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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Animals "Blushing Pink" by Elisa Choi


Sometimes I thought that animals are difficult to paint maybe because they look quite intimidating. But just like anything else we are the artists and therefore we can simplify things. I am painting another of my favorite animals which is the flamingo. The colors are really striking because it's pink and they're beautiful.

Also I would like to write a bit about Ann's sentiments with regards to why quick sketches turn out ok and why the ones we labour on turn out wrong. I think it happens to most of us. I enjoy quick sketches in pen because it's liberating and I don't worry about mistakes and magically they turn out better than I thought. But working on something like for a commission piece or maybe we want to tackle a more complicated subject for example intimidates us and make us very cautious with our strokes that it often inhibit our creativity and therefore the result is not always satisfying. 

I think the best thing we can do is to remind ourselves why we are doing this. And for most us it is for the fun and pleasure and creativity it brings. If we set our minds to the intention of why we paint or whatever we do and get pass the worries and fears and perfection then perhaps we will begin to enjoy. How to get pass the negative? Do some warm up paintings and quick sketches. Easier said than done but let's try. :)

13 comments:

  1. Lovely flamingo drawing Elisa. I too find flamingos fascinating, they get their necks into such contortions. We see two different flocks and their chicks at our local wildfowl trust centre, such gorgeous shades of pink, but my my they are quarrelsome birds.
    I agree with you about ways of working - if we paint from the heart it goes right but if from the head it doesn't is what Modigliani said. I am much happier since I gave up creating for commission and just having fun. I will only draw or paint something if it interests me enough to get a little excited.

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    1. Thank you much Jez. Good for you to see them and it makes me wonder why they are quarrelsome birds... lol! And i agree with your sentiments.. i often find subjects that get me excited. It's cool how subjects can capture us like this! :)

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  2. Love your flamingo Elisa. The colour is perfect. I agree with your comments about drawing, the worries, the fears....I think warm up pieces help tremendously :-)

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    1. Thank you Ann. I do a lot of that when I feel stuck or when I am scared to start on a difficult subject. :)

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  3. I love flamingos, too. I have a painting of them I did in oils. I am captivated by their color! Yours is very lovely.

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  4. stunning! I appreciate this colorful flamingo brightening my spirit on this dreary, cool and rainy day.

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    1. glad this brightens your day. hope you're feeling better! :)

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  5. This reminds me of a time we took our three year old grandson to a park where there were these tall pink birds. And he saw them and pointed and shouted out: "Flamingos!" I was so astonished that he knew what they were! It wasn't something I had seen very many times myself in my own life time. He must have seen them in a story book!
    He turns 24 this month, I will have to remind him of when we took him to see the flamingos! Thanks for the memory!

    We have been encouraged my Tommy Kane (in Sketchbook Skool, I cannot recommend this class highly enough) to draw very, very slowly, to take our time and to add lots and lots of details. An example of what I did in his class will be on my blog this week, a picture of my kitchen, that took 2 hours to draw, and another to paint and color. We had teachers who taught us to do contour and gesture drawings quickly... so I now know a mix of ideas and how-tos, to play around with. I am enjoying it so very much. I hope in time my art will show what I have learned there. The next classes begin July 4. And in the meantime, we have a closed Facebook group that continues to draw and share together. You might want to check it out.

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    1. Elisa, I forgot to say how charming your drawing is here! I always love your choice of colors, and here how you got his feathers to show up so well with just a few strokes of your paint brush is excellent! Thanks for your contributions here.

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    2. Thank you so much Lynn. What a fascinating experience it must have been for your grandson at that time. I hope he still remember when you all visit again. Thanks for the tip from Tommy Kane and i agree to take one's time. i really like the post where you shared the part by part drawing of a cat.. it makes drawing complicated stuff so easier! Glad you're enjoying the class and we always enjoy your sharing of the learning you gained. :)

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  6. Great job on the flamingo!!! I love the colors and the shading.

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  7. Beautiful Flamingo Elisa.

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  8. Thank you much Karla, Melisa, Joan and Carol!

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