The paws grew claws today! It's a start on the finer details

Prissy Kitty looking a little more life-like today

Finally my colours and pen-handling on the Wacom are coming together. I decided to try adding some claws with a fine soft pastel, and add a whole additional layer of colour, so that I can even out the colour in the body and face. I believe I'm finished the tail now. My painting was brief - about 30 minutes today so far - and I like how the strokes of soft pastel created some appropriate highlights and shadows in the tail and front paw, plus edging to define those shapes.

Disregard the red background for now; I have a photo of a background I plan to work on and it has a cherry wood type of pattern.

I also spent a little time browsing tutorials online, to see if any more sophisticated technique could be applied. I found a useful tutorial that shows the basics of painting light and shadow on a still life, ironically done with Photoshop! It's title is Painting Light and Shadow, by Mattias Snygg.

Think I can finish this digital painting?

Just remember, it's my first one in a long time, and first one using a Wacom tablet.

My very first ones earned ribbons at my local country fair. The judges didn't know what a digital painting was, and no one had really heard of Corel Draw yet. That was my start with digital graphics, in 1993 to 1994, the first few years after I finished high school.

The kitty drawing (Prissy Kitty, I've decided to call her, to match her mean glance at the viewer who is interrupting her cleaning routine) has a face shaping up.

The eyes were detailed today

I'm crazy addicted to this digital painting, and at the same time need to read through the Corel Painter Getting Started Guide. I can't find keyboard shortcuts fast enough when I need them!

Progress on kitty painting...now it has a background in progress

Here's my Prissy Kitty digital painting so far, with a background started today. I'm following the basic steps in a tutorial on building up a 3-dimensional cartoon-like image.

This image feels like it's on track thanks to tutorial

I had been working on this image bit by bit, while learning to use Corel Painter AND my Wacom tablet. This tutorial was perfect for developing my image properly in terms of digital painting steps. I like the image in my head so much, that I'm being quite tedious in my process.

I went too far into my shading and highlighting earlier, trying to establish some depth to the character, before I found this tutorial. Depth can be established by painting, like in real life, with tints and shades of colours. That is was I initially did here. I also tried some dodge and burn tools that other tutorials suggested, after laying down a relatively flat colour to work with. It's useful to get practice in both.

And thanks to the Corel Painter Getting Started Guide I mentioned in my last post, I'm finding tools faster and more reliably already! And with only an hour of practice so far.

This tutorial starts out with blocked-in colours (in Photoshop I believe) then lighting effects, then details. The background is dealt with fairly late in the process, which suits this image similarly to the example shown in the tutorial. We'll see how it plays out in Painter and my kitty drawing. I'm still intending to have a leering glance on her, being interrupted by an admiring passerby looking at her shiny and clean coat of fur.

Finally found the best way (so far) to learn Corel Painter, free

I finally tried the Getting Started Guide for Corel Painter X3. The other tutorials and resources found earlier on the Corel site and help files didn't really cover the basics I need for this program, so the Getting Started Guide is so far helping out a lot. I also found the link online if you want to read it before you have the app on your computer: Corel Painter X3 Getting Started Guide.

Go download this, if you want a good basic start with Corel Painter

It's a PDF and you can download it so you can easily follow along with your Corel Painter window open, and also highlight things you want to find quickly later.

I'm working through it myself today, so that I can complete my cat drawing started earlier. I also want to begin working quicker and without frustration, for all my other ideas on my list.

My ever-growing list.

I draw every day, and I believe this is good practice, just like you'd do if you were learning a new language or learning to cook. Ideas don't do me much good sitting on my list.

Give Painter a try - I got a 90-day trial version when I bought my Wacom tablet, which is a good amount of time to decide whether I'd want to purchase the regular or light version afterwards. I have a feeling Photoshop will be a little inadequate for some techniques I want to do, such as the infamous digital watercolour paint effects that Corel Painter is so capable with.

Share your comments here...have you made any digital drawings or paintings, using Painter or any other app?

On that note, check out Painter's user contributions page. A lot of Painter-made samples show up that will inspire you. It's like going to an art gallery, but at home.

Also have a look at what happens if you search "using Corel Painter' with Google. What do you notice? My blog post shows up on the first page of the results ("Another kitty drawing"), because I apparently use that phrase frequently enough, and share it on my Google profile!

Happy digital painting!

Latest drawing - this one's a creepy, crawly figure

Here's a quick shot of a drawing exercise today, turned watercolour painting:

Cellphone snapshot of a drawing today

The exercise instructed me to start with a stick figure, which I took as an opportunity to draw an unfortunately weary human form. Then add mass, and colour, with light and shadow.

I didn't get so far as adding light and shadow specifically, but I did add an ominous tornado-like dark force at left, creeping up behind the poor traveller. Oddly enough, he seems to be heading into the light.

The paper was quite wet upon finishing, and I added some sprinkles of salt to try out the technique of using salt to add a textured look to watercolour washes. I sprinkled three areas - both of the red patches of background, plus the blue tornado element. I suspect the blue was nearly dry, as the salt had little, if any effect.

Note that my teen drawing was often creepy like this - some deformation but still recognizably human. This drawing takes anatomy more seriously though, to coincide with the thorough discussion of anatomy in the drawing books I've read recently.

This time, instead of starting with the feet, I started with the head; I really wanted the figure to not be completely in profile, and here he is turning away slightly so we see the back of his head and just a hint of an eye and nose. Then the basic pelvic shape, then the legs hanging off awkwardly, with dainty slow steps beneath.

I think he looks stable on his feet, but that crazy life-adjusted back curve tells a story that this person is not the same man he was years ago...although it still was just a drawing practice exercise!

Also note that his feet are able to articulate. I wonder if I drew that so prominently, at a time when I've broken some toes in my foot and can't make that shape with my own foot (yet?) !

This exercise reminds me that I love to make drawings of figures doing things. Sports is ideal for me, and I've done lots of that in past (not recently). And I also have fun using my imagination to create unlikely or unlikeable situations for the characters. Or maybe exciting and positive situations too. We'll see what happens at my next practice session, I guess!

Prissy Kitty coming along, even though I was busy doing a few freelance gigs today

Fiverr.com is keeping me really busy with app reviews. I love that computer geeky stuff, too, but I felt a little weird the past few days to not have much time to work on drawings.

So tonight at 11:00pm I blocked out a little time and no pressure to make a little progress on my sleek cat drawing idea that I started recently.

Cat looking a little more colourful after 20 min

I feel good that I made some progress. I still need to define in my mind how elongated I want her to be, and what kind of muscle tone I want to portray. I'm definitely leaning towards the clay sculpture look that I love so much.

Thoughts about transitioning from traditional to tablet drawing

While working with Corel Painter for this drawing this evening, I discovered a pastel drawing tool that feels very much like traditional Pan Pastel. It was Real Soft Pastel brush. I managed to get a real soft imprint as though I was using a sponge with Pan Pastels, especially when holding the pen in an overhand grip.

This pen grip doesn't always work with the graphics tablet, and works a lot better if you tilt the tablet so that the pen is making adequate contact at an angle. It effectively makes you notice how your whole arm is moving, rather than just your wrist. I prefer to not rely on my wrist, as I'm looking for soft, sweeping movements of course for my kitties.

I don't see any discussion online so far in my travels about how to transition from traditional drawing methods to a drawing tablet. I don't really want to give up my spontaneous and freely-moving arm gestures; a lot of comments online about Wacom tablets indicate the users are adopting a handwriting grip when using the pen.

I'd love to hear opinions on how people hold their drawing tools, whether pen, pencil, brush, or digital tools. Even my drawing books don't address this much, except for the one I'm currently reading. It's called Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Solarski and it goes into some good detail about how to hold a pencil in various ways for drawing.

Another cat drawing came to mind - she's busy making herself look good

I got an idea to use the idea of a cat to portray a glitzy glamorous personality, to be interpreted whatever way the viewer likes, using pastel.

The visual style I want to use is the same one that dominates my mind but I work hard to get close to it using pastel. I believe acrylic would get to the effect quicker, but I enjoy using pastel, and now my Wacom tablet more than acrylics which are more costly in terms of preparing a surface and potentially ruining brushes.

I've decided the illustrative effect that I am most enthusiastic about can be described as claymation or china doll appearance, but in paint or pastel, which looks kinda like what these artists produce:

1) Will Terry, whom I found by accident online today. My favourite image of his is a good example of that 3-D clay sculpture look I enjoy. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and I believe it is a great way to portray cats. I believe cats belong on a pedestal. I'm sure my cat theme in my drawings tells a lot about my personality.

2) Jaime Zollars is another artist I found in some book in the past and I made a note of the name. My favourite image looks so serene and emotional.

3) Shawna Erback, found on Fineartamerica.com. My favourite image is video-game-lifelike even though you can't see the girl's face.

4) basically the entire graphics in the movie trailer The Boxtrolls, showing on TV right now!

I started this cat image as a digital painting. I've gotten as far as a pencil sketch. She'll have a glaring stare at the viewer, to say 'leave me alone while I'm washing.' I'm pretty sure every hair will be in place, except maybe a tuft that is disturbed currently by her tongue. And she'll have a pretty bow or bell on her collar. It might just be my most challenging personal project yet!

I might also want to create a copy using pan pastels. I think the glow of white paper underneath the light dusting of pastel pigment would look seriously vibrant and engaging.

Cheers for a work in progress!

Hey...at least I got the basic form out already!

Where will I start with using my new Wacom tablet for digital drawing and painting?

I've been asking myself that since I bought my Wacom digitizing tablet a few days ago. It's not an easy answer. The product doesn't come with a manual, no surprise, but it also doesn't have anything to help a traditional artist or a Photoshop photo editing specialist adapt to this new tool.

Do I redo my drawing and painting skills using the tablet instead of pen or brush?

Do I open a blank window and press the buttons and move the pen around to see what it does?

Or do I try out the Corel Painter X3 trial app that came with the device - hoping that Corel has created a digital drawing tutorial to learn the tablet's features, and digital painting in general?
* note: several other drawing apps come with the device, but Painter is the only one I'm familiar with

Or hope and pray for help on YouTube?

Being the type of person who just likes to jump in and do something, rather than search online for an answer to a specific but obscure question, I make a short plan:

1. Open Corel Painter and follow any tutorials it offers using my Wacom tablet where possible
2. Try Wacom website (again) to seek instructional videos on using the hardware properly - during installation, videos offered gave me no instructions on what its buttons do, and I didn't feel inspired to search YouTube for other videos at that point
3. Use Painter while working through a book I just studied at library: Bold Visions, oriented towards digital painting

The results follow! 

I spent the whole afternoon getting a good feel for the device, and Painter to boot. All I knew about Painter at the start, is that it is the best app for simulating watercolour painting, and I love that idea!

I just finished doing a thorough practice using the book Bold Visions, and it works with environments, lighting, forms, shadow, and many examples of working from sketch to forms to details. This exercise gave me an opportunity to work with the copious notes I made.

In Corel Painter and Corel.com

Starting point for learning more about Corel Painter

To my delight, it offers a learning module full of instructional videos. Many cover how to work with brushes in the app, and some videos cover full image creation examples. Non-video written tutorials are also available for those artists who prefer to work with step-by-step instructions. I clicked on Digital Art.

After viewing a few videos, I was still only working with basic strokes, and still didn't know how I'm supposed to hold the stylus, or what the buttons do when actively painting. Note - the System Settings app in a Mac computer creates a Wacom category when the device is installed, and it lets you program the buttons and set up your usage preferences.

In Wacom.com

Here I found a different pathway to find tutorials. At the main wacom.com website, I hit the ? icon to get Support. Then Product Tutorials. There I chose my model (Intuos Pro) and also saw a Webinars tab that turned out to offer Painter and other painting tutorials that apply to any tablet.

Tutorials organized by Wacom product families, plus webinars

Continuing with the Intuos category, I found two tutorials that go beyond the installation process. One is for working with "radial menus" and the other is about configuring buttons and preferences. Finally I found answers to some of my curiosity about how the features work! I mean, I saw quickly that the buttons can be programmed, but without experience using buttons in conjunction with a drawing tablet...well let's just say the information didn't register as to how I might want to program my buttons and radial menu. A nice feature is that by default, the second "express button" down brings up a diagram of the buttons and stylus, and clicking on any part brings up the appropriate settings from the Settings-->Wacom Tablet module on my Mac.

*note - the tablet needs to be turned on (it isn't automatically on when using without cord) in order for Settings --> Wacom Tablet to open.

Good to know: 1) settings can be recorded for different apps, 2) the second button down on the tablet brings up a reminder of all the current settings for all the buttons

So there you go...I feel much better prepared for Painter, and I'll create some real pictures using my tablet with techniques learned in the Bold Visions digital painting book I found at the library.

Using Bold Visions techniques

The overall technique is probably the same any artist would learn in art school - rough in shapes, add tone to establish depth and three-dimensionality, and finally add details. The procedure using something like Photoshop or Painter requires several layers ideally, to get the best control of the digital canvas.

I started with no particular image in mind, just a cats theme and a textured pastel paper with a lavender tint.

I instinctively started outlining a cat with a pastel tool...then I remembered I'm not just sketching. I started over with the idea of blocking in shapes as an underpainting, still using a pastel:

I continued to work at adding colour glazes (influenced by recent studies in pastel) and edging. By now I was holding the tablet at a 30-45 degree angle with one hand, and drawing with a relaxed and loose grip (learned from drawing tutorials) with my dominant hand. Since learning to NOT draw with a handwriting pose, my drawing surface needs to be angled, including my tablet. It's proven to be effective for controlling my mark-making strokes. I'm certain that the classic handwriting pen posture was developed so we could colour inside the lines. No need for that here.

I'm having lots of fun using the tablet, as I would with tradition in-hand drawing tools. The ability to choose unlimited colours in my apps is invaluable, by the way. The colour picker is oriented around a colour wheel with tints and tones displayed in the centre, which is convenient. I wouldn't say that drawing on the computer is any quicker than traditional media. The colours and lack of dust are two positives, and when doing watercolours, I hear that Painter allows 'drying' the paper which is sometimes a pain when using real paint.

Here's some edging now on a new layer, in Gel blend mode.

More form and some edging

I haven't tried to smudge my pastels yet. It turns out Corel Painter includes a variety of Blender tools that smudge the strokes.

I've gone a bit farther ahead to do some detail in the eyes and nose, to get the shapes started in that area, so I can get onto shadows and light sources for the purposes of demonstrating the tasks I typically would do with a digital painting project. They eyes and nose layer is Default blend mode.

Closeup of eyes and nose beginnings

Next I tried to do some quick lighting and shading. I want to add highlight to the shoulder and under chin to use up some of the excessive facial region and body that I blocked out earlier.

In the process, I also added as much detail as I intended. Here is the final result:

Final cat by Heidi Bada

There you have it. A completed digital pastel drawing. Didn't cost me a penny, other than buying the drawing tablet. I started to enjoy using the device nearing the end. Using blend modes and adjusting opacity is a great digital feature in Photoshop or Painter, and opens up new kinds of images I can make. So I shall keep busy practicing my drawing and pastels, while also studying digital art and using my imagination to apply these modern tools appropriately for goals.

Cartoon characters from my high school notebooks made fresh from memory

A couple decades ago, my notebooks in school were filled with doodles. One particular character appeared frequently. As I'm trying to perfect my watercolour, pastel, and digital painting techniques, I thought drawing this little character anew was a useful exercise.

Knowing that the character itself is etched in my memory, I plan to create several versions, different variations and poses, and some storylines of activities or interactions he gets into. There's also a she version in my mind.

My initial results with watercolour follow.

Fuzz character with smirk by Heidi Bada

Baby version of fuzz character

Watercolour cat painting is done finally

I finally found a way to finish off my cat drawing. See the video below - the solution involved Chinese White paint. Also, it has a name now: Innocent Kitty.

Innocent Kitty watercolour version by Heidi Bada

My comments via YouTube video:

Finally trying out a Wacom digitizing tablet for drawing and photo editing

My first impression is that it's very easy to use. I didn't know what to expect. They were simply on sale, and I've always wanted to try one, so I got the medium Intuos Pro. I'm still waiting for it to charge so I can go wireless, then I'll give it a better look.

Meanwhile, it's still useable (of course) while it's plugged into the USB. However, my desk is very small so I plan to use it on my lap, thus also keeping my arm relaxed, so I'm prepared to wait. People online say it takes 6 hours for a full charge.

Some people on Amazon, etc, complained about the cord between tablet and USB. I agree it's a bit loose at the tablet end, but basically it works. The wireless feature requires plugging in a little USB wireless port to the back of my Mac, and I've decided to remove it when not in use, because I think it might keep the tablet in semi-sleep mode. I'm just not sure, and there's no instructions about whether you are supposed to leave it affixed to the computer. My rule of thumb is to unplug anything not necessary, to prevent wasting power.

Here's a sense of the size of the item - it's almost as big as its box, but weighs less than you might imagine. It's like having an oversized iPad on your lap. The specs say 12x15" and 2.2 pounds roughly. Check out the specs of the various sizes at wacom.com if you're concerned about this. Also note that the sensitive drawing area is only between the four little white 'corner marks' on the surface - not the whole thing.

I was shocked with delight when I started up Photoshop. The pen must contain something that the tablet can sense without the nib having to touch the surface. The mouse moved when I moved my hand (with the tablet pen in my grip) towards my trackpad! You can move the mouse as usual, without setting anything at all, or in my case a trackpad, PLUS whenever the pen is hovering above the tablet, it moves the cursor on screen.

