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I have made a few holiday ornaments, all for different reasons.
The first was for a swap in a polymer clay group I belong to -- our ornament swaps are so much fun! The members look forward to this event all year!
This one went out to RuthAnne (because Santa said she'd been a very GOOD girl!):
(Santa's beard is real goat hair, from Alaskan goats. If Jay is still in business, you can find this at Arctic Fantasy. Maybe I can find a link....)
The next one went to a friend of my dear friend Sprite, because a woman she volunteers with at her local animal shelter lost all her holiday decorations (well, she lost everything, I guess) in Hurricane Sandy. Sprite asked me to make something for her friend. Sprite has done so very much for me over the years; this was the least I could do in return. I chose a kitty because of the good work they both do for homeless animals. The models were two of my own cats, Leo and Cole. It's more Cole's facial shape, but Leo's coloring; they are brothers.)
Last, but not least, is a commission -- a companion piece to one I did a couple of years ago. I had done some generic House Elves, like the ones from Harry Potter, but not specific characters. One of those went to a friend of my buddy Jean, as a Christmas present. I was asked to do another one this year, because he needed a girl companion! I had already begun one as Winky, an actual character from the Harry Potter books, omitted from the movies. With Jean's permission, I used that and continued it. Winky is a rather sad House Elf, having been dismissed by her employer, Barty Crouch. She was given clothes, as a sign of her disgrace, and she must wear them. Dumbledore gives her and her friend Dobby jobs at the Hogwarts kitchens, as they could never again find employment with other wizarding families. But Winky falls apart -- weeping uncontrollably, and getting drunk on butterbeer (which affects elves very strongly). She's a pathetic little creature!
... and ...
It was so much fun to make her little hat! Her eyes, unlike most of the facial ornaments I make, are "store-bought". I purchased some inexpensive ones that cannot be used for polymer clay, so this one is made with air-dry clay (no baking, no temps higher than room temperature). Winky is not really a favorite character of mine, but I've gotten quite fond of this ornament!
Been working on this for a few days, off and on. I can see some corrections/refinements to make, now that I have it in photo form. It's from the dvd (blue ray) cover of The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey. Black and Sanguine Conte on white Strathmore charcoal paper. I'm still having issues getting photography to get the colors right, but this is the truest of all the photos I took. Just think sanguine conte, and you'll have it about right.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.
I've been working on this one for about four weeks, give or take a few days. Since I have no models, I made this girl up, as I drew. She seemed to want ethnic features, and I love the way light plays on dark skin, so I picked up the ball and ran with it. Ran slowly, LOL. I could have made it darker, but it's not an actual portrait, so I'm good with it the way it is; I like her. I used my new Art Bars by Derwent, on Strathmore Watercolor (cold press) paper. Photo taken outdoors in natural, afternoon light. This is the closest to the true colors and values of all the photos I took in different lights. Sorry it was a tad crooked, LOL!
Anyway, I didn't blog the others, having posted them on Facebook, in the group created for it. I was still very busy with my gardens, and was not thrilled with most of the faces I made for the challenge, so I didn't redirect to my blog. But this one -- I'm happy enough with her.
It occurs to me that I didn't post pics of the other shingle shake I worked on!
It started out looking like this:
Look at that potential!!! Can't you just see a hundred possibilities? (Just no possibility of being used to shingle the side of a house....)
Then it progressed to this:
I made a Harpy, a bird-woman from Greek mythology. The word is still used to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered, sharp-tongued woman. The lines are burned into the wood.
But I decided she needed just a bit more.........
I am now thinking she needs a touch of dimension and shine/moisture to the red. Have not decided just how I shall execute this, so it must wait. If I do anything truly significant to change this, I'll post; otherwise, I'll just leave it as being like this.
For a couple of weeks, I have been helping a friend prepare to reshingle her home, or a part of it, anyway. She's using cedar shakes, which need to be primed and sealed first: that's my job! Occasionally, some turn up useless, for one reason or another -- but they're artistically intriguing! As "payment" for my work, I requested a couple of the reject shakes. One had a knothole that was almost human-eye shaped. With a wood-burning tool, and a bit of stain I found in the barn, this is what I made of that one. I sketched approximately the same face, profile/reverse profile, on each side. When I stained it, I gave in to a "wild hair" and reversed the stain, almost (but not exactly) like a negative. Haven't wood-burned in many years, and painting with stain was more difficult than I'd expected. But I did do something different from usual, and learned a bit along the way. That's the important thing!
Thanks to the blue sky behind her, she has light blue eyes!
I have another I'll be working on and posting, fairly soon!
I should like to state that I do not sell my artwork. The sketches I've made were for practice only, and they have helped me learn a LOT about facial construction and expression. I have learned a great many things from doing these sketches, and would recommend the same thing to other artists who lack a live, human model to sketch from. Having made them doesn't mean they are sales quality, nor that there is legal freedom to profit from them. Besides, most of them are in bound sketchbooks and there are no plans to split up any groups.
Just sayin'......
We now return you to your regular programming. Have a lovely day.
Did two more sketches: some of the bad guys in The Hobbit. There are several, you know! Here are The Great Goblin (or, The Goblin King) and Azog the Defiler.
The Great Goblin, telling Thorin that "an old enemy" of his would pay well for his head.
Nothing else, just a head.
Azog is the "old enemy" of Thorin's, who Thorin assumed had died from the battle wound he gave Azog in the battle for Moria.
Here, Azog is realizing that he will finally get a chance to wreak revenge upon the dwarf who cut off his arm!
Yippeeeeeee!!! I'm sketching!
(Whew! Glad I got THAT out of my system, LOL!)
Actually, I did the first one several weeks ago, when I picked up some new, darker pencils. The other two I did this morning, because it's RAINING! and once again I can't get out into my gardens to do any constructive work.
Here, from Pirates of the Caribbean 4, On Stranger Tides, is Captain Edward Teach (better known to us as Blackbeard the Pirate). Played brilliantly in the movie by Iain Mc Shane.
The other two sketches are from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". I'll be doing a series from the uhh, series of Hobbit movies. Here are Thorin and Bert (not to be confused with Ernie and Bert!).
Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain. Here, we have just heard Balin recount the story of Thorin's courage in the battle between the dwarves and the orcs, at Moria. Thorin is portrayed by Richard Armitage.
Bert the Troll, asking for a bit of appreciation for his culinary skills. I do LOVE drawing and sculpting trolls!!!
Still not much doing in my part of the art world, though I did get some new supplies. I have been digging holes, though! Holes in my yard..... for an order of daylilies that I was NOT prepared to receive so early in the season. I have many older clumps of these plants that desperately need dividing, and must also have spaces to put those extra plants.
I'm thinking of making a new blog, just for the garden pics! Tried to do it just now, but I'm having a spot of difficulty getting it set up. I'll have to try again at a later date. Persistence!
Eventually, there will be a glorious assortment of daylilies, all through the late spring to mid fall. This year could be just a tad slow, but the gardens will still be bouncing nicely, I'm certain of that!
Sorry, but I have not been making art of any kind for over a week! I have been making lists, of daylilies that should be blooming first, later, last, in my gardens. This should help identify the ones that missed identification last summer. I had gotten most, but not all. I have lots of sprouts already, yippee! They should not be troubled more than a little bit by the snow we had yesterday. They're rugged little critters! I will be working on one small sculpt tomorrow, and hope to get it into the mail early next week. I'll wait until it's received before I post a photo of it, though.
I guess I could show you what I photographed this morning ... windflowers in the snow!
The Hobbit came out on dvd, and I've watched it three times in the two weeks that I've had it. In between, I've squeezed in another marathon of Lord of the Rings. Best movie(s) ever made! So, I have three more sketches from that series: the first from Fellowship of the Ring, when the orcs in Moria bring out their formidable ally to fight the Fellowship for them.
Boromir says, calmly and with distinct irony:
"They have a cave troll!"
This troll doesn't seem to like Frodo! Imagine that .......
