Waste Not, Want Not: Practice Makes Proficient!

Hey guys!

Between getting paintings ready for gallery shows and whatnot, I like to constantly squeeze in sketches and practice different types of art so my skills don't get rusty. When I do this, I usually just use art products that I already have hanging around so they won't go to waste. (I have a ton of Prismacolor products so I tend to use them the most for practicing. They're great quality and really versatile so they're perfect for this sort of thing!) Here is a piece I just finished using Prismacolor brand art markers and Prismacolor Verithin brand colored pencils on 8x10 bristol vellum paper.

I thought it would be fun to share my process on this piece because, like I always say, practice makes proficient! Although I consider this just a practice piece, I'm really happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to apply what I learned working on it to my show paintings.

I started with a base coat of marker. I used a lot of warm tones on this ones, layering from lighter to darker, building up values until I got to the point where I wanted to add in detail with colored pencil.

I went in with colored pencil, using similar colors, to build up more values and soften out the edges left behind by the marker. I also added in a lot more detail to the hair and to her makeup.

Once I felt like she was refined enough, I went back in with marker to add in her collar and some more tattoo design to her chest. I followed the same procedure as before by adding some polishing details with colored pencil on top of the marker.

That's about it. Hope you enjoyed my little practice piece of art and I encourage all of you to go make some practice art too! Have fun and don't forget... Practice Makes Proficient! 

Love you guys!

Glenn

Transferring A Sketch

Hey guys...

I've been getting a lot of questions about how I turn my sketches into full paintings. So I decided to make a step by step tutorial on my process. I use a transfer rub method using tracing paper. It can get a little tedious but I prefer it to using a projector because I feel like the transfer is a little more precise. 

STEP 1.

First I make sure that I have all the tools that I need to make a transfer sheet. To transfer this piece I'll be using the original sketch, a lightbox, tracing paper, a soft lead mechanical pencil, a hard lead drawing pencil, a blending stump and the prepped wood panel that I will be transferring the sketch to. 

STEP 2. 

To make the transfer sheet I flip the original sketch (drawing side down) onto the light box, place a sheet of tracing paper over it and begin to trace. I like to use a mechanical pencil with a soft lead for this part for two reasons: a softer lead will transfer easier and a mechanical pencil will keep the line work consistent without having to sharpen it. When making the transfer sheet, I try to keep the lines as simple as possible to make the transfer clean and easy. When I'm done tracing I end up with a reversed, line drawing copy of the original sketch. 

STEP 3.

Once the tracing paper transfer sheet is made, I flip it back over (pencil side down) onto the wood panel. I secure it with masking tape to make sure that it doesn't slip or shift during the transfer. I use a blending stump to rub over the entire drawing to transfer the pencil lines onto the wood panel. When the transfer is finished, the lines left on the wood panel are usually somewhat faint and can wipe off fairly easy so I go over the entire drawing with a hard lead drawing pencil (I use a 4H) to secure the image.

STEP 4.

Now that the transfer is done, I clean up any lines or mistakes and then I'm ready to paint. I like to keep the original sketch nearby to use as a value study so I know where all of the shadows and highlights will be. 

And that's about it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope this answered some of your questions. Keep in mind though, there are many ways to transfer a sketch to another surface to get it ready for paint. This is just the method I prefer. Take care everyone! Until next time!

Glenn

  

Devoured - Signs of the Apocalypse

I was recently invited to do a show curated by my awesome friend, Lou Pimentel, to take place at the MyPlasticHeart gallery in New York City called Signs of the Apocalypse. Of course, in my mind, anything related to the apocalypse means ZOMBIES! I jumped on the chance to be a part of this show and immediately set to work on a zombie themed painting and here's what I came up with.

Devoured - 11x14 acrylic on wood 2012

I know, I know. Poor little birdie!

Here are a couple of progress shots 

And check out the lineup of phenomenal artist that will also be in the show!

The show opens Friday, August 3rd and runs through Sunday, September 2nd. If you're in the NYC area I highly recommend checking it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Adorned In Seduction

Hey guys!

Remember doodling tattoos all over girls in magazine ads when you were a kid? Well I'm not sure about you, but I still love to do this! My amazing photographer friend, Amy Kaplan, shares the same love of decorating lovely ladies with tattoos so we've decided to take it to the next level. She brought me a gorgeous photo from a recent shoot she did and asked me to paint on top of it. Naturally the inner magazine doodling child in me loved the idea and this is what we came up with!

Adorned In Seduction - 8x10 acrylic on photograph 2012

Glenn Arthur and Amy Kaplan

Here are some process shots so you can see how I set about painting the tattoos on the actual photograph.

When I received the photo from Amy, I threw a piece of tracing paper on top of it to design the tattoos and map out where I wanted to place them on the model.

After I got that all figured out, I inked the design on the tracing paper to make sure the lines were crisp and clean. Then I broke out my trusty light box, layered the photo over the tracing paper design and began to paint directly on to the photograph.

