AmishCommy's SB - update: 05/22 (Progress Report on various paintings)

**poise** · January 24th, 2006, 02:48 PM

yeah I think that is a good idea arkady. I actually fooled around with it to see how it would look with red in the loin clothe and hair, it does look better.

**natsch** · January 24th, 2006, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by CoNTRoL

you need to work on faces.

Mr. CoNTRoL we seem to agree hear. Perhasp some higher cheek bones and pointier ears would do the trick?

oh and could someone please inform me as to the methdo of increasing ones level? LOL ROFL I need to lower my THAC0!!! (get it???)

EXCELSIOR!!!

**SirGreenSock** · January 24th, 2006, 04:01 PM

Downright awesome stuff, but seems to be the usual for you.

The one thing I love most in your watercolours is that you know which details to put in and which one to leave out while still making a picture that looks finished and polished. Do you use really heavy paper or do you just pool a lot of water, I love some of those "bleed" effects you are achieving.
The medusa looks quite good, was amazing to see the process for it. Its funny, I have the exact same "lighttable" in my room

Some of the colour choices and blends in the medusa remind me a bit of Burt Silverman's work, although not as messy

I agree with the details you say you wanna work on, just be careful not to push it too far, its quite beautiful right now.

**poise** · January 24th, 2006, 04:10 PM

haha Nate you are a funny one. hahah I love the ..EXCELSIOR!!! that is gold.
You post more to raise your level, and what does THACO mean, I don't get it,

SirGreenSocks thank you! I was trying to think of Burt Silverman's name for about 2 weeks now, oy!! today actually too. and you where like a godsent.

sorry Arkady I will stop posting in your thread haha unless it has to do with your artwork. I think this is probably the most I have ever posted in here at a time, I'm just so excited about your new painting thats all.

**SirGreenSock** · January 24th, 2006, 04:22 PM

Haha, no problem Poise. Ive been going over Silvermans work non-stop since September, hes the only reason I started watercolour.
And THACO is from the OLD D&D system, stands for To Hit Armor Class Zero, its been replaced by AC since it was confusing.

And just so Im not spamming the thread, 2 details I noticed on the Medusa. Seems to me her left forearm is a bit long, or maybe the elbow just lacks definition. Other detail is the fact that the figure has really strong lighting and volume, which gets a bit lost in the loincloth. Doesnt stand out too much, just a detail to keep in mind maybe?

**AmishCommy** · January 24th, 2006, 04:27 PM

right now, all these posts and replying to them are the only things keeping me awake. sorry everyone for breaking my no-replies-without-new-art rule.

This medusa piece is a huge file. I'm working at 300dpi and the size is 11x17. luckily i also have a badass printer that can print at 11x17, so as soon as i'm done, prints of it will be available.

**Hiipi** · January 24th, 2006, 04:44 PM

I haven´t written here yet?? Weird...
I´m often here digging your watercolors but haven´t written anything. Hmh.

You know, there´s something about this last medusa piece that I really like over the others... Hope you don´t start hating me right away for saying this BUT I like the desaturated colors in it. You have such a control over watercolor and you make beautiful things with it (and I can not understand how) but often they are a bit too saturated or contrasty to my liking. Your digital stuff is SO different colorwise from your natural stuff just because of this. Natural media you seem to push really saturated.

I don´t mean this as a rant, just a comment that I noticed. Also there was these two pieces where you put texture on top (stolen from Eatpoo) and I liked those! Just today I did for my drawing class so that I went there an hour early to mess up my paper which I was gonna draw on. To have texture. I think it might work well with your watercolors also...

Well don´t mind me too much, you do a great job without me talking here anyway.

**AmishCommy** · January 25th, 2006, 10:33 PM

Nate - hehe, now that you've seen the result i had Medusa, elves are not too far off. EXCELSIOR!!!

Tiff - Thanks for all your help on this. Maybe if i'd worked on it at your place i would have made it suck less. or at least gotten some sleep during the week.

That fat kid - a crush, hehe. too bad you're not a cute girl. then i'd more than welcome the crush.

Tim - hehe, Nate is starting out slow, but i can't wait for him to tear CA a new one.

Sveta - spacibo.

SirGreenSock - thanks dude, I have to check out Silverman's work. I know the name but i can't put a piece to it. Memory playing tricks on me due to lack of sleep.

Hiipi - partially, the colors get oversaturated when i try to fix the crappy photos my camera takes. and partially its my fault. I have some rich pigments and i love yousing them in all their intensity. This may not be the ideal way to paint but i'm still learning. Thanks to some good friends i'm attempting to be more adventurous and break away from the usual routine. It's still gonna take some time bacasue change is hard.

so here is the one i sent in to Spectrum. I put the final layer in the morning in a rush becasue i was late for work. that combined with lack of sleep, and a night of drinking at SoI may not have had the best effect. in retrospect i should have sent in the one from the previous day. here's hoping that last night's changes are not as significant as i feel they are.

and now some sleep. weeeeeee

**vigostar** · January 26th, 2006, 10:24 AM

looks real good man... good luck dude

**ThabisoMhlaba** · January 26th, 2006, 01:52 PM

ahhh another new yorker ^_^
Great stuff

**AmishCommy** · January 26th, 2006, 02:21 PM

Rob, Oki - thanks.

Here is a pic of the model (ms. Barcelona) for the Medusa piece at the SoI, blocking my painting on the wall with her "medusa" hair:

oh and here's you Rob making an appearance:

**winjer** · January 27th, 2006, 09:09 AM

haha wtf you actualy did it in watercolor and redrew it. impressive. the torso has good solidity to it now

**AmishCommy** · January 27th, 2006, 09:53 AM

ya dude, i listen to you. subconsiously you have an effect.

**zeroG** · January 29th, 2006, 02:00 PM

havent posted a whole lot anywhere but i figured id drop you a line and let you know your stuff is amazing
i absolutely think this is some of the better stuff ive seen before and am definately going to subscribe to this one =)
its stuff like this that makes me wish i could get off my lazy ass and start an art group seems really fun
but alas i only know one other person who draws

anyway great stuff again
i wish i could give some advice or critique but looking through this stuff there isnt even one thing throughout all of your stuff that i could even possibly try to critique

keep it up

**AmishCommy** · January 30th, 2006, 12:04 AM

zeroG - thanks. I bet if you look a little harder you'll find a million things wrong to point out. Winjer always does. And starting a sketch group, like most things in life, requires a lot of persistance.

here are some watercolors from last week, mostly poo:

**AmishCommy** · January 31st, 2006, 02:54 AM

weee another lit'l watercolor from this weekend (i was hungover). Shiraj guided me throug a copy of a Velazquez painting (or was it a Rembrant?) we both got bored a minute or two into it:

**adiere** · February 1st, 2006, 07:00 AM

Oh man, I'm in love with your watercolors!
Please give us a tutorial.

**loomer** · February 1st, 2006, 03:52 PM

That's actually an interesting exercise...doing Master oil painting studies in watercolor....kinda cool.
I think the last batch of life studie are good.Really like the top right one, and the last one.
Did you ever try watercolor on a plate surface? Burt Silverman and Irvin Greenberg (i think that was his name) I think Shiraj's current teacher , Dave Soman does too. What they do is use like 3ply bristol plate finish. It allows 'erasing' of sorts, and I've seen some really beautiful results from all the above mentioned guys. I don't know much about it, but I think it would really be worth look into. Even if shiraj could get you in touch with Soman, who I had a teacher back in the day and he's a really cool, smart guy.
I dunno man..either way I see more than anything else an increase in drive and motivation. That's a damn good thing.

**madplanet** · February 1st, 2006, 04:38 PM

Great watercolors; that medusa is a stunner. Of course, she is good subject matter all around. The other figures look really good too, but some of the last ones have a lot going on. It's distracting in a way, but not in a bad way, if you get my meaning.

**AmishCommy** · February 1st, 2006, 11:28 PM

adiere - i don't even know how to go about doing a tut for this. Basically i slap some color in water and hope for the best. I may do a demo for my NYC peeps and if someone has a camera they're free to film it.

Scott - Plate??? is that Hot pressed paper? I think Shiraj said he's bringing that dude to the next Thursday session at SoI. thats on the 16th

That fat kid - unusal mediums?? you mean like salt, or spray? i used all kinds of diffrent stuff in college and tried all sorts of techniques and materials. let me know what you had in mind. The reson i don't try too wild a thing at SoI is becasue there is not enough time or space to. the poses are only 10 or 20 minuts long and there are like 10 people on top of you trying to see and draw at the same time.

madplanet - ya, still working on the whole flooding the paper thing. there's a way to do it to simplify everything and then just focus on the main parts. I still have not figured out how.

last night's hackery. I call January "Wig Month" at the SoI. That blue of the wigs got everywhere:

**poise** · February 1st, 2006, 11:39 PM

Yummy! I love the top right blue wigged lady with the pointy nips. She has even got blue pubic hair, haha!.
Hey you didn't take your drawing I traded with you, and you left some of your sketches at my place. i will bring them by Fri.
see you then,

lovely, just lovely work you watercolor god!

**Deselect** · February 2nd, 2006, 12:18 AM

These are sublime!

I am loving the watercolour studies... Such a great colour palette. A few of them are a bit busy for me, too much colour bursts but most of them are exquisite. I admire how loose you are able to sketch them down.

And that study you did of the face without pencil lines is really great.

Thank you for that.

**VishyP** · February 2nd, 2006, 01:14 AM

cool watercoloring amishcommy

**fooxoo** · February 2nd, 2006, 04:51 AM

I totally love those watercolours, in my opinion it s a hard medium, and you do good in it

Keep it up, cheers.

**AmishCommy** · February 5th, 2006, 04:09 PM

Tiff - yeah i think she put food coloring in her crotch to match the wig.

Deselect - thanks. I've been trying out a different meathod of working with the WC that i'm not used to so that is probably why they are getting busy. maybe one day i'll be good at that too.

VishyP, fooxoo - thank you both.

i threw a little painting party at my house. Winjer, Poise, Snowsfall, Rear Naked Choke, and Natch were there, watching me fail at oils once again.

this is a self portrait attempt. it looked better at one point, in my opinion. (Winjer primed the canvas that ugly blue so i blame him for it sucking!!! at one point i looked like Colossus):

and this is me working over an Art Out Loud 2.0 piece from September:

and the original from september (worked on by Winjer, snowsfall, and kari christensen):

**winjer** · February 5th, 2006, 05:53 PM

i love how that portrait is just like strokes and shit

**natsch** · February 6th, 2006, 03:03 PM

You look pretty serious in that portrait

The reds really bring out the depth in the bridge of the nose and eyes, it looks great

Jaw and neck look a little odd tho - too big / thick for the rest of the face. it looks a little "lundgren-esque"

where's that thunderdome thing I'm supposed to judge?

**AmishCommy** · February 7th, 2006, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by winjer

i love how that portrait is just like strokes and shit

you mean strokes OF shit!!!

Nate - looks like you figured out this whole thunderdome thing. don't hold back on anyone. comic artist all need a good swift kick in the ass.

since i never put the paints away, i dragged out another board from AOL2.0 (the one that we all used as our paint pallete) and started fiddling around with the Super Bowl on in the background. all that jumping and beating each other up on the TV had an effect on waht i saw in the random hapes on the board.

Oils:

Digi overpaint:

**Deselect** · February 7th, 2006, 01:37 AM

Amish, I actually prefer the before image. In this case, I think I pre-paint over has more feeling in the strokes and paint. True, a few places are a bit weak/unfinished, but the digi just isn't doing it for me here.

Let's see some more work on it, I know it will turn out very nicely with a bit more time.

**AmishCommy** · February 7th, 2006, 02:14 AM

Deselect - ya i agree with you 100%. I like some of the things happening in the digital one but i think that initially i intended to use PS to work out some elemnts and then try to replicate it on the board in oils.

here's some more digi work for tonite: