Entries Tagged 'Art' ↓

Learn the Secrets of Pencil Portrait Drawing – Facial Hair

A mustache or a beard usually has lots of fullness. Therefore, it must be built up in layers. You need to look at facial hair in terms of shapes and not just in terms of outlines. The values are also of critical importance.

Here are a few clues that will help you become an expert in drawing decent mustache, beards, sideburns, and other varieties of facial hair:

Values – Squint your eyes and take careful note of the overall value of the facial hair as compared to the surrounding skin. YouGet a feel for the flow of the hair. Where are the breaks in the flow? How does a local direction of hair growth fit into the overall pattern?

Always be aware of the overall shape you are drawing. All this is critically important to obtain a good likeness.

Layering – It is best to draw facial hair in layerslayers. This keeps your mustache or beard from looking flat or thin.

If necessary, you can put down one layer and use workable fixative before laying down the next layer.

Also, be aware of the underlying facial structure, otherwise the hair may look like it is pasted on. In other words, be aware of the peaks and valleys underneath the facial hair and note the how these structures are mirrored in the facial hair.

Kneaded Eraser – The kneaded eraser is ideal to render the lighter values in facial hair. Shape the kneaded eraser into a point and lightly “draw” lighter lines into the darker valued areas of the facial hair. Very realistic renditions can be obtained with this technique.

Close-up – Have a good look at a close-up of a mustache or some other facial hair. Notice how the hairs are ordered. Particularly, notice that some of the hairs are interwoven with others. It is important to reflect this in your drawing.

Note that generic-looking facial hair will make your drawing look artificial. Each individual has his or her own unique hair growth patterns. It becomes necessary to study these patterns, i.e., shape, fullness or thinness, values, growth patterns, underlying structure, etc. As always, practice makes perfect. Also remember, drawing hair must be done with a light, flowing touch, maybe using an F or HB pencil.

Learn more about pencil portraits and landscape painting.

Advice on Pencil Portrait Drawing – Blending

Learning to blend is a skill that you need to master to become a good pencil portraits artist. Once you have a line drawing and once you have laid down the different values based on, for example, a five-value scale, you can start blending the different value areas. To blend, you can use a pencil, a tortillon, a paper tissue, and even your fingers.

Blending tips:

Soft Edges – Wherean object surface gentle curves away from the light source. Such edges change values gradually and you should blend them accordingly.

Always blend parallel to the edges of the subject area. Follow the curves of, for example, a cheek. This gives a more natural and rounded look.

Hard Edges – Hard edges occur where two surfaces touch or overlap. The edge looks more defined. Do not actually draw lines to depict such edges. Rather, create a hard edge laying down two different values next to each other.

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a line in nature. We become aware of lines only because of the contrasting values of two adjacent surfaces. And this is the way lines should be created in your drawings. Anything that has an actually drawn outline will look flat (i.e., planar) and will detract from the three-dimensional look of the subject.

Contrast – Contrast is a good thing. It gives life to your pencil portrait. Use five-value scale to discern the correct values. An excellent trick to better perceive values is to look through squinted eyes. I also found it beneficial to draw in dusk-like lighting conditions.

Uneven Values – If you see uneven blending you can use your kneaded eraser to take off some of the darker spots and use your pencil to darken the lighter spots if needed.

Darkest Darks – If you need to create a really dark area you can build it up in layers. Start with a dark layer and spray it with workable fixative. Then put another layer on top. And, if necessary, you can repeat this process until the area is dark enough.

Kneaded Eraser – Your kneaded eraser is also a very useful tool at this stage. You can use it to draw with into a penciled area. For example, the kneaded eraser is ideal to introduce highlights on noses and hair.

From Dark to Light – Always try to blend from dark to light. Blend from the shadows into the light. Remember, the highlights are the white of the paper while the cast shadows are the blackest black you can muster.

The above guidelines should give you a good start in developing your blending skills. Now it becomes a matter of practice and experience. Find more tips about landscape in painting in the quoted resource.

