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

  

The Ever Changing Idea...

Hey guys!

So I just completed a painting titled "SheTakes Flight On A Loveless Zephyr" which I am extremely relieved to be done with. I'm absolutely thrilled with the way that it turned out, but this piece really tested my patience and challenged my creativity during the process.

She Takes Flight On A Loveless Zephyr - 20x20 acrylic on wood 2011

More often than not I plan out my paintings down to the last detail in sketch form before I even draw it on a wood panel. This helps me cut down on changes made and keeps the drawing nice and clean so it's ready for color. I started this piece the exact same way, however she had different plans in mind on how she would eventually end up.

Once I got her drawn out on the wood panel I felt like there was something missing. I wanted her to have more elements of flight and surrealism so I added the wings to her hair and gave the hummingbird a little military type jacket.

As I work on a drawing for a painting I usually have a color scheme in mind so that it takes out a lot of the guess work once I finally begin to paint. I originally had cooler tones in mind for this piece but once again she had different plans in mind as warmer tones took over.

I started having difficulty with the wings behind her neck. I wanted them to have a mechanical feel to them but also wanted them to be uniform with the colors of the wings in her hair. There was a dynamic that was not happening with this idea so I decided to make them black for a nice contrast.

I really liked this idea as I had originally planned the background on this piece to be solid white. Yet again, she had different plans for this too. The white just wasn't doing it for me, so I decided to go for the opposite effect and black it out. Of course this meant the wings would get lost in the background so I painted them gold and finally called the piece finished!

At the end of it all I'm in love with this piece. The struggles and changes only make me appreciate it that much more. It's all part of the learning and growing process. She really helped me to not be so rigid and to give in to the creative process a bit more. Sometimes an idea can be perfect from the start and other times in has to be given time to evolve. And with this lesson learned it's time to move on to the next painting!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let Me Show You My Secrets

Hello out there in art land!

I just finished my latest painting for my next show. I'm really loving the solid black backgrounds on these with the bits of gold trim. This piece is titled "Let Me Show You My Secrets" and is 18x24inches acrylic on wood 2011.

I love to see how other artists work so I posted a couple of close up detail shots and progress pics in case you do too. Enjoy!

"Let Me Show You My Secrets"

Details of her face and makeup...

Details of her lace edge, flowers and "G" key...

Progress pic of the first couple layers...

My new skeleton Domo with some more progress behind him...

And a little more progress before I finished her up...

Well that about wraps it up for this painting. On to the next. Thanks for the love a support guys. Making art would mean nothing without you! 

Her Fatal Fascination

Well hello there!

I just finished my latest painting for my next solo show (info coming soon). The painting is titled “Her Fatal Fascination” and it is 16"x20" acrylic paint on a birch wood panel.

I’m really excited about this piece as I feel like it was sort of a breakthrough painting in a new direction that I’m taking my work in. Here is the full piece and some up close detail images. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

“Her Fatal Fascination” 16x20 acrylic on wood 2011

Detail of the skull in her hair and her hummingbird in steampunk goggles

Detail of her heart patch and “G” skeleton key

Detail of her face and makeup

Well now that she is done it’s time to get started on the next painting. Many more to come soon!  Thanks for all the love and support! You guys rock!

-Glenn-