beginning to end

the above photos document my progress on a commissioned piece that i've been working on for a client in tyler. she has a blank wall in her dining room in need of some art. she gave me a swatch of fabric that the dining room chairs are covered in for inspiration and lots of photos of her friends and family that we decided to include in the piece. because the photos i was given to work from were primarily smiling faces from the shoulders up,  i had to get a little creative with the bodies and clothes (i do hope that they like what they're wearing!). 

this piece was different than any other that i've created before because i used paper collage, acrylic paint AND oil pastel all in one.  it was also a stretch for me because i'm used to drawing/painting realistic portraits. i've trained myself to work until i get an exact likeness of the person i'm drawing. it was definitely a challenge for me not to concentrate too much on facial detail, but to go with more of an abstract representation of each person, experimenting with color and composition. 

the entire piece measures 7'x4' and is broken up into three canvases. 

and more pastels...

i'm still on an oil pastel kick (see posts above and below). here is one of my latest little pieces on canvas. i'm contemplating whether or not to add another color into the mix. my critics (friend and husband) have already told me to leave it alone. i'm trying. i'll post this one on etsy as well!

red shoes.

i pulled these heels out of my closet this morning, desperate to just get something down on paper without having to think about it. sometimes i think too much. plus i've only worn these shoes twice so at least they'll get worn on paper. i used a small piece of cardboard that i cut off of an old christmas gift box and a set of inexpensive oil pastels.  i like oil pastels because i can be hard on them.  it reminds me of coloring when i was little, holding the crayon with a fist and pressing down as hard as possible to get all of the color out. it was nice and freed me up to think about grander projects that i'd like to create in the near future. 

kung foox

the kung foox collective is a group of artists based out of tyler, texas that i've recently gotten involved with. they have been hosting art shows in tyler and around the country for the last several months. david and jessica foox are a husband and wife team that had the great idea to bring artists together and help each other in their passion. i met them at one of their art shows in the adidas store at northpark mall back in november. the next big show will be in tyler at the end of march. you can take a look at the website, www.kungfoox.com.  they are still in the process of creating the artist bios and gallery. keep checking back for new art and updates on upcoming shows. it should be fun!

a portrait

the portrait above is a commissioned piece that i am working on. the piece is on a 16"x20" piece of white illustration board and created with pencil. for some reason the scan of the original photo doesn't read well on this post. it seems like the photo image is even slightly elongated (and i'm not just using that as an excuse!). i can't figure out why it's copying that way. 

stepping back from this portrait, there is still a bit of shading i'd like to do that will soften him up a little more. i'd also like to build up the detail in his clothes. i'm still contemplating any other changes that might need to be made. once i get some feedback from my client i'll be able to finish him out!

for now

i have several images to post, but don't have access to my camera today. michael is using it at the recording studio. so, for now, i will direct you over to the 'shapes stars make' blog where the camera is being put to good use. check back for images soon!

www.shapestarsmake.com/blog.html

finished

new site is up:

http://www.darrahdean.com/

thank you, michael!!