The Line Drawing

In this article I will discuss the importance of a line drawing in producing pencil portraits. I will also discuss the details of rendering such a drawing. We start with a gridded reference image that has the same dimensions as the drawing we will produce. By the way, a gridded image which has the size of your actual drawing, will usually be too large for most printers to handle in one piece. So, print out the image piece-wise on regular 8.5 by 11 inch paper.

The first step is to draw the same grid on your drawing paper that you drew on your reference image. Use an HB or F pencil with a sharp point and draw very lightly. Remember that this grid eventually will be erased.

Once we have drawn the grid we are ready to start putting in the contours of the subject.

The advantages of using a grid are many. You can draw the content of one square at a time. All proportions and placements are easily discerned. Negative spaces become more evident. Rendering the correct perspective is greatly simplified.

Here are some guidelines on drawing the outlines (line drawing) of the subject in the photograph:

For now, only draw lines, i.e., do not do any shading yet.

Draw lightly and loosely. Use maybe a 2B or 3B sharp pencil. Sharpen your pencils frequently.

Although you should concentrate on one square, but you should not loose sight of the overall structure of the drawing. For example, make sure that the subject matter smoothly transitions from one square to the next. Inspect your progressing drawing from an overall perspective. While concentrating on a particular square, also use your peripheral vision to keep an eye on the neighborhood.

At this stage, accuracy is of the essence. All drawing at this point is judging lengths and angles within a single square. Use short soft lines which, if needed, you can easily erase.

Put a sheet of bond paper under your drawing hand so you avoid smudging of the already finished portion.

Also draw in the contours of the shadows and other worthy details you notice on your subject. At this stage your task is to produce a detailed map of your subject. We are actually in the process of readying the drawing for the next phase, i.e., shading.

Try to see in terms of shapes or masses and draw the contours of these shapes and masses. Drawing is doing two things simultaneously (actually, more than two). You need to concentrate on that one current line you are drawing (its length and angle) but simultaneously you should always be aware that this line is part of a shape.

Make use of the concept of negative space. Also, once and awhile, turn your reference image as well as your drawing upside down or sideways. This often gives you a better perspective on lengths and angles.

In fact, at this stage, try not to be aware that you are drawing a definite subject. Look at each shape as just a blob without meaning but with definite dimensions and a definite orientation. This will help you with seeing and reducing the involuntary introduction of preconceived notions about noses and such.

Look at your reference image frequently and carefully. Don’t forget that this might be a real portrait drawing.

Make some choices. What is important? What can you leave out? Drawing is often an exercise in elimination of unnecessary detail.

In this fashion, continue working out one square after another. By now, you should already see a fairly good likeness of your subject. Review in detail the entire drawing and make corrections wherever necessary. This is also the time to erase most of the grid. When you are satisfied, you can lightly spray the drawing with workable fixative, just enough so it does not smudge but you can still erase things if you have to. Congrats, you are close to to join the famous landscape artists group

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater art. The word Kabuki is derived from the Japanese word kabuki which means avant-garde or bizarre theater. Kabukimono were youngsters who were rebellious and used to dress strangely. Because the kanji characters sing and dance, kabuki also means the art of singing and dancing.

This work has been tampered with over a period of time. The kabuki which we witness now isn’t the same what it used to be before. The founder of this art was Okuni, who was a young lady who served a Shinto shrine named Lzumo Taisha. She gained attention by adapting a completely new dance form at the theaters at the dry river beds of Kyoto in the year 1603. Basically it started with only female artist who even did the role of men. The stories were based on the common people with a comedic twist. After the initial success Okuni was invited to show her performance at the royal court. Out of envy other troupes began adopting the same style of dancing and kabuki became a common style. The women involved in kabuki began entering prostitution so they were banned from performing further and men took over their place. The attention shifted from dance to performance. But the performance by the men also became salacious and they too started prostitution as a side profession and worked for both men and women customers. This affected the audiences which attended these performance they became ill-mannered and a fight used to break out over a young and handsome actor. This led to the imposing of ban on young male actors too.