I used acrylic paint mixed with a small amount of acrylic ink to help the paint glide a little easier over the photograph. Ink alone did not give enough solid coverage and smeared too easy on the photo paper so the paint was a definite necessity! I also had to use a very tiny brush as the photo was only an 8x10 so some of the tattoo designs ended up being super little!

Amy and I are both so excited about the way the final piece turned out! And to make it even better, the piece will be on display at the Rothick Art Haus 3 year anniversary show opening Saturday, July 14th!

Hope to you guys there!

Color Washed!

Hey kids!

It's time for more art! Allow me to introduce Color Washed! This is a new mixed media series that I've been experimenting with. Each image is done with acrylic paint, ink and colored pencil on bristol paper. I plan on adding more and more images to this series with different designs in the near future. In the meantime, here are the first four images. Enjoy! 

Brilliantly Blue

11x17 acrylic, ink & colored pencil on bristol paper 2012

Gorgeously Green

11x17 acrylic, ink & colored pencil on bristol paper 2012

Perilously Purple

11x17 acrylic, ink & colored pencil on bristol paper 2012

Playfully Pink

11x17 acrylic, ink & colored pencil on bristol paper 2012

The Queens

Hey friends!

It's time to share some more art! I was recently invited to be in a show at The Alternative Cafe with a fun little steampunk theme called "Parasols and Dirigibles" opening on June 8th, 2012. I took this as a perfect opportunity to change things up a bit within my own my art style, so I to decided to put together a mini series of four paintings based off of the queens from a deck of playing cards.

I didn't want them to look traditional so I threw my own twist on the ladies by painting their faces with the suit that each one represents. I adorned their heads in lilies with spade, heart, club, and diamond shaped stamen in place of crowns. I kept their hair and costumes in muted colors with designs, patches, my "G" key and of course hummingbirds to match their suits.

Each queen is an 11x14, acrylic on wood painting 2012.

And here are some sketches and progress shots of each queen...

Check out my Facebook page to see each queen individually.

Please contact The Alternative Cafe with any purchase inquiries. Prints of the queens will most likely be available once the show is closed through my website. Thanks for stopping by!

I Like Soup

Hey kiddos!

I was recently invited by my super amazing friend, Jason Levesque, (a.k.a. The Stuntkid) to be a part of an awesome group exhibition at the Virginia Museum Of Contemporary Art. The exhibit is called I Like Soup and will be on display from May 26th - August 19th, 2012 during the museum's Andy Warhol: Portraits exhibit as an artistic tribute to Mr. Warhol's famous Campbell's Soup Cans. And to top it all off, all proceeds from sales will help benefit MOCA's educational programs and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia!

I was extra excited to receive this invite, not only because I'd be showing along aside some of my favorite artist friends but I love any opportunity to have my work in a museum! This project was also super fun (and a little scary) because it meant working on a three dimensional object which is way outside of my comfort zone! Basically each artist received a blank soup can and had complete artistic freedom to decorate it. I decided to give my can a hand painted label with some pretty flowers and one of my hummingbirds bursting through the top and I labeled it "Hummingbird Nectar"

Here are some progress shots of my can in production. First I measured out and designed the label and then began to paint.

I constructed my bird from a styrofoam body that I glued feathers to and then painted. I dyed white silk flowers trying to keep the colors similar to those that Andy Warhol used to use in his portraits.
  

I hadn't realized how small a soup can label is until it was laid out in front of me. It was definitely a challenge hand painting those letters especially since typography is something I almost never do!

After everything was varnished, it was so cool to get it glued on to the can as it really started to look like a legit Campbell's Soup label!

Finally I glued in all of the flowers and the hummingbird and fixed the lid on the can to make it look as though the everything was bursting out of it.

So, if you guys are going to be in the Virginia Beach area between May 26th and August 19th, 2012 then I strongly urge that you check out this exhibit. I got to see some of the other artists cans in the show and they are AMAZING! Don't miss it!

Until next time!

Pierced - Marvelous Humans

Hello everyone,

I just finished a new piece for an awesome group show curated by the super fantastic Josh Geiser of Creep Machine. The show is called "Marvelous Humans" and it will be on display at Articulated Gallery in San Francisco. Opening night is Saturday, April 7th 2012. I'm extra excited about this show as it is jam packed full of amazing artists and inspired by human oddities, body modification, sideshow freaks and all around human marvels!

This is my piece for the show which is inspired by human pincushions and is titled "Pierced." It's 9"x12" acrylic paint and ink on watercolor paper 2012.

And just for fun here are some progress shots of the piece...

San Francisco, here I come! Hope to see you guys there!

-Glenn

Her Secrets Are Sweeter Than Honey

Hello!

It's time for some new art! I’m extremely excited to share my latest painting with you as it will be in a show with Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles called “Picks of the Harvest” opening on Saturday, March 3^rd 2012! My piece for the show is titled “Her Secrets Are Sweeter Than Honey” and is 18”x24” acrylic on wood.

I’m completely honored and thrilled to have my painting displayed along side all of the other amazing works of art in this show. Check out the list of brilliantly talented artists involved. This is definitely a show you will not want to miss!

And here are some photos of my painting in progress…

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to say hello if you’re coming to opening night!  See you there!

Glenn