First fresco studies

I have began a mural painting course last year, specifically fresco painting, and this year we have started with the actual painting practice, putting the lime plaster layers and painting. Each student has a 1m2 wall on which to practice, and for now we've been focusing on copying other paintings to get the hand of the technique, which I found is surprisingly intuitive and easy to work with. These are 2 of the studies I did, one after michelangelo and the other after verrochio.

Long post - way overdue

I apologize for those who followed this blog in the English language, as I've been neglecting it for the past year. I have kept it updated for the most part but after a while I just started ignoring it for longer periods of time, always promising that I wouldd do a big update as soon as I could. So I suppose the time has come, and it's way overdue..

I won't put up every image that I posted on the Portuguese version, only the ones I think are more interesting. To avoid flooding one message with many images, I'll split it up in 2 or 3 different posts, with brief explanatory texts on each. So, to begin..

This is a study I did while working for the Brazilian mint. It was a 6 month internship, and I was supervised by the main engraver there. They don't engrave manually with the burin anymore, so all the work apart from the preliminary drawing is made in the computer with a tablet. In this case I decided to do most of the work with an ink pen, though I would have to retrace it on the computer later (on a much smaller scale) for the machine to engrave it.

This is a study for a Lithograph I finished a few weeks ago. As soon as I get it home I'll photograph it and post the end result, which isn't nearly as good as I had hoped it would be.

Woodcut study

A study done on photoshop for a future chiaroscuro woodcut. The portrayed is my relief and metal engraving teacher Marcos Varela, aka Marcão. Few details still need refining.

Charcoal studies

Couple of charcoal studies, first from life, two friends I study with, done with vine charcoal and charcoal pencil. Last is a Hans Holbein copy done with charcoal pencil.

Uncle

Another quick pencil study for my next pastel portrait.

Gustav Woogsmeister

Pencil drawing for my next pastel. Portrait of a friend.

Abstract Study 1

Another study, this time (almost) monochromatic, of about 30 minutes on photoshop.

Digital study

A 1h 20min study done in photoshop over a 20 minutes charcoal drawing by Henry Yan, off of his book Henry Yan's figure drawing.

Woodcut # 8

For the last woodcut I decided to do something special, a technique I wanted to try since I saw it for the first time on an old engraver's book. It was a portrait by Albrecht Dürer using a technique called chiaroscuro, meaning something like light and shadow (aka reduction block print). The person I used for the portrait is also a very special person for me.

I did the study on photoshop, based of a photograph. I painted each color on a different layer, overlaying (not the layer effect) the darker colors above the lighter ones so that the silhouette would remain flawless. I then printed each color separately, black and white with a regular printer and used it as a base to carve by transfering the drawing to the wood with thinner (the solvent transfers the toner from the xerox to the surface you're transfering to). The separate colors shown up above are the ones made with photoshop. For this technique you have to print all copies of each respective color, as many as you want, at once before transfering the next layer of the drawing. You have to do this since you're using the same matrix for every color.

Woodcut # 7

Pen and ink study followed by the first test print. Finished version to follow.

Woodcut # 6

Pen and ink study. There are no test prints for this one as it was one of the last I started carving, towards the end of the semester, so I just had to go all the way. Also because I already had the whole idea on paper before I started carving and didn't want to lose the drawing on the wood by inking it before the carving was done. Finished version to follow.

Woodcut # 5

Pen and ink study followed by the first test print. "Finished" version to follow.

Woodcut # 4

Pen and ink study followed by the first test print. Finished version to follow.

Woodcut # 3

Pen and ink drawing followed by the first test print. Finished version to follow.

Woodcut # 2

This is the first pen and ink study, followed by 2 test prints after the cutting had started. Finished print to follow.

Portrait (matter of honor)

This is a study for a gouache painting. Pencil on a prepared canvas. I say it's a matter of honor for it's the portrait of my girlfriend. I'm going to start this Saturday, and as soon as I finish I'll post the result here.

2008 Woodcut Study #1

This is a study for my next woodcut. Background still on the work. I'll try to post the test prints as I progress.

Studies, or the lack of..

I decided to copy some drawings to practice and to kill the time, while i thought of ideas for my next project at school... I think what I like the most really is to copy, it's been such a long time, I forgot how much I enjoy doing it. The first drawings are Durer's, and the samurai is from a digital artist called Daarken.

note to self - the amount of proportion mistakes only emphasizes just how much we cannot stop practicing...