In Return of the King, there is much festive partying, to celebrate their victories. Legolas and Gimli bond even further with a drinking game! Later, when nearly all are bedded down for the night, Aragorn takes a walk, and finds Legolas staring out into the evening sky. They begin a conversation.
Legolas: "The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the east -- a sleepless malice. The eye of the Enemy is moving."
(There are stars quite visible in the night sky. Go to bed, Legolas. You're drunk and paranoid.)
At the coronation of King Elessar, he earnestly addresses those attending:
"This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world, that we may share in the days of peace."
Long live King Elessar!
Two more.....
I waited for a good shot of Luna
through four movies, and ended up going back to where we first saw her,
in Order of the Phoenix. I just was not happy with the shots of her in
the later movies, although I adore her character!
Here, Harry has just witnessed a bizarre sight: Thestrals, which he never saw before, and which his friends still cannot see. Luna Lovegood answers, "You're not going mad, I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am!" She is reading an upside-down magazine at the time she says this.
For the Holiday vacation, Harry is back to #12 Grimmauld Place, headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization to fight the evil Lord Voldemort. It was the family estate for the Black family, and their retainer servant is the House Elf, "Kreacher." He's entirely disagreeable, in both personality and appearance.
"Nasty brat, standing there, as bold as brass -- Harry Potter! The boy who stopped the Dark Lord. Friend of mudbloods and blood-traitors alike. My poor mistress...."
Mrs. Arabella Figg, Harry's neighbor on Privet Drive, is the woman with whom the Dursley's leave Harry if they are going someplace nice or fun. Harry doesn't know that she is a Squib, a magical person who cannot do magic (not a muggle!) and that she's working for Dumbledore, to keep a lookout for Harry's welfare. After Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors, he uses a spell to make them go away, and Mrs. Figg is a witness. Good thing, because Harry is brought up on charges for "underage wizardry," and she is called as a witness for the defense. Here, she is describing the Dementors and the feeling they created ... "as if all the joy had gone from the world."
Hogwarts has been chosen to
host the Tri-Wizard Tournament! A selection of students from the two
competing schools are visiting, with chaperons, and a Yule Ball is part of the holiday
festivities. Unfortunately for Ron, his formal wear consists of
hand-me-downs that are hopelessly outdated, and even smell! To add to
his problems, the girl he should have asked to the ball has shown up
with the famous, dashing Viktor, one of the tournament entrants. And
she is more beautiful than anyone has ever seen her! The date he did
finally get points her out: "Isn't that... Hermione Granger? With Viktor
Krumm?" Poor Ron........
The headmistress for one of the schools, the Beauxbatons Academy in France, is obviously a half-giantess, she is so very tall. She denies it, since there is such a stigma about giants. But to Hagrid, Hogwarts' own half-giant, she is extremely attractive. At the Yule Ball, he asks to dance with her. I love that even a giantess can get all girlie-girl with makeup; a feminine, beaded, satin blouse -- and frosted, streaked hair. Just like all the sweet young girls in her charge! Romance is in the air!
Later, Harry has yet to work out a clue to his next tournament task, and is given the hint that it should be done underwater, in the bath. Enter Moaning Myrtle, one of the castle ghosts, who died in a girls' bathroom, and who haunts the plumbing in general. She was fifteen when she died, and kind of a misfit, socially immature even for fifteen. But she has a fondness for Harry! While he's in the Prefects' Bath, she appears, helps him with his clue, and flirts outrageously with him. Here, the image is very smudged, something I rarely do (intentionally, at least) because she's a ghost -- and she's underwater!
Bizzy, bizzy, bizzy!!! Not doing the things I am "supposed" to do, but hey -- I'm supposed to be an artist too, right? Here are 6-count'em-6 sketches since yesterday morning! All are from the Goblet of Fire movie, which I didn't expect to yield so much subject matter. Not so many major characters, that I don't already have sketches of, but lots of lesser ones that I had skipped before.
Let's start with a new pic of Viktor Krumm. At the World Quidditch match, we are introduced to the "best Seeker in the world!" who plays for the Bulgarian team. There is a magical sort of Jumbotron, a huge screen which Muggles use at their sporting events. Krumm's face is displayed there.
