Smiling Indian Girl - Watercolor Pencils on Paper

Hi there!

Lately I'm experimenting more and more with watercolor pencils, it's very portable and easy to use. The downside however (to my opinion) is the texture and the way it dries on the paper, it is not as smooth as regular watercolor, and the pencils don't blend so good (again to my opinion).

Anyway I decided to paint/draw another portrait, this time of an Indian girl. I wanted to use bold colors and to emphasis her smile. I used brush 4 on this painting and it was pretty ok, but not perfect. Luckily this week I'm going to get some watercolor supply including brushes, papers and colors from a relative who is a painter :)

Here is the portrait, hope you'll like it :)

Next time I'll use the new equipment I really want to see the difference - stay tuned!

A Day in the Life of a Pet Artist - Sketch

Hi there,

Last week I wanted to sketch something special, something different. I just sat in front of the table, and started to draw without thinking. I was sketching myself, in a point of view position - means I was sketching myself sketching. This unusual angle was very appealing and interesting, and I got a lot of nice comments on this draw.

In the little sketch that I was sketching, I decided to draw a portrait of a dog, as a symbol of my occupation - a pet portrait artist.

Take a look at the sketch and tell me what you think :)

By the way - if you want to see the actual dogs that I'm painting take a look at DigitalDogPortraits.com - Custom Pet Art.

Yoga - Watercolor on Paper

Hi there,

Lately I'm more focused on pencil drawings than digital painting. Last post I've mentioned that I love old school sketches, they are simpler, straight forward and have more soul. I began to color some of my sketches, and liked the results. So I decided to purchase some colored pencils and to use them more often, I went to the art shop and chose some. they looked normal and affordable, but to my surprise they were actually watercolor pencils - they work like regular colored pencils but they dissolve in water. I decided to take the chance and to try water painting for the first time.

The process was pretty easy : 1. sketch 2. fill with dried color 3. use the brush to actually water paint.

Here are the stages :

Sketch :

A friend's photo inspired me to sketch a yoga position, I liked the posture and the scenery, I really felt the spiritual uplifting. I imagined a free bird flying on top of a mountain, staring at the horizon... it was magical.

I loved the sketch, but I wanted to use the color pencils, so I didn't add more details with the graphite pencil. It was a bit risky to color the sketch with unfamiliar medium, but I took the chance :) (and took a picture of the original sketch with my camera, just in case...)

Coloring the sketch with the pencils:

Carefully, I started to fill in the sketch with some color,especially the main subject. The result was OK, nothing more. A little advice for those who want to use those watercolor pencils - use less color than you'd think! You can always add more color, but once the surface is fully covered, you can't undo it, and it might ruin your painting.

I wasn't too impressed with the result, but I knew that there is one more step...

Using the brush:

Using the wet brush on the paper has changed some things - first, the color, the tones were different and more intense, the other thing was the paper - it wasn't a proper watercolor paper so I had to handle it with extra care and try not to over abuse the surface. I had to use short and light brush strokes (and a lot of patience).

The sketch has become more colorful and vivid. Real watercolor paper and more brushes would probably help me create better paintings, however for a first attempt with limited equipment I'm pretty content :)  

The main advantage with the watercolor pencils is that you can carry them anywhere. You can sit in a cafe or in a park and just use them without any fuss or mess. You can watercolor on the spot, or just to fill the sketch with some color and finish it at the comfort of your own home. I think I'm going to carry them to the park next Saturday and try to paint some of the action!

Bananas - Colored Sketch

Hi there!

Using various graphic software and digital brushes is fun, but sometimes there's something about a good old, down to earth art, with some old school equipment like pencil and paper. Oh... and a live model (in this case my model was a banana ;)). It is very refreshing just to sit down and start drawing quickly, without any preparations or interruptions (when I'm using graphic software, sometimes it takes forever just to start painting). All I wanted to draw was a rough sketch of this glorious fruit, and to make it as interesting as I can. After I've finished the drawing, I thought that it would be a good idea to paint the bananas with vibrant color, just to stand out. I really like the result. It looks rough yet compelling.

Take a look :

If you'd like to purchase a poster or a canvas of this piece - you can find it here

While looking for a suitable quote for this sketch (like I always do), I've found those 3 funny quotations:
"Times flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" - Groucho Marx
"Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana" - Bill Gates
"I'm getting so old, I don't even buy green bananas anymore" - Chi Chi Rodriguez

And last but not least :) a cute Brazilian song by Jorge Ben - "O Vendedor de Bananas" - The Banana Seller

Have a lovely Day!

Contemporary Elvis

Hi there!

4 days ago I heard  some Elvis' songs in the radio, it was his 36th annual day of his death. I grew up listening to his music, and saw many of his shows on TV. He was kind of a childhood icon (though he passed away when I was an infant). I decided to draw him, but in a different kind of style. More contemporary, an alternate take if you will. His hair style and his general look were adjusted to the new millennium :)

His portrait and the previous Marilyn Monroe gave me the inspiration to sketch other super icons in non conventional way. Stay tuned!

Gloomy Marilyn Monroe - A Sketch

Hi there,

Recently I've stumbled upon some photos of Marilyn Monroe that were taken by Life magazine in 1953. The photos were taken in her home, she was 26 years old, and looked more comfortable and cozy. To me she looked a bit different from the glamorous Marilyn that we all know. I could sense the vulnerability and the sadness in some of the photos, and I really liked them. Those photos were interesting because you could see the human being behind the icon. She was still beautiful in those pictures, but not in a glamorous way, just a beautiful woman in her own home.

Her eyes reflected some sort of pain, even when she smiled, and that immediately caught my attention. I decided to do a sketch of her, and to present her to the world as I saw her - Beautiful and sad woman.

Here is the sketch, notice how her eyes talk

The sketch was created using Wacom graphic tablet.

Hope you liked it! See you next time :)

Citrus. Digitally Painted Still Life

Hi there,

The summer makes me feel so lazy, the heat kills my creativity :P
I can't stand it anymore. The other day it was so unbearable, I just stood there and fantasized about fresh cold orange juice, so refreshing...

Then, I had an epiphany! I should paint some oranges, slices, with all the juices. It was like having a boost of vitamin C. I just went to the computer and start painting some oranges on a kitchen board with my Wacom graphic tablet. All i could think about was orange juice, mojito and mimosa :)

I must say - I LOVE that painting. Refreshing, vibrant and different. I'd put it on the living room (or the kitchen) :)

Take a look :

What do you think? 

If you like it, and want to have a print of this juicy contemporary fruit art, you can get it on my Zazzle shop.

Until next time, take care!