Raimo's Point of View

Raimo's Point of View (Pencil)

Our school's photography teacher Raimo asked me to do a portrait of him for his anniversary. He wanted his portrait to be unconventional and mentioned some artists that he likes. One of those artist was Salvador Dali and for these first sketches I used some details straight from Dali's works to study his style. Raimo was also kind enough to get me some photos of him to use as a model for the portrait. There's some resemblance already in the first sketches and that gives me hope for the future work. I've noticed that some people are just easier to draw(unlike my sister) and luckily Raimo is one of those people. I'm not sure if this is just my imagination or not. It could also depend on the photo or the day.

I think that the final work will be an acrylic painting, but before I get there I think I'm going to do many more sketches. I have to think about the things I want to show and what influences of Dali will there be. Also the composition is really important and I have to think about it carefully.

This project feels very inspiring to me because I get to be creative and do lots of sketches and use different techniques. This is also a very challenging project, because I'm not used to painting portraits. I will be posting more sketches as I go on.

Off the Top of My Head

Watching TV (black fine liner, watercolor)

This time I was trying to draw something without thinking about it. It was quite fun and relaxing and I was watching TV at the same time. Not sure where all the ideas came from. Unfortunately I don't remember what was on TV, but I think it didn't have much effect on me. I added some color later to make the sketch look more interesting and to make some details pop out more.

Not Quite the Sister I Know

Something Familiar ( ballpoint pen, pencil)

My sister asked me if I could draw a picture of her. Well, apparently I can't! There's something right about the bigger sketch, but still something very wrong. First I drew a quick, 15 minute sketch of her with a ballpoint pen, but the proportions looked funny. Then I took a pen and used a bit longer to draw another sketch. I guess I have to do few more, because she looks way better in the original photo.

Laa-Laa and Tinky Winky

Last weekend I was visiting at my parents' house and couldn't resist this view. There really was two Teletubbies sitting on a pink chair in the living room. Everything else looked brown so these two cuties were a refreshing and a bit surprising sight. There are always grandchildren visiting my parents, so I guess toys just have to be ready for action at all times.

The situation was also interesting, because I was in a hurry and my aunt was looking closely over my shoulder the whole time. She also commented my work while I was doing it. Luckily the feedback was positive so I didn't feel crushed. Drawing and painting can be scary enough without anybody watching. There's something I have to remember as a teacher.

I drew this sketch with a ballpoint pen, so there might be some oddities with the proportions. I knew from the start that I wanted to use colors with this work because of the bright Teletubbies, and couldn't wait to get to the coloring part.
I've noticed that I love watercolors. Actually, I think I have to go paint something now...

Interior Design at It's Best (ballpoint pen, watercolor)

Blown Cover

The Cover (ink)

Here's one sketch I made with white ink. It's the new cover of my sketchbook. I didn't have to stress about it at all. Just started to draw and had fun with it.

Finding Courage

In a Bubble (ink)

One day I just started doodling. Nowadays when I draw I always have some kind of a goal, so sometimes it's refreshing to draw something pointless. The more I drew the easier it got. Suddenly I realized that I could draw anything that came to my mind. I didn't have to think about whether my drawings go together with everything else I had drawn. But it was surprisingly hard for me to forget about the end result. Thoughts about terrible looking page in my dear sketchbook kept popping to my mind. But as I said, it got easier when I drew more weird stuff.

I definitely have to do pages like this more. I have this strange belief that the more I struggle with my drawings the more it helps me to become a better drawer. Or it might be that I'm just torturing myself for nothing... We'll see. After all I've heard that there's no art without courage and I'm brave enough to suffer a little. I'm just getting there one step at a time.

Well Hello There, Mister!

Something Green (watercolor)

Last week I bought a Derwent water mister to use for my watercolor sketches. It's easy to take with you because it's so small and I needed a water supply for sketching trips. I mixed a nice green color and started to spray it around. My first test looked like this. Now I have one more background ready for action!

Once Upon a Time in Ullava

Tuta (pencil)

This sketch was made from an old photo I found. The young man in the picture was my grandfather or tuta as we called him. I think that photo was taken in a small town called Ullava, but I can't be sure. I started drawing from tuta and that was not a good idea because I'm right handed and I had to draw him few times because my hand kept smudging him. As I moved left my drawing started to change and it became sketchier. I think I actually like it better because it looks more effortless.

A Room with a View

A Room with a View (ballpoint pen)

For a long time I've been meaning to draw the view from my office. I think it looks interesting because of all the roofs you can see at a glance. I made this quick sketch with a ballpoint pen and decided to color it later with watercolors. Just wanted to show it before coloring. Who knows how long it will take.