Here is a Butterfly drawing I did on canson paper with colored pencils (my new Prismas ). I started this thread without asking for permission from the Mods but felt it was a good idea for showing off art work people have done without there being 100 different threads to go and read. So I will be the first to post 1 picture of 2 different scans. One is really light and the other is very dark and I can't decide which I like the best. Anyways its the first full picture I have completed using colored pencils and feel I really need to work on backgrounds. In the original reference photo you can tell its flowers and other foliage but its a blurred affect to where it tricks the eye. Mine didn't come out as good as I would have like but the overall picture is good in my opinion. Hope to see more pictures posted here!!!

Venus you don't need permission to start a thread. Anyone can start one about anything that they like! Ahh the joys of freedom of speech hehehe

Your butterfly picture is lovely. I like the darker version personally. I like how the background sets off the flower and the colours of the butterfly are quite realistic. Good work!

Thanks Jeanette. I would say in all actual hours I put into this drawing it took about 10 (with breaks inbetween taking care of the household and such). I just wanted to start a Finished picture thread in case people had something that they wanted to show off without it being a work in progress type thing. Plus it easier than going and viewing tons of new threads where alot of different people post different pictures. Ohhh and thanks for deleting the extra post. Sometimes my computer freezes and when I go back and look to see if the post went through it repeats itself!! I hate that.

I agree with Jeanette. The darker one is beautiful. I want my prismas too.

Great picture. Cool, I thought you were showing me a photo and a drawing. I'm curious which scan is closer to your drawing?
Paulette

Venus it looks lovely You should be very proud of yourself. I think everyone here is excited to see such a nice person continue to grow and learn and just generally do a hellacious job as you do!

Absolutely beautiful, Venus

Beautiful drawing.

That is really really lovely Venus!

As it happens, butterflies are my favourite subject and I'm working on a series of them. But I always have problems with backgrounds... I never really know what to do... so my butterflies are all still WIPs!!

So teacher - how about a lesson on backgrounds!

Paulette though it came out alittle bit darker the darker one is from my good scanner and the closest to the original picture. The lighter one is from my new scanner and no matter how many times I have tried I just can't seem to get the pictures darker. I played with all of the settings and everything. I suggest no one ever buy a dual system where they can print and scan all in one. I am sure there are better models out there but I bought a cheap one. I also know my stepdaughter bought an more exspensive one and she says the same thing so that is our experience so far. Anyways, I am glad you all like my picture!!!

I started this thread so that if anyone had a picture they have done and wanted to show off they could, so I want to see some new pictures from everyone!!!

Venus I have a Pixma 180 which is what you call a dual model, actually it's three in one. It's true, it scans rather light and there's only so much you can do with it using it's own software. However tones can be adjusted using other software so you can get something that is closer to the original. I use PhotoStudio (which I believe is also a Canon software) but I believe you can do the same in Photoshop or any other digital photography software.

I'm still very unsure about what sort of background to use so maybe this is not exactly a finished picture - but I still wished to share with you what I shall henceforth call my Joanie Butterfly, done with Joanie's colours and dedicated to her. I had long been wanting to draw this butterfly but I lacked the sand colour which is a major feature in the drawing. Had I tried to do it with what colours I had it would have been practically yellow. But Joanie came to the rescue!!

So here it is Butterfly II - the Joanie Butterfly.

Oh and BTW - the frame is not drawn... it is something I added also using PhotoStudio


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Venus ..me and my husband saw this and both were in aw.. over it .. great job !
Rose i love your butterfly .. those seem hard to do because of the wings and the way they are exactly alike .

This is my first ever rough attempt at drawing a person. I just wanted to see if I could get
a recognizable likeness. I used 0.5mm mechanical pencils in 4h to 4b grades.
I sketched completely freehand, no grids or anything.

Can anyone recognize this famous person?

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President Bush? Good job. Especially for a first..

I knew it was Bush before I even looked at it .. just from a glance .. I knew who it was .. great Job.

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Just sketch book stuff right now.


darus67...looks like G.W. Pretty good for a first portrait going freehand.


Lovely butterflies Venus and Farfillina, lots of detail.

It is indeed George W.
Love him or hate him, I figured at least people would recognize him.
Thanks for the kind words.
Now I need to get going on the portrait class. (I'm not doing him for the class)

tismyself:
Great work! I like the reflection under the hairbrush. Your portraits are quite good. But, is it just me, or does that orange look... shiny?

Rose, I love your butterfly!!! Its simply georgous!! you did a fabulous job with the colored pencils too.

Darus..I could tell it was Bush from just glancing at it also, great job for a first portrait.

Tismyself...I love all of your drawings...great job, they all look realistic!!!

Thanks Everyone for the compliments. I too like the picture just not so much the background. I really like doing butterflies...Ohhh and Kim, if you take your time on butterflies the wings are not too difficult. Not anymore than drawing one of your georgous Fairies with wings.

Rose, If you haven't looked yet, Wetcanvas has some georgous butterfly pictures for reference photos. Actually their whole library of reference photos is great. I use them all of the time when I want to do something just for fun and take a break from the learning process. Not that learning is bad, but doing pictures not related to lessons and such is alot of fun too.

Great job, everyone! How are you all having time for "fun" stuff as well as drawing your portraits? lol

J

J....I skipped class the other day to do it. So have been working my butt off trying to teach myself portraits.

venus just seen the thread- wow beautiful. awesome job as usual. i love how you work those colors.
rose awesome butterfly, you are doing great with colors also
tismyself--love the drawings, do you great work
Lori

Lori yes I was pleased with this picture, now if I could draw my portraits that good I would be all set. They just do not seem to agree with me though and are way outside my comfort zone, though they are something I really want to do if that makes sense? But I have been going through old photos of the kids when they were smaller and there are so many cute ones I want to do for them when they are older. So I guess I am gonna have to accomplish this fear sooner or later and take Jeanette's advice and go slower with my drawings and take my time. Even this butterfly picture, when I got to the background which I did last I rushed through it instead of taking my time. I could have made it look so much better had I waited until the next day and went to bed instead of pushing it out at 3am. Its just soo much easier to work when everyone is in bed and not disturbing me. Thanks for the compliments, when are you posting something on this here thread???

i know what you mean venus--i try to work when everyones asleep too, if i am not to tired that is. i think you are doing wonderfully with your portraits. just keep practicing, you will get where you want to be. i have been thinking on trying my hand at airbrushing. been looking up info to get me started. my husband has two airbrushes that he doesnt ever use so i thought i would give it a try at least. he uses spray paint cans, he says he cant use airbrush. weirdo i call him. he does our sons racecar. he did spongebob on it and it was awesome. but anyway got off subject--keep up the fantastic work and cant wait to see more.
Lori

I like solitude when I draw or paint too. I think most creative people do in fact. This is why I have a bedroom turned into a studio for myself. I can go in there and shut the world out. I know that's more difficult when you have young children around.

Here's a drawing I did today, more sketch than final image of a Chinese muslim man. He looked so elegant and refined, I couldn't resist him. I drew it initially in pencil then added some pastel pencil for colour, which I wish I hadn't. I preferred the original graphite. Oh well.

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This is a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. A muscle car. I drew it for my husband because he used to own one way back in the 70's.
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Painter48, Beautyful.

Very wise looking Chinaman Jeanette...you can read his soul in his eyes.

Joanie - that's brilliant! I would be totally scared of all those straight lines and I won't even start talking about perspective! Great job! - your husband is going to love it!

Jeanette, I love it!!! Actually I like anything to do with old historical chinese people or custums. I also love their art work and one of these days when i have confidence in my art I am gonna give chinese painting a try. Its sooo beautiful. One of my birthday gifts to myself last year was a chinese painting DVD. I still haven't opened it and watched it because I have sooo many other things I want to accomplish first..(Like portraits)

Painter..I love that car...its beautiful. Great job.

Lori, airbrushing is not hard to do but it takes alot of practice. I did it in my Graphic Designing class in high school. It was fun, but just like any other medium you have to watch how you apply it. If you spray too hard you get splatters that can ruin a picture type thing. Give it a try I am sure you will be successful with it. Good luck.

A good likeness Darus - especially the eyes nose combination. Face a little lopsided - I find rotating the sketch while drawing helps perspective

Ok, I decided to take a break from the old portrait drawing and do something for fun. So I grabbed the old watercolor pencils and watercolor paint I had and decided to experiment. Now I didn't have any liquid masking tape or rubber cement so I went very slowly and did the watercolor was for the background slowly, careful not to run into the main part of the picture. I did the background first then with my water and clean brush went and slowly went over the WC pencil part of the drawing. It was the first time doing the wash without the colored pencils being first or using them for the background. Now I understand if you use regular prisma colors that they wont bleed because of them being basically wax, so if you use them and watercolors you have no worries but WC pencils are another story. You can do either first I just chose to do the background first. Ok so the drawing is another fairy..they are my new kick as of the moment and I think I did a pretty good job. I even did the Fairy in a scene!!! I am so proud of myself with this picture!!!

Okay, I'm just laughing at myself now. I tried watercolour paint and after reading your post, Venus, it seems so logical to apply the background first.

Love your picture!

Ah, here's what happens when one doesn't know what not to do. I smeared the black all through the blue, and sensibly quit soon after. lol

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Very nice Venus!!

Wintermind - I don't think your pic is a throw away... I think you can go back to it and fix what you think is wrong with it... I like the movement it has.

I myself finished a "major" project last night but can't post it for the moment.

Wintermind...DON'T QUIT IT!!! I love what you have so far. Keep going. I would suggest using some more colors to blend in with the black, either try a really wet water brush or do a clear water apply carefully around the back and adding some purple or more blue to blend it out into the rest of the picture and I am not totally sure what big kitty you drew, a lion or panther but overall its not a bad picture just keep going with it.

Rose, I am dying to see your new picture soo POST IT already!! I had soo much fun drawing my fairy and butterfly picture. I swear I had been looking all through myspace layouts all the day I decided to do it that I went in total right brain mode and just drew, I looked through my reference photos and saw one of a figure drawing and got the idea of a fairy sitting on a flower in the position the reference was in and that was it I just drew everything my mind was seeing and then I started adding the color. I love that way of thinking and drawing!!! Its self releasing to me.

Thanks for the comments.
Actually, his face IS a little lopsided in the reference I used.
Although now that you mention it, I think I did exaggerate it.

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Farfallina - Thanks Even if the picture can't be fixed, it was something to learn from.

Venus - Thanks. I'll try adding the purple and blue. And I have no idea either what kind of cat I drew; I just like big cats.

Wintermind with the colors I suggested and you going darker I would say add like browns to the Big Cat and make it a couger? Your picture really is beautiful so don't throw it away yet just play with it!!!

Venus - Well, the cat is cougarish, and the background has the closest I could get to purple. (Sample set of paint, with only a red-orange. Doesn't make for mixing an appealing purple...)

So. Thanks! To you as well, Farfallina. I know I wouldn't have attempted anything further without either of your comments, and I'm glad I did.

Farfallina, may I ask what your project is?

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I remember these....Showing my age again. Very nice work.



I like your 'new kick' Venus. Looks like you have a knack for the watercolor. Watercolor is next on my To Do list.



I think you caputered him very nicely Ms J. Was this done from a photo or real-world?





Your touch-up work is excellent. This one is definately a keeper. I think that is one of the things that makes watercolor so attractive, at least to me anyway. Mis-steps are fairly easy to turn into advantages.

So when do we get to see the next one?

This is a drawing that I completed a week or so before our drawing class started.

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It is too large to scan and the photo came out darker than the actual work. It is done on Canson Classic Cream 90 pound paper with pencils. The face on the left is blended. The one on the right is not.

Reference photo:
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Chris

Wintermind it looks good to me!!! Love your touch-ups. As for now having the right red it actually looks pretty cool. Are you finished with it now or are you still comtimplating what to do next? Keep going cant wat to see it finished!!!

Chris...you did an excellent job on the two girls!! Just beautiful.

Wintermind I'm so very very happy that you went back to your picture. My first impression of it was that it had excellent composition and movement - I loved the cougar's ears for instance. Now you have a lovely picture!

I have to tell you that I live through moments of just wanting to dump whatever I may be working on several times throughout the process. Those are the moments when I talk myself in sticking with it, analyzing what needs to be fixed, taking a deeper look at what is there and how I can improve it, making whatever is not perfect work for me rather than against me. When I persevere I very often end up with something that is at least half presentable.



Of course you may ask.... but that doesn't mean I have to tell you!

I will by and by though... at the right time.

Thanks. I think I'll find it to be something I enjoy about it as well. One thing that holds me back the most is erasers, or going so slow I try to get it perfect on the first time. Watercolour is (no pun intended) very fluid, and has an ease of movement I haven't found anywhere else. I made so many mistakes that would have ruined any other picture it's not even funny...

I'm hoping to do another one soon. I am going to go check, but do you have any watercolour posted here?

I like the girls. The left one especially. You've really managed to capture their expressions.



I might add something like wheat stalks to the bottom, but I don't know yet. As it is, the paper is starting to curl. lol



Oh, har. Looking forward to your unvailing.

Ah, perseverance. I'm sure I know the word. That's really something I need to work on. When I get frustrated or bored, I move on and usually fail to come back. I admire you your ability to stick with a project.

Good morning, all. So glad to see everyone drawing such neat things and doing so well with them.

