LIVE ART!

I was invited by a friend of mine to participate in an event where I would collaborate with other artists in front of a group of people. This was my first Live Art Event. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be on the hunt for more opportunities like this. I've posted the process of what this event was like. Scroll down and check it out!

Getting Started

When we all met up at the venue, we discussed what our collaboration would be like. I had suggested that this have a circus feel, allowing for crazy, whimsical subjects. We connected with a sunburst background and a story. There were 3 wood panels side by side, and I started on the furthest left side. The character I wanted to illustrate is a sort of Magical Magician with a top hat, allowing for all this mustache craziness, commemorating Mustache Movember.

White Paint

While the white paint was drying on the left side, I attacked some of the other areas with the white paint. Here, I'm starting on the balloon heads. It's a very "back and forth" process.

Everyone After About an Hour

This is a pan out of where everyone was after about an hour. By the time I was getting to my bubble background with the white paint, everyone else was just about to finish up their backgrounds. I wish I would have video taped this just to see the difference in everyone's process. It's so amazing to see.

Jumping Around

While the white was still drying I was jumping around from section to section to add something new. At this point, I'm working on the celebrity balloon heads.

Blue Bubble Background

The blue bubble background is complete after giving it an outline.

The Magician

After the blue in the bubble background finally dried, I was able to play with the white in the magician. I am constantly looking at my reference.

Reference, Reference, Reference

Always have your reference.

Moving to the Center

I had an idea to add little celebrity portraits. For this piece, it had to be Salvador Dali and Charlie Chaplin. They have balloon heads. Their neck ties are like the strings to the balloons. Had to be done :-)

Finishing the Other Side

I was jumping around while things were drying on one end, to the other end. Here, my contribution was the hand with the mustache growing from it.

Finishing Mustached Magician

A few more things are being added such as the stars. When I felt like there was nothing else I could do, others were invited to add on to it if they wanted.

Finished Piece

After a long night of painting, we all sat down together for a group photo with our finished piece behind us.

Zombie Art Show: "Man Eater"

I want to invite everyone to come out to Long Beach for the annual Zombie Art Walk where there will be an art show appropriately named, Zombie Art Show. I will be displaying "Man Eater", a series painted with the steps showing how I did it shown below. There are 14 or 15 steps in total. Enjoy!

For more information on the Long Beach event go to: http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/long-beach-zombie-walk-street-and-music-fest/

Step 1: Background

Getting that radial gradient down! the background is usually a "race against time" and an upper body workout. With acrylic paint, you can't work with it if it's dry so, when blending and creating a gradient, you need the paint to stay wet. Sometimes, I will use a paint retarder but sometimes I just stick with a good amount of paint and water. Don't use too much water or then, you'll have to wait longer for it to dry and possibly use more layers. It usually takes me 2-3 layers of the same thing to make it solid (when it comes to the background).

Step 2: reference, hands

The white has been set down for the color of the hands. that means that I had to paint the shape of where the hands are going, white. the white is used to refer back to canvas so we can build solid colors, on top.

Step 3: darks on hands

Your darks should be looked at as abstract shapes. In order to get things in the right place you have to look at the shading not only as shading on an object but, as an object all in itself. I'm trying to get the main areas where those darks are.

Step 4: hands, color and shading

After laying down dark colors, I wanted to smooth things out (blend) and then let that dry to complete this phase of thinking. A lot of the time, I will paint a layer and that layer or that color is a single thought.

Step 5: Color and shading

On this hand, after the darkest parts have been painted, I went back and created gradients with lighter colors. There's a lot of "back and forth" in the painting process (with acrylics).

Step 6: Color and shading

On this hand, after the darkest parts have been painted, I went back and created gradients with lighter colors. There's a lot of "back and forth" in the painting process (with acrylics).

Step 7: Shading and details

I'm going by color. the darker I get, the closer to final details I get. After the darks get figured out, it's easier to see where your finishing highlights will go.

Step 8: the sconce

I didn't have any reference for the sconce. This was a situation to where you know where the light is coming from and depending on the shape of the object, you use what you know as to how it will be shaded and highlighted.

Step 9: the candle

White paint is used to set up for the candle. As far as reference, the shape of the candle was something I made up in my head. You don't have to have reference for EVERYTHING. However, what I did was light a candle I had at home to see how the fire affects the glow in the rest of the candle.

Step 10: finished hands

After the flame on the candle has been done, we can call the hands done (for now). I'll add that the way to achieve a glow for the flame is use of a gradient using only white paint.

Step 11: reference(s)

A lot of the time, things will never be perfect. In order to get the zombie female exactly how I wanted in my head, I needed to look at 3 images for reference all at the same time to create what I visioned. I had to take some shots of my friend, a shot of my hand against the wall, and a shot of another woman, in costume.

