“Blue Boy” is approximately 11″ x 14″, drawn with markers, watercolors, and paint pens on paper. The strokes are swift and gestural, with abstract shapes and lines loosely forming a wide eyed expression on a boy’s face. The accompanying video shows the drawing and painting process in a time lapse format.

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The following drawings of the sun (stars) were created in response to Art Challenge #7: Sun Art, over at The Artist Challenge. The first sun drawing is also part of the CBS News Sunday Morning Television Show Art Library.

Each sun drawing is 11″ x 14″, and drawn on paper with a variety of pens, watercolors, paint pens, colored pencils, oil pastels, markers, and acrylic paint.

The first image of the sun represents the power and energy of the source of light and color, and life, in our world. The drawing is also abstract and impressionistic. The other two sun/star drawings focus on the tumultuous bubbling reaction within a star that produces the warm colors and heat amidst the black depths of space.

The accompanying video shows the drawing and painting process for the colorful abstract sun in a time lapse format.

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This is an 11″x13″ drawing of a turtle, drawn and painted with markers, pens, paint pens, oil pastels, watercolors, and acrylic paint. The style is loose and impressionistic with an unconventional color palette and mixture of mediums. Shades of blue and green permeate the shadows around the turtle and in the background. This creates contrast between elements like the white highlights on the turtle shell, face, and leg, pushing them forward in the composition. And the variety of mediums in the artwork creates a unique surface texture befitting the turtle and surrounding foliage.

The time lapse video shows the process of drawing and painting the turtle, and how multiple variations and layers all exist within the same artwork.

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Art Challenge #6: “The Fool” gallery is now premiering at The Artist Challenge. My contribution is a colorful abstract drawing of a face that represents some of the emotions behind feeling foolish. Drawn on an 11″ x 14″ piece of paper, layers of expression were built up over time with pens, markers, and paint pens.

Vulnerable feelings of sadness and embarrassment began the drawing, and despite the ultimate attempt at a smile, the reddening of the cheeks and watery eyes add to the complex face of emotions. The fool tries to ignore what’s inside and hide from the outside, stuck in an awkward and chaotic limbo, when honesty may be the truth that sets one free.

The accompanying time lapse drawing video offers insight into the creation of the colorful abstract face and reveals a hidden layer of emotion behind the final expression.

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This is an abstract face entitled “Portrait of Lines and Color”. The artwork is approximately 11″x13″ on card stock paper, drawn and painted with markers, pens, watercolor, and paint pens. A few wisps of silver and gold paint pens were also used to give the drawing a shimmer from different viewing angles. The shimmer does not show up in the digital reproduction.

The accompanying video shows the drawing and painting process in a time lapse format. The video recording process offers a clear reminder of how the drawing looked during various stages of creation. And I think some very interesting images appear throughout the process that lend a certain experience, age, and depth to the final portrait.

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The Artist Challenge is well underway, with new artists joining every day! The project was started by artist Vikki North and I by challenging each other to create artwork based on a particular theme. This is my submission for Art Challenge #5 – Unrequited Love.

The first artwork is my submission, “Face of Unrequited Love 01″. The abstract face drawing/painting is approximately 11″x14″, drawn and painted with pens, markers, colored pencils, and watercolors on paper. The accompanying video shows the drawing and painting process in a time lapse format. The face was initially sketched with pen and markers. Washes of water and watercolor softened the portrait, followed by thick markers, and more watercolor washes, details, and highlights.

The second portrait drawing is entitled “Face of Unrequited Love 02″. This abstract face drawing/painting is approximately 9″x12″, drawn and painted with pens, markers, colored pencils, and watercolors on paper. There is an accompanying video that shows the drawing and painting process in a time lapse format. It shows a similar sketching and painting process from start to finish.

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This is a 9″x12″ abstract drawing of a bee, created with markers, paint pens, colored pencils, pens, and watercolor mediums. The vibrant, warm color palette and loose style adds a frantic feeling to the artwork. Quick strokes of color and medium are blurred around the paper with spatters of watercolor to create a sense of movement and buzzing. Silver and gold paint is also used to add a shimmering effect to the bee.

The accompanying video shows how I draw and paint the abstract bee in a time lapse format. The composition was initially sketched with light yellow, followed by rich oranges, reds, and silver and gold paint pens. Lush mixes of watercolors and white highlights were also applied to the entire artwork.

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This is a 9″x12″ abstract drawing of a face with a determined expression. The character’s face was drawn with pens, paint pens, oil pastels, and markers. The artwork is expressive and colorful, with contrasting warm and cool colors used to set apart the eyes, nose, mouth, and some skin surfaces from the surrounding chaos.

An accompanying video shows how I draw the abstract face in a time lapse format. The initial composition of the face was sketched with pen first, followed by layers of color and highlights.

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This artwork is a 9″x12″ drawing/painting of a black chihuahua on paper. There is also an associated time-lapse video of how to draw the dog. Mediums used include pen, markers, colored pencils, paint pens, and watercolors. There are also highlights of shimmering gold color and white paint.

An initial pen sketch of the chihuahua was drawn first to provide a suitable structure for organic layering of color and lines. Short expressive strokes relate to the small but powerful stature of the often confident and energetic chihuahua. There is also a coy playfulness and unyielding determination just beneath the surface of the wild exterior.

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This is a video and image of a drawing of a rose. The video shows how the rose was drawn and painted with thin lines, washes of color, and expressive highlights. The drawing / painting is 12″x9″ and was created with pens, markers, paint pens, colored pencils, and watercolors. There are also segments of silver and gold paint around the flower. The rose was constructed with an initial vibrancy that represents the flower’s attribution to the emotions of love. And like love in its many undulating forms, the drawing continues to deepen and change over the course of time, sometimes darker sometimes lighter, but with a consistent undercurrent expressed with some clarity amidst the whole. (Total drawing time was about 20 minutes.)

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