Heartful Goodbye to an Artful year - 2013…

Yet, another year has gone by and as the year 2013 soon becoming "the past", I look back into it recollecting all my (he)artful memories of this year.

The year for me started with Art, working with a small group of Indian Artists (Kalakruti MA) in and around our town, Sharon and preparing for the BigHelp Pongal-Republic Day celebrations. I can’t forget how much of a fun it was for us choosing our own Art works for display at this event. Also, the moments of- all the brain-storming, planning, discussions and preparations that we had gone through for getting our Art works turned into bookmarks, coasters and greeting-cards for sale at the event in raising funds for BigHelp- are still fresh in my heart. In addition, it was a delightful and challenging experience at the event to be part of the Judges Panel, judging Kids’ Art works.

Also, this is the year I started blogging on my Arts again, by posting the very special Art work that I did specially for the BigHelp event.

Much of my commuting-time to work was very well spent, sitting on the train with my heads down and sketching in my sketchbook. I had even finished a whole sketchbook and started a new one. Gone were the very few days with me not opening my sketchbook. Back home after work, I even spent many pleasant evenings, sitting on our deck and coloring some of the sketches I had done on the train. Many times, I felt like- "I found my way of finding time for Art, no more regrets!"

I continued the tradition that I adopted few years ago, the tradition of making Lord Ganesha out of a clay block for the festival "Vinayaka Chavithi". Of course, it only got better, year after year.

Besides those Art works that I did for myself, I designed a Logo for my kids Robotics team, second year in a row. I also did few art works for a friend of mine for his science research paper on DNA, soon to be published.

Friends, Artist-friends of Kalakruti MA, Sharon Public Library, Books, Art magazines, Nature and Face book have all been the sources of inspirations for me.

The year 2013, is another year that I remember as a year that took me into Arts and filled my (he)art with many unforgettable memories.

By remembering all the fine moments, truly spent with my "soul", I say my heartfelt "Goodbye to an Artful Year, 2013".

Fun with Portraits...

I love doing portraits. I have been trying different paintings lately and felt like doing a portrait. It's just that feel for it that made me do this one. I feel like I am home when I do portraits; don't know why.

It's an enjoyable experience watching the natural flow of colors into the water onto the paper...and portraits is always fun ;)

Happy Painting!

Materials 

Mediums: Watercolors
Surface: Strathmore Watercolor Paper 400 Series, 140lb 300 g/m2
Size: 8" x 10" (21 cm x 26 cm)

Paints: Grumbacher - Violet, Winsor & Newton - Cotman Turquoise Aquarelle, Cobalt blue, Cadmium orange, Light red

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Learn from failures...

Peacock

Gifted

Not every attempt to paint will be a success. Sometimes, we have to paint for the bin too. The ones that end up in the bin are the ones that we learn the most from.

After a couple of my recent attempts ended up in the bin, this one has managed to stay out. Of course, every attempt is a learning; success or failure.

Peacock has been in my wish-list for a long time. More attempts of this beautiful bird are yet to come in coming years...

Happy painting ;)

 Materials 

Title: Peacock
Mediums: Watercolors
Surface: Arches Watercolor Paper 12" x 16" (30 cm x 40 cm)

Paints: Grumbacher - Cadmium Yellow, Violet, Winsor & Newton - Cotman Turquoise Aquarelle, Cobalt blue

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Proud of you Sachin...

Sachin created an unforgettable era in the world of Cricket.

The entire nation of India is proud of him.

Hats off to this Master Blaster!

In remembrance,

I do celebrate this moment

with this sketch

as

A Tribute to Sachin!

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

F(ol)lowing through Colors...

Rooster - Watercolors on Paper

TAKEN: $175

When harmony and rhythm flows through colors, a beautiful Painting starts taking shape. Oftentimes, I decide what to do, well in advance, when it comes to painting. But today has been different; I didn't know what to start, but I felt like doing some painting in watercolors. My mind started flashing through my long-pending wish-list of items. The weaver bird that I did recently came to my mind taking me again back to my childhood days. Suddenly, I felt like doing another bird. There comes my Rooster, Yes...My Rooster...my own childhood pet that grew in my hands which I used to take care of when I was 6 years old.

There is always something learning in everything we do. This is one of the paintings that I fully enjoyed in recent times, playing with colors as they were flowing on the paper. I was creating ways for colors to flow easily and even following through the flow with brushes, finding the rhythm and harmony in colors.

In music, the outcome of following harmony and rhythm of musical notes could be a melody. In painting, the outcome of f(ol)lowing through the harmony and rhythm of colors is a beautiful piece of life-long satisfaction.

