Journey of an Absolute Rookie: Paintings and Sketches

[Josef K.]

awesome update man! the stillife rocks! and thanks for that video! pure gold!!!

[Victor B]

Sweet update Jon, I'm doing well, and am pleased to hear the Atelier and Gallery work are going well. The painting of you wife turned out great. Thanks for sharing, cheers!

p.s.- love the video!

[Marlisa]

Hey! I've been browsing throught your sketchbook and I REALLY love al your work, especially the oils.
It's great that you teach traditional art Here in Holland we don't have specific traditional art teachers and that really bothers me (because I would love to learn more about that from someone).
I'm doing bachelor in Art and education, but they mostly focus on modern-ish art. But when I look at your work, I feel that I could learn so much from it.

I would like to 'copy' one of your paintings, if it is ok by you , because I want to experiment more painting-techniques, and yours is so nice and loose .

[JS Neo]

Awesome updates. Love the still life. It certainly give a slight sad but at the same time sweet feeling of memory of loved ones.

Recently found out about your online atelier. It is a wonderful thing. It will certainly make a lot of people who cant attend a atelier because of time or money or because there isnt any in their country very very happy. I hope I can take part in it in the future after the economy is more stable. Currently I am doing brague drawings too during weekends but feeling the struggle involved haa. Though I am kinda lost because of the fact I have no idea whether I am doing it right or wrong, I think I will keep at it. Something good should come out of this, i hope... Good luck to everything.

[Giorge]

absolute rookie my ass ^^ , jeez those last two look really nice , you are a really hard worker man

[Zebz]

Always blowin' my mind. When I grow up I want to be just like the MindCandyMan!!

[paperX]

...You guys rule.

no YOU RULE man....seriously I love your art but what I love more is your dedication towards it. Never stop painting man

PS: thanks soooo much for the youtube demo!

[Kristo Novo]

man your journey is so impressive
maybe you could pass by in my sketchbook and give me some advice
(specialy to come out of a sketch to a painting)

[Timmi-o-Tool]

wow..your progress..
yeah, one reason more to work harder!
<subscribe>

[RocketMonkey]

Awesome mate, absolutely awesome. I'm repeating what's already been said a hundred times, but this is real inspiration for us rookies.

Cheers MCM!

[Dougbot]

That still life is absolutely stunning.

[Cos Koniotis]

I'm pouring through your work and it's truly incredible MCM. Totally gobsmacked man, huge congrats. Thanks for posting the video also!

[Miles_]

Its so great to see how far you have come man. That last still life is wonderful as is the quick portrait. Continue to inspire us all please

[Lonomatik]

i've just finished reading this entire thread and was compelled to add a comment.

MCM, yer growth as an artist is just plain awe-inspiring.

i noted the timeframe that you were doing all this in and compared it to the artwork i was doing at the time and its not even funny how much more you improved yourself. best of luck in all yer future endeavours, man!

[MindCandyMan]

Imaginary - Thanks so much! Yeah Emily G helped out a lot with that...we went through and re-uploaded a lot of the photos a long time ago when CA allowed you to upload pics. She was really instrumental in that process...she told me how to do it and helped me and everything. Go Emily! I'm glad you liked the video...I'm definitely going to do more as well.

Josef K. - Thanks! I am definitely going to do more videos...it is so helpful in seeing the process.

Victor B - Good man I'm really glad to hear that you are doing well. I will pass that on to everyone else too. Yeah it is always fun for me to paint Marie that's for sure. More videos will be coming soon.

Marlisa - I know exactly what you mean. Unfortunately no universities really teach traditional art here either. If they do...it's not very well. Modernism almost ruined all of that tradition...but people are starting to come back around now and I think people are getting into traditionally motivated things more and more. The "shock" value of modern art is starting to wear off. You are definitely welcome to copy one of my paintings...just make sure you put "after Jonathan Hardesty" or something like that somewhere on the painting. Any painter's or artist's work that you copy...you always want to give credit. I have seen some paintings ship over from China that were obvious copies of bouguereau and some others...people bought them thinking they were originals because there was nothing written on them...that makes me mad hehe. But yeah have a ball copying one of my paintings...feel free to send me updates if you want and I can help you with the process.

Mydrako - That's exactly what I was going for...that's awesome that it communicated that to you. I was thinking of my grandmother a lot when I was painting this..she died a couple of years ago. Actually the photo in the very front is of my wife's grandparents as well sitting on the grass. It's a bit hard to make it out but you may be able to see it. You are definitely welcome to join up with CAO anytime that you want. I know what you mean about the economy things have been crazy. It's a very difficult thing to do bargues on your own as well so I feel for you man. Get as much help as you can from people around you and people on here...get them to critique it to death. Look at it through a mirror, etc... Do everything you can to see it objectively. That should help a bit.

flamable - Haha thanks man. I try to work hard...everybody gets in funks that's for sure, but I'm learning to ride them out now. Thanks again for the kind words.

Zebz - Haha thanks! I don't know what I want to be when I grow up...I haven't decided yet

paperX - Np at all for the youtube demo I'm glad that you liked it. Well part of my dedication is due to the fact that I have crossed the point of no return now. I have been an artist (or an artist-in-training) for about 6 years now so I am completely unmarketable in the world of business. So it's this or flipping burgers heheh.

Kristo Novo - Thanks so much for the kind words I really appreciate it. I went to your sketchbook and your work is really good! Great job. One of the first things that I noticed was that your landscapes/environments were a lot better than your figures. The reason I think that is happening is because of how you are treating your edges. I think you have learned to simplify things into lights and darks which is a fantastic hurdle for someone to be over. That usually takes people a long time to learn to break things down into shadow shapes and lights. But I think where you need work is your edges. All of your edges are overly harsh I think. What I mean is that you are not paying attention to the form and indicating the appropriate edge. So let's say that you are drawing a shadow next to a nose...on your drawings the edge would be hard all the way across the nose, but, in reality, the ball of the nose would have a softer edge than the bridge of the nose, etc... It's those type of edge issues that you have been having. I think if you do some edge studies on spheres and other shapes like that from life it would really help your concepts/illustrations to look much more real. That's my initial impression at least...hopefully that is helpful.

Timmi-o-Tool - Thanks man!

RocketMonkey - Thanks so much man. It's weird for me to think about inspiring someone because I've taken from so much inspiration from all of you here. There's definitely nothing special about me at all. I've had tons of help along the way too...I don't think anyone can truly do it on their own.

Dougbot - Thanks! It was really fun to do.

Coz_K - Thanks for the kind words. That is hilarious...gobsmacked. I cracked up when I read that hehe.

Miles_ - I will keep trying to...hopefully I won't let you guys down hehe.

Lonomatik - Thanks so much man. Yeah it has definitely been a crazy 5-6 years. It has been a bumpy ride at times but it has been truly fun. Thanks again for the kind words man.

______________________________________



I was invited to join the Diverge Workshop (http://www.divergeworkshop.com/) a few weeks ago to do a live demo! It was a concept artist/illustrators extravaganza. Like a smaller scale version of the CA.org workshops are like. There were a ton of fantastic artists there doing live demos. You can see the line up of teachers at the diverge website:

http://www.divergeworkshop.com/

I was invited at the last minute to provide some traditional flavor to the mix. I set up in the theater room right next door to the main event and had a small but dedicated crowd of artists hanging out in my room. There were a lot of great questions I did a portrait of my wife (She is my most trusted and reliable model) over a two day period, 2-3 hours each day. It is always awesome getting together with like minds. Sometimes working by yourself out of your home can make you a hermit of sorts so getting out on these excursions is welcomed and appreciated!

I was also able to finally meet the fantastic artist we all know and love...Michael Mentler. I have seen his work for some time on CA.org and we have conversed online and via email...so it was great to meet in person. Check his "bones" thread out here on conceptart.org if you haven't. To me he is our living da vinci...just as smart and talented in my opinion as well.

My wife took some pics with her iphone so I thought I would show you guys. Plus we had a visitor from Gotham City!!!


Attachment 621520




I am also working on the composition of a new painting too. It's going to be very large...3 feet by six feet or so. I will be showing this all throughout the process and I (hopefully) will be recording the whole thing on video as well. At the very least I will be taking pictures all along the way. Here is an updated version of the current composition. I am going to be adding more to the composition as well...especially in the upper left. There will be a stand with a vase with flowers in it. I'm still debating about the background as well. My wife will actually be nude under the fabric as well for the final...so her back and arm skin color will be coming through the fabric. And she will be wearing a necklace that will come down in the back of her neck. At any rate just wanted to update you guys with what I was working on.

[Victor B]

Looking Great Jon, what a great update, love the steps in your wifes portrait interesting to see, the changes,choices you make. The Set up for your next work looks/sounds fantastic, can't wait to see how you handle the large scale figure painting. Hope you and yours are well, thanks for keeping us updated

[Aaron Death]

Mindcandyman you are evil. Fuck you, you are EVIL. All the time I thought you were dead or something, you are so fucking evil.

Anyway, you're a great inspiration. And the new paintings are amazing.

Don't ever disappear again~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[William Whitaker]

Jon,
What a delight to see you again and work alongside you at Reverie!
Your painting of Lipa was supurb. Please take a good shot of it and post it here for us to see.

Don't forget to contact Casey Childs about his studio, and do come to the mountains and paint alongside me. Save up your best stories and tell them during the visit.

Bill

[MindCandyMan]

Victor B - Thanks man. No problem with the updates. I'm glad you guys keep stopping by and still care. I will include an update on that large painting with this post as well.

Aaron Death - haha that's hilarious. Thanks? heheh. I definitely won't disappear again man...unless I'm dead or unless I have become truly evil hehe.

William Whitaker - Thanks so much Bill! I assure you it was my honor to sit next to you and watch you paint. I have some decent shots of the painting I was able to take at the workshop that I can post up here. You were definitely right about the surprise once I took it outside hehe...totally different. I am already making plans to come and visit you guys out there. Once I get something solidified I will let you guys know. I do have some pretty good "old lady at the workshop" stories that I will save up. Some pretty funny situations hehe. I'm sure you have more than your share too hehe. Thanks again for all you've done for me and for everyone on conceptart Bill. It's rare to see a professional so free with their knowledge these days. Thanks!

________________________


So here are the updates guys. By now most of you have probably seen the reverie photo thread and if you haven't definitely go check it out. I painted in a small room with Bill Whitaker, Emily G, Coro, Kevin Llewellyn, and a bunch of other artists off and on. This was portrait I made of the great model "Lipa" that we had.

The lighting scheme in that room was artificial light with a little bit of natural light. As the afternoon wore on the artificial light started to take over until everything was pretty orange in nature. As I expected, when I took my painting outside in natural light the colors looked much different! That's always something you want to watch out for when painting. Make sure the conditions you are painting under are going to be optimal viewing conditions for the individual who will be buying your work. At this workshop we had no choice and it was still a blast...but Bill and I were both glad to get back to our north light studios. His is much better than mine though...that's for sure .

Below you can see the finished version of the painting:




I also did another portrait that I uploaded to youtube.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A SPEED PAINTING OF LUKE

Below is the first step of a large figurative painting that I am working on as well. The size is 3 feet by 6 feet or somewhere around there. The whole thing is being done from life but here is the composition that I am working from. This version is completely fish eye and much much darker than the actual setup in reality but you will get an idea of what I am painting:



Here's the work that I did on it yesterday. My wife will be posing about 2 hours each day. (When she can fit it in her schedule that is hehe).



Here's a picture she took with her iphone too that is a bit closer:

[Dile_]

i loooooooooveeee this painting http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...6&d=1239214231

and thanks for the youtube videos.. very cool that you added your 'thinking' to them thanks

[Victor B]

What a fantastic update, wish I could've made the workshop. Thanks for posting the side by side of the workshop painting under the different lighting. The setup for the large scale looked great ... then I scrolled down! the large figure painting looks Awesome! I love me some large scale figure paintings. Next you'll be doing multiple full figures in a landscape (ala lipking!) if thats what you want . I'm excited to see where you go. Thanks again for sharing.

[maldrin]

Jon -

I fired you an email today and I was thinking you were doing multiple figures on smaller scale. When you said large figure painting, you weren't kidding! Just the start of this is awesome! The blue-green head scarf against that lovely pink flesh tone you've laid down is to die for. I can't wait to see how this progresses.

You've come a long way, man. Truly inspirational.

d

[thinairart]

holy cow that canvas is huge! It looked big while you were stretching it, but seeing it stood up end on end like that I can truly understand the scale. I'm guessing two tubes of asphaltum at least for the background

[OldJake666]

Oh, hey I saw you at the workshop! Only I didn't know it was you... Anyway, I think talked to you a little, or at least watched you work.

[JS Neo]

Awesome update... Ur reverie portrait looks so good. You must be making Mr whitaker nervous haaa... Your figure painting of ur wife is certainly starting out well and I totally didnt expect the scale. It is like almost to the roof O_O Love to see it in the finished state. Thanks for the process video too. Very inspiring to see how something evolve from a seemingly messy drawing to a work of art.

[vayne108]

WOW, what a wonderful improvment thought out your sketchbook!!! gosh, you have just inspired me!!

[Halix]

Heya, really inspirational thread man, I just tried to read (not just skim) the whole thread cover to cover. Its taken me roughly 11 hours and I've reached page 50 out of 66, the scale of this is just so epic.

Can you ever have too many asspats? hehe

I think its really brilliant how your experience pulls everything together. I've certainly found a wealth of books, webpages and resources. I reckon it might take me to the end of the year to get around to looking at them all.

I'm planning on starting my own sketchbook thread, and this is what I'll be aiming for. First I'm gonna see just how determined I am though.

Looking forward to reading the rest tomorrow.

:chug:

[Edit] read the last 16 pages now, although I will admit I skipped a lot of others users comments - my eyes are beginning to hurt. Your transition to live models in your oils has been fantastic, I'm especially looking forward to the monster size one your currently making.

Do you still do Pen work? you loved it so much at one stage. Keep Chugging. Halix [/Edit]

[MT-Mystic]

You're my savior. Immersing myself in great artwork for years has given me inspiration. But going through the entirety of this thread has given me something that no amount of Rembrandt study would ever have given me: resolve. Experiencing your progression, your struggle, your frustration, and your determination has proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I want to do is completely possible, and that I would be doing myself a grave disservice by not following through on it.

I think on one of the posts you were talking about how Frazetta once copied an entire Bridgeman book in a day, and that he was a madman... and that's why he was so good. Well, Mr. Hardesty... witness my transformation into a madman.

[dTb]

Your work is marvelous, but sharing this whole process is so gracious, thank you very much.

And that portrait of Lipa really is fantastic, it's really her, very very well done.

[tandy1000]

Lol I just went from page 1 to your latest work and it's just apples and oranges haha. You've just inspired me to keep my sketchbook for that long or longer~ Man I need to bust my ass..

I haven't looked through the rest of the pages yet but I'll promise to sift through this book. ;P