I had ordered some Lyra colored pencils & received them last week but just couldn't get into messing with them (or anything) but I got them out this morning & did a quickie drawing. This is a tufted titmouse that visits our bird feeder. I must have taken several dozen photos of them through the window because they zoom in, grab some seed & fly off in a flash. Most of the time I was just getting photos of air or blurred wings!

Anyway, this is a drawing of one of them:

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The Lyra pencils are ok but I must say that I like the Prismas better. The Lyra are oil based & I liked the fact that you don't get the wax bloom with them and they don't seem to have the problems with lead breakage that Prismas do. However, they don't have that richness of color that Prismas have. Maybe I just haven't learned to use them properly or it may be the paper I used & I haven't tried the mineral spirits with them yet. They say a solvent like that will deepen the color but I quit oil painting because of the thinner/cleaner smell as even the so-called odorless ones still had a strong smell to me.

Anyway, just my opinion on the Lyra pencils.

J

I like the bird. I have seen them 'on the hoof' and they are very charmming. I have not tried the Lyra pencils, but I have seen them around. What is it that you do with the solvent?

Chris

I have a small set of Lyra pencils and I think they are harder than Prisma's but you can use Bestine or Oderless Turp or Turpenoid with them to give a smooth finish. In my opinion, they seem to "melt" with the turp. They have special blending pencils for them also.

I haven't played with them enough yet but I have books that say you can use both Prismas and Lyras together sort of like Mixed media painting.

Ok All, as many of you know I just got a Wacom tablet and I am trying it out. This is the first finished painting I have done on it. I used psp8 for the program and am really just learning. Even with a stylus while more easy to control than a mouse its definately hard. Hopefully the picture comes through so I can show everyone what it looks like. I used the acrylic painting part of the program and I am not sure how to change the canvases and brushes or how to add them to my psp. So feel free to tell me what you think, it may be small or big not sure still learning...

I know there's quite a steep learning curve in learning digital drawing and you've done well to be able to get something recognizable on paper, its more than I could do when I started! Like everything, it takes practice. I have to say that I still prefer the 'real thing' over digital. Likely because I like the portability of pencil and paper and just the motion of applying pencil. I play with my graphic tablet now and then but never seem to spend enough time on it to warrant having bought it.

Here's a drawing I did in pastel on a piece of colorfix paper that I was given. I loved the texture of the paper and can't wait to get more when I cross the border later this month. I'll be stocking up!

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Yummy display of fruit Jeanette!! Yeah, I definately love the actual feel of pencils and paper compared to the Wacom but I spent to much on it to give it up already. Hopefully I can find a program I like though. Its gonna take awhile before I get Corel or Psp8 figured out. Twisted Brush that UKArtist suggest is expensive for the full good newer version and the free version I ended up having to remove a virus from my computer. Sooo, PEOPLE you need to be really careful about what and where you download from. So far I like it though but am wanting to do a real picture now...LOL.

Venus - sorry I can't help - I know absolutely nothing about digital art.

Jeanette - the luminosity of that fruit is just so exciting! Wonderful!!

Thanks, Painter - I ended up using some Turpenoid on the bird (very lightly) but it didn't change it much. I'll try combining the Lyra with the Prismas soon - still not in any kind of art mode right now.

I love that painting also, Jeanette. You did a great job on it.

Venus, I'm so glad you got your tablet & it will take a while to get used to it. Your first painting with it is better than my first with a tablet! You should have gotten Corel's Painter Essentials with the tablet & I highly recommend that you use it rather than PSP or Photoshop. Neither of those programs were designed for painting (although you can use them - I nearly always use PSP in combination with Painter) and Painter and Essentials (a light version of Painter 1X & pretty good for a light version) are pretty much exclusively painting programs. Someone else suggested Art Rage & that's a very good, simple painting software also. I had downloaded the trial of Twisted Brush & just couldn't figure it out well enough to do much good with it - no virus though. But I've seen some awesome paintings done with MS Paint & some really shabby stuff done with the full version of Painter - it's not the software but the artist.

It all boils down to practice just like with traditional media. You'll get there - don't give up!

J

J...what is MS Paint? Never heard of it or atleast don't know the abreviations??? I love Art Rage!! It is soooooo easy to use. I have to buy the real version. They do not give you all of the tools on the free version but the full version is only $19.99 so you really cant go wrong. I of course did another painting. This time a fairy and flower. Heck even hub tried out the tablet, he said he prefers paper though cause you can look down and see what your doing. I personally like both. The wacom tablet's size is perfect. So I really can't complain, alls good here. So anyways, here is my second digital art painting done with oil paint on white canvas. Ohhh and as far as corel goes, it's not bad. Though psp is complicated I can pretty and am pretty much figuring them all out. Just takes time.