Kabuki – Theater Art

Kabuki then became a field of art for matured men. These men put in more effort to bring up the reputation of kabuki. The men who performed the role of women were known as Oyama or Onnagata. Basically there were two types of role named Aragoto or rough style and Wagoto or Sakata tojuro. Yaro kabuki or men’s kabuki was the stylized version and Kyogen comic theater was a very influential factor as it was very popular then.

The kabuki artists wore detailed makeup. Aragoto character or the reckless warrior character has a pompous role with bright clothing and loud makeup. The style too is loud and exaggerated and involves more action. On the contrary Wagoto is a more cultured role with decent dialogue delivery and gestures. More about Theater Art.

I was utterly speechless as I walked into the store of Antique Jewelry Chicago. I was assigned a PowerPoint on different types of Architectural Artifacts to present to my class, so my mother suggested to me to go to an actual store to learn information for my assignment . When I went to the library I didn’t find what I was looking for, so when I went to this Antique Jewelry Chicago store, I purchased a camera to take photographs of all of the Antique Beds. I really got some great pictures . One picture was a statue of a man holding a golden apple; I assume it was considered a Architectural Artifacts. That must be a special attribute in Greek mythology. As I looked around the small but packed room, colors were soaring all around me, and when I would rotate left, something on the right would distract me. I didn’t know where to turn or where to begin looking, since everything was purely beautiful and I appreciated all of the paintings I saw. Soon there after the only things I saw was the blinding flashes of my camera. I saved all of the photographs I took on the laptop computer, and from there I put it on my PowerPoint. My class loved my assignment when it was shown to the group of students, and even better, my teacher gave me an A+ for effort, creativeness, Antique Chairs, and presentation. That was the most fun assignment I have ever worked on for school!
One morning I was strolling down the streets, just walking aimlessly and taking in all the fresh air and the sights of that gorgeous afternoon . While I was not very far away from my own home, a sign caught my attention from across the street. It was red and large , and if that was not what caught my interest , the actual name of the shop sure did. It was called, “All Amazing and Astounding Antique Jewelry Chicago.” The only thing that I could think of then was ‘good use of alliteration!’ Wow. I had no choice but to cross the street and stroll in; at least peer around a bit. When I walked into the shop I was really astonished. The Antique Beds there was a sight to take in , everything was beautiful and captivating. Thoughts swirling around my head were ‘my husband is going to be so mad at me; he is not going to like it.’ I mean, clearly , which husband would enjoy their wife spending literally thousands of dollars just to obtain Architectural Artifacts and Antique Beds? That was exactly what I did, and in the end of our argument I convinced my husband that he too has things to gain out of my purchases. After all, doesn’t everybody need some place to eat and somewhere to sit? My motto has always been, “out with the old and in with the new.”
Every year in autumn there is an art demonstration. I am not really gifted in anything that has to do with art, but what I am gifted in is looking and shopping. I adore going to those demonstrations ! The Antique Jewelry Chicago is in three days and I wouldn’t pass it up for the world. I even skipped school for that, and when the day arrived I made sure to dress warmly since it was a chilly day outside, and I definitely made sure to carry lots of money. So I was strolling down the street that was blocked off for the event , and something glittery caught my eye. I walked over to the stand and there was an old woman there promoting Currency Artifacts. There was a beautiful stone there called cadmium, and when I glanced at the tag for it something clicked in my mind . I remember learning regarding that stone in school, it was yellow and it was a kind of metal used as ink for tattooing. I also made an impulse purchase of Antique Beds I bought it to show my illustrator the next day, since I seriously couldn’t keep my eyes of it and I knew that my teacher would give me extra credit for bringing it in. I could constantly use that!

Do you want to learn how to play the piano? You are not alone; the piano is perhaps the most popular of all instruments because it evokes a combination of feelings. It can show romance, anger, happiness, sadness, and a host of other feelings combined. Of all instruments, the piano is the most romantic and men or women who have ever been played “to” know exactly what this means. If you have had trouble learning how to play the piano in the past, we have the answers you need.

The following five steps will give you everything you need to start on your journey to better piano playing or learning how to play the piano.

1. Get access to a piano or synthesizer. This may sound silly, but some people actually think they can learn to play the piano by listening to music or reading a book. You have to have access to a piano to truly begin learning to play the piano.

