I've just discovered plants, fashion and models again. Using pencil is wonderful. So I'm cracking open all my Vogue and Elle magazines. My inspiration is coming from Danny Roberts and also www.lotie.com. I feel like I've discovered something new and fun! Let's see where it takes me!
Taking a break from painting until that inspiration hits again.
Ben working in pastels this week. Messy, colourful, oily.
Looking for more subjects to draw.
Databases
I'm really enjoying my book on PHP and MySQL. I'm able to register users, view users and change passwords. I'm only halfway through the book and I got stuck for like a week on one chapter. Best feeling every when it works.
Also experimenting with Joomla. I've started using it on www.mozweli.com/squash check it out! I love a challenge. I'm also going to use it for a few of my website clients, but I'll still keep doing the PHP and MySQL exercises. The technology is always changing and I feel like I'm only catching up now.
This year I'm going big. I've got to sell some art, it can't just rot in my room because I dislike parting with it. I'm also running out of space. I've already got a few orders in today for commissioned portraits thanks to the wonderful advertising from my manager. Here is the ad that has been mailed throughout our networks:
I'm very excited to start working. Contact me if you are interested in getting your portrait done?
Coffee Table Book
I'm working on my coffee table book. It has all the best of my art from 2008-2010. The hardest part is writing the introduction and sorting out the layout. It won't be finished for a while, I'm considering adding more paintings.
Finally some drawing. Used my pencil and wacom tablet. I love drawing.
Inspired by Ke$ha 'Your love is my drug' and James White- now he knows his rainbows. It's different because I've used some of the graphic design techniques that I've discoved over the past 6 months.
Photography
Been taking more photographs. I have not done any painting or drawings!
Had a lovely time at Irene Dairy farm with Kelly and Lea-Mara in December. Everything was so green it reminded me of England. And who said South Africa is not green?
Also got some great photos to paint from, so I'll be doing a few cows this month.
Happy days
Just wish the Internet was faster where everything loaded quickly. And all web browsers are exactly the same so that no matter what website you design it looks the same everywhere with no crazy problems. And I wish everyone had flash player and cookies and javascript installed/enabled and we don't have to worry about it. I wish iframes could do more more more. But I'm sure all these things will come as the Internet is always changing. That is the beauty of it.
Other than that, I'm really enjoying updating my website again. From my current job as a graphic designer I've learned so much. I'm enlarging my images but still letting them load faster than before. Everything looks much better BIGGER!
For xmas, if anyone is reading this I am looking for either a drumset, a Guitar Hero drumset or a Nikon D80, an external hard drive. So, Santa, please read this where ever you are! I also want to buy a flickr pro account. But I'll sort that out when I get more photographs.
Portrait: Snoopy Here is my beautiful Snoopy in the early morning night. Can almost smell that puppy breathe :)
I've just updated my website with a new layout and new pictures.
I have been inspired to take up photography again! I forgot how much fun it is. You may view all my other new photographs here.
Took this photograph of myself a few years ago when I was staying in res at Rhodes University- I stayed in Kimberley Hall and I'm sure they put me there because my name is Quaymberley.
I found the photograph a few months ago and decided to use it. The painting is done in acrylic and I've been painting it bit by bit. Normally I like to finish a painting in a week, but with this one I put it away when the curtains got too much or when the hair got messy. With the skin, I painted it colour by colour with very little blending.
I love what the red does to it. Got the name of the painting from tobybear.
This sketch took 4 hours with a 6B. I used a photograph. I'm waiting for my model Richard to give me a live session. I chose this picture because of the boxers and the socks. He was too lazy to take off his socks for the picture, so I drew them in. He said he looks good in anything, and he is right.
Listened to Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel by Mariah Carey while drawing.
My inspiration is from the Annie Leibovitz photographs of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Pumping Iron days. It started with Richard introducing me to The Terminator and Predator movies. We watched more and more Arnold films and so I thought there must be some great pictures online and then I found Annie Leibovitz.
I like the way they look like they know how great their bodies are. The other guy is huge, but my eyes are drawn to Arnold.
This painting is of my dog Jube Jube. His tongue is hardly ever in his mouth. It took about a week to paint but the days were spread out over 3 months.
Going to get my dad to make a frame and put it up in the lounge. All our walls in the house are green so it will look splendid with a white frame.
It's been a long time since I've painted. It's because I've got a new job as a Graphic/Web Designer. Learning so much and meeting lots of new people. I just can't get used to the getting up early part! I bought a big fat expensive book called "PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Websites" by Larry Ullman. I need to learn about making databases online. It has nothing to do with art but it is what is going to eat up my painting hours.
Self Portrait Complete
Finally finished my self portrait. It was tricky and I nearly tore it up- so I just put it away for a day and didn't look at it. I hate a waste of canvas, so I just finished it and I like how it came out. I will put up a flash animation of how it progressed later on. It gets strange staring at yourself for so many hours. Had to adjust the skin with some orange.
Since I've been taught animation on SoftImage XSI, it has really helped me with Blender. I would not have been able to do half the stuff (even with a tutorial).
Went to view some artworks by the artist Paula Louw. It was all stunning. She takes apart type-writers and places the components together. One of the new pieces was the insides of a piano pulled apart.
There were also a series of aloe drawings using charcoal. The piece that interested me the most was the aloe broken apart because it was just like the type writers. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it, but it was beautiful!
Working on my self portrait. Started yesterday and it has come quite far. I'm painting from a photograph on my computer, tried to use the mirror but it's difficult to measure.
The skin colour is crimson-raw sienna and I've just been adding white for each new layer of paint.
Portrait: Bali
I have not blogged in a month! That's terrible. It's probably because of twitter and I was not inspired. Plus I was working as a hostess in Rustenburg for the Confederations Cup and I just did not have the time to paint. I'm working on some self portraits. Also planning to go to the USA to study art.
Now that I'm free again, this is my lawyer friend Bali. We both went to Rhodes University. I did the painting in a week. There was more light on her face, but I couldn't put it in without ruining the painting.
Took a picture of this little girl in Swaziland when I was getting my bridesmaid dress made. Wrote her name on a paper and found it today. Her name is Tina.
Quote
Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. --Oscar Wilde
Taylor
I painted this today, it's from a photograph of my cousin Taylor. The base was orange and I like how it turned out. Used acrylics. I worked more with the idea of warms and cools in the back of my head and I think it really is a great effect. Left some of the orange in the background and subject.
Was listening to Sade the whole time.
I'm using a fantastic book to help me along. It's called The Human Figure by Sarah Hoggett and Vincent Milne.
