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With every painting/artwork we as artists sit down to create, we have this idealistic view in mind – that it is going to be amazing. That this artwork we will be creating will be the piece that will define us as an artist.
This painting will be of epic proportions!
But the reality is usually much different to what we imagine.
Last week I posted about embracing the flaws in our art – see the post HERE before reading this one so you know what I am talking about.
So what happens when the image we have in our heads does not match the final result?
We create an Artwork Autopsy.
Last week I asked you to complete an exercise – I hope you did it because in this post we will be using that information to complete an autopsy on out art.
We will be confronting our flaws and addressing them.
Now I am going to put my money where my mouth is and pick apart my last painting so you will be able to do the same with your art.
My last painting in question is Trial By Water #4 (Currently Untitled)
Looking at this painting I can see many flaws so I will be listing a few – the major issues. If I were to list every flaw in this painting we would be here for months :)
Artwork Issue #1- Problem: The background is weak – I feel that the execution is poor and could quite possibly come across as a little bit of an after thought.
Artwork Issue #1- Method: I went ahead with out a real idea of what the background was going to be, I had many ideas of what it could be but really as I was painting I was flying by the seat of my pants.
Artwork Issue #1 - Solution: The solution for this starts with the idea. Before I started on this I really needed to have worked out a plan for the background and not a number of loose ideas in my head. Below you can see the tonal painting:
Before I started I really should have settled on a background that I was happy with – as you can see the original background is different to the final result. So the solution to this is more planning in the sketch stage so I can then create the tonal painting knowing that it was going to be the background.
Artwork Issue #1- Lesson Learnt: We can do all these exercises til the cows come home but they mean nothing and are a waste of time if we have learnt or choose to learn nothing from it. So what did I learn from this?
Preliminary work is as important if not more so than the actual painting process – if the composition, original sketch is weak from the very start than the final result will be too. If you take shortcuts and are lazy with this stage then you will pay for it later.
Ok now on with the next problem ...
Artwork Issue #2- Problem: Let's take a look at the lighting in the painting – there does not seem to be a real and definitive light source. The woman and her clothing seem to lack shadows or they are very weak and not quite deepened enough.
Artwork Issue #2- Method: I paid attention to where I felt the light was coming from and created shadows in the correct place. But the result was not quite what I wanted.
Artwork Issue #2- Solution: The problem with most people whether it is in art or doing anything really is that we are afraid to make a mistake or fail – it's because of this fear that we hold ourselves back and stay within our comfort zone. This is the reason I feel that issue #2 is a major flaw in this artwork. I needed to deepen the shadows and not take them to a point where I felt comfortable with. Another reason for this could be that I am used to watercolours and once you darken an area there's not fixing it. But these are oils ... it could have been fixed if I had gone further.
Artwork Issue #2- Lesson Learnt: Going into a painting freaking out that I will ruin it if I try anything different is not going to help me grow as an artist or to help increase my skills at anything.
Consciously pushing myself to do something 'out of the paintbox' is what will. So in the next artworks I will leave my fears and inhibition at the studio door and just create!
I am going to leave this Artwork Autopsy at that – with 5 children and a painting ready to be started my time is limited for today, besides that my brain hurts from all of this thinking ;)
I think the two issues I have outlined above should hep you to take a look at your last painting and break the problems down and address them.
I have created a PDF for you to download and print out so you can conduct your own Artwork Autopsy.
Using the Artwork Autopsy Worksheet:
PDFconsists of two pages – simply print out 1 copy of the first page per artwork and as many copies of the second page as you need. Fill it out as I did with the issues in this post.
Try to make it a regular exercise – you will be amazed at what you can learn simply by looking at your work differently and picking out small issues and writing them down.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post – I hope it has helped you in some way. Please leave a comment here or discuss further on my Facebook Page
Next Week – I hope to create a post that will follow on from this post. Stay tuned.
0 Comments on Artwork Autopsy – Learning from past works. as of 1/1/1900
If you are keeping up to date with my facebook page: FaerieMajikk you will have noticed my updates consisting of Works In Progress images for my Trial By Water series.
This series is based on the Witch Trials and the water test that accused witches went through to prove guilt or innocence. It was believed that by tying an accused up and throwing her into the water would help to prove her guilt or innocence of witch craft. If the water accepted her and she drowned then she was innocent, but it she was rejected by the water and lived - she was guilty of witchcraft.
