29 faces best bits

Day 29 and yes it is finally over.. 

a sniff, a sigh, the challenge to complete 29 faces in 29 days finishes today and so I thought I would do a quick best bits for those who haven't been with me for the whole challenge, for those who have, thank you, and thank you to those who have left such wonderful comments for me along the journey.

xxx

 

 If you missed yesterdays post I am having a 29 face giveaway of my final face. It is a little postcard based on my newly finished blogheader 'Bhiornal'

postcard giveaway

just leave a comment here on yesterdays post saying if you would like the postcard sent to you.

Linking for the end of the 29 faces challenge

29 faces final face giveaway!

Bhiornal postcard

Well here is My last face of the challenge. For those who saw my blog yesterday you may recognise the face!

My new blogheader 'Bhiornal' inspired this little postcard which I am giving away as my last post of the challenge.

If you would like to read the story of Bhiornal have a look HERE

and if you fancy being the recipient of my little card giveaway just leave a comment and I will sort out a random draw next week.

Thanks again to Ayala for hosting the challenge. Have a look Here at all the wonderful faces others have produced over the last month. Over the month I think producing so many faces has made me work faster and think more clearly. I have learnt to plan a little better however it will be nice to chill out and do a little creative experimenting with no particular purpose for a little while 'creative doodling' I call it. So I probably go back to my once a week posting.

I need to say a huge thank you to all those who have taken the time to follow me through the challenge and leave such fantastic comments and encouragement.
Much, much appreciated.

'Bhiornal'

                       

29 faces Day 27

'Bhiornal'

After nearly a month of faces the end of the challenge is almost here. It s time to post my finished canvas 'Bhiornal' You may remember my earlier WIPduring the challenge..

Her name comes from an old Island legend that recounts the story of a Viking princess named Bhiornal who whilst sailing back to Scandinavia became gravely ill. The viking fleet pulled into a bay at the north of the Island. She was taken ashore and her dying words to her father were to bury her on the mountainous headland so she might still catch the breeze from her homeland.
 The mountain is called 'Sron Bhiornal' after her.

Finished canvas

WIP

As you can see it is a large  long canvas and it is now my new blog header!I thought it was time for a change.
I have had a thistle theme on the go for much of the summer and this was the culmination of many thistle projects.
If you like her I am having a Bhiornal postcard giveaway tomorrow (Saturday) so drop by and leave a comment.

Thistles

The canvas is presently on show at the Skyeworks gallery on the Isle of Skye.

Linking up to the 29 face challenge

Here are a few of my favourite faces I have created this week

and also paint party friday click HERE to have a look at all the other fabulous  work people have done this week.

Also saying hello to Artists in blogland show and tell saturday

29 Faces Day 26

 

 Today  as a continuation of the 29 face challege I thought i would do a little Gelli plate face printing. The challenge not only encourages those participating to develop their techinques of painting, drawing  and observation but also the experimentation with other mediums to create faces.

 I cut a stencil from paper and used it to create a print. Often people buy expensive stencils but as long as you just want to take a few prints paper works fine.

Linking up to 29 faces

29 faces Day 25

Isadora is painted onto a pre collaged panel, she is named after her tragic namesake Isadora Duncan, a beautiful ballet dancer who had a passion for long flowing scarves. They were undoing as in 1927 she died after a long silk scarf she was wearing tangled in the rear wheels of her brand new sportscar. I remember my mother telling me the story as I climbed into a motorcycle sidecar attached to my brothers motorbike at the tender age of nineteen. Not sure that I removed the scarf, I probably should have but at that age teenagers always know best!

Linking to the final stages of the 29 face challenge!

29 Faces Day 24

20 minute sketch

I rarely work in just one medium and even more rarely do I work without colour but today forced myself to do a quick 20 minute sketch in just PENCIL!!! I know.. a shock to my system, i had to try very hard not to add a little colour wash :) Working with a time deadline means you have no time to rub out lines you don't like or fuss over detail and as I was short of time today suited my purpose.

