Best Workstation Yet

It's been awhile since I've posted anything which means I've been busy, but here's an update on my search for ergonomic working in the digital age.

I ran across a workstation that is very similar to mine using the same software, Cintiq and monitor configuration.  The big difference is that I don't have to reach over my drawing to get to my keyboard and that surprisingly makes a real difference.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

You can see my system, on the left with the yellow sub on the monitor, can dock menus on the large monitor and leave the Cintiq free for drawing.  My Cintiq is elevated and at a comfortable height and angle for drawing and my keyboard is mounted underneath which is ergonomically better and keeps me from stretching over my drawing to get to.  

Fake Gnus

Fake Gnus

 Click on image to enlarge

This is my latest painting based on an incredible photo I ran across.  I wish I knew who the photographer was so I can give him the proper credit but I chose to do this at the prompting of my wife and the challenge of painting all those textures.  This is another combination of acrylic and oils where I struck in the background with acrylics and to get the foggy haze I did a wash with a thin layer of white.  I did the animals as far as I could in acrylics but turned to oils for more control.  One day I may learn how to use acrylics totally but I'm not there yet.

Dino Floss

I was sent some old memories.  My daughter grew up watching a children’s show called Adventures in Wonderland on the Disney Channel that had animated stories done by the Will Vinton Studios.  Here’s a piece I did called Dino Floss that John Ashley Pratt designed the characters for.  These stories were some of the most fun I had at the studio and I ended up doing over twenty of them.  Good times!

Adding Color to Faded Photo

Before and After Restoration  (click on image to enlarge)

A friend sent me a picture from his childhood that his mother treasured.  It's a good example of the instability of color photography.  For whatever reason the colors fade and eventually become almost monochromatic leading toward sepia.

Using Photoshop I was able to do a restoration that my friend was happy with.  It was kind of tricky  because detail in areas like the stitching on the collar and cuffs would drop out.  Thankfully, through some trial and error, I worked it out.

Acrylic & Oil Portrait in The Works

I've done my first acrylic painting (it's the flowers and hummingbird picture somewhere on this blog), and found it hard to get nice blends.  Other painters I know said you can paint over acrylic with oils, (but you can't go acrylic over oils!). This is my first painting where I struck it in with acrylics and then ended doing a finish in oils.

I'm liking the speed I could do the blocking in and most of the detail.  It's nice to know I can always jump in with oils over the top and will probably work this way from now on. There's more to do but I  think this is promising.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I found these images while surfing and the synchronicity made me want to put them together. The overall impression I get is a magnetic attraction of everything to a force and the impulse to give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!