This is my inspiration for this series - something that has intrigued me for years (after learning about it in my senior years in High School during Legal Studies classes) I have wanted to do a work based on this for quite some time but until recently it was no more than an idea.
About the series so far... Currently I have completed 4 works for this series - all of which are untitled. There are common elements to all of these works to help tie them together and show a cohesive body of work. Common elements are: All artworks show a woman with her wrists bound in some way, some may show bound together or that they were bound and ropes have broken. All the 'witches' are in water of varying depths. Each Witch is accompanied by an animal or (familiar) Each woman has flowers adorning her hair and where it is visible they have long dresses with a similar pattern on the bodice.
For me an an artist this series poses quite a few challenges - firstly they are all completed in oils which although I have used oils in the past I had not really done anything too serious before now - I have started to really research into techniques etc that can be used with oils and I must say I am really excited about going further with this medium. It is a bit of a step away from Watercolours but i am loving every new challenge it throws my way. I am consciously making an effort to address subject matter that I feel are bit weaknesses for me - the most obvious ones being water and animals. Water I find being the most challenging for me.
As I write this blog post I have sitting on my studio table the beginnings of a new Trial By Water artwork and like I outlined in my last post here, perhaps this next one will be the painting that defines me as an artist. I have taken notes on the 4th painting that I will address in the 5th. ( I will be blogging about this process in another post very soon)
0 Comments on Trial By Water - New Oil painting series as of 1/1/1900
As artists, no one can criticise our art as much or as harshly as we do ourselves. We see the flaws in each work more than we see the elements that shine. It's just a normal part of being an artist and it is possibly our best feature ( I will explain a little in a moment). I am sure many artists (myself included) has had a moment or moments where you look at a finished piece and feel the sudden urge to take to it with a large brush loaded with gesso - to try and erase such a huge mess from your life. You second guess yourself after each artwork and wonder if that piece is going to be the painting that defines you as an artist.
This is where I explain that being overly critical of our work is our best attribute. Learning is a life-long process, we never stop learning - at least we never should. Instead of looking at that huge mess you see sitting on your easel, mocking you while you admit defeat. Look back at it and say "No! You will NOT be the piece that defines me as an artist - it's because of you that my next artwork will be the one that defines me." Why? Because with each mistake we see we can figure out a solution which we can then take with us onto the next piece. If we can't see the flaws in our work - that's great for the ego but in all honestly do we want something that makes us feel great or do we want something that will teach us and help us grow?
The reason for this post is to encourage every artist to embrace the flaws and mistakes - to make sure that you do truly see them and awknowledge each and every one of them. Alright - I know what you are thinking: "ok i have accepted that I will make mistakes and have done so many times over...now what?"
Now I am going to set up an exercise for you to do before next Friday:
Take a good look at your last artwork and do the following -
Make a list of everything that you see wrong in the piece Make a list of things you would do differently that correspond to the first. Identify 3 major weaknesses that you see in that painting.
Ok so now that you have done that, now you need to pick at least one of your weaknesses and actively try to make an effort to address it - check out tutorials online or art books at the library. It is very important to try and get more knowledge on what ever it is that you are having difficulty with. Otherwise you will find that it is still an obvious weakness in your next work.
I hope this has helped someone realise that without accepting our mistakes it is almost impossible to look at past works and compare them to recent works and discover just how far we have come. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, how about your weaknesses - is there something that you have difficulty doing or tend to avoid?
0 Comments on Push Forward Friday - Embrace the flaws in your art as of 1/1/1900
To celebrate my move from watercolours to oils I am having a HUGE sale and when I say HUGE i mean exactly that. This sale will consist of Original artworks. They will start with my earlier pieces and keep going until we get to the more recent works.
I wil be posting updates to my FaceBook Page so I recommend you go and like my page and also download the FaerieMajikk App for your phone! This sale will be made up of Art auctions through Ebay (ALL of which will start at $0.99 ) and direct sales via my FaceBook page (Just make an offer)
How will it work?
I think every one is familiar with ebay so I will not explain that part - Just keep an eye on my facebook page for updates and links to auctions.
Want to purchase with out bidding? Got you covered... I will be posting updates on my FaceBook Page - Showing the artwork currently up for grabs - the size and other details you need. I will NOT be posting the price for many of them .... if you see an artwork you like but no price then simply send me a message via facebook with the price you are willing to pay along with your email. If your offer is accepted I will send you a paypal invoice! YAY...so much fun!