The festivities after the game are interrupted by tyrannical Death Eaters, out for some cruel sport. An image called the "Dark Mark" is cast in the sky, as a sign of triumph for the Death Eaters. It's a Death's Head, with a snake erupting from its mouth! The mark is cast by a mysterious man, jubilant in victory .........
Harry has witnessed the spell, has seen the man, but could not see his face to identify him -- even when he was accused of casting the mark himself! The accuser is Bartemous Crouch, a Ministry for Magic official, and a nervous little man. It was his job to make the Quidditch match go off well, so he is desperate for answers.
Barty Crouch is also responsible for overseeing another event, this one hosted at Hogwarts: The Triwizard Tournament! Three wizarding schools are chosen to compete for a magnificent cup, and "eternal glory" for the winner. Thanks to some dastardly mischief, this year there will be four competitors... someone has submitted Harry's name! One of the others is a lovely French girl, Fleur Delacour:
Of course, the tournament is big news, and the local wizarding newspaper wants a story, so they send reporter Rita Skeeter. She is really only interested in why Harry was selected, since he was not really qualified for the task. An annoying woman, she goads him in her interview .....
.
Haven't posted anything, but it's not for wanting the sketches. I've been sketching ALL DAY (almost). Someone needs to come clean my house, because I haven't done it. Maybe in the morning....
I have at least three (or was it four? can't count, my fingers are being used for typing. ;) ) that have yet to be photographed, and I'll have to wait until daylight, now. Patience....
Meanwhile... Back to the drawing board!!!
I found a sketch I've been looking for, and I could be wrong, but I don't think I've posted it here before. In fact, I could not find any photo of it in my files, so I assume it was never photographed, much less uploaded to anywhere. The second sketch is new today.
The "found" sketch is one of Norbert, the wee Norwegian Ridgeback baby dragon that has just hatched as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Hagrid watch on, in HP Sorcerer's Stone. Even as a new hatchling, Norbert is dangerous, setting Hagrid's beard on fire with a mere hiccup! But Hagrid is a proud, new "Mummy" and pats out the smoldering beard.
Norbert struggles to coordinate legs, wings, neck, and still has a shard of dragon eggshell on his head.
The next sketch is from another movie... something someone posted on Facebook, plus a Monty Python quote by someone else yesterday... inspired me to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (Again. It's another of my faves.) So here to work his Grail-finding spells, is:
TIM THE ENCHANTER! "A what? ... a GRAIL?!!!"
Here are the latest two sketches, a Dementor (a Guard of Azkaban wizarding prison) and Sirius Black (an escaped prisoner).
The Dementors are rather skeletal in appearance, wafting through the air in ragged cloaks. They will inhale your essence, taking all the joy and good memories you have, leaving you with only the feelings of sadness, misery, or despair of your life. Their arrival is announced by an icy frost that overlays anything with moisture, including one's breath. The atmosphere feels as if "all the joy had gone from the world" when they are near. As a punishment for his escape, the prisoner is sentenced to the "Dementor's Kiss" -- they'll suck out his soul!
A Dementor's face, as it attacks Harry, hundreds of feet in the air, causing him to fall.
Meanwhile, the escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, has been tracking his prey, at Hogwarts. Harry has been warned that Black wants revenge, and to kill him. He, Hermione, and Ron all end up trapped in a haunted shack, along with Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. Who is behind that door that has just closed? Emerging from the shadows ... looking ragged and weary, "reflecting the madness within" -- it's Sirius Black!
Will Sirius attack Harry? Will someone come to the rescue, and if so, who will be rescued?
(From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black.)
Earlier movies... more recent sketches. Did that make sense? Well, maybe not, but I'm going back now to revisit some lesser characters, magical creatures, and a few somewhat major characters I just didn't get before, for whatever reasons.
From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, here is "Aunt Marge" Dursley, who breeds and raises bulldogs, to which she bears no small resemblance, herself! In this scene, she's being cruel to Harry, trying to goad him into a reaction so that she can assert her dominance further. She is asking if caning is used as punishment at the school Harry attends, hoping the answer is yes.
