.JPG) |
| Big Red and Little Red; 8 x 10" stretched canvas, oils Linda's Little Head-A-Week Challenge #1 |
.JPG) | |
|
I gave myself and my plein air easel a rest while I finished Little Head #1 and started Little Head #2. It looks like it's off to a good start.
Painting small is very difficult for me; I give all of you who do a lot of credit. I paint like I sculpted--additive and subtractive--mostly subtractive. I like using rags along with brushes, laying in paint then wiping it out and laying in more as I work out the values. Little canvases require little rags--q-tips and fingers, dry brushes, lots of mineral spirits. This little challenge I've set up for myself, should make painting small easier--and I should think I will pick up speed--if I keep to my goal of 52 little heads by the second week in January 2014?
A note about my adventure with video. I didn't make the video and publish it with My YouTube without any intention of getting attention on the net. My YouTube is to videos as Picasa is to photos. You have a choice of how public you want your videos to be. I chose Unlisted. I wanted it on my blog only and opening an account with My YouTube was the only way I could add it to my post. That was not true three weeks ago.
When I posted the view of the Caribbean from our hotel balcony, the personal video was marked GoogleVideo, I do have a Google account as does every Blogger blogger. The Google account did not allow me to post. Google Video directed me to My YouTube. Google bought YouTube in 2005. It takes time to figure out how to use a new acquisition. It appears Google has figured it out. If I'm wrong, I would hope you would tell me. I like it when life is simple and one doesn't have to move out of one's comfort zone. I liked uploading my personal videos directly from my computer. Going through YouTube did make me a bit nervous, Paris Hilton I am not. So, in that interest...was it the nut behind the wheel? (I just uploaded the Cancun surf rolling in--after watching the upload percentage by percentage, I've got a blue screen with a play arrow and no picture of the beach. Will it magically appear when I hit publish)? Publish.
YES. IT DID! SO WHY DIDN'T IT? You know I won't be able to leave this alone.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like the beginning you've made on the second picture. It could almost stand as an image as it is. Lovely colour shapes in the first image. Keep us up to date with your burgeoning movie career. Tarantino eat your heart out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mick. I think the first painting, is probably overdone. Hopefully I can hold back on the second one and realize when it's done enough.
DeleteSo I uploaded the easel video on a new post, after publishing this post, o see what would happen. I got the same error box as I got on Sunday. Both videos are wmv. I don't get it. Why this one and not the easel one?
That is quite a challenge you have set for yourself - good luck. I think you are off to a great start!
ReplyDeleteNot really. I think a little head study a week is reasonable UNLESS it interferes with progress on the paintings I have in mind to do? I'm notlooking for high finish, just oil paint practice-- I'm still pretty new to it--and a reasonable likeness. Application and process are my interest.
DeleteI think both paintings are excellent with lots of life and movement - nothing stiff and contrived. Love the color flow in Big and Little Red and it easy for me to see how the sketch of CPK Kid will turn out.
ReplyDeleteregarding the videos - I admire you for venturing into that area and will follow with interest.
Thanks Julie. You are one of those accomplished small painters I admire. Working small makes me edgy. The close perimeters prohibit bold strokes; it's impossible to carry through as they say in tennis. --I like title better for the redheads. Thanks.
DeleteAs for video. Haven't you ever been curious about the video setting on your camera? That's what got me started. I imagine I might enjoy--and get carried away with a real video camera. In another life, I think I would have loved applying my artistic skills to special effects in films, but way back then who knew there was such a field? The movies were predominantly all westerns and gangster flicks. I have to check out our local art college to see if film is even on their curricula? Now,I'm not computer savvy enough--photo shop is a mystery. Meanwhile I'll probably continue to fool around when so moved.
Like your painting #1, looking forward to seeing what you do with #2, which does look good already. I know what you mean about comfort zones. The other day my laptop told me it needed to Recover (really) so being a non techy person I pressed Recover. No, BIG mistake. Turns out I lost ALL my photos and have to start all over again from fresh. Hohum what a blogger :(
ReplyDeleteOMG I'd die. I'm so sorry for your loss. A little dialogue box that kept appearing on my PC told me I was running out of memory. It really wasn't kidding. Had I kept adding photos haphazardly, my son said, the whole machine would wipe out. So he got me an external drive and ever since Thanksgiving, I have been working on cataloging my photos and documents in the external hard drive; I've got thousands more to sort, file or trash. Photos,and more so VIDEOS, take up an amazing amount of space. Unfortunately, we oldsters who didn't take computer classes, but learned on our own, have no idea how to operate the thing smartly. We learn by error. No fun at all. I probably need a new laptop. This one is about five years old?
DeleteHave you really lost them? In the high tech movies and TV shows, geeks can recover material. In real life investigations of politicians, every text and e-mail can be gotten and used again offenders. I got the feeling, nothing is really lost in cyberspace.
Wow, I can't keep up and I'm out of breath just reading what you are up to! Love the little heads, what a brilliant challenge to set yourself. And video...well you know what's next??? Video yourself painting!
ReplyDeleteNo I think I'll just concentrate on painting thanks. Honing my painting skills is all I can do. This past weekend was just me playing. I do occasionally like to fool around with something new and see what that's all about. Thanks. I think painting a little head a week and doing some bigger projects will take all the energy I have. My year is planned out.
Deletegreat little portraits...I am tuned in to see the next phases. As for the video--I love going to the ocean! thanks for the mini virtual vacation! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd my piggies were being washed in the surf. --so much for videos. Time to get back to what life is all about: art.
Delete