This sale will be ongoing for a few weeks - Christmas is fast approaching so why not get an original artwork as a gift?
0 Comments on Art from the Vault as of 10/4/2012 3:08:00 AM
I am always looking for fun,interesting and different ideas to post my art for sale, simply adding it to my site with a price is a little boring. Today I have posted the first Studio Sale on my facebook page. They are older art, the plan is to try and clear up valuable studio space for more art!
so as you can see, there are 5 artworks (original pieces). Stop on over to my FaceBook Page and make me an offer on one of these artworks! This is only happening this Weekend, if all 5 sell I will add 5 more for sale. I am even going to add some older art circa 2008/2009
0 Comments on Facebook Studio Sale - Happening NOW!! as of 1/1/1900
Yes, I am still here, but I guess you wouldn't really know it. I just finished a commission.
This was done using graphite, pastel and charcoal. Dry media (I feel ) is not really one of my strong areas, after creating this I did find that I enjoyed creating it and will definitely plan more art using this media.
2 Comments on I am still here - just in the background!, last added: 9/8/2012
I created this sketch last night for my Tangled series. This is Alice, as you can see from the various items that are tangled in her hair ie: Rabbit, Pocket watch, tea cup etc it is based on Alice in Wonderland. Some details may be hard to make out as it is a simple line art. Once colour is added to her, it will be much easier to see.
After looking at my art + business i have come to one conclusion. It seems to be complete ANARCHY.
I am sure that I am attempting to stretch myself waaaay too thinly in an attempt to show myself and my art to as many viewers as is possible. I suppose this is fine if you are able to keep up with all f your Social Media presences, Online Marketplaces and Galleries/Portfolio sites. Updating all of this to me seems to be a full time job in itself.
So I have decided to take a step back to really look at my art and where it is, I have come to the conclusion that I need to really downgrade my presence. So here it is, i am going to work on:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
Wanelo
MarketPlaces:
Etsy
Storenvy
Meylah
Spoonflower
Ebay
PORTFOLIOS
DeviantArt
Epilogue
ArtMeGallery
These are ones that I can think of off hand and there are possibly more. I really need to close some of these accounts. I have used Wanelo a couple of times and Twitter is not me. I am in two minds over Pinterest but my Facebook Page is a keeper.
Now how about Marketplaces? Well at the moment the only store I seem to be getting traffic to is my Etsy store so I will keep on with that. I will however close my storenvy store and maybe my Meylah store also. Ebay on the other hand is still good and may keep it for getting rid of my old art that is cluttering up my storage space. I love Spoonflower.
I think my online portfolios are ok as they are, whether i upload to them frequently or not I do not know.
I think that because of these other sites I have been unable to focus my attention on what's important, my website. In the coming weeks I will be working on it.
0 Comments on Random Faery Thought - Art is Anarchy as of 1/1/1990
I have created a brand new sketch for my ongoing series: TANGLED
She is going to be the first of a collection with in the Tangled series - This one is to be Spring, I must have some sort of affinity with the seasons as i have done them before. This will be a first for Tangled though. She is my best Tangled sketch i think and i hope she will turn out exactly as i envisioned it. Not too sure when I will get the opportunity to start her or if i will offer a tutorial... let me know if you would like to see it put into a tutorial and I will if enough request it. I have so much on at the moment that i won't start for a couple of weeks any way.
0 Comments on New Sketch for Tangled Series as of 1/1/1990
I blogged about this a few days ago, I have done some more on this painting since so I thought that another blog post would be in order. Below you will see the scan of the sketch, I have darkened the graphite and removed most of the blue scan tinge.
So my idea for this painting is to be a dark/gothic artwork which is done using coloured pencils.
Above I have begun the first layer of pencil. This is being done on canvas using coloured pencil and Icopropyl Alcohol to blend it. I have made sure that I work with fairly light, translucent colour, this will be built up over many layers, with each layer that is added the colour will intensify and deepen to eventually portray the dark gothic atmosphere. I have started with a purple hue to the shadows of her skin, this is going to be in moonlight so even though moonlight in cool I do still want to add a little bit of warmth to the skin tone.
UPDATE 9th May:
I have added a fair bit of colour to this, was able to do it this morning while Ollie was watching his kids programs and Quinn did sit on my lap for a bit until she started pulling at my paint brush, then I thought it was time for her to go back into her play pen.
