An Original Cartoon A Day
- Thread starter Davey Do
- Start date
That's great. 
My self portrait is complete, or at least I'm done working on it. This is me and my late cat, Teenage Bootsy, enjoying the Autumn sunshine, November 2022.
This was a real challenge. I never attempted a portrait before. I think it turned out alright
Jason
This was a real challenge. I never attempted a portrait before. I think it turned out alright
Jason
OUTSTANDING work, nicely executed, good composition, LearningToLetGo! Your color scheme is warm as amber. Nice shadowing!
Testing out some new paint with a simple sketch.
Cheech!
I was telling my wife yesterday about your great works of art, LearningToLetGo, and it's neat to see you playing with different techniques.
Experimenting with art media is one of the most enjoyable enterprises.
Experimenting with art media is one of the most enjoyable enterprises.
Thank you! I agree it is quite fun to just sit down for a 20 minute loose sketch. A "serious" painting, such as my portrait, takes a lot of preparation and concentration and can actually be tiring at times. These quick sketches help me recover and give opportunity to just enjoy being present in the moment.
You, in turn have helped to inspire me, LearningToLetGo, in that I was moved to recreate a 1978 Christmas photo of me and my niece, who is getting married later this month to a man who is a well-known local artist.
It is being painted on a 24" x 24" canvas, and the ratio was 0.8 cm to one inch.
Here is the basic rough/wash:
Thank you, Jason LearningToLetGo.
Misty, my niece, asked me months ago to walk her down the aisle for which I was honored, as her father is deceased, and she & I have grown closer to one another in the past couple of years.
I have not done a painting utilizing the grid technique for years, and the combination of your enquiry, Misty's wedding, and my drive to do art resulted in this endeavor, for which you deserve some of the credit.
It is so enjoyable to share art & the involved techniques with you!
Testing a new 1/2" flat brush I bought. Here's a quick sketch. 
Concept sketch for an elephant painting idea.
Elephant is painting elephant, of course.
Before you gift it to her, have a print made so you can hang a copy in your house, too! 
Here's something with which you may be able to identify, LearningToLetGo, as your username says it all:Before you gift it to her, have a print made so you can hang a copy in your house, too!
I have learned to "let go" of my art, in that, once a piece is completed, it does not belong to me, for the process, which I love, and that is all that matters. "The Aesthetics of the Transitory", the moment of creating the artwork, is everything.
I learned this primarily through painting murals for the local community theatre to let go of my work, as every one of them were on display for about three weeks, then they were painted over for the next show. Some of my greatest works- one of the Aroura Borealis and half of the Rose Window, the entire composition measuring 14 x 81 feet- were transitory works. I rarely even took photographs of the works, for some reason, having an aversion, the act being something akin to self-aggrandizement.
Reproductions of my works exist in the theater archives, the historical library, and newspapers, and I'm okay with that. Once a work is done, I move on, to the next, in order to get my "art fix".
However, Jason, I truly appreciate your advice, interest and support!