Art Journal Prompt Hidden

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Daily Inspiration:  Hidden

 

Instructions:

For today’s journal entry, let’s explore the things that we hide from.   There’s more to this than meets the eye.  See my note below.
 

Example Page:

 

 

How this example was done:

Andrea sent me an email asking for larger images and instructions on painting the faces.  So today… this face emerged and I thought I’d share it with you in larger images.   If you are on dial, up.. sorry.  I made them as small as I could.

First layer –  Sketch.  Your need to start somewhere.  If you can’t sketch a face – use a face from a magazine.  Adhere it down and do a thin layer of gesso over it.  If you want to try sketching a face, I have more info on doing that in this post.  Here’s mine.  Nope, when I started sketching, I didn’t know what I was going to make – or what the prompt would be.

Second layer – Start the Painting.  There are several layers that make up the faces that I create.  I’ll go through the basics of them.  First, let’s talk color.  Skin tones are hard for a lot of people.  You can buy paint that is already flesh toned and that’s fine.. and a good thing if you are having trouble.  Here are the colors that I use. 

White, Yellow Ochre and Pink

These mix to make a great skin tone… but you can have skin that has more green, or is darker, or more yellow.. even more orange.  I have Yellow Ochre, so I use that.  If you don’t have that, use yellow and a little brown instead.

This is my first layer of paint.  It’s all one color… darker than I wanted and then I blended it with straight white.

Third layer – Shadows.  Here’s the secret to shadows….… are you ready?…….Light.  NO really… stop laughing.  It’s true!  Before you can know where the shadows are in your painting (card, paper pieced project, die cut or whatever) ---- you have to know where the light is coming from.  My light source is the ball that’s below her face, so imagine that it’s a flashlight.  Where is it hitting her skin?   Here’s a graphic that demonstrates what I’m saying.  The red lines are going to be the brightest points on her face.

Now that we know where the light is hitting the skin, we can add shadows with a darker color of the skin tone we already started with.  If you bought a skin tone to start, that’s fine, you can deepen it with one or more of the colors above. 

Notice how it’s rough, I’m not trying to blend here, just getting the darker color in.

 

Fourth layer – Blend.  I use straight white liquid acrylic (or craft paint) to blend the colors.  Put it first in the lightest places (remember where the light is hitting her skin) and in small circular strokes, blend it out to the darker areas.   I do the same thing with the lips, just remember they are darker than the skin,

Fifth layer – More Layers of Color.  Just repeat what you did before, adding layers of color and blending.  Always remember where the light is hitting… make yourself a sketch so you can remember it as you work.  When I was happy with the skin tone, I took bright white and stroked it over the areas that are hit directly by the light. 

The white doesn’t appear to be doing a lot right now because the background is still white… but it’ll pop soon.

 

Sixth layer – Sphere.  Remember that it’s brightest at the top because it’s the light source hitting the girl.  I did this with straight teal, around the bottom, like a C shape.  Then without cleaning my brush, I added pure white and started at the top and worked out in circles. 

Seventh layer – Background. I went with a simple background using two colors (yellow and yellow ochre from above) then went back over it with a dry brush loaded with a slightly darker color.

 

Eighth layer – Hair.  You can do just a solid block of color or you can paint each individual hair, but you’ll be there forever!  Me?  I do something in between.  I used a med-dark brown to block in the hair with a large filbert brush.   It’s the one that’s slightly rounded at the tip.  I love these brushes!  Anyway, then I go back and add layers of lighter colors.

OH yeah, I added iridescent medium to my orb.  I just ..  um… freaking LOVE that stuff!

 

Ninth layer – Journaling. Here’s where your hard work begins.  I want you to be brutally honest with yourself.  Think about the things that you hide from.  Is it finishing a project?  Dealing with issues with your spouse or significant other?  Hurt feelings with your kids?  Whatever you hide from, write it down.  This is just for you.  If you don’t want to share it with others, blur your journaling out before you post it online. (or cover it with a piece of paper for the photo if you don't have photo editing software.)

Then – I want you to think about those things that you hide from and make a pact with yourself that you’ll stop hiding from them.  Plan to take baby steps toward changing this thing.  You ARE worth it!

 

 

Supplies used today:

• gesso
• acrylic paint
• iridescent medium
• liquid ink pen
• pitt big marker

 

A word from Tee:

This is my fourth painted face and my first profile sketch in .. oh.. 27 years.  (so it’s ironic that someone would ask me how I do it!)

When I was a kid, I used to sketch my musical idol from every photo that I could find of him.  I was thrilled with how they came out.  I kept the sketches in a binder.  It was during that time that I did that little art test where you copy the picture and mail it in.  People came to the house to recruit me… I didn’t know it was a college and I was too young.  They didn’t either until they met me.  Anyway, that notebook, filled with my sketches of a (now deceased) musician and some of my family.  I carried it everywhere.  My mom had me leave it in the car when we went into a store in our small town.   It was stolen from the car – nothing else was taken – just my work.  I was heartbroken.  Shattered really.

I didn't sketch faces again until last year when I started by sketching my daughter's nose.  Then her eyes and then I'd put them together into masks.  Finally I did Taco Picasso (my son – done at Taco Bell – named by the kids) as my first full face in nearly 30 years.

It was freeing to try again and to discover something that I used to enjoy.  I'd been hiding all that time from my art.  So I guess I could put that on my globe as well.  I have opened my eyes to my art again and I won't be hiding from it anymore.  Love for my family healed me in ways I didn’t even remember being hurt.

I love you.  You love you.  You can do this in baby steps just like I did.  Whatever you are hiding from it’s not greater than you are.  If you don’t have someone close to talk to, feel free to send me a message on my contact form.   I WILL get back to you.