It is possibly easy to see what I have done by comparing the last update with this one, i want to have her skin tone cool as she is in moonlight/night and being a vampire there isn't going to be a whole lot of warmth to her skin. This is too cool and needs to be warmed up more. I will be doing that and adding more darker shading to her hair as well as her gloves and bottom of her top. I will need to refine the top part of her top, I want it to look as though she is wearing a black sheer top with roses embroidered on it. The background and foreground needs a lot of work too, so i will be working on those to bring them up to the same stage as the rest of the painting.
Ok so here we are with the next installment - Busy with family and life in general so it took a little extra time to get to this stage. I have spent more time adding shadows all round. Her lips are way too bright so I will deepen the shadows a bit or perhaps add contrasting colour to neautralise the red.
Well that is it fo
0 Comments on Sketch to Painting #1 - Gothic Vampire Work in Progress as of 1/1/1990
Mother's Day falls on the 13th of May of this year, I have been looking through my Etsy faves to see what goodies are in there and I thought i would show them here. All of these are items that I have faved for myself maybe I might get them for myself one day!
Alice in Wonderland Tea Time Tea Cup and Biscuits Jar Adjustable Ring Handmade - SoSweet Collection Bijotti&Ciciotti
Well here in Australia it is Monday and I am going to do a Monday Marketing post today. If you frequent my Etsy Store FaerieMajikk then you may have seen my latest etsy listing. For those who have not, here it is:
This is a brand new way of listing art, well for me any way and this is the reason for creating this blog post. As you can see this is a sketch, a work in progress, an unfinished piece...why have i listed it on Etsy? Well this is the whole reason, the fact that it is unfinished and really only the beginning. a way for me to grab the interest of others, to allow them to pop this listing in their favorites and to come back to it every so often to see how it is progressing. Of course it is an active Etsy listing so those can actually purchase this when ever they choose, it will naturally be completed before it gets sent to them, so they will receive a beautifully finished artwork in all it's glory by the end. Added bonus is ... when this was first listed it was listed at $75.00 and that is half the usual price but as i progress and it has more done to it the price will go up until it is at the full asking price. So obviously an extra incentive to purchasing this early is the awesome discounted price.
Ok so the idea for this post was not so much to show you my new etsy listing, more to show you what I am doing to make it stand out. As i progress through this I will take some notes and observations to see the responses that i do get.perhaps by the end I will have found whether this is right for my etsy listings. I will post back here when i have some information.
0 Comments on Experimental way to engage interest for Art as of 1/1/1990
This listing is for a set of prints of my Orchid & Reptile paintings created 2011.
Thank you to Kristen of Orchid and Reptile: http://www.etsy.com/shop/orchidandreptile
for allowing me to use her photos for this series...it would have to be my most fave series that I have created for 2011, so thank you for the inspiration.
Up until July 22nd of last year I was a proud mother of 4 boys! Pregnant with what I was convinced was another sweet little boy ( I did not want to find out the sex of the baby as I feel it takes the fun out of waiting). So when I gave birth to a beautiful healthy 8lbs1.5oz baby on the bathroom floor of the birthing suite (an entirely different yet amusing story) I was shocked when Hubby said "It's a Girl!!!" I replied with:"It's NOT!" I really felt like asking them if they were sure she was mine! Any way I digress - so now with beautiful baby Quinn Valerie Kay (almost 8mnths) I find myself actually seeing a lot of pretty girly things that I never saw before. This Wishlist Wednesday is for Quinn - all the amazingly beautiful things I want for her.
Nursery/Kids Room Sign - "Such a Big Miracle in such a little girl" - By MerryMeSigns
The first post in MONDAY MARKETING! I have approached other wonderful etsy artists and crafters to see what they say on the topic - here is a list of tips to help you stay on task - to be productive and to stop procrastinating. A link to each etsian is provided for you to click through to learn more about them and what they do.
Many had a lot to say about Organisation!
TodoPapel says -Plan, plan, plan and execute! Amy from Don't Panic Design claims - Post Its. Making a list helps because I like to check things off it. Eweandmeyarns has some great ideas - it is all about a routine: set up a routine and stick to it.
