Further on the Face anatomy and expression challenge

Started to tighten the drawing up a bit. For some reason the initial stages of the picture, like getting the shapes right, for once didn't take an eternity, but getting the details right does. It's usually the other way around. Might be because I am starting to get used to my own face with all the self portraits lately...

Anatomicae; Face anatomy and expression WIPs

Soooo... I wanted to do Anatomicae this time around... And I thought I'd give myself a challenge, and I did. :P




Where I am currently at:

I realised that I have to work with a mirror, since I needed help from husband to take ref pics, and he doesn't know how to operate my camera. And holding an angry expression while working for what will prolly become hours and hours is just not happening.... :P I took some horrible no make-up pictures, I'll show you just one, and that's the nicest. Disclaimer: I usually do not look this dorky... I hope.

And here's some progress shots...

And the first screenshot of current work posted in the challenge thread:

Bear and butterfly

And now for something completely different!

Bear and butterfly, done for a lottery/tombola at my daughters kindergarten. Hopefully the kid who gets it will like and not be scared by it. Which is why I made it smile. Without teeth. :)

Personal struggle

So, there's still a bunch of things to cope with. Together with the family that has shrunk substantially since New Years Eve due to deaths, there is a lot going on with other things in life as well. And I have to do a lot of changes to get where I want to be within the next five or ten years. It's a mental struggle to change my way of thinking, but I am working hard at it. Some times it feels like I am standing as a point in a shield wall or an officer urging the rest of myself to get on with it, other times it feels like I am not putting up a struggle at all, I am just letting whatever steamroll over me.

I am sure this is something a lot of people can recognize themselves in. My way to cope with it is to get some of it out on "canvas". This is partly a yell against myself, as well as a yell against the female standards that I see everywhere - using myself as a model for both reasons.

Still on the basics on this, it might change a lot or it might not - it's changed quite a bit already. But it's rather therapeutic which is the most important. It's what I use my drawing for, after all. :)

Whenever I get the essence of what I want on this image, I am going to try to get it on "real" canvas. But I feel better dealing with the early stages of the painting digitally, as I feel there's a bit more freedom when it comes to change things totally around.

I actually made a final

I didn't think I'd do this when I started working on this picture again last night, but I have in fact turned in a final.

Totally ran out of time, but I decided I wanted to turn it in. For my own sake. I do not know if I might've been a little late in the posting though, I did post an earlier version earlier today just to be sure, we'll see.

Anyways. Here it is. Click on it to see it in bigger version.

The text, just in case you can't read it:

Papa John is the brother of one of the most famous Voodoo Queens in the area, and this tight knit family runs everything together. While his sister is the known one that makes charms and holds ceremonies in the front, Papa John is in the back and fiercely protective of the family - he holds them together and protect them in ways both mundane and arcane. The "family" is a huge group of people more or less related to each other, with different economical means and various backgrounds and genes.

He is known to all the kids in the area for always having a piece of candy or two in his pockets, and always having a knee to sit on or ear to listen with if needed. In return they run errands, bring him everything interesting they find, tell him everything they have heard - and does the occasional small theft if needed for something. He is usually seen with at least one or two with him or trailing him.

The more grown up residents in the area are still not quite sure if Papa John is a rather bad man with a sugar coating, or a very good man hiding behind a dark front.

Happy accidents

Yes, I love Bob Ross. I wish I had him as I grew up and didn't discover him as a grown up. Heh.

I think I just might have hit something. Like, it's accidentally good-ish. Maybe I'll manage to finish after all?

Family getting smaller

Been some busy weeks. To say it that way.

First, I lost my mother-in-law quite unexpectedly, even though she has been ill, it was a surprise that she would leave this world. The fact that she lived in US (as the rest of my husbands family) and we in Norway complicated matters, and we did not get to the memorial. She was a true free spirit, and she's made quite the impression on my kid even though they never met in real life. It was our hope that we would get to US or she and her husband to Norway pretty soon so they could meet, I am sure they'd hit it big time, and connect instantly.

Then my grandfather got ill, and after we had taken turns sitting next to his bed night and day for over eight days, he went quietly with several of us with him as he left last Saturday. He managed to get 99, he'd been 100 in September. My grandmother went in January before she managed to hit 99, so they didn't stay long apart.

So, to say it this way, I've not had time for the challenge.

I started on it again today though, because I like the picture ideas in my head, even though they're pretty far from what I have on "paper" at the moment. For some reason I thought the deadline was the 5th and not today. I won't manage before the deadline, but it doesn't matter, I think I'll finish it anyway.

Couple of earlier shots: