Figure drawings & still life

Female figure
18" x 25"
Charcoal on paper
2013

Male figure
25" x 18"
Charcoal on paper
2013

Paper bags
19" x 25"
Conte crayons on canson paper
2012

Fabric
19" x 25"
Charcoal on paper
2012


So these are the first figure drawings I've spend time on finishing. The other couple of times I've done nudes is at figure drawing classes, and quite frankly the last person I went to see was so ugly I couldn't pay attention. Ahem. Anyway, the female figure was pretty easy to work on. It took about three or four sessions to finish up. The male figure was a little harder, and I actually started it before I started the second one. The proportions are wonky compared to the reference, but time wasn't agreeing with me to fix it. It was something new for me.

The still life of fabric was done after I finished the shoes still life. I did the same thing with this as I did with the last still life.

As for the paper bags, I used different materials. Conte crayons are pretty interesting, it's just that you have to keep the white and black from mixing while drawing with them and it can be frustrating. For what it is, it came out better than I expected it to.

I didn't mention that I hate drawing, huh?

The Three Goddesses

Wisdom
14" x 11"
Oil on canvas
2013

Power
14" x 11"
Oil on canvas
2013

Courage
14" x 11"
Oil on canvas
2013


As I mentioned in the past post, I had painted the three goddesses of Hyrule. Nayru is the goddess of wisdom, who is associated with deserts and oceans. Din is the goddess of power, and created the terrain of Hyrule. And Farore is the goddess of courage, representing the forests.

I painted all three of these at the same time due to time constraints, it was ridiculous. But it was an exciting project. I only wish that I had more time to work on the compositions of each portrait.

The newest series

Rising
Oil on canvas
30"x 24"
2013

Falling
Oil on canvas
30" x 24"
2012


I decided to fill up my portfolio with something that I love dearly: the Legend of Zelda. I had to make five new paintings. They became three small portraits of the three goddesses, and two main paintings representing Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. I basically wanted to make an altar piece.

Ocarina of Time is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Not exactly an upbeat storyline, but Link finds himself becoming more courageous as his journey goes on. Majora's Mask, on the other hand, gives me nightmares. The games are very much opposites and it was a fulfilling and frustrating experience creating paintings for them.

I started off painting MM, and it was incredibly discouraging. The process seemed to go on forever and had a lot of elements to pay close attention to. On the other hand, OoT was much easier and came naturally. Kinda like the games themselves.

Catching up

Hey everyone! Due to being incredibly busy with school and finishing up my portfolio, I haven't posted anything in about a year. Now I have lots of finished paintings and drawings, so those will be up soon. I'm trying to update everything. Bear with me!

-Rachel

Liquid and rocks

After many months of trying to adjust to oils and charcoal, both pieces are finally done. I'm not sure which one was harder. They were both equally frustrating, that's for sure.

Jerry Cantrell
Oil on canvas
30" x 24"
2012

My first project with oils was to paint a portrait of a musician who I have not stopped listening to ever since I was 12. Alice in Chains has been one of my favorite bands since then, and his solo albums have inspired me artistically as well. When I'm trying to think up ideas or warm up for painting, I listen to his music nonstop.

This was my steam valve, as my art teacher calls it. After the chaos that was my Scholastic portfolio, I guess my brain was so broken that a new project within 3 weeks of finishing made sense!

My teacher painted a portrait of Layne Staley a while back, too. I wanted something to match it.

Shoes
Charcoal on paper
21" x 28"
2012

This is when my teacher made me feel like I was in a humanities class. She had me cover the whole sheet of paper with charcoal, then I had to erase in the outlines. Basically drawing in reverse. The process was pretty damn tedious and tiring, but the end result is fun to look at.


I'm now currently working on another charcoal drawing like this. Soon, I'll be starting a new series of oil paintings. I'm not exactly sure what it'll be about. I've just gotta prepare for August 2013!

My next long project

So, since the Scholastic Awards, I've been a lot less busy. Melancholy earned me a Gold Key, which is awesome.

Now, I'm working with oils and charcoal. This is all going towards trying to get into New World for college. Sketches, paintings, and a full sketch book! It'll be fun. I think...

Just thought it'd be nice to fill in a new post since it's been a while. New work to be posted soon!

My favorite folklore stories

Well, this past few months have been eventful. Juggling school and painting is hard and will drive you absolutely insane, but I did it, so I rule. Anyway, the second series I made is based on Scandinavian stories that I love. I've been reading these stories and books since I was about 12, and they have a way of sucking you in. Here are the demon creations!



Nøkken
Acrylic on canvas
28" x 20"
2011

This painting is about water trolls called nøkkens, and they're pretty mean. They prey on anyone depressed or lingering by a lake. They also like to shape shift to trick their victim into believing that they're king beings, like a lady or a horse. Then... They face their doom.



The Treasure Bringer
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 28"
2011

This one's about a poor farmer who sells his soul for a helper on his crops. The kratt will either bring you riches and happiness for life, or turn on you and make the rest of your days miserable. That's what happened to our farmer who, unfortunately, freaked out and abandoned the kratt just as he finished creating it. As much as he tried destroying it, it wouldn't die. Which only caused the farmer's death in the end.



For Long Springsday
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 16"
2011

This one's pretty inappropriate, let's just start off. A girl is told to save the family's meat for the spring time. A vagabond overhears the mother tell the girl, "You have no sense or reason!" When he comes back, the mother isn't to be found. The girl is naive and doesn't realize that she's talking to a bad man. So, she gives him their food. And even after he's already taken all of that... He finds a way to sexually take advantage of the girl, and she never realizes what's happening. I had a hard time figuring out how to make this damn thing safe to look at. But hey, it worked.



The Human Soul Coming Out as a Fly
Acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
2011

This one's actually pretty sweet. There's lots of variations of this story with different animals. As one person is sleeping, the person they're with notices a small animal coming out of their friend. That animal goes on a small adventure and finds its way back to their human. That person then wakes up to tell about an adventure they went on in their dream, which was really them as that small animal. A fly isn't cute or anything, but there you go.

Coming up with the concept for the series was fun, but executing the whole thing was nerve wrecking. I drove myself mad, I was close enough to becoming the Happy Mask Salesman from Majora's Mask! And while I'm not completely happy with everything, I'm glad everything's finished and looks presentable. Deadlines really kill your motivation to make things pretty. But I actually wanna paint something new now? OH GOD!

Just enjoy, everyone.