How to paint a face using acrilics

For this face I am re working a face to make her a pretty girl, using acrylic paints.
Watch the video HERE
And sorry to all the people that were waiting for the groundhog Punxatony Phil to see his shadow or not. ...I think he moved to Hawaii! lol

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Day 11 laughing girl sketch

This is my face for this day, it is a little girl laughing ...maybe she is having fun looking at the skull?

I changed a few things in the skull from a few posts ago. I like her much better now!

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Old friend Re-Worked

So, I have been reorganizing and downsizing (more like pushed to do so, but that's another topic altogether!) and last night after I packed some and moved some more stuff, I found this oil painting. It was based on a photo I took of an angel I bought and arrived broken. I took the photo to tell the seller and he told us how to fix it.

OK, so I think the painting was ok, but back in those days I didn't know much about highlights and it didn't really have the bright colors I like:

It was literally like the photo, and it was a wooden angel, so the painting looked a bid tired, a bit dark... But me, being me, I couldn't make myself destroy the poor thing.

So, like I was saying, last night I got my oil paints, after years! They are water mixable, and changed the painting a little, can you see any difference?

I added highlights in hair and skin, made the eyes more alive, and I still will add more lavender to the wings and a bit of pink in the face:

I am liking how it pops out of the blue sky there....
Excuse the beige background, it is the tiled counter :oP
I didn't use an acelerator to dry fast, so now it is sitting there with a "wet paint" on the mantle ha!
Well, how are you doing in your 29 faces so far?

Changes

I made some changes, like I mentioned before. I was aiming for quirky and a face looking in the distance, but after a while I decided that I like it better when the portrait is looking at you.

So, I am retaking photos as well.
Thanks for visiting!

Working on Dali

After so many kind comments... here's what I re-worked today:
The cat is gone, replaced by a clock, more his style. I will ad water soluble wax pastels.

 

I added water soluble wax pastels:

The problem with a journal page for me is that I'm always and forever running out of space :oP 

Well, if nothing else, this page is funny.

Heart and Portrait

This is a rework of the ACEO heart I over splashed in the heart challenge HERE:

ACEO

And here is where I was in the portrait last night...

Time to Celebrate! Giveaway

I just learned that this particular artwork (not mine, but the original Modigliani made in 1919) was sold at at Sotheby's last year at around 5 million dollars. Wowsers!

But this Mr Frans Helens here (that's the name of the portrait)  was looking a bit too serious. So, since he was going to help me celebrate the "almost 500" blog giveaway, I decided to make him more festive.... Doesn't he look happier and more like a Fiesta??

Here's the deal:
To win this painting and celebrate with me, just post here and tell me, Martha, I want to be added to the list.

If you want more chances, post the giveaway banner in your blog, twitter it, post in facebook... wherever you want.

Here's the button if you want to post it in your blog:

Just come again and tell me you posted it, or you are a new blog follower, etc...
 and you'll have your name again added to the list to be the lucky winner 
of the Happy Frans!!    *Winner was randomly selected the 1st of May 2012

I am working on the video of Frans' re-worked painting but what do you know...? My spankin' new movie maker got a cramp and doesn't want to cooperate (can't save my files, after I spent hours working on it... agh!)
But what is life without computer problems... right?


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Woman with braids and 3 ACEO

Here are some pictures of the woman with braids and pots. I made her very colorful! She deserved a lot of attention after sitting unfinished for such a long time :o)

I am also working on 3 ACEOs for the Earth Day challenge in Pam's blog:

 

I better hurry and finish them!

More images after the brake....

She needs more

Remember the last lady I painted in profile? She is gone. She turned into a dark blue night.

The new lady here needs more. First she needs hair, maybe some clothes? Definitely more layers of color and perhaps a party hat :o) In this second picture I corrected a few details like eyes and shoulders, but I am far from finished. I think I'm keeping the hat, I love the colors!

Every time I sit to paint, times zooms by.I need to think about her hair color. Not sure if she will have black, blond or red hair :o)


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Palette and reworking a painting

So.... I was not quite convinced with this lady, her hair kept bothering me, and although I wanted her kind of floating, all of a sudden her floatingness bothered me too.

  

I went, grabbed more paint and went at it with passion. Started with the background, then the hair. And I added a wing, and wrote on it, for a good measure  (^_,^)

I am happy now!
This is a sample of the palette I used for this last step, but I did not have the first selection of colors to photograph.

Anyway, this is my post for the Palette and Paint blog, check it out HERE
Happy Paint Party Friday as well!

