St Camillus and St. Cecilia

The C's are up for show...

St Camillus & St Cecilia - I shouldn't tell to much of their history because I have teamed up with my sister, Today With Miss K. She will tell all about them. The link to the Gallery of Saints is here - Saints Gallery along with the biographies underneath each picture.

I really like Prismacolor

It's been good to me, allowing me to shade it and create compositions with it - thank you Prisma.

This Saint Camillus picture started with the face and then proceeded to the most difficult piece - the black cassock. Yes, very difficult because many colors are used to make black, not just the black or it will look too flat. I tried my best to include all the colors without segregating too many. It didn't blend the best, but it still turned out okay. The hands were also a bit tricky.

After the black came my favorite, the browns and yellows, (really, I know what you're thinking), they really let me shade them in a continuous flow of value. That can be seen in the cloth covering Jesus. The background took many layers to get a nice smooth even coat.

Here are some progress pictures:

Starting a face!

There's Esteban hard at work.

Yes, look at that shading on the blanket!

The Finished Piece

St Cecilia - The Patron of Music

St Cecilia's piece brought along many different challenges compared to St Camillus. First of all the hands ... they were difficult, like all hands, especially as they were grabbing the bow and the violin in odd positions (how do those violinists hold their bows like that?) And then of course there was the shading of the hand.

But there was something I hadn't suspected that happened as I was finishing up with the details that suddenly happened ... I never thought it would occur ... keep reading to find out.

The blue towel shaded very nicely along with the face.

There are the browns that I love shading with.

This is a comparison of the backgrounds. On the left is how it looked without a background, just the white paper. And on the right is the shaded purple background.

The finished piece.

The problem I didn't see coming was the purple pencil. As I was shading the background the pencil kept breaking inside the sharpener and I had about 10 percent left to shade. I could not sharpen it ... the lead kept breaking in the sharpener, so I used a piece of lead that fell off, and with my finger was able to color the rest in. The picture above shows the pencil that would not sharpen.

Where are the Biographies?

As soon as Miss K finishes them she will post them to her page and I will post the links in the Saint's gallery page. 3 done, 49 to go! Which letter should I do next? - Maybe 't' to finish up the t's?

Comment which piece you like the best.

Thank You for viewing these pictures!

Egg Decorating Tradition ... Acrylic on Egg

It's a tradition I've been doing ever since

Yes, yes - most of us have colored eggs at Easter time, I know I have. I've always just dipped the egg in a bowl of dye and let the dye do the fun part - and your hands get all messy.

It was last year when it all started. About the time I was in art class my senior year and improving my painting skills. At Easter time I decided I wasn't going to dip my eggs in dye anymore ... I would brush on them some acrylic paint. Yes, I know ... a very bold move - like the next new art movement - Post-Egginism.

So I have been painting acrylic paint on eggs since I started, yes, it's a very long tradition - I almost remember starting it last year ... Yup, that's when I started, 2019.

I couldn't decide what to paint this year so I went with the tradition I started way back in two thousand and nineteen, now I'm aging myself. 2019 I replicated a famous painting, The Mona Lisa. (These are not hard boiled eggs - just the shell, I blew out the yoke so I could keep them for ever.)

Here is 2019's Egg Art

This depicts The Mona Lisa

2019's egg is more of a pastel or soft texture where as the 2020 egg has a glossy or shiny background and  more subtle with the subjects.

This year I was able to photograph some in progress pictures.

And yes, I painted American Gothic, (the famous painting of the two farmers you don't know the name of), by Grant Wood. If you were the subject of someone's painting, wouldn't you want to be recognized by your name? As you walk down your block people would shout out, "Hey look! There is that farmer and his wife that held up the pitchfork."

Believe it or not, that farmer was a dentist! And his wife (actually supposed to be the farmer's daughter is Grant Wood's sister. (She better have brushed her teeth 3 times per day.)

So here are some in progress pictures

I started with a base coat of blue and then layered in the background and finally added the farmer and his sister. The paint doesn't stick very well to the egg so I had to slowly layer in the paint to keep it from sliding off the eggshell.

Wait, I only have one! - the rest are from different angles, because eggs are not flat (unless you smash it), but it still wouldn't be flat.

Oh, I forgot, my sister, today with miss k, also took some fantastic in progress pictures.

The blue base coat. It turned out to be a very glossy color.

As you can see, the paint doesn't stick well so I had to
take it a little bit at a time.

There's the reference I used and myself working on that tiny
canvas of an egg. Acrylic on egg.

Look at those faceless characters!

So here are the angled shots

A straight on shot showcasing the curves of the egg. Amazing,
 Grant Would be proud (get it.)

There she is,  Nan Wood Graham. No wonder
she isn't showing her teeth - she's standing right by
her dentist.

And there is Dr. Byron McKeeby, the fine
old dentist. He looks a lot younger here.