Happy Painting ;)

 Materials 

Surface: Strathmore Watercolor Paper 140lb/300gsm; Stretched
Technique: Wet on wet

Paints: Grumbacher - Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue, Grumbacher Academy - Cadmium Red, Winsor & Newton Series 1A Blue 654, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Grubacher Academy Violet (Thalo Purple)

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Mediums: water

Size: 11" x 14"

Old Fashioned Portrait...

It's been awhile since I did a portrait. I love working in Black and White. This is just a simple attempt of an Old style Black and White Portrait with only black watercolor paint on a paper which is not even good for a  watercolor painting.

 Materials 

Surface: Strathmore Smooth Bristol Paper 

Paints: Grumbacher - Academy Ivory black

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Mediums: Water

Size: 11" x 14" (27.9 cm x 35.6 cm)

Nature's ho-NEST-y...

There is no wonder greater than Nature in the universe. It's always pure, honest and beautiful! Art is nothing but a creation of natural things around us in some form or other with Artist's ideas added to it.

Birds are such an innocent creatures on the earth and their feelings always symbolize honesty and innocence. A beautiful landscape painting is never complete without having birds in it. Birds naturally belong in nature.

Weaver Bird's Nest has been one of the things in my wish-list of sketches/paintings. In my childhood, I used to very closely observe the nests that these birds weave and build on the Toddy palm trees seen all over the rice fields in my village Damaramadugu in Nellore, AP, India. Every nest that I could touch with my hands was a wonder to me, wondering how nicely and patiently those birds would go around in search of a little grass strip and bring it back to weave it into the nest. Some nests used to have multiple chambers ranging from one to four. I used to think the nests that have more chambers have more children. Also, by noticing the progress of those nests day after day, I always used to wonder- if a human ever had to weave such a nest, how long would it take.

I tried to recall and recollect my childhood memories from my Heart into my Art through this "Nest of a Weaver Bird" sketch.

Now, honestly- I can say, I have experienced the patience of Building a Nest in my (He)art. ;)

Title: Nest of a Weaver Bird
Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors
Surface: Strathmore Smooth Bristol Paper 11" x 17" (27.9 cm x 43.2 cm)

Logo for a Lego League...

It's this year's Robotics season with Kids again. Once again, we decided to have our own group T-Shirts with our own Logo for this years Kids' First lego League (FLL) Challenge. This year's FLL challenge is Nature's Fury. The idea that I depicted in this logo is a Robot protecting a house during a storm. Initially, I did another idea very similar to this but with Robot arms around the house. But, with kids suggestion I changed it to a Robot holding a sword and a shield, indicating that it is ready to fight any force that tries to destroy the house. Kids always have innovative ideas ;)

Of course, Category 6 is our Team's name and Masters of Disasters is the tag line chosen by kids.

I also did one for our team at last year's FLL Senior Solutions Challenge. Check it out in the Gallery.

Media: Ink Pen on paper (8" x 11")

Keep Sharpening your Skills...

Everyone has some skill or other. Some recognize it early and take it as their profession; they are the ones who truly enjoy their profession and take their skill to new levels to put themselves on the top. Others keep it as a hobby, using once in a while, dreaming in their little hobby world, and using their skill when they feel like or when some kind of inspiration suddenly strikes them. Knowingly or unknowingly these are the people who don't know how to sharpen their skills like professionals do.

Like in life- there is no substitute for hard work, in Arts- there is no substitute for practice. I have been trying to follow lately "The Best Ever Advice" for hobbyists by the most admired Telugu Artist Sri Bapu. When asked for an advice, he always says...keep drawing everything you see around you, make paper cuttings of pictures you come across in newspapers, keep those cuttings and make an album of  your reference for drawings and illustrations, and more than anything practice, practice and practice. What more one can do other than this to sharpen skills?

Life never gives what we want. It only gives what it had already decided to give. "I don't have time for doing it", we all hear this everyday from many. That's very true, we don't have time for doing anything that we truly want to do. That's how life always goes on. But, if we won't do it, we don't know what we are capable of doing. Even if we do it once in a while, we don't know if we need to improve it any further, and we end up there thinking- that's all I can do. No...one can always do more and can always do even better. One should keep on doing it, practicing it more and more and more. Take practice as a never-ending journey. One day when we look back where and how we started, sure- we get surprised with how sharp our skills have become.

Lately, I have started sharpening my drawing skills by putting them into a constant practice-- an essential foundation in Art. I started to use my daily morning and evening commute time for doing it. With this I don't need to keep any special time aside, it is already set aside for me.

Now, I can say, I found what I wanted, within what life had decided and had given me. No more complaints and no more saying "I don't have time for sharpening my skills" ;) I would rather prefer saying to myself, " I should always find time..."

It's your skill. Keep sharpening it!
Happy sketching ;)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

Just shake those off...

Each day takes us through many moods: good and bad, happy and sad, best and worst, bright and gloomy... Good, best, happy and bright moods don't need any special care. They are just so special and they take care of themselves. The other face of the moods are those that need some special care. If we get stuck with those that need a special care, with giving no care, the day gets ruined. Any day gone bad is mere waste of precious time of a short-life.

One should shake those off when caught up in such bad moods. I am glad that I have my sketch book and a pen as my best companions and meditation tools; that go with me and are with me all the time. A 25 minute heads-down soul-meditation in my sketch book certainly turns my any given gloomy day into a bright one.

A day gone with not letting one to do what one wants to do is like a day never given at all.

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

Making Deers with Palm Tree Leaves...

I am glad that I took a walk around the Santa Clara Convention Center after a 3 long days of SpringOne 2GX Conference. It was so beautiful, the weather was so nice and I couldn't lock myself boringly indoors in my Hotel room doing nothing but watching TV.

As I was walking, enjoying the nice sunny beautiful afternoon, there were couple of short palm trees close to the side walk. I had a Ha-Ha moment reaching those trees. I plucked few leaves.

It's been several years since I made a deer with leaves like this. What a perfect afternoon to relax!

I came back to the hotel room with a bunch of leaves and went back to my childhood days thinking of my Dad from whom I learned this art of "Making Deer". Actually, I only had observed him making this many times for me but never actually learnt how to make it. One fine evening he started showing me how to make it and I only learned the back legs portion of it. Then I had to run to play as my friends started calling me from outside.

Palm Tree 

I never got a chance to complete the remaining of my learning. I only attempted to do it after my Dad passed away. To my surprise, I could do it in my first attempt and then made it several times.

In India we used to make it with the leaves of Dates trees.

It's been so many years since I made one and first time in U.S, I found a leaf that is similar to Date Tree leaf and my Ha-Ha moment came in for me.

You just need 2 leaves to change those into a deer.

Stage-1
Two leaves (peeled into half)

 Stage-1 

  Make the leaves into half vertically; it's easy using the thumb nail.

Stage 2

 Stage-2 

 Again vertically, make each into half, keeping the bottom part connected.

Stage

 Stage-3 

Stage 4

 Connect them as shown.

 Stage-4 

 Start weaving both.

Stage 5

 Stage-5

 Continue as shown.

All Done

Done

My New Pal(ette)...

I have a new Pal now that I am going to spend my holy hours with; My brand new Palette for Watercolors.

I never knew anything about setting up a palette, or even color wheel that (m)any Art Book explains in the very first chapter itself. I always used to squeeze some paints from the tubes that I wanted to use for my Painting and then used to mix them here and there on the Palette and start Painting. Lately, I learned that many professional Artists have their Palettes setup and loaded with colors in a particular order that they prefer.

I organized and loaded my Palette with colors, ordered in some way; at least, all warms together and cools together, if not the perfect order.

The following is the order I preferred:

TOP - Left to Right 

Grumbacher Academy Artist's - Light Red (English Red)
Rowney Georgian - Burnt Sienna
Winsor & Newton Series 1 - Raw Sienna
Grumbacher Academy - Cadmium Red
Winsor & Newton Cotman Series 1 - Cadmium Orange Hue
Grumbacher Academy - Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue
Winsor & Newton Cotman Series 1 - Sap Green
Winsor & Newton Cotman Series 1A - 654 (no name of this color on the tube; surprising ...)

BOTTOM - Left to Right 

Grumbacher Academy - Violet (Thalo purple)
Grumbacher Academy - Cobalt Blue Hue
Rowney Georgian - Prussian Blue
Rowney Georgian - Ultra Marine Blue

MIDDLE 

Grumbacher Academy - Chinese White

I had no place for white, I stopped using white anyway after learning that the paper itself gives natural and better white for watercolors. Of course, also learned that there is no need for Black and hence Black has no place at all and I am not going to use it anyway.

So, is it right if I call it now - My perfect Palette?
Ha has...I don't know ;)
We will see what Beautiful Paintings my new Pal takes me into ;)

Speed Test...

Some times, I do put my skills and abilities to a speed test and Art is no exception ;)
Yesterday, I was on the train commuting to work. Half way through my commute, I was flipping through a Newspaper and an advertisement page caught my eye. I immediately opened my back pack, pulled my sketch pad & pen, and said to myself: "I should finish off a quick sketch of this beauty by the time I get off the train."