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Paint Party Friday and 15th day of 30

Welcome Paint Party Friday! Hello to my old friends, and great to meet new visitors. I hope you click around and find something to entertain you for a while, and make you feel like coming back '(-._,•)`

I have been working like a maniac! Isn't it funny how some times you are completely blocked, and all of a sudden the muses attack you? Well, my muses are in inspiration mode so I have been busy.

This is my current mixed media painting, which had started as a close up, didn't convince me so well, so after a few weeks I painted on top and the result has me feeling happier:

This is how it looked like before, as you can see, I pretty much changed everything. I wish I had remember to take a picture in progress of when I started the changes, but I didn't. I basically added texture and collage elements with matte medium and acrylics.

And a song so you feel happy.



Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful creative weekend!
when you are ready go to the rest of the Party

Pineapple oil painting, 9th day of Art

Feels more like a whole month with all this technical drama I had, but today is only the 9th day.
I am about done with this oil panting, but will still add a bit here and there.

This is actually a re-work. It's one of those that I was happy at the time, then I looked at it again and I didn't like it anymore, but I didn't know what to do to it. Destroying art is not my forte. Plus I like the pineapple :o) Although it feels right for others,  I think each person has to do what feels right, but it is really hard for me. I rather repaint, re-work, or maybe give away to someone that likes the painting as it is, even if it's not "me" anymore. (I know, some people will irk at the thought)

This is how it was:

This is how it the transformation:

This the way it's looking so far:

 

And now, talking about puffy clouds, I bid you Adieu, because there's a bad thunderstorm and I don't want to fry my computer!

Day of the Dead WIP and tip

More pictures of the painting I am re-working on:

Painting Tip: When you are not sure about what to add, and unsure about how it is going to look, take a picture and printer. I have card stock to do so and be able to paint on it (which regular print paper does not always allow. WIth oils, I really don't like to mess up wet on wet, and wait...So it is helpful to see before hand.

Option A, option B... Option C?

And since I was going with the blue oils, I started to splash another piece... But that's another post :o)

Day of the dead/ Dia de los Muertos Art

I like the more whimsical side of "DoD" art. I don't like grotesque or scary images, but for this season of fall, harvest, celebration of ghosts, spirits and the dead... I like the cute skeletons, which of course  I love to mix with a spun-full of Frida Kahlo flavor!
This is the one painting I have been working on, slowly, as my hand doesn't allow for much this week.

It was hard to start painting on it but I had an idea in my mind to do a Day of the Dead painting, after finding an image in my files of an old painting I made years ago:

No idea how to call this post. . . .

I have a few updates, a reminder and some news. New news and old news, that is...

As for updating, well, I finally and "with a little help of my friends", changed the name in my art page in facebook.  When you click on it, confetti will fall all over your room, and firecrackewrs will go in the sky. OK, maybe not, but sounded fun, right? Nevermind. So now the URL is this:

http://www.facebook.com/AyalaArt

No longer will have the long string of numbers after the name, and I didn't include the "Dolls" part just to make it easier. Thanks Diane Clancy and Cris Melo, fabulous artists and wonderful people.

The reminder part of this post: There's still time to participate in my blog giveaway! yaay! Click HERE for the original post, I will be selecting a participant to win one of my paintings, the picture is there too :o) 

My new news is that I re worked on a canvas that had me wishing to do something to it for a long time, but I have been so in love with my acrylics, that I had not touched my oils for a long time.  I finally went for it and this is where I am in that painting: Color is richer, more painterly and movement in the brush strokes

WIP re-worked

It was like this, the background a bit pale and at the time I wanted to make the image with less detail and shadows, but I was not happy. She was also missing the big uni-brow :oP

Old look

I will work on more shadowing next, and highlighting the leaves. (ツ♥)

Reconsidering

How long do you wait for a painting you made to feel that it is done? How long do you wait after you are done, and the painting doesn't sell, doesn't get any feedback... for you to feel that it is not as cute/good/finished... as you thought? Do you blame the economy, the lack of enough networking? or is there a point where you think the poor thing is simply bad? (I could go even deeper, thinking simply that one's art stinks... but I won't go there)
Do you despair? Do you repaint? Do you leave it in the corner of a closet to be forgotten? :o)

This is one of my Fridas. At the time I though she was so cute and funny... I was making funny looking people and all of them sold but her.  It's been ages and all she gets is a quick pass through. So I decided she needed a fresh start!

What do you think? Darker background, face lift, darker hair and jewelry. She is ready for a Fiesta :oD

Sold

Well... enjoy the rest of your day!
linking to Paper Saturdays

Cloth dolls

I am currently and slowly working on 2 cloth dolls.
The first one is Claudia Crow, who is a re-worked dolly. She has a video, which will be redone as well. Originally, the story I made for her, a nice girl who are the wrong cupcake, and turn into a crow.... she kept her hands in flesh tone, but seems like that was not quite right. So now she has crow color all over, she completery changed. I think she looks cute, but then again... I am partial ;o)

Before

After

And the other dolly WIP picture. I think she looks more like my mini paintings, yes? That has been my goal for a long time but it is easier said than done!

I didn't give her ears because I am planning to have her have hair and a hairband. So lets see how she looks at the end :o)

WIP painting

Here's where the painting is at this moment:

Hair, face and blouse are different - collaged with fiber paper- now she has an earring. I am working too slow on her, but enjoying it. Actually, working too slow in everything!  Days ago I had the great idea of hurting my back, and it has been difficult to do things. I'm a bit better but good grief, we don't ever thing of our back, until we have a pain and can't do a thing. Perfect excuse to skip the cooking :oP

Featured, Revolution and Recycle day

I am being featured in this beautiful blog: Wymzee Art and Friends Thanks Linda!!!

Happy day of the Revolution to my Mexican friends! Not Independence day... not Cinco de Mayo, but Revolution day. Hope you enjoy the holidays. Many blessings, peace and love for that beautiful land.

Today we also celebrate the Recycling day. I just learn that thanks to WikiHow. I do. Cans, boxes, magazines, plastic, paper... you name it, I recycle!

Over the weekend at the book store, I bought the most beautiful recycled paper art journal.
Which brings me back to the original idea of posting a painting that I am recycling:

I painted it years ago, took it to the County Fair, got a little ribbon for it, listed it online and didn't reach my reserved price. It went to the closet for a while till I decided where to hang it or to list it again.
Well, years later it is still waiting and I don't paint that way anymore. In fact I have not opened my oils in a long time. At this point I could list it again to let it go, or re-work it.

I did a little research, hoping to paint with acrylics on top of it, but everywhere I read it simply doesn't recommend to do it, which makes sense even if I wanted to do acrylics. So.... I will gesso it, repaint and show you the results later on.
Along with that one I have some other tropical paintings that I had forgotten. Out of sight out of mind....?
What do you think?
UPDATE HERE

Networks, reworks, resolutions...

There are tons of online Networks, and tons of online Media Marketing.
I am just now learning about RSS feeds.
I know... some people live on it, but I go slow and by small drops.... and still manage to spread thin, LOL
For those of us that like creating things, selling our craft and/or meeting like-minded friends on the internet, life can get very tricky!
Some time ago in a workshop they said that in order to create and sell, you have to spend 75% of your time advertising and 25% creating. Huh? Well...
Maybe my percentages have been more like 10%/90% at times... then reversed to 98%/2% in the past few months :oP

Some serious organizing will have to be done to stay in the "create" side and not only live in the "online" part of this equation.
I have limited my online activities to what I consider the most bang for my effort (yeah, I go for free when I can, so "buck" doesn't apply here) lol
Had to leave many groups, websites and networks for that reason. And I have not joined another bunch that I have been invited to, for that same reason.
Oh, and just when you think you know the game... all the websites "update" and "upgrade" and "upmess" their format!! agh!!

With that in mind, my new years resolutions should be something like:
Ahem ahem...
-Reorganize my menu in the blog.
-Plan my schedule of my on/off line activities.
-List on regular basis so the networking makes sense! lol
-Clean the kitchen... Meh! scratch that.
How did THAT get in my list??
That's probably my subconscious, always so conscientious :oP

Well nevertheless.
Something else I want to include in my plan is:
-Make more tutorials, tips and videos.
Oh, and the typical "I will start my diet" resolution. What would be a new year without one of those! Well, actually, I am serious on it. I will not eat chocolate until February 14th. It's going to be hard, but thank goodness for cake!! (Did I say that??)

Now, for the visual part of this posting:
This is a sold ACEO art card. It was painted, frowned at, and reworked long time ago. The reason I want to share this, is to inspire at least one person to go dig on your frowned at art, and revive it with new colors, elements or perhaps new techniques learned recently. It is so satisfying!



I am SOOOO thrilled to see I *almost* have 100 followers!!! To think I started the last 4 years with only 3 readers, and one of them was my cat!! (well, he was only here for the pictures)



Update:
How many Networks are out there, I wondered? so I went to see and bumped on a list of more than 200... WOW! I'm sure many are in different languages.
I know a few of them, but never heard of most of them... how about you?
Click on the pic to see better.