Painting featured in Etsy for the 20th time

My painting titled "ABIGAIL" was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

'Treasury Tuesday on a Saturday Night' curated by BorgandIvee

Artist: Lynda D'Souza
Title: Abigail
Size: 12" x 12"
Medium: Oil on canvas

The treasury was curated by BorgandIvee, two talented artists who created beautiful oil paintings. You can view their art here.

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Bargue assignment IV - part 1

Just started my fourth assingment and after the creating the construct, have moved to the articulation stage. It's pretty complex as this time we do not have axis to use as a reference. So we create reference points on the outside of the image.

This assignment is different to the earlier three as we are creating a copy of the image in a large size. I have always loved horses as a subject and also as animals - like a big dog you can't hug! After I complete this I move to level 2 - charcoal!! yay!

Garage sale find !!

Vintage Top Hat 

Original hat box 

Original hand written script showing hat was purchased for $4.00 back then

This is why we love garage sales! because you walk away with a Vintage Top hat in excellent condition in original hat box. I squeaked when I saw this lying at the garage sale we stopped by last weekend. It was covered in a beautiful black velvet and lined in red silk. Not a scratch on the hat but can't say the same about the box. I still am keeping the box though as the print and text is so cool. D will make me a stand for the hat which will go on my showcase alongside the sconces.

The funny thing was the hat was purchased back then for $4.00 and that was the exact same price I paid some fifty years later.

Bargue Assignment III - Jeune Femme - part 3 completion

Completed drawing in graphite of Jeune Femme. On the left is the print that I reproduced.

My best work so far !

Close up of the facial details 

Here is the completed drawing of Jeune Femme, didn't think I would finish it but finish it I did! whew!

Click here to view progress of the drawing.

Formal Gardens

This entire summer we have gone back and forth on the plan for the backyard but work has kept us too busy to get started. It's looking like a project for 2012 which is just as well as we have so many ideas for that space. It started with a cabana for the husband and me, then a back deck, then a vegetable garden, on deck fire place.....and several other cool ideas. Yes its what we love discussing.......ideas for creating magical spaces!

I tend to lead toward formal gardens i.e. lots of symmetry, rows and rows, identical plants, tall trees....very French. While this is all in my head I have no idea on how to get it started. It's a good thing it has been delayed to next year as it gives me time to figure it out. Until then I am saving these images for my research bank

Seriously! I cannot get my backyard started and this is on a rooftop?!?!!!

Love the Church in the background 

I say it again....its all about the symmetry 

Courtney Cox's Private Retreat in Elle Decor

I fell in love with Courtney Cox's home and bought the Elle Decor magazine yesterday just so I could pour over every room. What I loved the most was the 'grey' palette used all over and the outdoor decks just blew me away.

The coffee table is made of composite wood and the husband is going to make us one for when our back deck  is ready.  Don't you just love the greys and whites.......so calming.........and the glass wall............so clean. 

This is like deck porn! I mean seriously....can you imagine the view from this place! 

...the concrete table...........love the different zones she has created within a small space...

the black iron edging around the doors and windows......

again the greys and whites.......

You can read the whole feature here on Elle Decor on line.

Wednesdays live model drawing

Another sustained post of 12 weeks but I didn't get far this time. Since I knew that I would not have much time I decided to spend the last few sessions modelling just one part of the figure which was the arm. Using the brush I spread the charcoal to create the values and roundness of the flesh. I was happy with my measuring this time round and achieved good proportions in the figure.

I keep telling myself its not a race Lynda......but it's like I have two brains - one talks and the other just does not want to listen !

Cartoon created on rough paper with shadow areas blocked in

Cartoon transferred onto water color paper and worked on with charcoal

Painting featured in Etsy for the 19th time

My painting titled 'Yellow and Green' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

Artist: Lynda D'Souza

Title: Yellow and Green 

Size: 8" x 8"

Medium: Oil on Hardboard

LilaO curated the treasury. They are a Mother and Daughter team that makes and sells cute clay products. One of my favorite pieces are the clay tags. Please pop by their shop to check out more of her products. 

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Bargue assignment III - Jeune Femme - part 2

Jeune Femme alongside image I am reproducing. 

Close up of Jeune Femme - the right eye is what I spent the last 3 days  on. 

'Jeune Femme' is about 50% done and I am in the shadow modelling stage now. I really enjoy this stage - creating the 3 dimensional illusion with the values and shapes. I spent the last three days working on the right eye (not yet added the eyelashes) and have now started work on the left eye. Of the three assignments this one has the largest shadows to work on.  I should think another months work is left.

Someone asked me yesterday if this is hardwork - I would say no - its just time consuming. The product is directly relative to the time you have spent on it.....and I am loving it !

Click here to see stage 1 of Jeune Femme.

Painting featured in Etsy treasury for the 18th time

My painting titled 'Panama' was featured in an ETSY Treasury along with other work from the talented artists on Etsy. 

Artist: Lynda D'Souza

Title: Panama

Size: 8" x 8"

Medium: Oil on Hardboard

Cyndy owner of the 'Out of Doha' antique store curated the treasury. She sells vintage and antique decor pieces from repurposed or upcycled objects to industrial and shabby chic items. One of my favorite pieces is the cast iron weighing scale. Please pop by her shop to check out more of her products. 

Vintage American Made Urban Industrial Gray Cast Iron Scale

The treasury can be viewed here as well as many others.

Screen Printing serviettes

We screen printed serviettes to match the FHC card and I created the artwork using the same font from the invite card and added the date of the event. We matched the blue shade to one of the colors used in the invite card's artwork. We love screen printing as its a project the whole family gets involved. I do the artwork, D creates the screen and the girls run back and forth with the serviettes.

Last year D helped the girls print Valentine day cards for their class mates. Click here to read the post on the husband's blog.

D holding the screen up while Layla registers the napkin 

D applying the screen print ink which was custom mixed by myself to match the invite card

The first print.....only 99 more to go....

The serviettes drying............

Voila! they turned out just great! 

First Holy Communion Artwork

This was artwork I created for our nephew's First Holy Communion card using Corel PSP. They wanted the bible, rosary and the child's initial incorporated. So after buying this image from an image data bank I then proceeded to age the image and added the transparent initial using a glamorous font. The card looked fantastic and more importantly they loved it!

Summer time and the living is easy...........

Image via Oh Hello Friend blog 

With the great weather we have been having lately I have been thinking of the summer bbq's we will soon begin hosting. I would so love to have a set up like this.........with the oversized cushions and rattan shades....and projector....so perfect! 

Illustrative Commission

Thought I would give you a sneak peek of what I was working on last month. A talented make up artist friend commissioned me to create some illustrations for her training material. Samanth Frith teaches make up application and her work is simply gorgeous. I created several templates for make up application, story boards like the one featured below and colored illustrations with make up. It was so much fun collaborating with her to create this work. Click here to find out more about the course she teaches 'Int 500 Professional Make up Artistry Course'. 

Thank you Sam for this wonderful opportunity! It was a joy working with you! 

If you would like any illustrative or Fine Art work, email me here. You can also purchase many items found on my blog at my shop 70 Popes.

To Subscribe to my blog 70 Popes click here.

FEAR

"Fear"
Digital Artwork by Lynda D'Souza

Created another piece in Corel using the feather background for the page. The font was perfect for the word 'FEAR'. This program is friggin awesome!

Live model drawing session contd...

The drawing is now transferred onto the Arches watercolor paper and I have blocked in all the shadows. A big lesson I took away from this is to block in the background color first thereby allowing you a comparison for your other values. That took alot of time but still not as flat as I would like it to be. I then used a brush to create the values in the shoulder area. Time only permitted me this much but grateful to even get this far. She was a great model.....did not move and a wonderful pose to work with.

Live model drawing session

During the live model sessions we are sometimes blessed with the same pose over an extended period. So this model was available to us for all of 12 weeks. The first stage (above) was the construct stage after the 15 line gesture drawing (top left corner). I think I am finally getting a hang of the comparative measuring system and my drawing looks proportionate (to me!). Have blocked in all the shadows and next will be transferring it onto the Arches watercolor paper.

Bargue Assignment III

"Jeune Femme"
Bargue Assignment III

Am working on my third assignment (there are a total of 4 assignments in Level 1) and still in construct stage of 'Jeune Femme'. Am being pushed to get the shapes accurate and all the angles. The school teaches us to move our eyes back and forth to identify any mistakes through animation. Have realized I am quite an impatient person and can't wait to start work on the modeling but they won't let me! :(
Nevertheless I just know I am going to enjoy completing "Jeune Femme".

Bargue Assignment II Completed

Have finally completed my second Bargue assignment and in the process of framing it. The prof pushed me alot towards the end to keep working on the shadows and I am glad he did. I got an A- on this and learned alot in the process. This along with my first Bargue will look great in my living room when I complete refurbishing. Am selling all of the furniture I have and going for a French / Industrial look......I digress....more on this in another post.

Click here to view the drawing in early stages.

Bargue Assignment II

Close up of drawing

Digital Artwork

Some more work I created in Corel...having fun !!

Transient Guests Are We............