her sister to bring her up to their circle and complete the generation and sleep the sleep of a thousand dreams. And what is a pogo. Xox ani. She is sadly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAdelia is precious. She reminds me of a very good friend of mine who lost her hair during her chemo treatments. When her hair grew in again she was surprised to have curls, something she had always wanted.
ReplyDeleteLynne, thank you so much for all that you share. I am generally a creepy lurker in the background gazing with awe and inspiration on the people you bring to life, but I thought I would slink out tonight, and tell you how very much a quiet lurker appreciates what you share.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
I just adore all of your beautiful faces! Thank you for sharing so much wonderful information!
ReplyDeleteAdelia is perfection. What a beautiful contemplative face. Have fun with your new book. ox
ReplyDeleteI ADORE all of your faces Lynne. I've never encountered another artist who has such ability to capture so much expression within so few lines and yet feel so complete and full. I think you capture so much emotion in your faces, every one you've made twists at my heart strings as tho I should know each of them in some way. Ever since I discovered your blog I come visit often. I get excited when I see you've posted a new creation. I've made it a goal for 2012 to be braver with creating faces which is something I am striving to become more comfortable with. Your work has become a constant inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAdelia - oh so wistful x
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Lynne! Adelia is really a sensitive soul spark. Thanks for bringing her into focus. And, what a great way to use the small moleskin. That yellowish paper, though it feels nice, always put me off as the slight color bothered me. Now, I can see how helpful it would be to use white on it to build a face.
ReplyDeleteI noted two things immediately: you followed your inner voice (yes!), and Picasso is sitting on the Moleskin (I like you faces much more than his -- haha!
ReplyDeleteLove, C.
there you go again, inspiring me! love the drawings in moleskine and now where did i put my pogo?
ReplyDeletelove francis and adelia!
So glad you listened to your inner voice, Lynne. Adelia is perfect just the way she is.
ReplyDeletethere is something so wonderfully personal about your faces. it is so much fun to see them evolve and change. I like the new minimalist ones, so delicate and it seems the personality comes out even more.
ReplyDeletethanks as always for sharing what you learn. and I love that you always follow your instincts, the still small voice. this is the greatest secret. and yes, the heart knows more than the head on so many occasions.
oooh, i love her! i had to add my little voice!
ReplyDeleteThis same thing happened to me with the face i called "L'Inconnue" who, besides not having hair, had a sort of bump on her head.....i thought that i should garnish her poor little skull with shiny glorious hair but in the end went with my inner quiet voice..i love her that way
thank you for all that you wrote here, plenty to think about.
♥♥♥
adelia is lovely
ReplyDeletei also love drawing a faces features and then letting the shape of the face present itself
so interesting to hear the things you explore with your art, love that
beautifully bald! ur faces always work for me.....i keep thinking about what u wrote about our heart lights shining....i so love that xox
ReplyDeleteAdelia is beautiful! So very lovely!
ReplyDeleteWhen I get surprised by thoughts or art-soul decisions as I am working, I know that I am just a vehicle of what is being created. How humbled and grateful I become when I am allowed to experience that. I love that Adelia let you feel that wonder as you put her onto paper...
ReplyDeleteHave I told you lately that your work as an artist moves my heart ?
Happy Monday, my Artist Friend !
i have no idea what a pogo is, but i plan on looking into it. :-)
ReplyDeleteLynne, your work is SO inspirational... i plan on visiting often, to absorb all the beauty of your portraits (and ANY other art you produce!)
So glad i found your blog. :-)
Happy new year.
xoxo
oh my dear, your faces..."work" ... oh yes they do... xoxo
ReplyDeleteAdelia looks like an androgynous garden nymph to me and I think she's looking rather stern - maybe because she's sad - maybe because we aren't taking such good care of our planet :-(
ReplyDeleteLynne - you are such an inspiration. I love all your amazing faces - the variety of emotions you convey is remarkable.
Thanks for all the (art) tips too!
hi lynne,
ReplyDeletei think i'm not reading your blog carefully - because i am dying to know what a pogo print is. i'm sure this question makes me sound beyond ridiculous, so i'll come back and delete my comment after you see it :)
xxa
Lots of great faces here...Adelia immediately made me think of one of my older sisters who had breast cancer a couple of years ago. She is a thriving survivor. She actually looked beautiful bald...she would not go without her wig, but when I did see her without it, she was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteALL of the pretty faces here just looks so sweet and delicate. I like to start faces without outlining them too. I did a painting once where I painted red eyeglasses only and then went from there. It's actually my favorite painting so far...I posted it on my recap of 2011 post if you want to look...in the month of May I think.
Thanks for all the tips you give and gave here...Like Amy I have no clue what a pogo print is either, but after seeing beautiful Lunette as a pogo...I am curious. Are they those little card prints you sent in your package? Those are awesome if that's what a pogo print is.
You are so smart to listen to your heart instead of your head--that can be so hard to do. Adelia does have a beautiful sweetness in her eyes. There's something very magical about seeing your books held in your hands--the tiny preciousness of them!
ReplyDeletehum....guess I don't know how to leave a comment...I'll try it again.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and I really like your art. I am starting to learn about watercolor and the best thing I'm learning is that I can use it in any way that I want.
I also would like my name "in the hat" for your give away. Thank you very much.
Karen stitcherdude@yahoo.com