Creative Confidence & Tech Tips for Creating!

““It takes vision and courage to create - it takes faith and courage to prove.” ”
— Owen D. Young
FireFox Acrylic on Birch - 16"x20" (Loyalist Acrylic Confidence workshop demo)

FireFox Acrylic on Birch - 16"x20" (Loyalist Acrylic Confidence workshop demo)

When I have an idea, I start gathering reference photography. Sometimes I use photoshop to tweak, hybrid and create some new visual. It could simply be cropping images or exaggerating the colour/contrast. The result will be a lot of research and an image that feels right for a drawing/painting composition. Once desire creates that tension (aka. I NEED to create this into reality), I put out materials that I feel will support the vision ...

Yet even though I choose materials based on what I know they are and can do, I often don't know exactly what the outcome will be. This experimental attitude, that every piece I create is a step forward into an unknown and evolving conversation, I believe that because I am open to this reality is part of why my art often works out. The other part is a mixture of believing I could possibly do it combined with all that curiosity and excitement .... I won't know unless I try and just DO IT!

Self-confidence grows every time you keep a promise to yourself” —Asha Dornfest

The 'FireFox' painting above is a demo from my last Loyalist workshop, Acrylic Confidence: The Bold Basics'. My lesson plan was no different for teaching as it would be for my own work. I chose a reference that I was excited to create, despite any intimidations or challenges. There were of course a few hurdles I knew I'd have to climb (and lead the way for others) but I had a plan and a desire.... From there, the tension naturally overwhelmed the fear. The awe, wonder and excitement trumped any doubt and risk. This is courage at it's best.

A lot of the artists who took this class were first time painters. Many were almost finished a 16"x20" painting after working hard for 2 days. So proud!!!! They are now all POSSIBILITARIANS as they experienced first hand what can happen when you challenge yourself to try something you didn't think you could ever do!

“Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks on great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself.” -Cicero

I promised to nurture that courage. Of course, there are many ingredients that make up courage - aside to the willingness to be open, authenticity, trusting inevitable progress, and work really hard - I provided material knowledge and preliminary thought into a plan (although we we open! we made a lot of decisions and experimented based on brilliant ideas that came up as we went along), communicated and took it slow - a journey we took step by step together. Check out how they all took it from there and soared high! Their work is inspiring, and very much proof that spirit can be nurtured. xoxo

Patience, trust, persistence! - claudia jean mccabe

unnamed (5).jpg

Tech Tips for creating - start to finish!

  • Use standard sizes of supports right from the start, to ease the costs of potential framing.

  • Always photograph work as soon as you think it's 'finished', before framing and any kind of varnishing. It's a great way to reassure that decision, and if you use a good camera, it can go right into the archive.

  • Always paint the edges of canvas and cradled panels. I'll use a neutral colour that can often be found within the art which helps ground the work. My go-to's are payne's grey, carbon black and sometimes gold (which is semi-opaque and requires a couple layers).

  • Practice a signature regardless of media. If it's mixed media, I'll use a carbon pencil. When using paint, I choose a neutral colour similar to painting the edges or a couple shades darker or a lighter tint than the colour in the area I want to sign.

  • I used to flip flop - sometimes signing on the back, sometimes on the front, but after working in framing and realizing that the back get covered most of the time, I have started making an effort to sign on the front regardless of texture, medium ect.

  • Sign work on the front 1" in from all edges, no matter the support (ie. paper or panel), as both a mat or a frame naturally covers 1/4" of all edges. This is VERY IMPORTANT! If you take that into account, your signature will always look proportionate within the whole space and you won't run the risk of your signature looking cut off.

  • In regards to varnishing Acrylic art: There is too much controversy over this, and until more research is done, I won't be buying any specific varnish product. If anything, I will use a regular Polymer Medium to unify the sheen.

  • In regards to varnishing Mixed Media art: I have always and only ever used the tried & true Krylon Crystal Clear spray varnish, which is designed for all media. I shake the can well and spray many light misty veil layers only to set the media and never with the intention of creating a thick shellac-like barrier. This delicate approach still often changes the media, especially darkening lighter colours, and I accept that 100%. I'll go back in to sharpen if needed, but it's possibly why I use extreme high contrast to begin with (omg I just realized that!!!)

  • If you are wiring a canvas yourself, use d-ring hooks and appropriate wire. Here's a great article, and if ever in doubt, any frame shop can do it for a reasonable price.

  • Choose a framer you trust! Framing has a unique approach to design, and when done right, it will heighten the quality of your work and most importantly, protect it. I often recycle old frames, or buy them on sale, yet I replace components with acid-free matting and UV protective glass, with spacers for mixed media work. Expect to spend no less than $100 for custom framing, and build that into your cost if you are selling.

  • If you ever want/need framing advice, or have ?'s, I'm happy to help :)

Art Progression and Comparison

It started off as the usual pet portrait commission of a cat named Teacup. The same buyer then asked me for another, and another. That's three in total, in the same medium and with the same reference. I pondered the sequential requests that night and weighed my thoughts out. Aside to a nagging belief that drawing the same thing is boring and (besides) I can’t draw the same thing twice, there were all pros to do it. It was a challenge, more money, a nice patron who was sending other commission requests my way, but most of all - Teacup was old and sick. I so respect that she wanted original drawings, when she could have just scanned and made prints of the first one … obviously this cat means as much to her, as my cats mean to me.

So now that I have rendered 3 x Teacups, I can’t help but be curious of the similarities and differences.

Teacup comparison

Teacup comparison

I love the first one - it’s a loose and expressive style with a lot of raw energy. I referenced a b&w photocopy, and went at it with my usual process - all over charcoal powder and lots of eraser removal to reveal form.

The second portrait happened during a shift in my art journey where I was bored with charcoal and my process, and intended to push myself. So I approached the middle one differently, using selective charcoal powder and carbon pencil instead of charcoal pencil. The whites were a lot crisper and cleaner because of that, as well the carbon pencil is much harder than charcoal, so the mid values were better and the overall was much softer (I did use compressed charcoal when I wanted a darker value than 6B carbon). The form is better as I caught little things from looking at the first one i.e.. the proportion of the eye and the definition between face and body on the right side. I referenced the colour photo at the end, which led to a greater understanding of the form thus some adjustment and recovery. I realize now that details do get lost when you convert a photo to black and white. I used to convert the reference to monochromatic to help me and avoid distraction of the colour - but that doesn’t serve me anymore.

Reference Photo of Teacup

Reference Photo of Teacup

With the third one, I was much more familiar with the subject, and focused more on form, depth and value. More focus on the subtle details (cheek, whisker follicles), angle of the face, depth of the body, variations in the fur. I was thinking even more clearly about technique and process that started to develop with the second, so there was still some trail and error but all in all it seemed like a natural progression. I referenced the colour photo more throughout, using my own judgement and understanding of the values, and found this works better for me now. The carbon line work is minimal yet still sculptural. Not sure why but it seems I achieved more with less!

When I compare all three to the original photo reference now, it’s interesting that no matter the process and markmaking, capturing likeness and personality is achievable if you get the proportions right. There are aspects in each of them that I like, yet feel I learned the most in the second portrait. Until now, I preferred a more intuitive approach, that planning interferes with spontaneous energy of a work. It can, but I certainly see the value in working past that. Perhaps this experience will bring me closer to developing some conceptual abilities as I would really like to explore creating beyond my observational skills. It would be nice to break new ground! Thanks Teacup xoxo