1. computer work (shipping, teams, etsy stuff, etc) 2. return convos 3. studio time 4. inventory (make list of needed things) 5. write down new ideas (so they don't get lost or forgotten) 6. exersize 7. when family returns home....have a life outside of etsy 8. get to sleep at a reasonable bed time. (I am a night person. But I still try to get in at least 6.5 hours.) 9. repeat repeat repeat
Gena from Moonkistdesigns states - For me. procrastination usually has to do with feeling overwhelmed or out of my depth, especially if I'm in my studio working on a challenging project. It helps me a lot to break it down into small chunks that I know I can handle...Instead of looking at it as the whole mountain.
I knowthe feeling ...I tend to get into this frame of mind too, put things off because i am unsure of where I am going with it or how to approach it so I completely agree with Gena here
Gena also mentioned - If breaking if down doesn't work, I have a trick I play on myself. I buy a new album on I-Tunes, something I've really been wanting, but I only get to listen to it if I'm at my bench working...works every time!
I'm a Netflix addict, but I definitely get more done when tv/movies are OFF. Music is betterare the words of advice from Jennifer from Jenniferallevato
I completely agree with this - if i am just playing with some sketches i will sit in front of the TV but for serious work like painting I will use this time to also listen to some great music - what music do you listen to whilst you work? At the moment for me it is THE APRIL MAZE, an amazing band you simply must check out.
KriyaDesign says it's all about doing one thing at a time: Prioritize and do just one thing at a time. We could only do on thing at any given time anyway... right? Nope, my mind could definitely roam to many places even when I seem to do just that one thing. This habit really scatters my concentration and minimizes the results.
Everyday I learn to stay focus only on one thing on the list. Maybe it's easy for most folks, for me its quite an effort. My mind loves to wander. Not rigidly wrestling with the mind, just being mindful and bring it back to the task at hands. Focus on one thing only... anytime. This helps me not to get overwhelm with stuffs too. Seem manageable... one thing only... at any given time :-)
This confirms m
0 Comments on Stay on Task & Stop Procrastinating! as of 1/1/1990
So I have finally gotten back to blogging and I have decided that I will work out a blogging schedule! Yay so this is my proposed schedule:
Monday - Monday Marketing - all art business related - Tips & Resources etc etc Tuesday - Tutorial Tuesday - may be big tutes/mini tutes or walkthroughs Wednesday - Wishlist Wednesday - Things i want want want!! Thursday - Day Off - yes cause I would need one! Friday - Friday Features - May be my products or it may be another artist feature. Saturday - Sneek Peek Saturday - a sneek at a painting,product, etc Sunday - Sketchbook Sunday - just for you to take a look at some sketches
Ok now that is a busy schedule - keep an eye out for those days.
0 Comments on Blog Post Calender - Attempting to get organised as of 1/1/1990
I have been busy creating OSWOAs for my Online Solo Exhibition - Postcards from the Imagination. So in between caring for my 4 children, Drs Appointments (Antenatal) and painting - I have finally found the time to post an update. At this very moment I have 5 artworks yet to finish which for me is fantastic - Creating 25 pieces for this was a challenge I was not to sure that I was going to be able to fulfill but it looks like I am at the last sprint towards the finishing line!
I have mentioned in previous posts and on the website that there will be giveaways through out the exhibition. The giveaways will include:
Scrabble Tile Pendants & $25 Gift Vouchers !
For those that make a purchase from my Etsy Store , Storenvy Store or directly through the Exhibition Site from now and until the end of the Postcards from the Imagination Exhibition you will be entered into the draw to win an ORIGINAL OSWOA!
The OSWOA has already been decided upon and I will be painting this while the exhibition is going.
So the best way to be entered automatically into the draw is to head over to: The Exhibition Site and RSVP to this event via the contact form (this will add you to my mailing list) or you can 'like' my Facebook Page and RSVP to the Exhibition via the Events tab. If you RSVP via facebook and contact form you get two entries!
On a different note - I mentioned Storenvy, this is a store that I will be using for my main store - where previously i have used etsy. I will still be keeping an active Etsy store, but soon it will not longer have Originals in it. It will be kept only for prints, scrabble tile pendants etc (more items will be added through out the year)
My Storenvy will have all of what will be on etsy plus the addition of my Originals - the great thing about Storenvy is you do not need to signup with the site to purchase as they have a Guest checkout!
Ok...back to the painting board!
0 Comments on Postcards Exhibit - Update! as of 1/1/1990
Great Work, I love her eyes!
Thank you very much Marianne, I am pleased with the way her eyes turned out thank you for noticing.