Flower painting

Thursday is art school day, and after a long summer brake, it was good to be back! 

I´m not very good at abstract painting, or whatever this style of painting is called, but I´m practicing, and hopefully in time, I will get better...

The painting isn´t all finished, but I need to look at it for a couple of days before I finish it up. 

Working on my daughters portrait

Having fun with drip technique!

This is my background. 

I´mtrying out a acrylic drip technique and I just love the way the painting is changing as I add new layers of paint and keep spraying water! This is soo much fun! Never mind the terrible mess on the floor though....!! Remember to put lots of towels under the easel! 

I watched this video from an artist calles James Kruse and got very  inspired:

Portrait update

I think the portrait from yesterday is finished.

New abstract painting workshop

This is my painting from the workshop. It´s my youngest daughter Selina Maria. 

I love taking painting classes! Today I was participating in a abstract portrait workshop, and it was so much fun! I am still struggeling hard with painting abstract, but somehow I think I´m getting closer to a personal "style" wich allowes me to use elements of different techniques, and combining them into my own blend.

This workshop was the same as this one, and I enjoyed it just as last time.

First I´ll show you some of my teacher Kirsten Mandø´s own paintings:

She is just soo talented! I´d wish I could paint like that one day.

Kirsten still wants us to practice drawing and painting a face. Use a thick sketchpad, cut portraits out from newspapers, and practice, practice, practice, and then you practice some more!
Okay then, I´ll start using my sketchpad more often:

Here are my own work in progress pictures from the day:

The background is the easiest. Just paint! No rules! Use anything to make a nice pattern!

I used masking tape, and painted on top of that too. Just remember to remove it straight after. I also let the paint run. That´s so much fun! 

I used some chalks to block in the face. Then just add some facial paint. 

As you can see, it´s not quite finished yet. I still need to work on the hair, the highlights, some minor details as her mouth and some shadows, but I think she is pretty much there. The funny thing about this painting is, that it´s not that abstract at all, but I guess that that is just the way I do it. At a pont, one must stop trying to fight one´s won style, and just go along with what come through. At the very least the background is abstract!

Here are photos from the other participants paintings (i´ts always interesting to see, right?)

My abtract studies are finished.

Abstract painting is bloody difficult! How does one know when the painting is finished? What are the guidelines? Are there any rules, or does anything go?
I tried to finish up these two paintings, but I suspect I made a bigger mess instead.... I think I liked them better before ;-)
Also, I painted the sides black, but my art teatcher says that all painting must have a frame. I don´r know about that. I like the somplicety of the black side of the canvas, but sometimes a painting looks much better with a proffessional frame... What do you think?

How-to make an abstract watercolor painting of a female

We are taught a creative technique at my art school, and I thought I would like to share it with you.

It is a way of starting the abstract painting, and it is also very fun to do too.

First you do a series of sketches as a  study. It can be whatever subject you want. We´ve done both flowers and a mannequin at the classes. 

Start your studies with lots of paper, a pencil and a pocket watch. You will now do 30 seconds sketches. My art teacher told us to be like ants. Trace the subject or model onto the paper and walk your pencil on the paper like an ant. You can´t go back, and you cant jump. Just walk really fast, and trace your target all around the edges. When you have done this exercise several times, put your pencil in the opposit hand and do the exercise again. You can do one minute sketches now. Keep doing this, and then try to shut your eyes. See if you can imagine the subject in your minds eye, and let your hand trace on the paper like an ant. You don´t need to worry about details. Just trace around the edges.

Your drawings will perhaps look a little like this: 

Please, don´t judge my artistic accomplishments by these sketches....

Now you are done and can choose among yoursketches and then transfer them to your watercolor paper. You can do this any way you want. I just did some freestyle sketching. Others would perhaps use a projector.  

Your drawings will only be a part of the background structure, so please don´t worry about the aesthetics. In the end, nobody will be able to see your bodies in the painting anyway. Not very much that is...

Tape your watercolor paper onto a non-absorbent surface. I taped it in four equal squares. This allows you to work on all of the squares at the same time.

Okay, now the really fun part starts. I used:

• black ink
• clean water to dilute and clean the brushes with
• watercolor brush and acrylic brush. Also a very thin liner brush
• two complementary colors (I used turquoise and red-orange)
• salt
• straws
• aquarelle pencils 
• acrylic liner (white)
• coffee or black the (yes, that´s right. Works wonders!)

Now you start with the black ink. Just paint like you want, and add colors as you go. Blow the very wet paint with the straw to create the fun shaps and "runners". Put salt in the wet paint too. Remember to keep it there until the painting is completely dry. Then brush it off. Use the acrylic liner in the end, and keep it simple! Remember the frase: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) Easy to say, but so very hard to remember ;-)

Also, remember to keep parts of the paper blank. 

Here are my paintings:

See that you dont recognize the female body anymore? I mean, there is a hand and a breast and such, but you don´t see the complete figure. I like my paintings so much that I am having them matted and glass framed! What do you think? 

Abstract portrait painting workshop!

Good evening!
Tonight I would like to share thoughts about a workshop I attended today. The theme was abstract portrait painting, and it was so much fun! I have a hard time with abstract painting. To me, it is difficult and un-natural. I much rather paint in my own style, but I am a strong believer in the fact that we must work outside our own comfort zone in order to develop our creativity, so I keep trying. My teacher says that abstract painting is the most difficult style to paint, and I agree!

Here is some "rules" from my school:

1. What do you want with your painting?
2. Let all your colors stay "open" (Keep painting with thin layers, so that they blend and stay transparent).
3. Cover everything you like with new paint.
4. Don´t isolate your favorite places on the canvas. Be prepared to change everything!

Fun eh? If there is something you like, hurry up and ruin it! Stay open in the creativ process, and let every door remaine open untill the very end. Really, really hard!

Our task was to paint abstract portraits on rather large canvases. First we was asked to paint a background fast and without thinking too much. Just choose some nice colors and have fun. 

Then we had to find a good photo. Our teacher uses mostly newspaper portraits. Why? Because they are mostly not taken by professional photographers, and therfor look´s more natural. 

Here are a few photos of my teachers own paintings:

So, that look´s really easy, right? Let me tell you a secret: IT WAS NOT! IT WAS BLOODY DIFFICULT!!!

Before I share pictures of my painting and the process, I´d like to share a good idea:

Make a portrait practice journal. My teacher had this big thick journal full of cut out photos from newspapers, and her own studíes:

I decided on the spot to do the same! A study of faces and expressions. When ever I get bored, I have several photos to work with.

Now over to my painting. I remembered to take some shots through the day, so here they are:

Background: red, yellow, orange and white colors.

I start by painting all the darker places.  Then I add the highlights.  

More work, now a little green and blue as contrast to all the red and orange. 

It is not really all that abstract, but it´s very different from what I usually paint. I think I like it. The woman look´s very much like my inner spiritual guide, a warrior-priestess called Karla. I especially like her green eyes and fierce expression. She has a lot of stenght, wisdom and courage! 

Tomorrow I´ll share more work with my doll, the witch Hannah! 

Some pictures from the other participants: