JackEb's journey of a newbie

so the surgery went well on both eyes and I'm largely spectacle free unless I'm on the computer, one eye far sighted, the other eye near sighted.... a bit of a 'no mans land' at arms length, but that's ok by me.... best part of 50yrs wearing thick glasses to wearing nothing 90% of the time..... I think I can tolerate glasses for screen time lol.

so xmas 2015 came and went and due to mismatched eyes in between surgeries I didn't get any painting done, so once silly season was over and done with I decided on my next self challenge.....

HAIR.....
oh dear........

I decided on the free Cameron Diaz portrait from Airbrush tutor, grabbed some printer paper and the reference and away I went (still with the HP-B+, the holy grail Micron was still in its pretty red box. )

what started at just a bit of playing around with hair, turned into ..... why not do the whole thing..............

This was 6th Jan 2015

06Jan2016.JPG


Did I mention this is still fun ??

FYI Printer paper sux !! was a good learning session, but printer paper SUX, cos its all going so well but you can only take it so far......

PRINTER PAPER SUX !!
 
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ok, so the hunt was on..................
clayboard is amazing to work on, but not very well priced here in the land down under, and even harder to find.....

hunting .......... hunting.......... Yupo ?? !! YIKES........ I might as well buy clayboard LOL

I fell on a small company that's sells 'duracopy' synthetic paper..... aimed at business, not so much artwork, but the owner actually contacted me after I asked for some samples, we chatted about what I wanted to use it for and it turns out that he use to import airbrushes into Australia way back in the dark times, but the interest wasn't there..........
anyway, long story short, he sent me several samples of the synthetic paper, and a few other pieces he thought I may be able to make use of........

BINGO.......... we have a winner.... A4 and A3 synthetic paper......... LOVE IT, A4 works out at AU$1 per sheet A3 a little dearer obviously.........

Buckle up Diaz, I'm coming back for round two.......
this was 31 Jan 2015

31Jan2016.jpg


not perfect, far from it, but this paper is amazing to work on.......
 
ok, so the hunt was on..................
clayboard is amazing to work on, but not very well priced here in the land down under, and even harder to find.....

hunting .......... hunting.......... Yupo ?? !! YIKES........ I might as well buy clayboard LOL

I fell on a small company that's sells 'duracopy' synthetic paper..... aimed at business, not so much artwork, but the owner actually contacted me after I asked for some samples, we chatted about what I wanted to use it for and it turns out that he use to import airbrushes into Australia way back in the dark times, but the interest wasn't there..........
anyway, long story short, he sent me several samples of the synthetic paper, and a few other pieces he thought I may be able to make use of........

BINGO.......... we have a winner.... A4 and A3 synthetic paper......... LOVE IT, A4 works out at AU$1 per sheet A3 a little dearer obviously.........

Buckle up Diaz, I'm coming back for round two.......
this was 31 Jan 2015

View attachment 41871


not perfect, far from it, but this paper is amazing to work on.......
Looks like you cracked it with the paper , and the portrait is spot on :)
 
Looks like you cracked it with the paper , and the portrait is spot on :)
Aww shucks, thanks Bean. There are so many things wrong with the portrait but I accept its a good starter piece.
The 'paper' is taking the Etac EFX well. Scratching is easy and if I'm light handed enough I can remove only one layer of paint, not go down to the paper. The top of her hair came out well. The bits on her shoulders I got a little carried away ......
But it was FUN


And there you have it folks.
My art adventures in a nutshell !!
Other than the odd sheet of dots and daggers this is all that I've managed to do in the 4 years since joining this place in early 2012.

I started as someone who had no drawing skill and no art knowledge at all, but with the help of all the wonderful people on the forum and the shoulder of our beloved @Squishy, I was provided with all the confirmation i needed that I was headed in the right direction.

Like many here, I'm proof that anyone can produce something acceptable

Stay tuned.... Paint Pal 9 is on the easel for the weekend...... Then the dragon challenge....
But you won't see either for a few weeks lol
 
Hey Jackster, I've loved seeing your progression, and finding a brother from another mother on the other side of the world.

I know the setbacks and difficulties you've had along the way, and I have nothing but admiration for your persistence and determination. You got chesticles for sure.

Four years may have passed, but l know your actual painting time can be measured in months, and you've come such a long way. I hope you're as proud of yourself as I am.

My shoulder is here any time, not that you need it. You're an inspiration to me and many others at what can be achieved when you are determined.

Sorry to be girly and soppy, but I figure you cant kick me from there Bro LOL .
 
Lol, @Squishy , " persistence and determination " that sounds so much better than a 'stubborn old cow"

I look at you as a mentor @Squishy. You really are a brother from another mother and over the years we've learnt just how similar our lives and personalities are, and that in its self is a comfort knowing I'm not the only odd ball in the asylum. It's been a real help knowing there is an entire 'family' out there to guide you along the way.

As for not being able to kick you from here, I can soon make a voodoo doll, !!

I posted this so that other newbies can take a snapshot of time and include dates so they can take to get a feel for how the journey can progress. Hand on heart, these are the only squirts of paint I have done, and I'm amazed at how quickly 'it clicked'

I'll keep adding to it as I go, its a nice visual reminder of the journey.
 
Lol. I've ben called a lot of things, mentor isn't one of them PMSL!

And stop jabbing pins in me, I keep twitching and getting funny looks. Mind you that's been happening for a while....when did you make that doll again lol lol lol.

Really looking forward to seeing what comes next with this new paper, Cameron looks fab, now I'm getting excited for the dragon :D
 
Good fun read and the stuff you are cracking out "without an artistic bone in your body" I suspect the problem is more you don't know quite how many of your bones are artistic... :)
 
ok, so what now.....

too late, by the time I'd wondered what to paint next, Mr.Micron announced a Paint Pal 6.....
OMG, should I ....... could I....... its so small..........

oh what the hell, why not......

@Nada was my first victim...... sorry Nada, ready or not its headed your way.......

View attachment 41865



Hey, this is FUN...... go figure........... I cant draw for peanuts, but any one can see its a flower.........
This sat on my fireplace mantel, until Alli hung it in the old Art room. And it will be displayed in the new one when its done!
 
ok, time for some updates....... I really must remember to come back and add stuff in here :confused:
I bought some etac paints, and decided to have a play, it didn't get finished, I got carried away with the scalpel when I was cutting out for the flower and cut into the board, no doubt I will finish it off at some point.

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Paint Pal 9 : March 2016
@Micha der Wolf inspired this one, he did a larger Marlene Dietrich portrait that I thought was amazing, so I thought I'd take a little snippet of it and use it as a paint pal......

Off to CALz AyrWKz it went.......

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Hey Jackster! Good to see this thread again. It reminds me I have an old neglected thread around here somewhere. I'll have to check it to see if I actually came good on any of the goals I set lol. (I think possibly not, so a trip to the naughty step is likely)

Ember is a very proud member of my dragon family, and looks as good as ever.
 
Great to see you've updated your thread Jackie, Great to see how you have progressed over the years, your doing great. I never did a thread of my own as i would never update it.

Lee
 
lookin good jack, i used to just hang a roll of paper towels from the top of the easel, spray a bit of adhesive to the back, and practice daggers and pulling lines for a month or two until i felt confident. and a good compressor and tank with a constant pressure of air is a must. keep it up
 
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