Until I purchased a table, I had been wondering  how this works - how does the tablet and Photoshop know where the brush strokes are going to start. It's so obvious now. Hold your pen above the tablet and orient your position where you want it to start drawing, then drop the nib to the surface. Then your pen handling controls kick in. Right away I could tell that Photoshop brush strokes range from barely noticeable to quite thick strokes, depending on how firm I press with the pen.

That's all for my initial reaction to the product. I can't wait to sit back a bit, cordless in another hour or so, and try out some more features. I don't even know what the buttons on the tablet do, nor the button on the pen.

It's an exciting addition to my drawing tools for sure.

New advancements on my watercolour cat drawing today

I just discovered that cell phone will share to Blogger! Let's see how this works.

Newest cat drawing made into pastel and watercolour

This post is a catch-up to get my blog caught up to my Facebook and Twitter feeds.

During the past few days, I've finished several pieces, and used my cell phone to get them quickly announced on Facebook, Youtube, etc. It's just so easy to do it that way. However, the blog here allows a more thorough explanation and the ability to label my posts. So here goes.

First of all, I created and completed a pastel cat painting recently that I want to show off. I like the drawing it's made from, and I made two copies - one for pastel and one for watercolour. The watercolour is still in progress today.

Pastel cat painting by Heidi Bada

Watercolour version still in progress

I also recorded a bit of commentary regarding the pastel version which was uploaded to YouTube:

New cat drawing in progress, waiting for daylight so I can trace it

I really like how the first version worked, made from a sketch done earlier today as an experiment and test of my memory of cat features. It turned out so likeable, that I want to wait till tomorrow to make some copies. My method is to tape it to the window and trace onto watercolour paper taped over the initial good drawing. It's quite late now, so I'll wait for daylight.

Meanwhile, I made a video (in two short parts) that show the work off a bit. I plan to make a watercolour with traditional washes, to practice my watercolour paint handling, and a pastel version using my new Pan Pastels, and also probably a charcoal drawing or ink version.

I'm still not sure which media I'd like to specialize in, so I feel compelled to try all with this cute drawing of a cat.

Enjoy my comments about the drawing below.

Explored an art group in Victoria today: Pandora Arts Collective in Fernwood

On a spur-of-the-moment enthusiasm urged by an email from a friend, I decided to check out Pandora Arts Collective today. My friend had told me about a number of events and groups in the area, and I was familiar with this one's location and impressed by their pro-art website.

I was greeted with warm smiles and a thorough orientation. The studio is wide open space with tables to draw, paint, and do crafts. I believe easels are also available if needed. The drop-in fee is obviously very reasonable at $2, and I had a pleasant and productive time!

The mix of eight or so artists included an artist-in-residence interested in animation, a painter, a jewelry duo, and a few pastel and pencil illustrators. I think I made 8 new friends today! It was fun, and I didn't know what to expect, at $2 a session, so I only brought a sketchbook and pencils.

I see now that the place and the people are suitable for doing any combination of serious, fun, collaborative, and therapeutic art.

The reason I'm sharing this is to encourage people to visit their local community groups and even venture out of their usual circles to meet new artists. I was encouraged to keep working at my confident skills, and indirectly try new things, too.

Sounds like a very good deal, eh?

Places to host a portfolio: Carbonmade is no fuss, no cost

Carbonmade is one place I show off my work. It's free, allows up to 5 categories, and 35 total images. A paid account is also available that offers more space and features.

I'm happy with free! The layout is beautiful and clean. The first thing viewers see (when you give your "you.carbonmade.com" address) is photo-icons of your categories. When they click a category (a "project"), they'll see whatever images you uploaded, in a simple gallery viewer, with or without thumbnails at the bottom.

The free account also includes an About page, where I tell how to reach me, hire me, and what my artistic interests are. I get to have fun there, because I'm only sharing my best work and not trying to sell it. Some buyers just need to see a portfolio, and I agree it's a good idea to provide one. Sites like Fine Art America make your artwork look great and clickable, but don't allow a traditional portfolio viewer.

While it's a pain to upload to both, the combination of these two serves my main purposes to show and sell my work, and provide methods to contact me.

And on that note...

Check out my portfolio and prints for sale!

Results of fog exercise, adding fog to a skateboard still life photo

I found a fog-making Photoshop tutorial that looked promising and I really wanted to try it. I really wanted to add some doom and gloom to some of my photos. I found one photo that definitely needed a dramatic enhancement, shown below.