Here is another shot of the front, I didn't take one of the back because it is just plain blue. (Just think if chickens laid eggs like this.) They sure seem happy - but they did have to stand there while he painted them. :(

What am I working on in the studio

I am still working on my series, Saints on 7.25 X 9.75 and have almost finished St Cecilia. I just have to wait for my sister to get her biographies done - yes, she procrastinates. Maybe even procrastinates about procrastinating.

I will continue with the Prismacolor series and in the middle of that I will be working on whatever jumps at me or gets sent to Inspiration. He's like my messenger.

Thank You For Viewing My eggs ... No, Some Chicken's Eggs That I Painted On.

• Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid. -Mark Twain

• When you start with a portrait and search for a pure form, a clear volume, through successive eliminations, you arrive inevitably at the egg. Likewise, starting with the egg and following the same process in reverse, one finishes with the portrait. -Pablo Picasso

• I always like stories where the egg ends up on my face. -Rob Lowe

10 YEARS AGO ...

When I first picked up a Brush

The first time I picked up a paintbrush was ... probably in Kindergarten art class making a mess with color. But I mean the first time I actually got into painting - When?

It was 10 years ago. I remember getting an easel and paint for Christmas and a few canvases. And I've saved pretty much every drawing and painting I've ever done, except the ones all over notebooks, assignments, garbage, the sheet rock that's been painted over, and the many I've given away.

The other day I walked into my closet and saw the stack of old paintings from when I was 10 years old - someday ... yes, someday they will be famous. (If you want to buy one, you may). So I thought I would share them with whomever shall read this post.

Untitled - Feb. 2010

Look at that painting ... It reminds me of a generic Bob Ross. 

Saurus Ranch - Feb. 2010

Look how the sky sits so high up! Just above the dinosaurs head. Even the sky is afraid of that dinosaur.

The Truck - 2010

The sun isn't even in the sky - it's falling.

The House - 2010

This must be my house, either the house is super tall or the trees are tiny.

The Campfire - 2010

Ah, here is my first painting of a person. As they say, you have to start somewhere, and this is where I started, a guy standing by a giant fire. The black is mixed right in with the peach - right from the bottle! - but I was just starting out - I didn't know how to mix colors. I guess it makes it more realistic, it looks like he is covered in soot from the fire.

The Ocean pool - 2010

Now that is a creative name, the Ocean Pool. And look how my portraiture has improved - I've done 2 faces in this one, and an octopus! My faces have come along way since 2010 - if you've seen the latest painting - I know a little more about blending.

The Helicopter  -2010

I think this is one of the first ones, done in January of 2010, so I was 9 years old. A basic helicopter -  a marvelous subject to start with.

The House

Much improvement from my first house above. The door and window are in better proportion.

The Boat - 2010

This is another one from January, a simple boat.

Watery Mountains - 2010

Watery Mountains? The mountains look dry. But I was only nine when I named these.

Wow! And what is this? This is not one of my paintings, but my brothers. He is like my twin but Eight years younger; he can do everything I do, but better. This is a current painting that he did at 11 years old, so about the same age as when I did my paintings. There is so much detail in this.

I remember everything about these paintings ... painting them, how I dipped my brush into the globby paint as it flowed from the tube and how it slid over the canvas so smoothly. But I guess I don't remember how I got my ideas. - probably from Inspiration. Yeah, he was younger than, but Inspiration has grown now and has more sophisticated and complex ideas - You've got to give him credit.

And after I ran out of canvases ... I must have stopped painting. I don't think I painted again until 9th grade. I guess I lost interest - or supplies. Here is the painting from 9th grade.

And then I didn't paint again until my senior year of high school when I took an art class. And even in art class I stuck to drawing until I was forced to paint at the end of the semester ... I didn't think I was that good - Until I tried.

I didn't know I could paint, so the next semester I mostly did paintings in my studio class and continually improved. And after I graduated I started oil painting and here I am now - still painting. 

First Painting of 12th Grade - Monochromatic Dog

So I will leave you with some sketches

Mr. T

The Good Shepard

I did this one while in the car - yes, it was moving and no, I was not driving. I will probably finish this one someday - I need to add some value.

Still life of Staples store

I did this while waiting for my mom to finish shopping at Trader Joe's. Staples was right across the street.

Still Life

I did this because I saw my sister's comb, (I mean brush) sitting on the table so I drew it. Then I decided to sketch some more things commonly found in the bathroom - Not sure about the toilet paper though. No, the toilet paper was not used when I set it on the table just before dinner.

And some past sketches/drawings

Thanks for viewing my past work and current sketches

I just finished my next Saint on 7.25 X 9.75 Paper. After I did Saint Therese, my sister and I decided to do a group project - I am going to draw one female and one male saint for each of the 26 letters (Is that right ... yes, I believe there are 26 letters in the alphabet - or maybe there is 27) and my sister is going to do a biography on them - 52 drawings, 52 biographies! 

Saints on 7.25 X 9.75 Paper Link

You can view her biography's on her blog, todaywithmissk.blogspot.com, and I'm sure there will be lots of history and books and things of that nature you may read about. She's really into that historical kind of stuff.

Here is a sneak peak of my latest Saint on 7.25 X 9.75 Paper: 

It is Saint Camillus de Lellis - Patron of the sick

I don't put a penny's value on this life if only our Lord will give me a tiny corner in Paradise.

-Camillus de Lellis

Prismacolor Practice

The first time I tried Prismacolor ... you probably don't want to see.

But you can if you want - 

Not the best.

Shading is not the best on the BEAR, looks too flat - but does give transition to charcoal.

So over this past week, I sneaked into my sister's room and found her stash of Prismacolors - hehehe

She let me ... No need for a suspenseful story. Anyway, I had some practice with those colors, I don't do a lot of Prismacolor pictures, so I needed to brush up on my skills (or would it be pencil up on my coloring skills). I penciled up pretty good and got some good shadings especially on the face of my second drawing.

I'll talk about my first picture first. Haha. 

How did I decide. With the help of my younger sister we got the idea to draw at random ... Yes, I'm talking statistics, - A math term - Don't worry, I survived. We found her Saints Memory Game and drew from Random, yes from random one of the Saints. Guess who I chose. No need to guess - just look below, or keep reading.

Our Lady of the Rosary - Yup! You guessed right ... Or maybe read right - those English classes really paid off then - Go thank your English teacher.

Our Lady of the Rosary

The value of the yellows really turned out well - my favorite color to shade with. I used yellows and browns to add the different tones. The faces were the most difficult because I couldn't figure out how to get darks and lights from the peach color.

Then I remembered - "Make your own colors" 🔴🟡🔵

I remembered that on my second picture. But overall I think I improved since the first time I used Prismacolor. Well done. 👏

Close-up of the faces

-My Second Picture

For my second picture I chose Saint Therese of Lisieux. This time I remembered to make my own colors for the face. I rummaged through my sisters massive stock pile of Prismacolors, actually only 24, and found a golden umbery color, a red, and a white and started creating the face. (all after I did a sketch the night before).

After many layers and shading with a blender, I added more layers and darks and lights and it looked much better than my first face.

I kept working on it that day and didn't stop until I did some more ... I finished the next day. I didn't stay up all night and hold a spoon so I wouldn't fall asleep - it might not have turned out the same.

And when I woke up it looked like this

It wasn't finished. That meant there was more to do. After many more layers and much hard labor it looked like this.

Saint Therese of Lisieux

And when I put it in black and white, it appeared to be colorless and looked totally different, yet the same.

Yes, now I saw much improvement, and with practice much can be accomplished. I think I'll start a series - I'll probably call it, 'Saints on 7.25 X 9.75 Paper' - More will come.

If you have a suggestion on which saint you would like to see next please suggest it in the comments.

What's Next In The Studio

I might start another 'Saints on 7.25 X 9.75 Paper' or maybe ... yes I should probably use up the last of my Titanium White that's waiting to be used up - I had left over paint on my palette (Ice cream bucket cover) that needs to be used - an excuse to do another painting. 

Titanium White: "Joshua, come paint me on your canvas, don't just leave me on this cover to die. Ohhhh! Aahhhh! Ohhhhh, come use me up, I'm drying out."

Joshua: "Don't worry T.W., I'm coming, I had to finish my other projects first ... and get another idea. You're always complaining, wait your turn. Prismacolor was in need of some attention this week.

Yes, I should probably paint so I don't get Titanium White too sad - maybe a hospital scene for my sister.

✏✎✐✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏✎✏

- “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

― St. Therese of Lisieux

A little extra time to Art :)

That's Strange, they keep lengthening my break - maybe they are adding Spring Art, where you have two extra weeks to draw, paint or do art.

I guess inspiration comes in many forms - requests from others is how inspiration spoke to me this week. My cousin saw my Padre Pio painting and wanted one for herself.

I CANNOT PAINT MULTIPLE PAINTINGS OF THE SAME THING

So I decided to paint a different view of Padre Pio, in this painting he is at mass. This time I tried a undercoat/base coat with acrylic paint just to get some value down.

Acrylic Base 

A monochromatic with browns for the undercoat.

First Coat of Oils

Look how the oils transform those acrylics into a brighter picture.

Finish/Details

Those details really make the finished painting stand out

I've Still Got Another Week To Do Art! :)

I'll probably work on my drawing skills, maybe start a painting or do some small sketches.

Thank you for viewing my art.

- "In drawing, one must look for or suspect that there is more than is casually seen." - George Bridgman