Calla Lily

This has been going on in my mind for the past few days. I plan to create a bigger painting of this subject, using acrylic. For now, as it is in planning stage, I used pastel on my sketchpad.

I'd love to hear suggestions and comments from all of you. Thanks.

A Hand in the Dark

Not all hands that reach out in the dark are out to help. Some will pull you down lower than you have been while some will take advantage of your vulnerability. It is up to the person to wade through the web of misery to discern which hand to take. Mostly, this is also the time when a person realized her reason of existence.

Frolicking with Pastel ... Again!

My art class,  two summers ago, introduced me to soft pastel. Initially, I mistook it as oil pastel. Our teacher, however, showed me the distinction. If interested, I discussed their differences in a previous post.

During my trip to Manila last summer, I saw a lot of artists who used soft pastel as a medium. They used brushes for application and blending. Simply put, they treated the pastel just like any acrylic or oil paints. Coming home, I decided to get my hands dirty and play with the soft pastel sticks I bought from National Bookstore. To start off, I searched for tutorials on YouTube and tried their exercises.

So far, so good. I was satisfied with my results.

The pastel is not as intimidating as paints. It's like coloring a kid's art book using crayons. And it can also generate other colors from existing hues. For example, the green-shade of the suckers (I hope I get the name right.) beneath the tentacles of the octopus are created from mixing yellow and blue.

Frolicking with Pastel

Last summer, I had a chance to make art in pastels: one in pastel chalk and another in oil pastel. I enjoyed using both media, though I prefer the former.

Pastel chalk is made from pigments mixed with starch as a binder. Once applied on  paper, it can be easily spread using your finger or a piece of cellulosic fiber (aka tissue paper). However, this generates a lot of dust that may irritate your lungs. More, it needs a paper with rough surface to hold the pigment. Usually a fixative is used, like a hair spray, to protect the colors and preserve the art piece. You don’t want to wake up one day to find your pastel portrait gone. Afterall, you don’t live in Hogwarts where pictures move and gallivant around.

Photo by Joel R. Locaylocay

Oil pastel, on the other hand, is made of pigments mixed with oil or wax as binder. Since it gives vibrant colors, white papers are suggested to be used. Unlike pastel chalk, its colors stick to the paper. It does not need a fixative but it needs a cover like a glass to prevent accumulation of dust. Personally, I had a hard time working on this medium. Since it dries so fast, I cannot spread the pigments as well as the pastel chalks.

Just as there are many ways to cook a chicken, pastels are another tool to express one’s artistic nature. A good tool for those who are intimidated with paints and brushes. You can used pastels from still-life to portrait. Don’t forget the precautions to preserve your work. You don’t want you work to disappear and leave you with a paper.

That is, if you are not using a page of Tom Riddle’s diary.

Letting Go

Showing my artworks has always been a challenge to me. One, a tactless venomous tongue will simply lash out at my work. Duplicitous praises here and there may also come by. An indifferent shrug or being compared to another admirable individual whom I thought is better than me , can crush my spirit so fast.

Photo by Joel R. Locaylocay

Contrary to what most people think, I also have my own insecurities. At times, it shackled me and left me immobile for quite some time. My wise brain (modesty aside) has incessantly drummed me on the benefits of living at the moment and leading a devil-may-care attitude. It has its attractions.

However, letting go is never easy when one tried so hard to bring a semblance of control over a life twisted by fate.

But there comes a time that one has to let go if that is the only way to live.

For an introvert like me, walking and introducing myself to a bunch of artists is a huge step for me. But it pales in comparison when I have to show my artworks and get critiques from them. Several times, I experienced a mental block as to what to draw, fearing I may be not up to the challenge.

It was when we started using colors in class that I began to let loose. I stopped thinking on color combinations and just let my hands do the works. Then I started to see flowing lines and began using colors that I don’t normally find attractive before.

Photo by Joel R. Locaylocay

We have different ways on showing how to  let go. Mine, by creating beauty on canvas, colors and lines. But the objective never changes. We let go so we can experience life to the fullest.