Open Figure Drawing Workshop with Ron Eyre, Hong Ly and Rebeccak 011

#432

tizianoadmirer,

Perfect! Thanks! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#433

LOL! We’ll see! :smiley: I don’t know how long it will take to arrive here, but it will take me a while to get used to it.

Cheers, Ronnie.

#434

Hi again all… another update!

Before I do add the update, I’d just like to say I think there is actually tremendous good in copying photos like for like. I try to use imagination in all I do, but most of what I’ve done with this piece is underpinned with some banked knowledge that comes from lots of straght copies from photos, masters and anatomy books and hundreds and hundreds of gesture drawings in my case! Its only through doing these studies that I think you get any better at being able to do the stuff straight from the top of your head. I’ve still a lot to learn, and copying from photos and other esources is certainly one of the best ways, especially to those who don’t have live resources anywhere nearby! If it wasn’t for these drawing workshops and the advice on offer here, I’d be a lot further behind than I am. It’s only very recently that I’ve realise that in order to create something you really have to understand it, as daft as that sounds. Until now, I made the daft presumption that these people who can do it effortlessly were just uber talented, but they’re not, they just worked harder for it, and they have doubtless copied straight from photos too!

Right… I’ll hop off my soapbox now. I put the piece up for review on my Deviant gallery, and got some really good advice there too, so here’s an update. I’ve tried to make the mask somewhere between solid and ethereal, and worked some more on her body. I also changed the outstretched hand to give it more expression and to make it clear she wants the dove to land on her hand. Also got rid of the hair, as it was leading the eye out of the picture, and gave her more of an insubstantial ‘crest’ which fits more with the whole bird spirit idea, and pulled the brighter colours (which I’m hoping pull the viewer immediately to her head) down into the wings, to give the impression that the hair crest and wings are all part of the same etheral substance. I’m toying with the idea of maybe putting in a couple more larger doves, as I’m taken with the idea of them flapping around her, but don’t know whether this will busy up the composition too much. I’ve not decided whether to put her eye in yet either… so much to do! :argh: Thoughts on progress are muchly appreciated.

Oh, and Ron, once you get used to it, you should love the tablet… I bought the exact same one just after Christmas, and haven’t looked back. It comes with a couple of different textured nibs too, so you can have it feel more like a pencil, and put paper over the tablet surface too. enthuses greatly about wacom tablets

#435

Originally posted by Zepyhri: I’d just like to say I think there is actually tremendous good in copying photos like for like. I try to use imagination in all I do, but most of what I’ve done with this piece is underpinned with some banked knowledge that comes from lots of straght copies from photos, masters and anatomy books and hundreds and hundreds of gesture drawings in my case! Its only through doing these studies that I think you get any better at being able to do the stuff straight from the top of your head. I’ve still a lot to learn, and copying from photos and other esources is certainly one of the best ways, especially to those who don’t have live resources anywhere nearby! If it wasn’t for these drawing workshops and the advice on offer here, I’d be a lot further behind than I am. It’s only very recently that I’ve realise that in order to create something you really have to understand it, as daft as that sounds. Until now, I made the daft presumption that these people who can do it effortlessly were just uber talented, but they’re not, they just worked harder for it, and they have doubtless copied straight from photos too!

Hear hear! :slight_smile: It’s also the case that many people can’t afford live Workshops. Heck, I can’t! I cannot dish out the $20-25 per session that just one Workshop costs ~ especially not with the amount of drawing and painting practice that is required to acquire and maintain one’s skill level. I copied master drawings for years for just this reason ~ outside of a school environment, I did not have access to live models, and though I am thankful for having had the luxury of working from wonderful live models in school, once I graduated, I actually found it tremendously helpful to work from Master Works instead ~ and this was before I was aware of the tremendous online art communities that exist! So, I certainly count this and similar Workshops as an advance for all artists, who no longer have to labor alone ~ and unnoticed ~ but rather have the opportunity not only to practice their skills far into the future, for free, but also have the chance to get recognition and to interact with artists from everywhere ~ to me, there’s nothing that you can lose in seizing such an opportunity! :slight_smile:

Oh, and while I only managed to sneak a tiny look at your work, Zepyhri, I did notice that it looks fantastic! :thumbsup:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

#436

mystikaal,

My apologies, I’ve only just now seen your post! Welcome aboard, and I’m thrilled that seeing Zephyri’s work has brought you on board! I hope you will contribute your artwork as well, and hope that you find the Anatomy Forum useful. :slight_smile:

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#437

Zepyhri …WOW !!

This is turning into one of the most BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL paintings that I have ever seen
seriously.
Has the colors of a sacred bird in New Guine or one of those places.
It’s called COCK OF THE ROCK…see if you can find a picture of one. It came to mind, the
minute I saw your painting this morning. Might help you in some way to see one.
What you did with the hand is great,…gives it that uplift motion, almost like a birds wing
in flight…nice touch…love that glass like beak also…BEAUTIFUL…
I like your idea for another big bird…maybe flying up towards her, from the lower left section
or corner of the painting …might add to motion, and lead veiwer back into painting, and up
to main figure…if done right, it will add to paintings composition…open V shape, leads the
eye upward …shape of birds wings in flight…might use to your advantage with bird in
lower left corner…just a thought, that might help you, if you go for more birds.
Really brightend up my day, just seeing this painting …THANK YOU …:slight_smile:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

Rebecca…The stew is starting to smell pretty good to me, in fact it smells so good, that
it’s makeing me hungry…stir every half hour, and let simmer…LOL…:wink:
TAKE CARE and :slight_smile:
Glenn

#438

Thank you for the great feedback on this piece, Glenn, your suggestions do nothing but improve the piece!

Another small update, small due to the fact I was savaged by a persian cat, which embedded both its teeth and claws in my right wrist, after it approached me for a fuss. Me being the cat lover, and at a loss as to what else to do, had to endure 30 seconds of wild cat spitting, biting and clawing until it let go and ran off leaving rather nasty claw ad teeth punctures all over my arm. And now my hand has somewhat seized up. :argh:

Still… managed to implement a few more changed, mostly in the positioning of doves and the like. I’m hoping this completes the composition issues, and I’ve been playing around with floating feathers on the woman, only to decide none of them worked.

#439

Hi …Zepyhri…

You better get yourself to a doctor …right away…for those punture wounds…
Cats have a little grove on the backside of each fang…grove runs the whole
length of each fang…each grove is packed full of bateria…like getting
bit by a poisonious snake almost…bacteria gets trapped in the punture.
Hand and arm will swell…bacteria will grow, and you will get a red line
going up your arm in a couple or three days…BLOOD POISONING…very serious stuff.
Goes to your heart, and can be fatal…
I am speaking from experience here…myself, my brother, and my sister inlaw, were
all bitten by his cat at the same time …cat went crazey over a puppy I had in my arms,
protecting her kittens I guess. ANYWAY …we all ended up in the hospital a few days
later, with BLOOD POISONING…Just thought I WOULD WARN YOU… you said your hand
was swelling…that’s the start of the infection…a simple shot of anti biotics or penacillin
wll take care of it, in most cases…
I hope I am not scareing you too much, …but if the swelling continues, don’t wait for
the red line to appear, like I did…being stuborn as I am LOL!!
I will comment on your painting, when you tell me you went to the doctor…does that
sound fair…LOL!!
TAKE CARE
Glenn

#440

Aw, thank you for the concern, Glenn… very much appreciated, and the first thing I did when I got in was ring the local health service hotline for advice, and went to see the doctor yesterday to get a tetanus jab and have it looked at. The swelling is better this morning, so I think it was just a short term reaction, but I’ll certainly keep an eye on it!

#441

Zepyhri,

Wow, what a beautiful update! And I’m so sorry to hear that you’re injured…cats are so odd sometimes! :rolleyes: Hard to know what sets them off, I guess.

I’m really enjoying the soft colors in your piece, and can’t wait to see your next update! :applause:

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#442

Hi …Zepyhri…:slight_smile:
Great to hear your bites aren’t infected…hope you gave the cat a good slap at least.
maybe not…MIGHT LEAD TO MORE BITES …LOL!!
Your stil working on doves I think, so I won’t say to much about them, other than…don’t
end up making them compete for atention with the main figure…one of the doves should be
primary…the others secondary…made so with shadows ect. I think the smaller one by her
hand is the primary dove, and creates the action…I think I like it’s original gesture better,
but maybe that’s just because it was more finished looking. I don’t think you need the dove
you added right behind that one…killes the openness in that area, and competes too much
with the first dove…and also makes the composition to obvious…you want painting to feel
uncontrived and have a natural open flow, with an element of surprise and mystery with the placement of your directional elements.
Also…don’t loose the richness of your shadow areas in clouds…I notice, your starting to
get a white’d out look in last version…looseing that rich orange and purple violet appeal
of the previous version…remember shadow adds to mystery and drama…depth and
beauty…I HOPE you don’t think i’m being too critical or nit picky at this point.
Just trying to be of some help, in this truly BEAUTIFUL PAINTING you are creating, and
like all advice, take it , or leave it…only you know what is best for your vision in the
end…:slight_smile:
TAKE CARE
Glenn

#443

Wooo… I finished it…well… for now. I might go back and tinker a bit in a couple of days. I don’t know whether I’ll be cutting it fine for Aphrodisia :argh: but never mind, the exercise in itself is certainly worth it. All hail the anatomy workshop!

Here’s the finished piece. Glad you mentioned the cloud shadows, Glenn, definitely better with them!:
Colours of the Wind

And some close ups:

I’ve also posted it in the finished 2d gallery too, with a story to go with it: Link . Thanks once again for everything guys! :applause: Now to go and write up a step by step! :beer:

#444

HI …Zephyr…:wavey:

Can’t stop admirering it…simply BEAUTIFUL…:thumbsup: :applause:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

#445

Zepyhri,

Totally beautiful piece…:applause:…so impressed with this, and I’m so glad you posted it to the finished gallery! :bounce:

Amazing stuff, and I hope you’ll be able to participate in the next OFDW 004 ~ where we’re doing another Bouguereau master copy. :slight_smile:

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#446

Un chef d’oeuvre… un plaisir pour les yeux…

A masterpiece, a great pleasure for eyes…

It’s warm, it’s luminous, it’s inspiring, it’s dreaming… it’s full of many things… always and again speechless… bravo Sam :applause:

:bowdown:

#447

Thank you guys… Glenn, this piece is partially what it is due to your wise council! And lemog, thanks for your support. And Rebecca, I’ve just finished typing up a step by step that I’ll post shortly! I’m miffed I didn’t have time for the bougereau copy, so I’ll definitely be attempting the next one! (I’m personally looking forward to a caravaggio, he’s my hero).

#448

Zeph,

Great tutorial! :applause: I’ve pimped it about the forums, so it should be receiving some well~deserved attention. :slight_smile:

I think a lot of folks want to do a Caravaggio, so we’ll try to do that next. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#449

Zeph - Amazing work. I am glad to see you finished this one out. It makes me want to go back and pick up my sketch and work more on it. There is a lot of detail but if I may ask what is going on in the crotch?:eek: Is it to go with the sheer wings or viens perhaps? I am not critizing it just curious about the design and thought behind it. Now that I am blushing!

#450

Rebecca - I have been looking through the thread here after being absent for a while. It appears that there is some discussion about artistic output in the workshop. Is it my understanding that you would rather see the workshop as just that and not express one’s individual imagination but to try and accurately interprete the image as shown?

Aggie93

#451

aggie93,

Hmm, no, that’s a misinterpretation of what I’ve said. :slight_smile:

I think folks are free to use this Workshop as they wish. I am thrilled when Zephyri goes out on a limb and does beautiful works which only use the OFDW Reference as a starting, but not as an ending point. I think it really depends on who you are and what you need out of this Workshop. I certainly don’t dictate anything regarding style ~ I may have and express my own opinions, but that is just what they are ~ opinions. With respect to art, there are no facts, only consensus on certain things, and that’s about it.

What I think I may have expressed that you may have misinterpreted is that I think that too often, I see work on the general forums here which appears untutored, and as such, I think that people should do more representational work and practice studying from life, from photo reference, and from Master Works, so that when they go to do their own imaginative work, they might do so convincingly and with a well~established basis. I don’t often see that, and that is what these OFDWs are meant to address. Folks like Zephyri and Spirit Dreamer who already have a lot of experience may find it more to their liking to do more imaginative works, which I think is terrific! I enjoy figurative work of many stripes so long as it is of high quality, and that is just me. :slight_smile:

I guess you could say that for me (and that’s only me) quality is content, and also meaning. If a work has an ‘idea’ behind it, yet is poorly executed, I cannot myself see past the poor execution to the ‘idea’. That’s why I try to encourage people in these Workshops to do their personal best, because I think too often folks are encouraged in schools to express more ‘ideas’ than they have the tools to express.

I hope this makes sense!

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak