Lowe Mill

So this past weekend I visited some friends of mine from college in Huntsville, AL. My friend, his wife, and I all had birthdays that week so we met to celebrate. Do I have to say how awesome it was? Good food all weekend, partying, and....art? Yes art. Apparently there is this awesome place called Lowe Mill. Some rich guy bought the old mill and turned it in to studios for artists. Every Saturday, artists come together and sell things from jewelry, vintage clothes, and books to various art pieces. While that is all nice, I preferred the upper levels. The 2nd level had some nice sculptures of women, glass work, and neat cartoon art while the 3rd level is where the actual studios were located. It is actually like window shopping. You can walk by each studio, look through the large windows, and see the artists' works. If you are lucky, you actually get to see them working. It was really neat seeing just how different each studio was. What a blast! I cannot wait until the next time I go. Anyone need a ride?

wonderful starting image? check.....no color? check.....problems with proportions? check.....failed to capture her beauty? check

Ok, so I said I would not draw her. That was until I came across an article about her from a few years ago. In it was a lovely picture that looked as if it was straight out of a French book. Then there was this photo. It was that image that compelled me to draw her. I sooo did not want to fail. *sigh*

At first glance, you might not think this drawing is that bad. (You also cannot tell who it is either.) But when compared to the original photo?.... Thankfully, I will not post the photo for comparison for fear of copyright issues (yeah yeah...that's it! lol). Otherwise, my failure would be even more evident. In short, I will simply list the major flaws with this drawing:

1. head and neck are too small
2. face is smushed
3. a board is missing below her arm (did this on purpose to correct a different mistake)
4. too much palette is showing (wrong angle)
5. arm is too high (causing me to elongate the items below)
6. eyes are too open (I failed to capture her look of solemnly appreciating the small things in life, like putting her brush back in its place.)

So I probably went in to too much detail with those flaws but I call'm like I see'm. If only I could see them BEFORE I GET 50% COMPLETE! lol

Ah well...and without further adieu (yes I know it is ado but I gotta practice my french at some point lol)...here is the attempt at drawing.

choice

I saw this article today about an artist with a tumor that hindered her sight. Despite her troubles, she continued to paint and now she is said to be a modern "Picasso." She is refusing surgery because she does not want her art to be affected. She is also selling her painting for $7,500 now. My question is, what would you do? Money vs better eyesight.....

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06022009/news/regionalnews/tumor_turns_everyday_painter_into_an_art_172129.htm