carol's cutie . . .

Ballerina (or Myra in Lavender)

by Carol Blackburn

Carol I love her!  I was going to take a 'sick day' from drawing today but when I saw your painting it inspired me to draw something new that I have never drawn before - a ballerina! 

ps now I will have to post my automobile drawing . . . I saw your wonderful rooster but that's just way out of my league!

QUESTION: Can I draw a ballerina swooping up her hair?

I wanted to see if I could draw a ballerina with most of her face showing and swooping up her long hair.  I am pretty pleased with the result.  I didn't know that she would look so much like me (about 100 years ago!)

changing . . .

I actually did this composition as an oil sketch BEFORE I went back and drew it again with a pencil. The painting does not have as much detail as I would like.  Drawing it did help me to make ONE decision that improved the painting.  She is chewing gum.  After I drew it in pencil I saw that she should blow a bigger bubble in the painting.  Not perfect - but better.  I will show you the painting when it dries.

(PS I can't wait to see Carol's ballerina when she decides to draw one!  Her latest watercolor has encouraged me to try and draw a car.  Not much success yet - but I will continue to work on it.  It's a Volkswagen beetle and of course it belongs to a ballerina.) 

bonnie at the beach . . .

yike-o-licious?

You may recall that this was a watercolor I posted some time ago.  I looked at it one day and I thought 'YIKES!'  I actually say that.  I said 'YIKES!'  I brought the poor thing into my 'ballerina clinic' and went over it with oil paint.  A much more pleasing effect I think.  Painting the tutu and adding the violet shadows was like eating a piece of chocolate with creamy caramel inside.  In my mind she went from yikes to yike-o-licious!

ballerina with a fan . . .

I love ballerinas holding a fan.  I was so inspired by the bottom image I saw on one of those copyright free photo sites that I got all auto-biographical again with the above pastel!  Karen thank you for the tip about the pastel paper and boards - I will be checking it out soon!

pastel colors for carol . . .

I must admit that I really enjoyed tossing around those pastel sticks!  I was actually afraid at first because this drawing was a little larger than normal for me.  Afraid? I thought.  Of a ballerina?! Get to it girl! I said.  And look - another wonderful self portrait (inner self)!  I left the arm undone because so doing was so much fun!  This is on heavy cardboard but I think that one day I will try pastel board.

ballerina clinic and a question for bonnie . . .

In this practice sketch I wanted to leave the face of the ballerina undone.  With just the hint of a face is it possible that she still looks like someone you may have seen before (or am I just being lazy)?  I really enjoyed 'penciling' the skin tone - and - drawing just that little bit of the chair leg was just like having a little piece of chocolate.

QUESTION:  Bonnie how did you execute that last drawing?  As you can see, I really want to know!

pastel colors 2 for you know who . . .

Did the previous pastel scare you?  Don't feel bad - it scared me a little too!  This is another practice pastel on heavy cardboard - warming up for 'a summer of color fun'.  Once again I just drew it and without fussing over any details just painted it!  She looks like me - if I were 50 - okay - 100 pounds lighter and had long flowing hair!  (Okay - maybe the eyes!)

pastel colors for carol . . .

I threw around some pastels . . .

just to have some fun . . .

a pastel ballerina -

when I was done!

This is pastel on heavy cardboard.  I wanted to just 'draw and paint' without trying to 'fix' anything.  This was a 'warmup'.  As the weather warms up and summer is in the air (we don't really get Spring in Texas do we?) I am starting to look forward to painting with oils again. As a matter of fact I have just completed a painting that I will post when it is dry.  I really enjoyed my winter of drawing.  I couldn't draw faces before but now you won't run from the room screaming - every time!

francois and me . . .

Along with Degas I LOVE - -  LOVE I tell you - -  the paintings of Francois Gall.  I wonder why no one has ever written a book about him!  He has done many, many paintings of the ballet as well as other subjects that I just absolutely love.  If I could I would produce a book filled with pages of  full color images of his work - especially the ballet.  You know what I think?  In this so-called modern age I think that any artist who has produced a great body of work should publish themselves. ( I think that with blurb books anyone can produce at least one copy!)  Let's take Catherine Jeffrey or Janett Marie (or you) for example.  Each of them has a great body of beautiful work that I think should be published in a book.  If someone published a beautiful book featuring my 'homey' Francois Gall - I would scream and laugh and dance and cry and laugh and holler and run and flip . . . I think you get the picture . . .

to the horizon . . .

Well, everything is still in an unfinished state . . . for example my computer and the plumbing are functional but not 100 percent operational yet.  How appropriate that I could not finish this drawing.  I could have drawn a simple horizon line - just a line - but I was just plain too lazy!  I do like this drawing however - it shows a little improvement in my work - I think.  She's looking at the horizon - to the future!

re gards . . .

I am reposting a painting I did earlier because my computer as well as my plumbing have both broken down.   I am in the process of getting them both fixed so that I can totally flush and fully scan again!  

Van Gogh

I wanted to re-post this slide show on the one year anniversary of the date I first posted it.  There are a couple of things that I like about it - and - it reminds me that I did want to do all manner of  art presentations even if some were a little controversial.

stay safe . . .

I don't know who the artist is!  I've had this on my computer since 2007!  Since this will be a 'winter for the history books' - stay safe!