Linking to 29 faces

29 faces Day 23

Flower girl

I'm still catching up after my weekend away so in the meantime here is a little flower girl card I made earlier in the year.

Linking to 29 Faces click Here to see whats going on :)

29 faces Day 22

over the rainbow ( Acrylic paint, torn paper collage )

I haven't had time to do anything fresh today as I have been away for the weekend, and after 20 days of making a new little face really needed a break! So am posting a detail of a work I made last year called over the rainbow. The rainbow term refers to the row of little pastel houses by the harbourfront in Portree. The village is the largest on the Island, although pretty small by most peoples standards!

Portree harbour

A rainbow of colour on the pier!!

The pier also is home to a fabuous fish and chip shop... mmm I feel hungry hinking about it!!

Linking to 29 faces

29 faces Day 21

'twenty one'

No 21 is collaged onto a mosaic of tissue paper and gesso, then drawn in conte crayon. I can't think of a name for her although it seems wrong to call her by a number.

linking to the 29 face challenge

29 faces Day 20

'Rose Haw'

The wild rose-haws are reddening, and so are the clusters of berries on the thorn trees and bushes.

"The Shuttle" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Rose haws or rose hips are covering the  wild rose bushes and autumn is on its way, Rose is painted on collaged bookpapers. I used some lovely paper napkins to make the rose hips and leaves. I like the way they are almost transparent against her skin. Normally I would have painted them but I actually rather like the effect. The 29 challenge means I am having to work a great deal faster than usual so short cuts are not a bad thing!


Linking to 29 faces
and also paint party fridayclick Here to pay them a visit

29 faces Day 19

Immogen

Day 19 and let me introduce Immogen. She is collaged onto a bckground of tissue paper and Gesso. I drew her face in conte crayon.

Linking up to the 29 face challenge

29 faces Day 18

Remember my post on day 12 of the 29 face challenge? Well this is the canvas a little further down the line.

 I have collaged in the mountains and the sea is now lovely blue with modelling paste swirls of seaspray.
I have started putting more detail on the face and will post the finished canvas at the end of the 29 day challenge.

linking to the 29 face challenge.

29 Faces Day 17

Three friends

Its day 17!! and time for some whimsy. I have been doing more arty faces recently and too be honest fancied a change and something more lighthearted!.
These three friends waiting, no idea what they are waiting for, perhaps a bus, I'll leave you to decide. Collaged onto watercolour board. I also used conte crayons and acrylic paint.

Linking to the 29 face challenge, 29 different faces in 29 days.

29 faces Day 16

David ( watercolour wash on pencil )

This face seems a little sinister, it is actually a study of the statue of David by Michelangelo. The original is in Florence. I saw it for real on my trip to Italy earlier in the year. I took loads of photographs of all things Italian and use them for inspiration.
I haven't done a mans face for the challenge yet so why not start with one of the most famous! 

It is strange that concentrating on just the eyes can create a very different image.

The original David

I took this photo before being told off by officials at the gallery as signs in Italian said no photography!
I'm not such a rebel these days so put my camera away and contented myself with photographing the copy outside the Ufizzi.

The copy outside the ufitzi

Linking to 29 faces 29 faces

29 Faces Day 15

Conte crayon pastel on paper

Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the
world through the eyes of a child....Ron Wild.

Today I thought I would concentrate on improving two things, my use of pastels and also drawing eyes.
I usually draw in a rather stylised way, and like most people who have been drawing all their lives developed my own little shortcuts to do things. I thought it would be a good discipline to sit down and concentrate on a more realistic eye.

I love pastels but usually use them wild abandon! It was a challenge to use them in a more controlled way.

I love conte crayons and find them easy to control.

linking up to the 29 faces challenge

29 faces Day 14

watercolour on paper ( added a few mirrored hearts in some nice glitter glue I had in my glitter box )

Do you believe in fairies?


'Every time a child says 'I don't believe in fairies' There's a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead'
J M Barrie

J M Barrie the master of all things fairylike must be right so 'Yes' I do...
...and while we are at it... father Christmas... the tooth fairy.... I could continue, but........ :)


linked up to
Day fourteen of the 29 faces challenge.

29 faces Day 13

Girl with the golden eyes

 Today as usual linking to the 29 face challenge as well as Paint party Friday For those arriving from paint party I am now approaching the end of two weeks of faces!! One different one a day, If you would like to take a look at what each day has brought have a scroll down. It is difficult to come up with something new each day, and for me that is the challenge. How to approach drawing faces in new and interesting ways.

Today my inspiration was one of my daughters hairstyle magazines. The models on the pages have such weird and wacky hairstyles I thought it would be fun to try and recreate one of them.

I drew then painted with acrylics onto pre collaged heavy watercolour board. Originally she had blue eyes but they didn't work too well and thought as she had such a mane of lion like hair she would suit lion like eyes.

gggggrrrowwwl ;)

linking to the 29 face challenge

29 faces Day twelve

Day twelve brings something different, a work in progress

It is a large canvas I completed at the end of August and is now on display at the Skyeworks Gallery on the Isle of Skye.
I thought it would be fun to post a few WIP posts into the 29 faces challenge so you can watch her progress, I'll post the finished work at the end of the challenge. I started after initially drawing out the design collaging with bookpapers and then a quick wash in acrylics of the rough shapes. I will later begin to collage over these purple shapes with hand printed papers.

Linking to 29 faces

29 faces Day eleven

Meadowsweet

 Today a hark back to summer and the warm summer breeze filled with the scent of wildflowers.

she painted on watercolour board with acrylics. I added gold highlights for a shimmery feel.

Linking up to the 29 faces challenge.

29 faces Day ten

Stella

  Stella was given a little digital change as I wanted her to be swimming in a sea of stars.

Neocrayon and acrylic

Linking to 29 faces

29 faces Day nine

Today it's another painting of my favourite model my daughter, She doesn't seem to mind sitting still for long periods, which is rather a blessing and so far isn't getting fed up with me asking to draw her!!
This time I have stylised her a little and made a Klimtesque style homage. I am a huge lover of Klimt.

I would have loved to spend time on all the intricate patterns in the background but as usual time is short!!

Linking up to 29 faces

29 faces Day eight

Today brings a bit of sea air, a taste of salt seaspray and my Seasprite.

She is painted on card with collaged bookpapers as a background and lots of glitter!! I am a great believer that a bit of glitter goes a long way :) I used crackle medium on her face for a weathered look.

links to 29 faces

29 faces day seven

The paradise of colour, gouache and ink

The 29 faces challenge rolls on and today another tribute to another of my favourite artists. Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Born in Vienna in 1928 died in 2000. For me Hunderwasser uses with such mastery my favourite medium ....

Colour!!

' A colourful world is always a synonym for paradise'  Hunderwasser

my piece is  a take on 'Wintergiest' painted in 1966 it is a wonderful mixed media work click HERE to take a look at my inspiration.
I would have loved to spend more time messing about with layers and colours, however the clock ticks on and the challenge continues....

Linking up to the 29 faces challenge

29 faces day six

The 29 faces challenge continues, doing 29 faces in 29 days is certainly making me think about how to represent faces in a different way. I thought it time to try a bit of something different so
today a bit of an abstract work. Sillouette cut paper faces based on the florentine statue I posted yesterday. Used a bit of acrylic over the top of the collaged paper.

links to 29 faces

Just a little mention for my postcard giveaway last week,

the winner of the draw was Uuna!!

My little thistle card will be on its way to Finland ASAP

I will be doing another postcard draw in a couple of weeks for those who missed out this time.

29 Faces Day five

This is a piece inspired by my trip to Italy earlier in the year. I visited Florence and was amazed to find this giant statue!
It was in Boboli gardens set in the grounds of the Pitti palace and is by Igor Mitora

This is me beside it to give you a sense of scale!

It has such a strong powerful presence i thought i'd give it a little softness and some pink stencilled flowers. Not sure if it works, but I can always do another version!

links to 29 Faces