I hardly had about 15 minutes or so to do so. My heads were down and my (he)art was up running right into it. Finished a rapid sketch before the train reached the station. Came home in the evening and gave it a colorful touch. Not many sketches in my sketchbook get that touch, only few lucky ones do ;) 

Little bit of daily practice of anything is good in life and makes us better and better at it as we keep doing. My sketching has been improved a lot and the confidence levels have even gone up. Earlier, I used to open my sketch book, thinking "I don't know how it is going to end up like". Now, as I open my sketch book, "I know how anything is going to end up like."

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

The Making of Lord Ganesha...

Sculpture is one another Art that I am very fascinated about. In the past, I tried some sculptures on the soap. I have been doing Ganesh Idol with natural clay since 2010 and this is my fourth year in a row. I think each year, I find myself improving at it and taking less time than previous year. This year, it took about 5 hours from start to finish. I captured the images of it at various stages.

Sculpture is a three dimensional Art. Doing it with clay is fun and challenging too. It is fun as it is easy to blend it into any shape easily just by hands. You almost need no tools to do a clay sculpture. Little tools help making some fine and accurate marks at the very end.

The following are the different stages of this year's Ganesh. One can see it taking the shape through these images:

 Stage-1 

It's a 10 pound (~ 5kg) block of Natural Clay just out of the box. I usually buy it at Michaels. It comes in Red and Natural colors. I prefer Natural. It's a heavy and compressed block of Natural clay. Once opened, I usually put it on a tray covered with Wax Paper. That is my platform I work on until I finish it. Next to it can be seen is my little tool set that I kept handy.

 Stage-2 

I usually change the square block into the very abstract shape that I wanted in the first stage; all done just by using my two thumbs and nothing else.

 Stage-3 

Next, I give the very rough shape of the final shape. It looks like an abstract model of the the end shape.

 Stage-4 

The fun stars from now. Also, it is from here the challenge starts and is bit time consuming, at least for me.  I start working on the final shape. I also start adding little things around the main shape. Things like additional hands, back-drop for the crown etc.

 Stage-5 

The additional things added can be seen here. You don't need to have these things planned as part of the main shape as carving these is not easy. They can always be added later. But they should blend and be attached to the main piece like it is carved. Otherwise they come apart very easily once it is dry. 

 Stage-6 

I added the Mushikam (mouse) here on the little stool which I already planned for it to place. From here on, it's just as many fine details as you can add to it. This is when I start using the tools, Until this point, my tools are my fingers. It's really fun using fingers and blending the clay. It easily blends as you want it to.

Sculpture is fun. I wish my passion for sculpture goes from clay to other material like wood, stone, plaster of paris, and even marble in future ;)

Believe me, you don't need to have any artistic skills to make a sculpture, especially with clay. It's just Fun and all need o have is willing to spend time and the desire to do it. It's just that simple ;)

Happy Sculpturing and have fun with it ;)

Daily Exercise...

Daily physical exercise is good for Health and keeps the Body in shape; Daily Art exercise is good for Soul and sharpens the Art skills. It's not easy to pick a brush to paint everyday, but it's not that hard at least to start some sketches which make you pick the brush to go into Painting. Unlike Painting, Sketching doesn't need mood, setup and inspiration. But it helps to improve Painting skills in many ways.

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

Gone with the City - My (he)art...

I still have my Heart left in New York City, even after a week of returning home. I only captured pictures as references for my Art, but preserved many moments for memories in my Heart. Though I have been many times to this city, it's only this time I saw the real side and much beauty of it.

Visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art  was an unforgettable experience. I lost myself many times in front of the original paintings of many great artists; Jackson Pollock, Monet's Lillis, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, John Constable, Sargent...just to name a few.

Watching this great City from the Hudson River was the most memorable experience. The lights and illumination at the Times Square (The Crossroads of the World) with dark skies was the most colorful experience of life. I truly fell in love with the dynamism, beauty and colors of this city.

I chose Times Square as my first subject for the series of my Paintings on this City. It is my first watercolor painting of New York City. With all the vibrant colors done in a subtle way, left to viewers imagination are some details of this ever changing colorful place.

I learned and practiced few techniques along the path of my experiment with vibrant colors in this painting. Following are some techniques that I tried:

• No prior sketching
• Free flow of colors
• Natural flow of water on the paper
• Not many details
• Mixture of one color with it's adjacent colors to add some Drama
• No black and brown colors used at all

 Painting  - Taking the shape

 Materials 

Surface: Bienfang 140lb/207gsm Water Color paper; Stretched

Paints: Grumbacher - Cadmium Yellow, Violet, Winsor & Newton - Cotman Turquoise Aquarelle, Cobalt blue, Cadmium Orange Hue, Speedball Professional Water Colors Red

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Mediums: water

Size: 9" x 12"

Every Attempt...

