Next Project

I have a huge painting planned. It will be one of my biggest projects yet. Unfortunately, I'm talking about our marked up kitchen. It's long over due for a fresh coat of paint. Right now I'm actually kind of excited about it. These projects are so easy to plan and finish. I'm really struggling with my art right now and running short on ideas and motivation. Painting the kitchen will be a release of sorts.

Any inspiration you can offer would be welcome.

Project #3 - Self Portrait

“Self Portrait”
7x11 on paper

Materials: Graphite transfer paper, charcoal stick, charcoal pencil, black ink, brush


I started with a basic pencil drawing of me. The thing that really jumped out – man that guy has got a big head. …too bad that doesn’t equate to smarts. Once the drawing was complete, I utilized graphite transfer paper to copy the drawing to other sheets of paper. This enabled me to play around with different media and ideas. This can be an effective tool for experimenting without having to redo the sketch each time. Once the drawing was a reasonable likeness, I could use it over and over again.

You will find 3 examples above:
1 Original drawing used for transfer
2 Charcoal drawing
3 Brush and ink rendering

You are an artist.

Favorite Artist

One of my favorite artist is Bethanne Hill. She is a local artist who I've followed through various art shows over the years. She currently has a showing at the Hoover Public Library and is a must see. Her work (as is the case with most artist) must be seen in person to fully appreciate. I've included a link to give you a small sampling.

http://www.southernartistry.org/Bethanne_Hill

Pastel Paintings

These two pastel paintings have just sat unframed in my basement. A blog provides a great opportunity to do something with it. I wanted to post something while I struggled with the self portrait that was mentioned a few days ago.

Self Portrait

My brother has issued me a challenge : a self portrait

I have never done one and struggle with where to even begin. It seems kind of self indulgent, but an interesting challenge. Most of the great artist did some sort of self portrait and demonstrated various approaches. The fact that the subject matter will be me removes a great deal of the pressure. I knew immediately that my approach would not be conventional so don't be looking for a "likeness" of Matt.

I would entertain any suggestions. Charcoal drawing, pastel painting or mixed media?

Project #2

“The Color and Shape”
11x14 Construction paper cut out

Materials: Tinted charcoal paper, assorted construction paper, glue, scissors


It’s all about color and composition. The beauty of the paper cut out is the opportunity for trial and error. You begin by cutting and working with various arrangements. Once you have decided on the final design, you begin pasting the cutouts to your paper.

Try to mix cool and warm colors. The yellow and orange draw the eye while the cool blues provide the contrast.

Try to maintain the proper balance. Note that none of the shapes divide the work in half or are centered perfectly. This is more interesting to the eye. Also, I’m working here in threes which is more effective to the composition than pairs of shapes.

Technique: Using the paper cut out to express yourself can be very rewarding. It’s all imagination and a few simple design concepts.

You are an artist.

Project #1

“Circular Study”
5x7 Acrylic on illustration board

Acrylics: Gold, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow
Materials: Cling Wrap, Shelf Liner, Graphite Pencil, Brush

Cut your shape of choice into the shelf liner and stick to illustration board. Apply a heavy watered down coat of Gold acrylic. While still wet, cover the surface with a wrinkled layer of cling wrap. Let dry.

Remove cling wrap revealing a newly created pattern in gold. Randomly apply strokes of Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Yellow acrylic. Remove the shelf liner design and wash in color as desired. Bring out the edges in the design with the use of the graphite pencil.

Technique: Cling wrap and shelf liner can provide some interesting options in your contemporary compositions.

You are an artist.

Learning the tricks

This is a brand new header that I created at Picnik.com. It was amazing how easily I uploaded a pic, edited it the way I wanted it, and then added it to my blog. This could become addictive.