Surprise!: Week Two

       As you can all see in the picture below I have decided to change the original American Gothic just a little bit. The faces of the husband and wife have been changed to Mr. Perlman and Mr. McDaniels. I call it, "The McPerlman Bromance" after their relationship in class. This sketch is a very rough sketch for my final product, I was not hoping or looking for perfection. There are multiple things that I need to change, fix, and add to it, so I will not have my final product for a while.

       As for my progress with the acrylic paints, I have been reading the book that I mentioned in my first post, Acrylic 1 by Ken Goldman. So far I have read about how to start a piece, and come up with an idea for one. Ken Goldman talks about how for some paintings, artists should use one color to create the background and add layers on top of it so there is no need to worry about details in the beginning.

       It is also mentioned that sketching what you are going to paint multiple times helps you know your painting more. This is why I decided to sketch what I am going to be painting, remember it is a very rough draft. I am going to sketch this multiple times until I have enough confidence that I will be able to paint it. 

       As for the actual painting, I have practiced my techniques during my art class, but I am still having trouble with them. It has come to my attention that I need to work on my patience skills, being when painting my final product, it is going to take time for the different layers to dry. There will also be small details I will have to paint, which means I will need patience to do that. When doing paint-by-number a couple years ago, I gave up on it because I did not have the patience to paint the smaller spaces. By choosing painting as my gifted project, I will hopefully be able to get past my patience problems, and enjoy painting as much as I enjoy drawing. 

       Last week I was able to get my supplies for my final product! If there was one thing that I recommend it would be to never ever get a cheap easel. I got one for $20 (which does not seem cheap) at ACMOORE, but it was CHEAP. Once I was able to put it together, with only the picture that showed the easel put together (no instructions) it was not sturdy and shook every time I tried to use it. It took me an hour to put it together, and two minutes to take it apart. I will never again get a $20 easel from ACMOORE.

       I was just wondering, does anyone happen to have any good websites or books for painting with acrylics? Thanks!!

   

The First Steps: Week 1

Ever since I was five I have loved to draw. The first thing I loved to draw was the cartoon character that portrayed Lizzie McGuire in Lizzie McGuire. I had a poster of it in my room and I would always look at the picture and just draw. Then when I was seven I went to Disney World for the first time. In Hollywood Studios we went to the Disney Animation Studios, where my family and I sat through a class where we learned how to draw Goofy. That was the moment I fell in love with drawing. That day I bought a how to draw book to learn how to draw Disney characters and my collection has grown ever since.
       In the past I have tried to do paint-by-numbers but I have never had the patience for them, having to go number by number finding every spot for a certain color. This drove me away from paints and I have only really done drawing. Now I have the chance to take the time to learn how to use paints, but specifically acrylic pants.        
        After doing some research, I have found two books that will teach me how to paint skin tones, and basic techniques. There are also two websites, where artists post information about different techniques, and about how to use acrylic paints.  My friend’s mom, Beth Adelsberger, is a professional artist and I have taken classes with her before. She knows how to use different mediums, and will be able to teach me how to use acrylic paints.       
       For the first two weeks I am going to read books and websites about acrylic painting, and practice the different techniques, while also sketching my final product. Then for the following two weeks I am going to outline my project. For the final weeks, and including the third and fourth weeks I am going to work on my final product.        
       My goal for this project is to be able to effectively use acrylic painting techniques. In order to do this I am going to recreate a famous painting, American Gothic by Grant Wood. With this painting I will be able to learn how to paint people, nature, and architecture. Repainting American Gothic will set a goal for myself instead of having to come up with something on my own. If that were the case then I would not be able to plan out what I am going to do as well, and I won’t have specific expectations for myself. While I am painting, I am going to record the process. At the end of the project I am going to fast-forward through the process, and make a 30 second to 1 minute clip. This will show my progression throughout the process, and how I came to my final product.       
       I have just found a book called Acrylic 1 by Ken Goldman, which teaches basic techniques for painting with acrylics. There is also a website I have found called artistnetwork.com where artists can post articles and videos that teach students, like me how to use different mediums like acrylics. 

Goldman, Ken, and Ken Goldman. Acrylic/1: Learn the Basics of Acrylic Painting. Laguna Hills, CA: Walter Foster Pub., 2003. Print.

"Artist's Network." Artists Network. F+W Media, Inc., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.