In Painting, every attempt is an opportunity for learning. I love flowers. Though I did few drawings and sketches of flowers in the past, I can almost say, I never attempted flowers in watercolor.

In this first attempt, along the way, I learned few techniques and noted some points:

• Let the color freely flow on the paper and mix with adjacent colors to give a smooth and subtle effect
• Be prepared to do mistakes, after all this is the best way to learn ;)
• Show contrasting in adjacent colors
• Tried to show water drops on the leaves, but felt like I am not there yet ;(

This painting is based on a photograph that I took from my front yard, the first yellow rose of the season. First, I did a quick sketch with the ballpoint pen as part of my study before this attempt.

 The Sketch 

 Painting  - Taking the shape

 Materials 

Surface: Winsor & Newton Cotman 140lb/300gsm water Color paper

Paints: Grumbacher - Cadmium Yellow, Winsor & Newton - Cotman Turquoise Aquarelle, Sap Green, Cobalt blue, Cadmium Orange Hue

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Sable synthetic blend

Mediums: water

Size: 7" x 10"

The stage is always set…

I believe in saying that “whenever a book is opened, something is learned”. But, whenever a sketchbook is opened, something is not only learned but also drawn.

Performing Arts and other type of Arts may require a big stage to be setup for actually performing. Sketching doesn’t require any setup. You simply open your Sketchbook and pickup a pencil or pen; the stage is all set for you to perform. It’s that simple ;)

I finished my second sketch book in just one year and opened a new one for my daily sketching. The first page is filled with sketches of many people. I always love sketching people. It’s bigger in size than my previous sketchbooks. After all, one can only go bigger and bigger in practice, isn’t it? ;)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 11")

Telugu Version

వేదిక ఎప్పుడూ సిద్ధమే...

పుస్తకం తెరిచిన ప్రతిసారీ ఎంతో కొంత నేర్చుకోవటం నిజం అన్నది నేను గట్టిగా నమ్ముతాను. కానీ స్కెచ్ బుక్ తెరిచిన ప్రతిసారీ అందులో నేర్చుకోవటమే కాక బొమ్మలూ వచ్చి చేరుతాయి.

చాలా కళలకి ఓ పెద్ద వేదిక అంటూ కావాలి. కానీ స్కెచింగ్ కి ఒక బుక్, పెన్సిలో, పెన్నో తప్ప మరేమీ అవసరమే లేదు. పుస్తకం తెరిచినంత సునాయాసంగా వేదిక సిద్ధ్యం అయిపోతుంది. అంత సులభం అన్నమాట ;) 

ఒక సంవత్సరంలోనే రెండు స్కెచ్ బుక్కులు పూర్తి చేసి మూడవది మొదలు పెట్టాను. ఇందులో మొదటి పేజీ ఇలా చాలా మంది మనుషులతో నిండి పోయింది. నేను మనుషుల స్కెచెస్ నే ఎక్కువగా వేస్తూ ఉంటాను. ఈ బుక్ ముందు వాటికన్నా మరింత పెద్ద సైజ్. మరి నిత్య సాధనలో ఏదైనా పెరగక తప్పదుగదా? కాదంటారా? ;) 

Two birds in one shot...

Birds are such a pretty little creatures with beautiful colors. It is almost impossible to make any beautiful landscape painting or take a perfect picture of nature without having birds in it.

Birds have been in my wish list of dream paintings for many years and will remain in the list for many more years to come. Sometimes, unexpected things strike the inspiration to paint. The two little picture frames that we bought a while ago and simply have been lying around unopened, inspired me to do two little birds just right for that size. Thus these two cute birds in one shot were born; not killed ;)

 Materials 

Surface: Winsor & Newton Cotman 140lb/300gsm water Color paper

Paints: Burnt Sienna (Rowney Georgian), Grumbacher - Violet, Cadmium Yellow, Winsor & Newton - Cotman Turquoise, Sap Green, Cobalt blue, 

Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Jaina synthetic

Mediums: water

Size: 4" x 6"

Telugu Version

ఒకే దెబ్బకు రెండు పిట్టలు

పక్షులు అందమైన రంగుల్లో మనకి కనిపించే చిన్ని చిన్ని మూగ జీవాలు.  పక్షులు లేని ప్రకృతి ని ఒక మంచి పెయింటింగ్ లోనో లేదా ఒక చక్కన ఛాయా చిత్రంలోనో బంధించాలంటే కష్టతరమే.