2. Take piano lessons. Piano lessons can come in many different forms. The more forms you combine the more complete your learning experience will be. If you’re totally dedicated to learning to play the piano then schedule piano lessons with a piano teacher, buy several beginning piano books, buy instructional CDs and DVDs, sign up for online piano learning classes, and find any other instructional piano helpers you can get. The more you combine and study thoroughly the quicker and more complete your learning will be.

3. Take advice from experts. Concentrate on the areas of learning they recommend. Your books and your teachers may take different approaches to things, but they all know more about playing the piano than you do. Do whatever they tell you to do for each of their respective lessons.

4. Make practicing the piano a priority. No matter how much you study or take classes, unless you find at least 10 minutes per day to practice, you will not improve. You should begin your practice with the warm ups at least four times per week.

5. Learn the Music Piece by Piece – Only learning a measure or two at each practice session and playing it repeatedly will help you master the keys, the notes, the chords, and the time. You keep doing this until you have reached the end of the song and then combine them together. It is more important to have a high quality sound than it is to just be able to simply play the notes.

Learning how to play the piano takes a great deal of time, dedication, and personal strength. It is not something that will happen overnight, but it is something that will be greatly rewarding when accomplished.

Current info about Broadway show tickets is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Broadway Show Tickets info available.

Some people only get a chance to visit New York a few times and therefore want to maximize their trips to the Big Apple as much as they can. They do so by going to the most famous tourist spots and by watching the best Broadway shows.

Given that any New York trip is incomplete without watching Broadway shows, for most people, going to the most popular ones is the safest choice.

Going to the shows that have a very good following are often the best shows that you can watch while you are on Broadway. At the moment, there are a number of shows on Broadway that are very popular, and if you are going to New York anytime soon, it would be a good idea to put taking in some of these shows on your itinerary.

Some Notable Shows

If you search the Internet for the most popular Broadway shows, you will most likely see some of these shows on most of the recommended lists of shows to catch while you are on Broadway. One very popular play is Avenue Q, which is an adult version of Sesame Street, complete with phonetics lessons and monsters that look for the meaning of life.

Another popular choice is Chicago, which is a play about a murder committed within the world of vaudeville. Other notable plays include, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Movin’ Out, The Producers, Wicked, and the classic Phantom of the Opera.

Information about where to catch these shows and where to get tickets is readily available on the Internet, where you can reserve that precious seat in the theater where your favorite play is being shown.

Full article at: Broadway musicals

Secrets to being the Artistic Artist involve the skill of Observation. A trained observant eye will catch every technicality because specific traits and attention to details are the life, character and style of any art work. Observation like any thing else does take some practice.

Let me illustrate, when you go to a mall or shopping for something specific. Do you notice everything? Usually not, because the only thing your mind is trained and concerned for at the moment in spotting sales, price reduction, specials or you go straight to an item, purchase it and leave. Now, did you take notice of the squirrel eating peanuts somebody drop as you were walking in the store? What about the toddler with his mom who was staring at you the whole time as you walked by? What color shirt was he wearing?

The secret is to slow down and take time from a busy schedule and notice all the beautiful things available to see in this world. The gifted artist in you will be enriched and motivated by this new found observation because your mind will receive newness like a breath of fresh air into all the details of life. Artist creativity comes from within so broaden your mind by being attentive to the skillful art of observation.

I can’t say enough about the funky wearable art you can find at ResistToday . Their urban art is totally unique and You can get it on t-shirts, wallets, purses, pins or just about whatever those guys decide to print on. You never know what they’ll come up with next.

The art  is completely original done by independent artists. Each item is individually made and screenprinted by hand. No mindless robotics here. They do limited runs – you won’t be seeing too many other people wearing the same design. They also released a new line of pins. I love pins – you gotta see these ones.

They also offer prints you can hang on your walls from a dedicated group of artists in Florida who have formed a co-op to showcase their work.

If you want something special, you can drop Josh or Dave a note and ask them if they’ll make it for you! Tell ‘em "CJ" sent you…