Step 12: the zombie

At this point, the white has been set for the image. I've gone ahead and started preparing for where the darker, shaded parts will go.

Step 13: creating the zombie

So, quite a bit has been done. The main thing to walk away with is that I had to refer back to canvas which is why I had to paint a white layer underneath her. White was also used as the finishing touches for this session.

Step 14: finishing touches

It's the drips under the circular frame that wrapped this up for me (for the time being).

Step 15: wall ready

I'm going to admit... This wan't the finished product. I added some layers of resin, a thick pour-on gloss. I felt like it "had to be done" for the art show. Don't worry, I'll post up the image from the Zombie Art Show on Halloween. As far as finishing goes.... it is a challenge when to really call something "finished". In this case, this could have been finished....

Step 1: Background, part 1

The general color of the gradient fade of the logs are used. Here, there are 3 layers of this strategy applied to get a good, solid layer. The object is to get rid of loose, painterly brush strokes.

Step 2: Background, part 2

This section can easily be compared to mapping and drawing. I'm actually eyeballing even space. A very precise way of doing this would be to measure the space evenly. I did use a ruler to give me straight lines.

Step 3: Background, part 3

The lighter colors, the highlights, help give a relief. Relief is used in this way to mean, height or suspension. It is a term mostly used in sculpting. Different thicknesses and transparencies are used to create this look.

Step 4: Drawing

A smaller round brush was used to make out the proportions and dimensions of the head. Painting and drawing go hand in hand.

Step 5: White

So, now we are reverting back to canvas, creating a "new" canvas. Anytime white is applied, it's considered reverting back to canvas. This is another time as well where drawing comes into play. It takes a good, keen eye to capture form and shape. The type of brush you use also plays a role in the shape of the strokes. I usually like to use square tips for filling in and round for everything else, like drawing.

Step 6: Color

Not too much color is needed given the reference but, there are several shades of brown, earth tones, are a key element in making this 3-dimensional. Note how the blending is different on the horns versus the hair.

Step 7: Shading and details

You can see that the horns have been enhanced with fleshy shading. When you shade, the color doesn't have to always be a shade of black. As long as the value of the over-all color is darker. The general shape of the eye has been added also.

Step 8: Finishing the Head

Small little details have been aded to finish up the head. The eyes received a glimmer, using the smallest amount of white paint. Blue has been added to the body and the horns as a reflected, cooler light, opposite of all the warm colors we see. The nose has been added to and then, the finishing touch was the Shadow being casted on the wall, using a very watered down black. Solid black wouldn't work. Even as a shadow, we should still be able to see what the shadow is being casted on.

Step 9: The Hands, part 1

The hands are done in white, first. Here, we get the proportion and the basic shape.

Step 10: The Hands, part 2

This is where we overlap the white with a base skin color. Since the white is down, we can paint this layer as if it's on fresh canvas. Starting with a base color and letting it dry before applying the shading and highlighting works best for me. That base color will be used again to create gradients.

Step 11: The Hands, part 3

Here, the shading and the highlighting was applied to the hands. The light casing down from above was perfect from the picture I took. Most often times, it ends up being easier to go out and shoot the reference, yourself, rather than hunting online from stock photography or whatever.

Step 12: DOD and Gun

Here the gun and the Day of the Dead makeup has been added. The perfect image for that specific gun was found by going to a gun store, Retting, and asking kindly to take pictures of their merchandise. The lighting in the photo wasn't the same as what I needed for here but, that's when knowledge of highlighting and shadowing certain shapes come into play.

Step 13: Drip

And the finishing touches are the drips. I chose the color red because it felt appropriate given the kill of the beast.

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Step 1: White

After the background is done, White paint is applied, in order to refer back to canvas and to make the other colors on top solid.

Step 2: Solid Color

Now, the color over the white looks solid. All that needs to be done in this step is applying the general color... or the color "in the middle."

Step 3: Shading and Highlights

This is where you want the paint to stay wet. If it's not wet, you can't blend. The shape of the general skull is still being figured out as well.

Step 4: Skull Details

The main details in the skull were definitely the teeth. The smallest brush was used. Shape corrections in the skull were made also.

Step 5: gold

Gold images that relate to the traditional Day of the Dead skulls or sugar skulls were added. gold paint is a metallic paint that requires very small amounts to show. When you use more water, the paint turns more fluid, allowing you to draw with it better.

Step 6: finishing touches

So, the only thing that was added was gold splatter to the background. I needed to put a mask on top of the actual skull to protect it.

Step 1: Background

A good reference is picked out first. After that, handling the background comes next. Getting the right gradient makes all the better.

Step 2: Drawing

Drawing is done with white paint to figure out where things generally go. Loose, swift strokes help through the process.

Step 3: Sculpting

the white paint is applied with one thin layer at a time. Where the lightest parts of the skin are will be where more layers of paint are applied. the image will start to build as you go.