Moleskine drawing.

I took a little break from a large drawing project this week and spent some time with my neglected sketchbook. I've had this particular book since 2007, and it's pretty wild to see how my style has (and hasn't) changed over the years. 

Here are two recent snippets. 

I love to paint, but nothing is better than a sharp pencil and a clean, blank surface. 

I'll be back to share once my larger project/study is finished. 

Cheers,

Kylene 

Pencil Drawing.

A tiny pencil piece I worked on here and there over the last two days. 

(straight edge clearly needed)

3" x 4 3/8"

Finally Finished - Pencil Drawing.

I am officially registered for classes for both summer and fall, so I've been scrambling to finish up any straggler pieces that have been lying around. This piece was completed in pencil on BFK Rives and is approximately 7" x 7".

Megan - Oil Painting - Continued.

In true West Virginia fashion, the weather can't decide what it wants to do. Just last week, I was running outside in shorts. Today? Snow. I'm over the drab brown/grey that is winter. Come on, Spring.

Something notable that I didn't mention in my last post is that Sean and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Seriously! Where did the year go? In lieu of buying each other gifts, we decided to build a dining table. More on that as the project progresses. 

Painting update: More of the same. Glazing continues. Here are a few photos after the second session. My apologies for the crappy light and quality going on in these shots.

Oil Painting - Continued.

An update on the current painting. I finished up the grisaille layer sometime last week and began glazing today. I can't say that I'm incredibly pleased with my start today. After laying in my mix over the face, I felt like I could have gone heavier on the pigment. That said, I'm guessing that slow and steady build-up of color will most likely win the race. Had I started out with too much pigment, I might be stuck figuring out how to neutralize it.

Gamblin FastMatte Titanium White and Chromatic Black over the initial Raw Umber layer:

The first skin-tone glazing layer was a mix of Cadmium Red, English Red, Yellow Ochre, and Cadmium-Barium Yellow Medium. Once the area was covered, I went back in with Titanium White to pull out the underlying highlights. After a little drying time, I softened my edges with a soft, dry brush.

I'll go in and hit the areas I skipped over today once things have dried a bit (I had some bleed occur when two areas of wet glaze met). 

Until next time,

Kylene

“...It Will Grow Mosquitoes. I Still Like It…"

While sorting through boxes several months ago, I found a stockpile of old sketchbooks, college notebooks, and other odds and ends. Stashed amongst the mess was a written critique of a maquette I had turned out in one of my design classes. I don't remember the project/sculpture as one of my finer moments... 

…and it would have grown mosquitos if given the chance.

In the spirit of chances, it looks like I will be returning to school this summer to (finally) finish up my art degree. The opportunity arose from out of nowhere, and I find myself both excited and terrified. It's been nearly five years since I left school. My life is in a much better place than it was back then, thankfully, so I'm trying to stay optimistic. 

~

I'm back to experimenting with oils. Here are a few progress shots of what is currently on my easel.

I still have a long way to go on it, but I'm enjoying myself. I'll post additional updates as I have them.

Catching Up.

2013 was really something. Sean and I were engaged and married within a month's time, we continued to settle into the new house, and I managed to stay very, very busy. So much so that my commission work, photography stuff, jewelry experiments, Facebook, Etsy, Flickr, this blog, the cats (the cats deserve their own post), and everyday life here on Vegan Mountain all became a little too much to maintain. 

I have a bad habit of putting too many irons in the fire.

So, here we are a couple of months into 2014 and I'm trying to streamline. I still have a lingering commission painting from last year to finish up, but once it is handed off to the owners I plan to wrap up a few personal pieces that have been on the back burner. I've been making notes for new work as well. I'm excited.

Are you excited?

In my mind, I'd like to shoot for at least one new post on here per week, but I feel like I probably shouldn't promise anything, given the potential for a big change in the routine this upcoming summer (probably deserves its own post too). I also can't promise that all posts will be art related, but I know you won't be offended by photos of gardens, cats, or cupcakes.

...

I feel a little weird leaving without sharing some kind of image, so here are a few random photographs from the last year. See you soon!