Monday, July 11, 2011

A Small Surprise

5" X 8" pastel on watercolor sketchbook paper




Wrestling with watercolor. Restless.

Never do watercolor when you are restless.

So I pulled my pastels out of a drawer. Dusted them off.  Whipped out this little sketch in a flurry of restlessness.

And colorful dust flew everywhere.

Surprised?  Me too.

(I'm posting this on an impulse just after it's done - hope to like it in the morning.  Good night.)
Posted by at
Labels:

17 comments:

  1. christinaJuly 11, 2011 at 11:42 PM

    pastels are sooooo hard to use!! great job :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cathy HoltomJuly 12, 2011 at 3:32 AM

    I rarely use pastels because of the dust, but when I do it's exactly for the same reason, the need to get colour down fast! It looks as if you had fun, did you have a muse?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vicki HoldwickJuly 12, 2011 at 7:03 AM

    Very interesting, Dan!

    I like it. I don't have any traditional pastels, only pan pastels, wax pastels, and oil pastels, but this reminds me to try out my oil pastels again.

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlexJuly 12, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Anything impulsive works great on art Dan, and this is no exception =) Like how the colors are in everywhere, the subtle expression of....yourself? =)
    Anyway, thanks for your comments, and I do hope things get published, and now to get the author's final approval. I didn't do the coloring so I don't really know how it'll look like, or if I even approve them myself, but I sure approve the lines ^^

    ReplyDelete
  5. nanke's stuffJuly 12, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    I love its looseness and all the colors you put in! It made me smile -- thank you! nancy

    ReplyDelete
  6. kazumiwannabeJuly 12, 2011 at 3:40 PM

    Interesting work! At first I didn't like it - my eyes felt restless over it, jumping everywhere - but after a while, I saw it in its wholeness, as my eyes settled. And I like it, strangely, after a while, it feels calm, in an intense way. Experiments are the best!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pam HugginsJuly 12, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    Dan- as a fellow cartoonist (yes, I said 'fellow' because even though you resist it, you share the fever) I couldn't help but obsess over what this mans cartoon balloon would say. Hm.
    He seems to be contemplating something enjoyable, perhaps a great jazz classic. Who knows?
    Yep- he needs a cartoon balloon with words. You know he does. Stop resisting it.
    You can see the balloon as you read, you can feel the balloon as you read, yes... you agree.

    (Uh- let me know if this hypnosis worked so I can use it on other blogs. It could be a new career path.)

    ReplyDelete
  8. PPASPJuly 12, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    well, this type of thing is my cup of tea..so I hope you appreciate it in the morning! lol. I'd rather have a couple hundred drawings/paintings like this than one fussy "photo real" one! I like the colors and the expressiveness

    ReplyDelete
  9. PPASPJuly 12, 2011 at 8:55 PM

    (hey Dan..that last message is from me...Celeste Bergin) FYI (forgot to sign out of my other account)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dan KentJuly 12, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    Well folks your comments meant a lot to me because seriously, in the morning I almost nixed the post!

    Cathy - She (the muse) was leaning over my shoulder - definitely!! I felt possessed! Hope she sticks around.

    Alex - It's not me. Actually I was watching a movie clip of "Frida" online about Frida Kahlo, and saw the co-star who played Diego Rivera in one frame, Alfred Molina, and that is where the sketch came from.

    Pamo - The thought bubble says "ooohh, LSD.."

    Celeste - I really thought you weren't going to show up for this one. Honestly your comments - sincere like this one, and supported by so much talent and honed art instinct, mean so much to me. I am relieved that this is your cup of tea. When, in the past, I have painted in other media, I have used colors liberally, like this. It is harder in watercolor. I find I will lay down colors and they will vanish with the transparency. The other funny thing is that I was working on a "fussy" one when I threw up my hands in frustration and grabbed the pastels! I am kind of itching to pick up the acrylics. Don't own oils anymore, but we will see what the future brings. So thanks everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  11. MaryOJuly 13, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    I've been trying to think what this portrait reminds me of. Dug w-a-y back into my art education and found it....Fauvism! This is a great example I think! I love it! And I think you'd be happier with it, too, if it were on smoother paper that still had some bite for the pastels. I hope you'll do more like this!

    ReplyDelete
  12. hw (hallie) farberJuly 13, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    I thought I left a comment last night; evidently, I was hypnotized by Pamo's comment and fell asleep before getting it posted. I like this--it's like a fleeting impression of an acquaintance; just enough information to make it interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. YvonneJuly 13, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    Sort of like how the complexities of ones life colors their being. Quite different.

    ReplyDelete
  14. hw (hallie) farberJuly 13, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    Oh, I forgot. Last night, I commented that I like your avatar--your photograph was just too handsome.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownJuly 14, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    I like it, great energy and fab colour use.

    ReplyDelete
  16. EllenJuly 14, 2011 at 4:54 PM

    Free and loose and colorful! I've been trying to get there for years. I can do the colorful, but free and loose evade me. I may just try this as an exercise! Great idea Dan!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dan KentJuly 17, 2011 at 12:35 AM

    Thanks all - I so appreciate it.

    MaryO - Thanks for the advice, I will try it. Fauvism - wow. If the powers that be let me into any school I will be pleased.

    Hallie - Alas, it is a burden I must carry.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)