Falcon With Blue Eyes - Watercolor Painting

Three figures stand before a cracked vision and acknowledge an identity based in the simplest of elements.

The sun
The moon
The wind and forest.
A kingdom of clouds and their gift of rain

And yet they seek simple grains of sand buried beneath piles of gaudy jewels. All they want is to feel the earth again.
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Well, this took a bit of a different turn from when I started it. I literally had a moment where I was about to start painting and said, "well this is meant to be a bit of a self portrait, isn't it?" And so it was, and my handling of the colors changed as a result.

Of course, it's not a literal, physical self-portrait. I don't really look like that, but I incorporated portions of my anatomy (hair and eye color, primarily). There's a lot of symbolism in this important to me; the falcon should be the most obvious.

Watercolor and a tiny bit of colored pencil on cold press Arches watercolor paper, 9X12 inches.

Falcon With Blue Eyes - Work in Progress 3

One more work in progress shot before I probably finish it. I'm rather pleased with how this is turning out. I'm using a bit of a different painting technique...and I got a sharp new #4 round.



It feels good to do some watercolor after being stuck in digital land with this client project...

Falcon With Blue Eyes - Work in Progress 2

Here's a work in progress of the painting I'm working on. I finally found a title after it became apparent this was becoming a metaphorical self-portrait.



Per the suggestion of one of my professors at SCAD-Atlanta (Rick), I moved the ear straighter as it looked like it was sliding off her head before. I also need to move it back a bit. I also changed the bird closest to the face to a falcon since it was necessary with the change in meaning of this painting.

Hawk Woman Painting Progress

Here is a work in progress of a painting I'm working on, which is yet untitled. Usually I don't discover the title until I'm nearing the end of a painting.



I drew this while at DragonCon last month. It's incredible how strong inspiration hits me after seeing all the incredible work in the art show. It's so important for me to experience it every year...it's a recharging of the creative battery, in a way.

DragonCon Art Show Report

It's been a couple of weeks since DragonCon, but I've finally started to get settled again (though still working on a breakneck deadline for a project). Here's how the DragonCon art show went in a nutshell.

This year, the art show was held in the other Grand Hall in the Hyatt. In the hall where it has been in past years, they had the Pop and Comic Art gallery, and both were connected, so it was essentially one giant room. The print shop was also in a much bigger area, so people didn't have to bottleneck past the prints as they went through the exit as happened in past years.



This year for the annual art charity auction, the subject was "When Pigs Fly." The charity this year was the Georgia Alzheimer's Association, and we were directed to a specific kind of porcelain pig to decorate for the auction. I made my "I Wanna be a Gryphon Piggy," as seen above, with leather wings, beak, and tail and painted it with acrylics. The tail is 'tied' on with a ribbon, and the beak is 'tied' on with waxed leather cord. I reality, both are securely attached to the porcelain with Incredible Goop, which is about as close to an atomic bond as you can get with glue. It was also awarded 2nd place in the charity pig competition!



This year, sales were very strange. I fully expected to get only a few minimum bids on my smallest pieces, but to my surprise the majority of my sales were at the quick sale price. My 11X14 scratchboard piece, "Breathe," was the first to sell at quick sale. I also sold a mask (the Wind Spirit Mask as seen below), which I was quite happy about. I wasn't sure if any masks would sell, but if it can be used by someone and worn, then I'm happy.



Here are two more masks I finished since my last update:


This is the "Dusklight Raven Mask," sculpted from leather with real feathers.


This is a commissioned mask for a friend of mine in New Hampshire. She has a gorgeous skirt and shirt combination and wanted a mask to complete her costume as a sea fae. So she asked me to make her a mask based on that, which would also match the skirt. This is my first leather mask where I used fabric and real freshwater pearls. I think my favorite part of this mask are the adorable little barnacles on the bottom! They were so easy to make from leather, and I think they really give it a more oceanic feel.

Masks! And a little scratchboard.

Sorry I've been so quiet lately! I'm preparing for DragonCon, working on a project for a client, and taking care of a sick family member all at the same time. However, here's a peek of what I've been working on lately.

Iridescent Gryphon Leather and Feather Mask:

I've been slowly getting the feel of working with leather. This is my second mask, hand-tooled and shaped from 6 or 7 oz leather. I made a mistake in picking up the wrong weight leather, so it's not as sturdy as an 8-oz mask would be. It's still a good mask, though, and sits comfortably on the face. I painted it to compliment the iridescent feathers.


Dreaming Falcon Leather Mask:

With this mask, I finally got away from my fear of non-earth tones. I admit, I love browns and greens just too much. This mask is loosely based on one of the falcons in my painting, Apparition. There are iridescent and pearlescent painted portions.


Summer Bird Leather Mask:

Here is my most recent mask, made from 8-oz leather. It's definitely a lot stiffer and harder to cut!!! I suppose both weights have their advantages and disadvantages. This was my first attempt at incorporating a stone in with the design. In the center is a green agate cabochon. Originally I was going to paint this bright and flashy, but after putting a glaze of Hooker's Green over the reddish-brown-dyed mask, it demanded more subdued tones with highlights of yellow and green. I think it's better this way.


Masked:

It's been a while since I've used scratchboard, and there's always been a good response to them at fantasy conventions. I created this specially for the DragonCon art show. It's only 5X7 inches, but that's HUGE when you're working with scratchboard! This isn't the paper kind, but the Ampersand brand, which is on masonite with a white clay base.

Outdoor Watercolor Studies

I apologize for not updating this since I finished my thesis. I've been very busy getting settled again into non-college life. I'm only now starting to get 'settled' a month later! Here are some watercolor studies I did at a local wooded area a couple of weeks ago.



I was sitting by a pond, and there was a beautiful, mossy tree. It's amazing the beauty you don't even realize is there until you start to paint. I even captured a tiny, quick study of a little orange slug.



There's a bit of a heartbreaking story behind this one. I had brought my camera with me, complete with my 200 mm lens, and a great blue heron flew right across the lake and landed on branch out in the open, with nothing behind him but blue sky. Of course, I took out my camera, focused, and...

...my battery died.

I did get one photo of him before it died for good, but I was kicking myself for forgetting to charge my battery. Ah well. At least I was able to capture him with watercolor. He stayed right where he was for about an hour, and was still there when I left. I hope he'll be there the next time I go to paint!