ఎంతో కాలంగా పక్షులు నేను వేయాలనుకున్న పెయింటింగ్ లిస్ట్ లో ఉండిపోయాయి, ఇంకా ఎంతో కాలంగా ఉంటూనే ఉంటాయి. ఒక్కొకసారి ఊహించనివి కొన్ని స్ఫూర్తిని కలిగిస్తుంటాయి. ఎప్పుడో కొన్నా ఓపన్ చెయ్యని ఈ రెండు ఫొటో ఫ్రేములూ ఈ రెండు పక్షులని వెయ్యటానికి స్ఫూర్తి అయ్యాయి. అలా ఒకే దెబ్బకు ముద్దులొలికే ఈ రెండు పిట్టలు పుట్టాయి, కొట్టాను అననివ్వకుండా ;)

A touch of Color...

Certain sketches need to be touched with colors. Though lines and shadings alone can make a sketch, colors always elevate it further. Especially, the ones that have light into it which makes shadows and shaded areas. I started this sketch with the mindset of adding colors and hence there isn't much shading work done with ink. I tried to show the light with the help of colors.

Sketching is fun, Color sketching is even more fun :)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 6")

A touch of Color

Telugu Version

స్కెచింగ్ - రంగుల అద్దకం

కొన్ని కొన్ని స్కెచెస్ కి రంగులు అద్ది తీరాలి. గీతలూ, షేడింగ్స్ తో స్కెచ్ పూర్తిగా వెయ్యగలిగినప్పటికీ, రంగులు దాన్ని మరింత ఘనంగా కనిపించేలా చేస్తాయి. ఉదాహరణకి, సూర్య కిరణాల ఎక్కువగా ప్రసరిస్తూ అక్కడక్కడా వెలుగు నీడలు దోబూచులాడే లాంటివి చూపెట్టాలంటే రంగులు ముఖ్యం. ఈ స్కెచ్ ని వేసే ముందే రంగులు వెయ్యాలని నిర్ణయించి మొదలెట్టాను కనుకే ఇందులో పెద్దగా పెన్ తో షేడింగ్స్ వెయ్యలేదు. రంగుల సాయంతో ఇందులో కాంతి, వెలుగు నీడలు చూపించే ప్రయత్నం చేశాను.

స్కెచింగ్ భలే తమాషా, రంగుల స్కెచింగ్ మరింత తమాషా :) 

Sketching - the study of a Subject...

Sketching is the best and quick way of studying a subject before starting to paint. It helps understand the subject, it's intricacies, it's details, it's features, it's mood, surrounding sources of light and what not. Typically, many Artists do several sketches before they start to paint.

Sketching is an experimental phase in Painting which helps to visualize the outcome of a subject, which otherwise remains in an abstract shape in the Artist's mind.

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 6")

Sketching - Study of an Art Subject

Telugu Version

స్కెచింగ్ - ఓ పరిశీలన

ఏదైనా ఒక సబ్జెక్ట్ ని పెయింటింగ్ మొదలెట్టే ముందు, దాని పరిశీలన ఎంతో ముఖ్యం. త్వరిత స్కెచింగ్ ద్వారా దాన్ని పరిశీలించటం లో అందులో ఉన్న క్లిష్టాలనూ, దాని స్వభావాన్నీ, దాని చుట్టుపక్కలనున్న వెలుగు నీడల ప్రభావాన్నీ...ఇలా ఎన్నో ముఖ్యమైన విషయాలని ఆకళింపు చేసుకొనవచ్చును. సహజంగా పెక్కు ఆర్టిస్టులు స్కెచింగ్ ని ఇందుకు ప్రధానంగా ఎన్నుకుని అసలు పెయింటింగ్ మొదలెట్టే ముందు కొన్ని ఇలా స్కెచింగ్ ద్వారా పరిశీలన చెయ్యటం ఓ పరిపాటి.

స్కెచింగ్ అన్నది పెయింటింగ్ లో ఒక ప్రయోగాత్మకమైన ప్రక్రియ. ఇది ఆర్టిస్ట్ అనుకున్న సబ్జెక్ట్ ఎలా రావాలో ముందుగా ఊహించుకుని దానికి అనుకున్న రూపాన్ని ఇచ్చేలా సహకరించుకునే సాధనం.

Dream Art...

For several years, it's been my dream to take a theme and do series of paintings on that theme. One of the very first themes that made into my list was ‘Indian Classical Dance’. I did few drawings and sketches on this subject in the past. But, I never followed my dream to make it a reality.

However, recently I have been thinking about it and started the first sketch for my first painting in this series. Initially I wanted to do a rough sketch with fewer details to see how my idea looks. As I started working on it, I was more into it and started adding more and more details. The idea was to have a posture of an Indian Classical Dancer that I did a pencil sketch in the past with a rich Indian traditional background. I chose Konark Wheel for this as the backdrop. Where else the rich Hindu tradition can be found better these days, other than temples in India?

I hope my dream project takes a shape soon.

