This past week I discovered an old CD I had not played in about ten years. It is a CD with music and poetry that was from the 1980's Television show, Beauty and the Beast, with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. (Yes, I was a huge fan of that show.) I had forgotten how beautiful and inspiring the music & poetry was on this CD. My English Literature course at school rekindled my love for poetry. Anyway, I enjoyed this CD so much that it was an artistic muse that inspired me to come up with a great idea for a "Beauty and the Beast" portrait. This portrait will be colored pencil with a collage background, so I guess it would be considered mixed media. I have posted a photo that I will be using as a reference for my portrait.
I spent Friday night and almost the entire Saturday working on it and it is 80% done! It has been a long time since I have actually taken the time to block out an entire day for nothing but my artwork. I had so much fun! Usually, if it is artwork, it is related to my school classes, or something that pertains to my art business, Chick Artistic Creations. This time it was just for me. I need to find the time to do this kind of thing more often!
So far, this portrait is turning out fantastic! I learned something very interesting. I am comparing this portrait to one I did of Catherine & Vincent in the late 1980's and I can see a difference. While the portrait I did in the 1980's is good, this one is fantastic! I can see the progress I have made in my artistic skill over the past 20 years! Sometimes personal improvement and development happens so slowly, that you don't really notice it until you compare the 'before and after' picture.
Another reason I decided to do this portrait now is because I will be teaching a portrait workshop over the next couple of Saturdays in May. It has been ages since I did a portrait and I needed to experience the process of portraiture so I could explain some of the techniques I used to my students.
One of the main messages in Beauty and the Beast is 'follow your heart' even if you have to take a risk. Reconnecting with this show and doing this portrait has been a healing experience for me. Making a living as an artist is 'taking a risk' but it is the right choice for me!
I spent Friday night and almost the entire Saturday working on it and it is 80% done! It has been a long time since I have actually taken the time to block out an entire day for nothing but my artwork. I had so much fun! Usually, if it is artwork, it is related to my school classes, or something that pertains to my art business, Chick Artistic Creations. This time it was just for me. I need to find the time to do this kind of thing more often!
So far, this portrait is turning out fantastic! I learned something very interesting. I am comparing this portrait to one I did of Catherine & Vincent in the late 1980's and I can see a difference. While the portrait I did in the 1980's is good, this one is fantastic! I can see the progress I have made in my artistic skill over the past 20 years! Sometimes personal improvement and development happens so slowly, that you don't really notice it until you compare the 'before and after' picture.
Another reason I decided to do this portrait now is because I will be teaching a portrait workshop over the next couple of Saturdays in May. It has been ages since I did a portrait and I needed to experience the process of portraiture so I could explain some of the techniques I used to my students.
One of the main messages in Beauty and the Beast is 'follow your heart' even if you have to take a risk. Reconnecting with this show and doing this portrait has been a healing experience for me. Making a living as an artist is 'taking a risk' but it is the right choice for me!
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