Eons Art School Group: Messages by GRM

Hi, Robert, I think I found the perfect gift to show my appreciation for the work you do with this group. See reply.

What kind of fixative should I apply to the portrait I drew for my friend? I have an old can of Krylon clear gloss finish latex enamel. Is that good to use? I've heard of people using hair spray, but I worry about the effects of time and humidity with that. Also, will applying a fixative get rid of the shiny reflections from the dark areas? Although I love that silvery sheen in her hair, it makes her face look really weird when you look at it from certain angles. I'm sure you experienced sketchers know what I'm talking about.

I tweaked the drawing a bit more and she's looking much better. I would scan her and post her again so that you can see the changes, but the scanned images just doesn't look as good as the real thing. Every time I scan it, I'm disappointed with the result and that makes me feel less confident about giving it to her. So, I'm not scanning it again. It's time to leave her alone and get her out of here.

Thanks and hugs to everyone for your help.

Am I going forward or backward? I think I've looked at this so much that I can't see it any more.

I drew another face from scratch, as in no photo for reference and no grid. Sombody's Grandmother was drawn entirely from my imagination last night. I couldn't go to bed until I drew something. My muse wouldn't allow it.

I know this forum isn't for finished works, but I'm not sure it's finished. I am doing some serious learning here and I would like some feedback. Is this over done? What could I do to make the drape of the fabric in the choir robe more believable? Does she look as if her face is turned slightly to the right or does it look like I just made one cheek fatter than the other? I think I made her necklace too tight on her neck. Is there anything that can be done to correct such a booboo once it's there. This paper has a little more tooth (I think that's the term) so it holds the graphite tighter. It's not so easy to erase as the slick paper that I used for the October exercise, or it could be the hardness of the pencil. I still haven't learned what pencil is best for what. I guess that comes with time.

At any rate, I would appreciate your feedback. I'm posting the image in the first reply.

I just uploaded another attempt at Zachary. I think I fixed the eye problem. I also tried to tone down the white background. I'm not happy with the result. As usual, I'm open to suggestions.

I erased the gridlines in the background, cleaned up some smudges, and added some black to his nose. I'm thinking I'll just leave the background white, but I'm still open to suggestions.

I just uploaded my exercise for this month. Eons is acting funky so I couldn't open it after I uploaded it. I hope you guys can.

At any rate, this is my baby. He's a little min-pin/terrier mix that I often refer to as "the demon dog from hell". As you can see, I was so excited about painting his portrait that I forgot to erase my grid lines before I painted the whiter areas. Is there anything that I can do at this point to get rid of them? I will, of course erase the grids on the background, which is my next concern. What should I do for the background?

I'll upload the photo that I used for reference in a minute if Eons cooperates. I welcome any and all suggestions for finishing this painting.

By the way, it's a watercolor.

I would like to purchase some really good quality light-fast watercolors. Do any of you watercolor folks have a favorite brand or type? I've been using pan type watercolors. Do any of you use those, or do most of you use the tubes? I hate randomly spending money. I don't mind experimenting, but I like to have some input about what everyone else likes and dislikes. Also, are you supposed to apply any sort of finish to a watercolor or are you done when you;re done?

If anyone still wants to speak to me after the tasteless video that I posted, please look at the photos I've uploaded. They have a story behind them.

I worked with a fellow 7 or 9 years ago that I truly admired. He was young, newly married, devoted to his wife, and he desperately wanted a child. The last time I saw him, his wife was waffling about getting pregnant, and he wasn't happy about that at all.

To make a long story short, the wife finally gave birth to a beautiful little boy. He emailed a photo of the infant to me, and I told him that I might paint a portrait of the kid someday.

Well...I never did get around to attempting a portrait. I'm not confident enough in my abilities to paint a portrait of a beautiful baby, so I just let the years slide by and life went on, and I sort of lost track of him.

Recently, I found him on Facebook and he had some photos of his family posted. One of them gave me the inspiration to paint, so I did.

I am uploading both the photo and the painting. Please give me an opinion. The painting isn't a duplicate of the photo. I'm just not that good with watercolors, but I like it. Do you think he would like it? If so, I'll post it on Facebook and see what he thinks. If he likes it, I'll send it to him. If not, I'll keep it for myself. I think it would be pretty framed and matted, but it's hard for an amateur to be objective about her own art. So tell me, should I or shouldn't I present it to him?

I thought the zebra sisters might enjoy this artistic video. You must watch it all the way through. See first reply.