Media: Pen ((Pilot PRECISE V5 Rolling Ball - extra fine), Ink and Watercolors on paper (12" x 16")

Bharatha Naatyam - sketch

Telugu Version

కళ - కల
చాలా కాలంగా ఒక సబ్జక్ట్ తీసుకుని దానిపై వరసగా కొన్ని పెయింటింగ్స్ వెయ్యాలని కోరిక ఉంది.. అందులో మొదటిగా ఎప్పటి నుంచో అనుకుంటున్నది భారతీయ నృత్య కళలు. ఇదివరకు దీనిపై కొన్ని బొమ్మలు వేసినా నా కలని నిజం చేసే ప్రయత్నాలు మాత్రం చెయ్యలేదు.

ఈ మధ్య ఆ కలకి కార్యరూపం ఇవ్వాలని మొదటి స్కెచ్ వెయ్యటం మొదలు పెట్టాను. మొదట రఫ్ గా వెయ్యాలనే అనుకుని మొదలు పెట్టినా నెమ్మదిగా అందులో లీనమై మరింత విపులంగా వెయ్యసాగాను. ఇందులోని ఆలోచన ఒక భరత నాట్య భంగిమకి వెనుక భారతీయ సాంప్రదాయం ప్రతిబింబించేలా చిత్రించాలని. దీనికి కోణార్క్ దేవాలయం లోని రధ చక్రాన్ని, ఇదివరకు నేను వేసిన ఒక నాట్య భంగిమనీ ఎంచుకున్నాను. హిందూ దేవాలయాలపైన గాక మరెక్కడ అంత గొప్పగా భారతీయ సంస్కృతి కనిపిస్తుందీరోజుల్లో, కదూ!

త్వరలో ఎప్పటినుంచో కలగా మిగిలిన ఈ ప్రాజెక్ట్కి రూపం వస్తుందని ఆశిస్తూ...

Occasion(al) sketches...

Occasionally, I do sketches of historical places. Historical places always strike the inspiration in Artist. Long back, I did Statue of Liberty and St. Louis Gateway Arch. I also tried Big Ben, Thames River and Piccadilly Circus in London. Taj Mahal is still in my To-Do list. Though I always wanted to do Eiffel Tower in Paris, the most romantic city in the world, it's just a coincidence that I happened to do it finally today, on this occasion of Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 6")

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Telugu Version

అరుదుగా అపుడప్పుడూ చారిత్రాత్మక ప్రదేశాల స్కెచెస్ కూడా కొన్ని వేశాను. చారిత్రాత్మక ప్రదేశాలు ఎప్పుడూ ఆర్టిస్ట్ కి స్ఫూర్తిని ఇస్తాయి. చాలాకాలం క్రిందట న్యూయార్క్ నగరంలోని స్టాచ్యూ ఆఫ్ లిబర్టీ, సెయింట్ లూయీస్ లోని గేట్ వే ఆర్చ్, ఇంకా లండన్ లోని బిగ్ బెన్, థేమ్‌స్ నది, Piccadilly Circus ఇవి కూడా వేశాను. ఎప్పటి నుంచో తాజ్ మహల్ కూడా వెయ్యాలనుంది. ఈఫిల్ టవర్ వెయ్యాలని ఎప్పటినుంచో ఉన్నా ఈరోజు కాకతాళీయంగా వాలెంటైన్స్ డే నాడు కుదిరింది.

వాలెంటైన్స్ డే శుభాకాంక్షలు!!

Traits of Portraits...

Portrait Painting is a specialized skill. It requires study of the subject in depth. Not only, the primary focus is on the person's facial features, but also on the characteristics. Every face has it's own unique characteristics. Once those are captured and painted, much of the portrait is done. The rest is to make it look nicer with the background and other dramatic additions. A background certainly adds more depth to the portrait.

This is the very first time, I tried a portrait in real watercolor style. Before I started to paint it, I had doubts if I could do it. The painting came out to my satisfaction. I think I met the expectations that I had set to myself. Of course, practice practice and practice - that is the only rule that works in life to get better and better at anything.

 Materials 

Surface: Beinfang 140-lb watercolor paper
Paints: Burnt Sienna (Rowney Georgian), Violet (Grumbacher)
Brushes: 10 round sable, 00 synthetic Winsor & Newton, and 000 Jaina synthetic
Mediums: water
Size: 9" x 12"

Portrait in Watercolors

This is the same one that I did a sketch with added colors yesterday. Now, I tried watercolors to see how it can be done in this media. My next stop would be Oil. Trying the same in different media makes me explore and understand all media and get to know it's strengths and limitations.