Original skateboard with grid spot flash accessory

This photo was the result of some tests using a grid spot flash attachment, which was a new accessory to me. I love the strange lighting effect it produces: flat yet vibrant.

Working through this tutorial, on the tutsplus.com website, I proceeded through several steps. First of all I added fog with a fog-oriented brush set. I didn't want to pay for the suggestion brush set on deviantart.com so I found an alternate free option by searching "fog brush Photoshop."

Using a mask, and gradients, the fog was tailored and tamed. Green and blue layers were added with gradient fills and "Soft Light" blend mode, to create that creepy alien atmosphere found in the tutorial.

What do you think of the result? Creepier or more alluring? Mysterious at least?

Skateboard still life after creepy fog added

Progress on Cafe Guy line drawing started at Starbucks

I like this little drawing I made at a cafe. I was trying to keep my people-drawing skills active. Doing it reminded me that I feel comfortable drawing people, even when they're not in intense action.

Here's a screenshot of the work in progress, on a bigger sheet of paper now. The original was about 4x5" at the cafe, and now it's 8.5x11" on watercolour paper.

Ink drawing of Cafe Guy, copied from sketch book

I actually made two copies at the larger size. The first was drawn simply from the original as a model, and without precise scaling. The result is very close to the original little sketch. By the way, the guy left while I was drawing - he was a cafe customer and I hoped he was merely gone briefly to the bathroom - but really only the table portion was missing, so I turned it into a ledge. He never returned, anyway, so I stand by that decision.

The other large copy was made by tracing the first enlargment, after it was inked. The violet ink I chose was barely visible when blank watercolour paper was laid over the enlarged, inked copy, taped to the window. This copy was also inked.

One of these larger copies will become a hard pastel illustration, and the other a watercolour. I'm in the mood for lively, fanciful colours and backgrounds lately, and this subject gives me lots of opportunity to play.

Some of my thoughts were captured on video using my cell phone, soon after making the first enlargement, and they are shared below. I hope my video comments throughout this blog will give you insight into how I work, and get the results I do.

I'm always learning more, don't get me wrong! It's been a while since I had full-time creative work. I miss it and want to get there again, using the internet regularly to share work, and push myself to ever-greater skill. The quality of illustration I see online these days, and now digital arts too, humbles me but also thrills me.

I like this sort of line illustration. It reminds me of doodling during high school math class, or drawing objects under force in high school physics. I recall very much having notebooks full of doodles that didn't relate at all to what I was supposed to be doing, as well!

Since my last office work position ended earlier this year, I am confident to keep practicing the excellent training I've had in live classes, and tutorials found online. The techniques are out there for all of us to practice and experiment with. I'm just relieved to find sites like fiverr.com that let me offer skills for convenient sale! Find me there- my handle is "Island Geek" and I have 100% 5-star ratings, and a 3% world domination value!

First post about drawing

I've been putting off commenting about drawing because I wanted to be sure that people hang onto my photography interests. Rest assured, I take all my interests fairly seriously. I simply don't limit myself to just one tool.

Today, I've finally finished a drawing in pastels with a golf theme. It's the second sports drawing I've made this summer. I spent so much time learning Photoshop as a goal, or re-learning it, that I now want to rekindle my old skills in illustration.

My very first paid gig, even before paper routes was actually a drawing. My first paid employment was as a sports illustrator, but the first thing I did for money besides household chores, was a bizarre drawing gig.

A lady in the neighbourhood commissioned me to draw a life-sized portrait of someone in her family who was becoming famous for his car racing successes. A local hero! I barely remember it, except I think the gig paid $50, and I recall people saying that I had drawing prowess at the time. I was about 13. I guess I doodled even then, not just in high school. I know for sure I was doing drafting for a hobby, using Autocad, but that's another story.

So today I was proud to finish my drawing. It uses a combination of hard and soft pastels. It's very close to what I intended, which was to practice pastel techniques I've learned in the book Pastels Unleashed by Margaret Evans. I also wanted to explore drawing sports, like I did as a teen.

Here's a snapshot taken with my Google Nexus phone (sorry about the vignette):

Golfer drawing in pastel by Heidi Bada

The book covers things like glazing and creating atmospheric and perspective effects. I enjoyed trying the techniques, and I'm sure this won't be my last sports image using pastels.

More of my comments about this drawing are found on my Youtube channel below, in two parts.