My Dad...at 21

I spent the better part of my day at Trails End Market last Saturday working
on a portrait of my dad from a photo taken about 1956. The small snap shot
is the one my mother carried with her the whole 2 years he spent in N. Africa 'dong his bit'
 for Britain. I really enjoy doing portraits from old photos; there is something
 rewarding about making those little tiny, sometimes damaged pictures into
a larger, clearer portrait.

( I've attached a copy of the reference photo here for, well, for reference :)

a little colour for a change:)

This is graphite on white paper...the fur effect is done by applying the graphite to the paper in large sections and then erasing the graphite off, leaving white fur  effect behind. I used a little coloured pencil on the eyes,..this kitty had such lovely violet eyes it was a shame to only do them in black and white. I really enjoyed this 'reverse drawing' and adding just a touch of colour. It's about 10 x 7in.

Not Everything Goes Smoothly...:)

Already March!:) We here in southern Ontario practically count the days to spring, and sunny warm weather, even when the winter is as mild as this one has been! I have been in my studio drawing up a storm..... it is a great place to spend dull dreary February days.

I had in mind to do something for my husband, Ted who has been in the trucking business for over 30 years and has a passion for anything large on multiple wheels. I dug up a photo of one of his favourite trucks, a 2003 Peterbuilt sleeper cab and thought I would do a "technical" sketch for him to hang in his office. I was going along quite well and was pleased with the effort,  when I did an artists' no - no!  : never leave drawing work on the easel while messing about with paints.  I had taken a break from the eye-straining detail of the drawing to dabble a bit in watercolour and - alas - splashed blue watercolour paint on the drawing which I had left on my easel behind a "protective" (ha) paper. The paint had landed right on a highlight area.....couldn't have been on a black wheel well area.....ah no.....

Needless to say, I was a tad disappointed. At that point I was about 12 hours into the drawing. Now, for anyone who is not familiar with drawing paper you need to know it absorbs anything liquid you put on it, unlike paint papers where the paint sits on the surface. Not knowing what to do - how does one get paint pigment out of a graphite drawing? - I put it aside, seriously considering trashing it.

The next day, I posted it to my online artist group and asked for suggestions on how to repair it. The responses were very helpful and encouraging although no one had ever actually dealt with this specific issue, but, inspired, I decided to employ coloured pencil - white, grey and silver to try to cover up the blue.

Check out the finished picture! I am pleased with the repair and Ted is pleased with his drawing....just shows a little perseverance pays off!

A Little Flirtin' Goin' On Here

February brought Valentines day and a commission as a gift for a young man's wife. The portrait was done from a candid photo taken on Christmas day.

How fast these winter days fly by! We have had an unseasonably warm winter here in Southern Ontario with very little snow and spring seems just around the corner.  I have been spending Saturdays at a local market promoting my craft and am encouraged by the response from all who drop by my booth :)

Baby Sister

For the last year I have belonged to an interactive website for all kinds of traditional artists. It has been very encouraging both to see and to comment on others' art and to have some input on my own efforts. One of the activities is a 'Challenge'. The artist uploads a photo of something they would like to challenge other artists to reproduce in the medium (and sometimes the manner) of their choice. This portrait of an artists' sister (obviously taken some years ago:) caught my interest and I have worked to maintain the original feeling of the old photo.
It's finished size is about 9 x 12.

Happy New Year to all!

What's a new year without a new baby portrait to add to my churches 'Nursery Wall' ? This is my first portrait for 2012 and he has stolen my heart.

Going Public

It's been a couple months since I last posted and very busy ones at that. In between house reno projects I have been doing quite a bit of drawing. After some deliberation and encouragement from family and friends I decided to get a booth in one of our local charity fairs in late November. I had a great time! The response was amazing and I ended up with several commissions for Christmas. It's a great experience to work on something for someone else and very gratifying to see their face when they take that first look at their finished piece.

 My husband of 26 years, Ted, who asked why I hadn't ever drawn him...:)

A sweet little girl who is the grand daughter of one of the artists I know.

Two little darlings; a commission piece for a young mans wife for Christmas.

My youngest son's young lady, a beautiful girl, inside and out!

A commission piece; a Christmas gift for the parents of these 3 lovely kids.

My grandson Liam, a sweet troublemaker!

I still experience a great sense of wonder as I watch a drawing unfold under my pencil...how on earth do I do this? Sometimes its as if someone else is guiding my eyes and hand, because I am quite certain that this could not come from me! Nevertheless, I am enjoying every minute of it, am very thankful for this ability in this time of my life and look forward to more drawing adventures in 2012.