I have been thinking to write an update for more than a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I keep finding plenty of other things that need doing. I have, finally, made some time to fill you in on the latest.
When I last posted I was working on a piece of art that was a teddy bear. I was doing this using stippling and my left hand due to issues with my right wrist. I am pleased to say that I finished the teddy bear. I am including a picture of it in this post. I had intended to post the teddy bear not long after I finished it and as is the case too often, time got away from me.
After I finished the teddy bear, I wanted to work on another piece of art, but I didn’t really want to do it like I did the bear. The bear I did the whole thing just using stippling with no real guide or outline to work from. It was great to learn I could do that. But something about doing it that way again just didn’t excite me. I could try to do the outline with my left hand since my right hand was still bound up in a brace. That didn’t excite me either.
Then I wondered if I could do the stippling, with a dip pen and acrylic ink, instead of just the pens I used for the teddy bear. I have a couple of pieces I was working on years ago that I set aside. I could try working on one of them. As it turns out, I can do the dip pen (nib pen) with my left hand. I got a little carried away and before I knew it, ok, really a few days later, I found I had laid down a whole new layer of color over almost half the painting. The section I was working on is all black but still.
One of the things about this painting that had intimidated me so many years ago was knowing that I was going to have to mix the grey/metal color for part of it. It’s a large enough section that at the time my worry was about trying to match the color if I ran out of the mix. This really did stress me. This time, I was ready to tackle the grey. I had already attempted part of the grey in the name badge, and I was excited to see something besides black and pencil marks on the canvas board. So, when I realized I had a long weekend coming up I got excited and decided that I was going to tackle at least a first layer of the grey for everything that needed that color, that weekend.
Not only did I get the first layer of the grey done, before I realized it, I had the second layer done. And now I’m onto the other side of the painting that needs another layer of black. I have more to do on the metal part and one part that didn’t get started because the metal color needs a little more yellow tinge to it than what I was using.
I’m quite excited by the progress and right now very into working on this piece. Which is great because when I set it aside a few years ago, I didn’t expect to go back to it. I the other stippling project is like this one in subject matter. It’s larger. And a bit more colorful. I set it aside for some of the same reasons I did this piece. I am considering revisiting it as well. Though right now my plan is to actually finish this piece before returning to the other piece. Not that this one is that close to being finished. I’m just finding it satisfying to work on again and would like to finish it.
As I’ve been working on this piece, I’ve come up with a few other art ideas and a solution to a dilemma I was facing regarding a piece that I have sketched out. My sister took some great photos of some animals, including some new giraffe pictures after I posted the giraffe piece, I did in stippling last year. One of the photos is this great shot of a rhinoceros. It really caught my eye and I found myself, very shortly after printing out a good reference, making a pencil outline of my very first rhinoceros. I was and am so pleased with how the outline came out that I got stuck trying to decide how I want to finish it. I was torn between using marker, which I had just started using, and finishing it out in ink in stippling. I am very pleased to say I’ve made a decision on that. The rhino will be stippled. When my right hand is up to the task. And probably after I finish the Gretsch.
Even though I have shown myself that I can stipple with my left hand, I want my right hand for the finer shading that I want to do on the rhino. Thus, the reason for the delay. That and I want to finish the Gretsch.
I came up with another cool idea that I was able to create a rough sketch of, in digital, with my left hand. I am really excited about it too. It will also need the detail and steadiness of my right hand to execute it the way I want. I was thinking about it a day or two ago and remembered another, similar idea that I sketched out sometime last year, that I think I will also try to do in digital. I have plans for it.
And then there is the 3d idea that I’ve had for a while, I’ve come up with a little twist for it that I am looking forward to seeing how it works out. That one mostly requires I spend some time relearning some aspects of Blender as well as the new features. It’s a time thing. Right now, a large chunk of that time is being taken up with the Gretsch project, as well as catching up on my reading.
Oh yeah, remember, I said, with my hand stuck in a brace one of the things I could/can do is read. Well, I’ve got on quite a roll with that and have been devouring books. Physical books and ebooks. Fortunately. I have stacks of physical books that I’ve been collecting as well as a lot of ebooks. Several of them have had an impact on how I view some of our technology and technology companies. And as a result, you may see some slight changes to my blog sites and posts in the future. They should not impact your ability to access them or their readability and presentation.
Oh. I did manage, yes even with hand in brace, to pass my Taekwondo test for 3rd Dan, or 3rd degree black belt. Now to start training for the next test in four years. I’m excited about it. I am aware of what I have to know for the next test, and I have four years to prepare for it. I also know what I want to demonstrate for that test, and I have four years to work on that too.
And the wrist/hand. It’s complicated. I’m out of the brace, for the most part. I wear it to my Taekwondo classes so that I don’t forget and do something stupid and really hurt things. I still can’t quite put weight on it, and I’ve lost some flexibility in the wrist. That is slowly starting to come back. It’s going to take some time. The good news is that I can type with it for periods of time before things get sore and tired. I may even be able to use it for some art soon. That means that some of those ideas that I’m so excited about, I may get to work on them soon.
I hope you enjoy the teddy bear and the in-progress pictures of the Gretsch. I’ll have more pictures of the Gretsch as it progresses. And, of course, when I can get to working on those other ideas, I’ll have them to share as well.