SketchBlog

When I was new at blogster back in 2009, I had no idea how to blog or how it was like to be in a blogging community. Sure I had a job to fulfill, one of them was learning how to blog. Charlie (Abifyt) happened to be one of the few who visited and commented on my blog (Anacoana, ceilede, Strider333, Ekyprogressive and...

I guess one could tell that I don’t want to be stuck in a rut. With friends like Amado – who would? It is good to have someone who can push you to do something else. Amado’s that kind of person. He would show some works or send me a link of a painting that shows  a different style, and we’d both wonder how it was done. We...

I don’t know which is more challenging – drawing a white pet or a black one. Sure, the dog already showed blue highlights. But how do you make it into a painting? I placed the basic colors first. I realized that I have to do the highlights last. The base color is what the highlights will look like once paint has been...

Things I did differently with this painting:   1. I used the base color as background; 2. All harsh lines were muted by running over the dry lines with a clean wet brush; 3. The final outline was softened; 4. Using green as base color for both models, not just blue; and 5. Uhm.. a #5 would be nice. I realized a...

I was fortunate to be gifted with a calligraphy set by a blogster member early this year. That motivated me to try my hand at calligraphy. I got some ebooks and doodled a few. While I was practising, I stumbled upon 3D calligraphy from an instagram account by Tolga. Inspired by Tolga’s works, I decided to try it...

All these years, I am fortunate to be able to do what I love and get paid for it. This is the first time however, that I’m finally tackling the bull by the horns – that is painting the traditional way. Something I could never do before because I couldn’t afford to buy art materials. Now I can buy what I need and hope...

Doing portraiture is hard – I realize that now. After laying down the base colors a feeling of doubt creeps up on me. What if I get the lights wrong? What if the shadows are wrong? What if my portrait’s tonal value looks like it was viewed through foggy lens? By the time I put in the midtones, the only thing that keeps...

Not every picture looks good as a painting. I am learning that now. This was taken by a friend and I think it’s ok. If a picture is blurry – chances are the watercolor portrait or picture will not have any detail at all. Blurry also means low resolution. A photo may look really good as a thumbnail, but it is not a good...

“Carpe. Hear it? (whispering) Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society Decided try and do Robin William’s portrait. Got a pic from one of my favorite movies, Dead Poets Society, and immortalize him through watercolor. I learned something today. Not only...

I know white is the absence of color – visibly. After trial and error I finally found out how to do a white cat. That is to treat her like any white object with sheen – she will reflect all the colors that she is surrounded with. Lots of water, lots of colors [50 layers] and lots of tissues later, I had my cat. I did...

I never thought blue eyes could actually change color. It depends on where he is and what he does. If he’s pissed, it looks almost dark gray. If you catch him outdoors, his eyes turn a lovely shade of pale blue. When he’s in front of the pool, it becomes a reflection of the water – sea blue. Amazing.

All eyes fall on this slender, black mother when she enters a room. She has a presence that exudes with confidence and grace. She walks like a queen surveying her domain. Pragmatic, protective and powerfully aware of who she is and what she can do. I am not satisfied with how I’ve painted her image. I will do another...

I realized one thing – do you need to learn patience? Watercolor is the best teacher. You can’t just paint everything in one go. One waits. You can’t wait too long for the paint to dry because the effect would be different. You can’t put on too much paint while it is damp because the water would diffuse...

I know I have to work on both the likeness and how to make it ‘softer’. Still practising. 🙂

I thought doing pets would be easier. After all – they don’t have wrinkles. Ha! Granted that I need to learn how to do fur, I think I learned how to do gradient colors by doing my friend’s yellow labrador.   These are photos of Joaqui when he was younger: