One of the most recent projects I've worked on was the cover art for a book written by Naomi Davis, aka "WG." Her book, Trigger: A Downward Spiral, is a collection of poetry and prose that tells the story of unraveling heartbreak. This is my very first real-life book cover assignment! Naomi is one of my dearest friends so I was truly honored to be asked to be a part of such a special project for her. It's surreal to think that my artwork is actually paired up and published with such powerful words. I think that we have a similar creative mission, in that sometimes we'll pull from personal experiences to tap into the kind of dark or difficult emotions that a lot of people try to repress.The story she weaves in Trigger is of a person who is "bleeding out," in a sense. This is something that I connect with as I occasionally use a similar bleeding motif in my own work. The work in her book is heart-wrenching and honest. Definitely check it out if you're a lover of emotional love tales and evocative writing.You can find Naomi Davis by visiting her site whiskeyandpoetry.com where you can read her blog, follow her social sites and more. Happy reading!
Work and Passion
Earlier this week I did a video on snapchat (add me: tracekilla) where I briefly addressed one of the most common questions I receive: How do you handle having a full-time job and being an artist? It's not easy, I'll tell you that! There are a lot of people out there who can't stand to be in a conventional, 9 to 5, office-type of setting because it's draining and a waste of their time. I get that. However for those of us who can bear it, or are in a position where we have to, the path is often arduous and misunderstood. Sometimes it's even looked down upon, especially by other Creatives who can't fathom that kind of life. It's important to understand that everyone's path is different, but we're all working towards the same things. Respect the grind in all forms. We shouldn't look down on those who take the leap to live off of their passion(s), they're living their dream! Theirs is a certain level of fulfillment that we all hope to achieve in some way in our lives. If only we could all make that happen. And those who don't want to take the risk, or are not in a position where they can, are not selling out or are any less of a success in their own right.This short stream of thoughts is for those who are in the trenches, figuring it all out, and need a boost of reassurance. This is also for those who have wondered how I make it work for myself, and for the friends who have vented their frustrations to me about those to who don't "get it." This is only a tiny part of the conversation, but I hope that it helps!
My First Pet Portrait
I'm not going to front on here, I was very nervous about this one.I usually only work with the human figure, and occasionally flowers, so when I was asked to paint a friend's beloved pet I tightened up. A pet portrait isn't something that people take lightly! Just like a person, you have to be able to capture the essence and personality when depicting an animal. And not just any "animal," a pet. This is someone's family member. You can't let them down! At the same time, I didn't want to let my inexperience and apprehension deter me from a new challenge and opportunity. Plus it's pretty flattering to be asked to produce a piece of artwork for someone to have. So of course, I accepted.I think my main concern with it was the drawing aspect of the piece. I don't spend time drawing animals at all, so I really didn't know where to start and I was afraid that whatever I did wouldn't look too much like a dog - much less a GOOD one. I was given a few photo references to work from so that was super helpful. Since I've also met the subject, Sheela, I was familiar with her temperament so that helped me when deciding colors and posing to try to give the viewer a feeling of who Sheela is. Here's a little bit of how this piece progressed:
Once I was able to sketch something that looked a lot like Sheela, I felt pretty good. I just need a really good start, because the rest of the painting process is nothing but adjustments as you go and that doesn't bother me too much.
So at this point there's still a lot of decision-making to be done. You don't want the whites to be too white, but muddiness must also be avoided. I still had a lot of terrain to cover on the rest of the head, because there no light/dark values to establish shape and lighting.
I think for my first time painting something like this it was very successful. I shocked myself with it. Not sure if I'm going to do more like these, but with this one completed and well-received by the owner, I think I'll have a lot less anxiety about taking on similar commissions. It is a bit of a deviation from the current style I've been working on, but the elements are still there. The brushwork is still very loose, however it's much tighter than how I've been painted in the last year. I opted out of using wilder, highly saturated colors for a color range that matched how Sheela looks in-person. I'd like to think with those choices that I've been able to capture Sheela's sweet, calm nature with this piece.What are your thoughts?