Later, stranded on his own, Harry is picked up by the "Knight Bus" -- a magical vehicle that can take a witch or wizard nearly anywhere. Its conductor is Stan Shunpike, only a few years older than Harry. He reads a wizarding newspaper, on the front of which is a picture of a dangerous escapee from Azkaban, the wizards' prison. Harry asks who that is.
In the shadows, Stan leans in towards Harry. "Who is that?!" Stan replies. Not knowing who Harry is, he can't believe Harry doesn't know who Serius Black is. He especially relishes saying that Serius Black is "a murderer!"
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the movies nor read the books, and I recommend that you do, consider whether or not you should view these sketches. At the very least, if you are not familiar with the story line, best NOT read the text on this entry!
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Lord Voldemort has discovered Narcissa's lie -- he has been betrayed! And is he EVER pissed!
I really, really like the next sketch. I broke one of my "rules" for this series, though. I added color. It's perhaps a bit similar to the little red jacket in "Schindler's List" (though not as exalted a work, of course!). This color was needed, in my opinion.
Voldemort and his army have marched in triumph to the Hogwarts grounds, and brought Harry's body to be viewed by the fighters there. It's his proof of victory, and meant to dishearten his adversaries. Voldemort calls for them to join him.
Neville Longbottom steps forward, much to his friends' dismay, lets Voldemort think he's defecting to him, then states that he wants to say something.
"Yeah, we lost Harry tonight, but he's still with us, in here." Neville gestures to his heart.
"So's Fred, Remus, Tonks -- all of them. They didn't die in vain!" He turns to Voldemort. "But you will!"
Voldemort begins to chuckle at this... but Neville continues.
"Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us -- for ALL of us!
AND IT'S NOT OVER!"
Neville the timid, goof-up Gryffindor has just defied the most powerful, most vindictive dark wizard of all time, to give a brave speech to hearten his comrades.
Neville, you're a true, bad-ass Gryffindor!
I'm beginning to suspect I have developed a Late-life onset of OCD. Can't quite stop sketching! HA!
I prefer the Epilogue's version of Ginny to all others, as I like seeing her as a mature woman. However, I seem to have done a nice portrait of somebody... just not of Bonny Wright, as Ginny. I didn't quite catch her likeness.
For what it's worth, here is that one:
I personally prefer the next one.
The Battle of Hogwarts is about to commence; forces are gathering, on both sides. Tonks has found Remus on the castle battlements -- "You shouldn't have come!" he cries, concerned that their son needs her more. She assures him that Teddy will sleep til dawn, and snore like his father. She tenderly brushes his beard with her hand, "It's you that needs me tonight!"
I am so disappointed that this scene was deleted from the movie, but glad that it was at least included in the dvd Features of deleted scenes. It's a very touching moment. While sketching, I noticed that there were archways, receding into the background, between them. I think it speaks eloquently of the depth of their commitment and love for each other, and it foreshadows the portals they will soon enter. Another glimpse of foreshadowed story is the twins, distant in the archways, but I left them out of this composition. This is solely about Tonks and Remus.
"It's YOU that needs me, tonight!"
That wonderful challenge has ended, and I have a lot of new friends because of it! I can't be sketching all the time, now... but will do so when the spirit moves me. Since yesterday, it has moved me three times already!
I'm watching Deathly Hallows, part 2 for sketches. Good thing I've seen this movie many times, because the stop-action for sketching is quite disruptive to the emotional tenor of the plot. However, I am finding that in pausing at certain really good shots, I get more insight to what the character is thinking and feeling. Sometimes the actor's expressions, frozen in the still, display elements the audience takes for granted, in the whole. It can be a testament to good acting, good direction, even good editing, perhaps.
Helen McCrory's portrayal of Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mom, for instance:
She knows at this point that the only way she can rescue her son, and get him out of the battle, is at the head of a victorious army. To accomplish this, she must lie to the most vicious, powerful, and vindictive dark wizard of all time. It has been revealed that she does not have her wand; her son has borrowed it. She would be helpless if Voldemort struck her down. But she hides all her fears within, to think only of her son, and utters the one word Lord Voldemort wants to hear: "Dead." So much of the rest of the story turns on that one word, and Narcissa's mothering instincts.
Her son, Draco, is in the castle, dealing with other dangers.
He has in recent months become disillusioned with his father, his childhood role model, as Lucius Malfoy falls from favor, and becomes weak, subservient, and derelict. The Death Eaters march on the castle, confident in their victory, Draco's parents at the fore.
Draco has just watched one of his best friends die an horrific death, and was saved from the same fate by his former nemesis. He is rethinking his status, as it is announced that the very same person who saved him is now dead. His father calls to him to join them, and Draco doesn't move. A pathetic, ineffectual repeated call by his father; Draco is still hesitant. Only one voice will move him, now. A soft entreaty by his mother, the last person he can trust, beckons to him. Gently, simply, "Draco... come." He has no inkling of what she has risked to get to him, but moves toward an uncertain fate, trusting that only she could know what is best.
Not long after, another emphatic statement about motherly love will play out.
The completely psychotic Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's most trusted lieutenants, is dueling with three of the girls, in the castle. She nearly missed Ginny Weasley with a killing curse, and Ginny's mother, Molly, stepped into the fight.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
Molly had already lost one child to Death Eaters that night, and she'd die before allowing it to happen again. Either she or Bellatrix would triumph... but who?
Switching gears again... for the last day of the challenge. Today is the 28th! I passed 29 on the 19th, not counting old pieces, nor doubles in a single work... so we're cool, right?
Thank you to Ayala Art for sponsoring this Challenge!!! LOVE YOU!
Here is a quick rendition of one of the Harry Potter dragons, the Ukrainian Ironbelly, which guards the deepest vaults of Gringotts Bank. Poor creature has been chained and tortured for who knows how long -- probably centuries. It's white with age, blood stains from the cuts made by layers of chains around its neck. It is not in a good mood!
Older work? Let's seeeee... Harry's Hungarian Horntail:
.
And one of my own design, though I may have posted it here, before.
I have held off sketching Elizabeth Swann until now. Though plucky, the character is still too much of a debutante in the beginning to be of much interest. At least, to me. I love how she grows with each movie, and in the second half of the last of the trilogy, she is elected (of all things!) Pirate King! Let me give you the set up for this scene --
Barbossa:
"Revenge won't bring yer father back, Miss Swann, and it's not somethin' I'm intendin' to die for. "
Elizabeth:
"You're right.
Then what shall we die for?"
She moves across the deck to the base of the rigging, while addressing the whole crew:
"You will listen to me. LISTEN!
The Brethren will still be looking here, to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilge-rats, aboard a derelict ship? No. No, they will see free men -- and FREEDOM!
And what the enemy will see is the flash of our canons. They will hear the ring of our swords, and they will know what we can DO -- by the sweat of our brows, and the strength of our backs, and the courage of our hearts!
Gentlemen -- Hoist the colors!"
That speech gets me every time, and is followed by my favorite scene of the movie series. The colors are indeed hoisted, across the whole pirate fleet. And the flags they hoist are replicas of the actual, historically authentic pirate flags and standards used at that time period. They have to invent a few of them, but as many of them as they could manage are bits of true history. I have no idea why, but I choke up every single time I see this!
OK, let's lighten it up a bit.
At the menu selection for the blue-ray dvd, there's this animated, talking pirate skull. I forgot that I couldn't pause the motion at this point, so I had to "hit a moving target." Keeping it quick and simple, this fellow emerged on the paper:
He kept saying, "Dead men tell no tales!"
Remember "Jack"?
No, not Jack Sparrow (excuse me -- Captain Jack Sparrow!)...
I mean, Jack, the Undead Monkey?
So cute a li'l rascal, until you saw him in the moonlight.
Then he looked something like ... this!
(This was actually quite FUN to sketch. But I really don't think I did him justice!)
I think I'll forgo an older sketch today, and just leave you with the image of the Undead Monkey in your mind, shall I?!!
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