Friday, July 16, 2010

How I do what I do #1...

I have had many requests inquiring what materials I use and how my girls are created.  So here is a little insight into how I do what I do... (I don't mind anyone having a go at this technique but I just ask that you don't copy my style, bring a bit of yourself into the technique). 

The first part of my how to is showing you how I create my girls.  This is my technique that has developed over years, the materials, process and media has evolved as my needs have changed and will probably keep doing so as time passes.


Sooo... I start with a paint colour called cloud, made by Fas, as the base of  the faces.  Two or three coats should do it onto 130 gsm cartridge paper.  I usually do a whole lot of faces and in two different sizes so I have a stock of them.


I then draw the features in with coloured  pencils, add a few highlights and rosy cheeks with Pebbles Inc chalks.   



Then I cover with a light brushing of  Pebeo gloss varnish.  Although the varnish only takes a few hours to dry I usually do these last thing in the evening and let them dry over night so they will be good and ready in the morning.  A few times I have got impatient and touched them while they were still wet and wrecked them!  



The varnish really softens the coloured pencil and chalk pastels.  It might look a little grey in parts, but that is just the scanner having problems with the glossiness of the varnish (I tried scanning it about 9 times to get rid of the gray bits.  But don't worry it will loose it's greyness once it is cut out).  




Which is the next step once they are good and dry I cut them out, I have some super fine scissors that I use to do this... and see the grey has all gone.




I then choose a patterned paper for her dress...  although this step may seem simple it can sometimes take me all night deciding what dress paper to use... Once I have finally decided (K&Company pack of 150 classic papers... sorry but the individual papers didn't have names in the pack).  I cut out the dress shape (I use a template that I trace around for this). Then I paint in the arms adding a few stripes, either with a white pen or pencil and some colour with Derwent Drawing pencils



I glue the head to the back of the dress and choose a swimming cap out of scrapbooking paper and trace around the head shape, cut it out and add a few shading details or spots and glue it in place.  I also added some dots with a white ink pen around the neckline of her dress.  That is her finished, I hope this has been helpful…  

I have learnt a few things doing this tutorial, one of them is that the scissors I use are called bonsai shears, I never knew that... so from now on I will say "can you please pass the Bonsai shears... thanks"

I will post the background how to and the finishing painting next week.

37 comments:

Velvet Lime Designs – said...

Awesome!! Thanks...always like to have insight into how other artists work! :-)

Isabel said...

Thanx for sharing,your work is beautiful and so serene:O)~ Isabel

Jenny said...

Loved seeing your step by step process Katherine, thank you for sharing...your work is truly wonderful..
Jenny

Anonymous said...

So COOL! I loved going through that! What a lot of thought goes into your sweet, precious girls!

Amanda said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful process.

Have a super duper W/end

Amanda

softearthart said...

This is so informative, just love the way your creative process works, cheers Marie

Shelby and Bev said...

this process is so very interesting, thank you so much for sharing...now i know how your girls come to life! i like that...

Mel @ Wildflower said...

That was such an interesting read.. thank you for sharing Katherine .. makes me appreciate your work even more :)

Jacqueline said...

This is so inspiring! I love reading your process lots! Thanks so much for sharing. Have a lovely merry happy day and love to yoU!

jacqueline
http://www.jqlinesocuteithurts.typepad.com/

ale said...

hola katherine!!sharing your art and your process makes me admire you much much more!!!!l love the feeling you put in your works!!!muchos besos!!!!!

Sarah said...

Thank you so much for sharing your process. I love your work - so sweet and lovely! Looking forward to reading part two!

Mia said...

thank you!
super!

greetings from gisa.

Widge said...

It's amazing to see how it all comes together! thanks for sharing. LOVE your work

Dee said...

Wow, you define Generous! i stared at your one in Taupo art gallery a couple of weeks ago with my nose all but touching glass thinking, "how on earth does she DO that??!!"
now i know.... :)

Theresa said...

Very interesting insight to your technique. Thanks for sharing the process. Love your girls.
All my best, Theresa

Micki Wilde said...

Thanks for sharing your process, very interesting indeed!

Micki x

Tina Gilmore said...

You are so generous sharing that process, i really enjoyed it. It's so nice to see how artists create. Your work is so very beautiful. Many thanks xxx

Diane said...

Thank you so much for sharing your technique--your girls are so special and yours alone!!

Creatissimo said...

Great! I thought you make the girls in watercolour, so it was nice to see how they are 'really' made. Can't wait to see the background process! Your works are really sweet!

Tara @ Aquamarine Art said...

Love this! Always so intriguing to see how people make their masterpieces. :) xx

danasparkle said...

that is super cool, even more excited to receive my purchase. each girl has been on a journey, with her own story to tell about her process.
*

Šolanje na domu-Waldorf said...

Really loved seeing how you do your dolls. :) I always thought it's all done straight on canvas.

Rebecca E. Parsons/Cre8Tiva said...

love the process...beautiful face!!!

Odd Chick said...

How generous of you to share your process- but of course, no one, can create and birth the girls like you did and still continue to amaze us with!

Noël said...

Thank you for taking the time to share the creation of your girls, Katherine. Each and every one is so sweet. I think that your passion is expressed in those little details (like choosing her dress)!

Linda R said...

Thank you so much - it gives me the bravery I need to paint outside my box. I was looking for some suggestions on product and technique based on experience so I could develop my own look/style - really spread my wings and you've helped in a HUGE way. Thank you

Dale Parker said...

Thanks for sharing. I really like your collages. I like art that is simple and not fussy. You get straight to focusing on your subject. Interesting putting a varnish over the pencil. I thought there was a certain softness ...now I know! Very cool.

Anonymous said...

What a great how-to Katherine, loved the idea of the varnish :)

xMiriam

Gollywobbles said...

Thank you for sharing your technique...Your work is awesome! ~Sam

Juliette Crane said...

so fun to see! and inspires me to do a more detailed technique post too. thank you for sharing :)

have a fabulous weekend!
xoxo, juliette

lori said...

Thanks so much for sharing your techniques-it's so interesting and inspiring!

Kerri said...

that's very sweet of you to share that- and now worries, even if i tried to copy you, i couldn't come out with something that looks anything close to that sweet! :)

Dale Parker said...

After leaving a comment last night I popped over to your Etsy site. I couldn't help myself, I just had to have the "Something in my heart Tells Me" because it has been something in my heart that told me to sign up for Kelly Rae's class. Can't wait to see my girl in real life.
Thanks!

Trena said...

I love that you shared this with us ..I always love when artist arent afraid to show us how they create such wonderful paintings !

Kelly said...

Thank you for this (from one who had queried!). I love teh paper you used but can't tell what line it is. Can you please share? I'ld like to wallpaper my room with some of those papers!

Carrie Schmitt said...

I'm such a fan! I tried to leave a comment earlier, but it didn't post. Thanks for sharing your process. I absolutely love learning how artist create. I'm a junkie for that and seeing artists' studios! I'm grabbing your blog button, flying sister! :)

Carolyn, a Jersey Girl said...

What a delight seeing how others work. As artists we are basically solitary creatures and it's so inspiring to see the thought process that goes into another's art. Thank you so much for sharing!