ArtPact #1

(Originally published on November 20, 2006).

So, now that I've admitted my blogoholism, I basically did the first step towards quitting a habit, right?

Aha - but there lies the catch: I don't want to quit.

On the other hand, I don't want this to take over everything else.

And so, I made a pact with myself:
In order to not ban myself from blogging, I am going to combine two of my artistic outlets.
(I do have more than two, but I have no intention to record myself singing, nor to invite y'all for meals at our house, nor many other things. I may, however, surrender, from time to time, my highly-artistic usage of the English language, which I revert to when I am too tired to speak it correctly and The Johnnyb is not around to save me).

And so, I hereby make a commitment to post - once a week - something from my other creative channel:
Art.
On Paper.
Fresh from the sketchbook, drawing board or easel.

Be warned: it's gonna get artsy, at least once a week.

Now, it's true that I am devoted to watercolor (yet another addiction), but you are not likely to see ethereal landscapes, fine-painted still-life, or lovely bouquets of flowers in delicate colors.
Not here.
My interest - in art as in life - is people, and thus, I am mostly into figures, mostly decently dressed, mostly faces - and recently, hands.

A week ago I finished an enlightening figure painting workshop (of which you all read with bated breath), and two days ago was the last session of an incredible portrait painting workshop.
Sadly, the paintings I did in the portrait workshop were all from reference photos I took from the web or from magazines, and thus cannot be shared anywhere, as they are based on stealth images.
Someone once told me that since paintings done in a workshop can not be entered into competitions, as they are not purely mine, she never "wastes" her own photos on workshops.
Good advice, but since we also painted at home (thus eliminating teacher guidance contamination), I could have used photos from my own arsenal.
I guess I didn't think any of them would turn out successful.
Ha! How wrong I was!!
There are at least two paintings that I am really proud of (and The JohnnyB wowed lengthily about one of them - which is a very, very rare occasion, mind you!), but all I can do with those is hang in our humble premises.
Ah well, yet another curve in the learning process. (a process that some of the ingeniously-blessed amongst you are not familiar with, apparently).

Anyway, the last subject in the portrait workshop was babies/kids.
I eventually got tired of stealth images, and decided to work from my own.
Actually, it's a photo taken by my niece, but she gave me her loving permission, so I am fine. (as long as she gets a painting out of it...).

I found this great photo of one of my great-nephews, NitzkuA.
(Are those teeth I see, flying out of your mouth in attempt to pronounce the name?... Good!! Now you know how I feel sometimes when I speak English!).

He is 18-month old, adorable as can be, purely made of attitude and coolness, and recently upgraded from a uni-vowel being to a bi-vowel one.

The photo has a lot of potential, with fun shapes and wonderful light pattern, and my goal is to take it beyond the "Oh-that-is-tooooo-cute" obviously-fondant baby painting, and see where it goes.

And so - here is my first step:
A crude preliminary drawing of the little guy.