Process for "IF: Focused"

I thought I'd post some process pictures for this week's IF piece.  I like seeing other artists' process posts, so maybe mine will be of use to somebody.

First, I drew a few different thumbnails of ideas in my sketchbook, then I went straight into Painter and drew a rough sketch.

After getting the composition worked out, I went back and changed the size of the camera lens to emphasize this week's theme:

The rough drawing was turned into a transparent layer.  I then picked out my colour palette and created all of my paint layers.  (Each element in the image was divided into several layers.)

  From there, it was a matter of creating texture and depth to each layer using the dry chalk, pastel, and airbrush tools.  I also brought in a photographed texture for the floor.  I love Painter and all of the art materials available in it!

A Website!

Lately, I have been feeling envious of all of you awesome artists and illustrators out there, not only for your fancy talent but for your fancy portfolio websites!  With the new year, I am pushing myself out of my 'shy' comfort zone and am focusing on getting my work out into the world.  It has always been my dream to be a freelance illustrator, particularly in children's publishing (like many of you), and I finally just asked myself one day, "what are you waiting for?"  Last fall, I attended an illustrators conference for my local chapter of the SCBWI, and received much encouragement from the wonderful people there.  I've officially decided to follow my heart! 
 

So, I am very proud to announce:

www.alissastaples.com is officially open!! 

I also painted up a little logo to put on my letterheads for illustration-related correspondence.  The subject matter came easily:

I know that the road ahead is long, but is so totally worth the effort.  Thanks for your support thus far, and I'll keep you posted as my journey develops!

A Confession About Scribbles

In case you didn't know, my art process is slowww. I keep thinking that I am suffering from a creative block, and that I'll become more prolific once I overcome said block. However, I've been trying to master my process for over a decade and a half, and so far, um, still "blocked"! I'm starting to think that for me, personally, art just doesn't work that way. My inner painter does what she wants, when she wants, and however she wants it done!

Any form of discipline or schedule causes my inspiration to flee almost instantly. Seriously, I've tried. Oh lord, have I tried. I love reading about drawing or sketching every day, working out a system to create a sketches of a finished piece, then following through the blueprint to get to a beautiful finished work of art. I get rather excited when I hear about a discipline of painting for even a few minutes per day. But deep down, I know there's very little I can do to control my painting.

I believe that my painting practice is an act of faith. I show up to a blank sheet of paper or palette, dive in, and hope that something comes out that fills my heart with joy, and is possibly something nice to look at - but that would be a bonus. Many days, most days, it is just scribbles. I'm not kidding. Scribbles that look like I was wondering if my pen was running out of ink, then realized that I'm drawing with a pencil. Scribbles that looked like I was working out some anger while arguing with someone on the phone. Scribbles and streaks and swirls. Swirls of madness, more like.

The other day, I was doodling with my 1-year-old daughter's crayons. These scribbles turned out okay, but still, they are what they are:


Thus, I have a confession to make. Instances where my paintbrush behaves, where form meets colour, where passion meets expression, are very occasional at best. I have a nice, satisfactory painting streak once every few months. I am coming clean with this confession so that you as a reader don't lose complete faith in this blog, and can be there with me to rejoice when my muse actually comes back after a very long drought. Maybe I can even get your help in praying with me so that I figure out this process thing eventually, like, before I leave this earth.

Thank you for your support. :)

Painting: The Blue Roses

Mixed Media, 16 x 16 canvas, 2008.

This painting is the completed work featured in a past entry, Process 1. I added some rice paper near the bottom left, then painted in the roses and an enlarged tree. Then, I let the painting sit atop my piano for several months, deliberating whether or not it was done. A few days ago, I put my signature on it and decided that it was complete. It did not ask for anything more to be added!

In Progress

Huge apologies for not updating in so long. Summer is always a busy time socially, and while I have been painting tons, I don't have much to show for it because I've just been painting layers to add depth to my pieces.
This is the state of my living room on nights when I have time to paint. I paint the large pieces on the floor, which means I wait until my 11-month-old goes to sleep. Those are her toys in the background.

I hope I have a bundle of new artwork to show you soon. They all seem to come into bloom at the same time.

Process 1

I thought I might document the process of one of my paintings in progress. Lately, my work is not planned out beforehand. I work quickly and paint the elements in as they feel necessary.

For this painting, I quickly filled a 16x16 canvas with an underpainting of wet blends and spattering. At this stage I paid attention to colour balance and how I felt in the moment.

1 hour into the painting.

Once the canvas was filled, I continued to layer spatters and washes, and added several texture elements. Most of this stage was done with a round #2 brush. I stood back from the painting several times and paid attention to the balance of everything. The dark patch in the left-hand side of the canvas started to look like trees, so I brought that out.

3.5 hours into the painting.

At this point, I glazed the entire surface with gloss gel medium. I've never done that before but wanted to accentuate the 'layered' effect of this painting.

To be continued...