Portraits is always a fun ;)

Telugu Version

చిత్రలేఖనంలో Portrait అన్నది ఓ ప్రత్యేకమైన నైపుణ్యత. దీనికి వేస్తున్న వ్యక్తి ముఖకవళికలే కాక అందులో ఉన్న ప్రత్యేకమైన ఫీచర్స్ తీరూ మరింత శ్రద్ధగా గమనించాలి. ప్రతి ముఖంలోనూ ఓ ప్రత్యేకమైన లక్షణాలు ఉంటాయి. ఆ ప్రత్యేకతలు  వెయ్యగలిగితే చాలా వరకూ వేసినట్టే. చుట్టుపక్కల నాటకీయంగా రంగులు అద్ది దానికి మరింత ప్రత్యేకత తీసుకు రావచ్చు.

ఇది నేను మొదటి సారి వాటర్ కలర్స్ తో ఈ విధంగా ప్రయత్నించిన Portrait. వేసే ముందు వెయ్యగలనా అన్న అనుమానమూ రాకపోలేదు, వేశాక సంతృప్తికరంగా అనిపించింది. సాధనే జీవితాన అన్నిటికీ మెరుగుపరిచే సాధనం.

నిన్న వేసిన స్కెచ్ ని ఇప్పుడు వాటర్ కలర్ లోనూ ప్రయత్నించి చూశాను. తదుపరి ప్రయత్నం ఆయిల్ పెయింట్స్ లో. ఒకే బొమ్మ వివిధ రకాల మీడియం లలో ప్రయత్నించటం వలన అందులో మెళకువలు మరింత బాగా నేర్చుకునే వీలుంటుంది.

Portraits వెయ్యటంలో ఎంతో తమాషా ఉంటుంది ;)

Art always gives Energy...

I always enjoy doing Portraits. I did many portraits, but most of them are done with pencil, ink, ballpoint pen or watercolors in a more traditional way. Of course when I say traditional way, it's my own way of it. I really don't know what a traditional way of doing Art is.

Sketching portraits is something that I haven't attempted seriously. Lately, I have been making it a daily habit of doing at least one sketch a day, unless it is really a busy day.
Sorry...did I say busy?
Actually, I meant to say lazy, really... ;)

I challenged myself with the following two portraits by doing straight with ink and pen. At the end they boosted my energy to such a high level that I did a non-stop snow shovel for 3 hours cleaning my driveway wherein we had almost 3 feet of snow last night.

Art always gives energy :)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (8" x 6")

Sources of Inspiration...

Inspiration for Artists can be found anywhere. A beautiful thing, a striking picture, a joyful event, an interesting news...anything can inspire the creativity of an Artist.

Newspapers contain not only interesting news, but also beautiful and interesting pictures. It is one of the best sources of my daily sketching.

Take a look at the following sketch page. The beautiful Shen Yun Performing Arts ad in the newspaper inspired me instantly to pull out my sketchbook.

Do you wonder- when there is this beautiful and colorful performance going on, who is that guy sitting at one corner of this page and taking a nap? Ha haa...that is one of the interesting secrets reveled on the internet and got into the news. Well, as he made into this sketch page, I just thought "let me give him a colorful nap for revealing his secret..." ;)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on paper (6" x 8")

Simply Rich…

Many times, sketching is a simple drawing. But it can go as simple as just an outline or as rich as more detailed one. Few of my sketches came out with really rich looks though I started those to be rough sketches for my future paintings.

The following is my typical fast sketch done on my commute to work today anyway, but as it has somewhat details went into it, I thought I would touch it with colors. The result added a bit of richness to it.

I believe there is Richness in every Simplicity ;)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen), Ink and Watercolors on Paper (6" x 8")

Artist’s Reference...

Often times, Artists need some kind of a reference for their illustrations or paintings. If you organize all your sketches, the first and best reference to reach out is your own sketchbook. As the sketchbook contains your drawings with ideas added in your own way, most of the times you will find what you are looking for.

Here are some sketches that newly made into my sketchbook. I am sure, at some point in future I will refer to this page.

Till next post…Happy Sketching. ;)

Media: Pen (Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen) and Ink on Paper (6" x 8")

Sketching - Animals and Birds...

Sketching Animals and Birds is somewhat easier than sketching human beings as there is more room for errors. Some errors can easily be corrected or adjusted without any noticeable differences on the overall sketch.

As they can't show many feelings in their faces like humans, their gesture and action show their feelings instead. The Bird in the middle looks more relaxed than the Zebra or Monkey. Flamingos in flight, the walking Dog and the hanging Tree Frog, Swan...all their actions show their feelings.

Here is today's page in my sketchbook, I tried to capture some of their feelings.

Media: Pen (Pilot PRECISE V5 Rolling Ball - extra fine) and Ink on Paper (6" x 8")