Exhibition of the Drawing Course - my first exhibition?

Then, after (practically) 3 years of drawing course with Professor Micael , we had our first exhibition. As I said in older posts, practically all my life I took drawing courses . However, it was only when I was finishing college in 2013 that it started to get clear to me how much I wanted to work with, specifically. From this, I have taken courses in drawing techniques every year, determined to always improve. And exactly where I decided that drawing would truly be part of my life, was the place my teacher chose for our exhibition: at the University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) here in our city (CARVI), exactly in the Design in which I studied.

I had participated in some exhibitions before, with the other drawing courses I did. But, I want to consider this as the first one in fact, because it is the first time that I expose works that are my creations , not just reproductions of photographs. These are works that, although I have used photographic references, or have been inspired by the photos themselves, such as the Swan Queen and the portraits - Andressa Damiani , Emilie Autmun and Zakk Wylde , were the first to be able to leave my face "With some particular expression of mine.

The exhibition would be about the first three techniques studied - graphite, crayons and watercolor . So, with the help of my teacher, I chose 7 designs developed over the last two years, which we believe would sum up my production so far. Not that there was so much content to summarize, but I only put on the exhibition those who really made me proud and completely satisfied - all well known to those who have been with me for some time.

Of course I did a few records of my exposed works, as well as those of my colleagues. It's all in this little gallery ^ _ ^:

Finally! The return of the blog and news for 2017

First, my sincere apologies for the endless days when this blog got into maintenance mode. Of course, thousands of apologies will not go far for Google searches that ended up nowhere, but it was all for a good cause.

For those who are already a blog reader, you will notice some differences in functionality. I had been bothering enough for a long time, and, perfectionist as I am, I could not post posts until I adjusted all the details of the layout, usability, mobile view and even the new illustrations I wanted to add on the pages. Besides, I have a very important news for this year: our team has GROWN! : D

Now, in addition to my assistant Blank Infinity, her trainee (the white bat John Michael), we have a second intern: Sharon a lovely female vampire bat.

But of course I, dividing myself into 3 other personifications of myself, are not truly an increase in team. I was referring, in fact, to the new collaborator of the blog, Gabi: D

Introducing Gabi Xavier

Our newest and probably most valuable blog contributor will fill the Infinite Labyrinth with artistic, mystical, apocalyptic, or inspirational content (or all of that together).

Gabi is from Natal - RN (that is, we live in exactly opposite corners of Brazil), and graduated in Visual Arts from UFRN. He works in a public school, and when he is not in the classroom anarchizing the current teaching system, he likes to paint, draw, create stories and make handicrafts. Now she will also add content here on the blog.

His works reflect his taste for esotericism, astronomy, animals, mysticism and cinema. Also in love with sci fi, steampunk and cyberpunk. He loves all subjects involving art and human subjectivity.

Gabi, just like Emmy, is concerned about sharing relevant content on the internet. So together, we will present our projects, our inspirations, tips and techniques for those who love art and also want to participate in our artistic world in which our creativity dictates all the rules.

For those who want to know a little more about Gabi's work, there are wonderful creations to admire, while our true first post of the year is ready: D

How to apply gold leaf in watercolor - Tutorial

Hi people! Today I brought a tutorial pro blog that was in my head for a long time. At Instagram, I follow many gringo artists and realized that many of them use golden leaf in the illustrations . It caught my attention because I use a very mixed technique in my paintings.

I have researched YouTube on the technique of gold leafing and I have listed all the material needed to perform it. The gold foliage was used in sculptures (gilded carving) much used in the time of the baroque , where the sculptor carved the wood and later covered the piece with gold films. It was widely used inside churches in altars and ornamental pieces .

For this tutorial you will need: mordant varnish, gold leaves, and some other varnish to finish the illustration , as the gilding can oxidize with time and the varnish will preserve its work. In my case, I bought a varnish for the Talens watercolor. Another observation: I used imitation gold leaves because the originals are very expensive. The effect is basically the same. The 14 × 14 cm 25-note pad yields a lot since I use it only in detail in the paintings. The links where I bought the material are at the end of the post.

So I first completed my painting (it is an illustration for my constellation series, Cassiopeia) and left blank the space where I would like to apply the film. The mordant varnish, if applied over the paint, clears the watercolor, so it is important to leave unpainted spaces where you want to apply it .

Application

With a thin brush, apply the varnish to the desired area . To do this, separate a brush just to use with it , as the bristles stick together over time.The mordant varnish has a very liquid consistency, so I usually put a little of it in the cap to help the application.

For the application of the sheets, close the windows where you are, as a slight wind doubles the entire sheet. They are very thin and rip easily . As they stick to anything that has a trace of fat, apply talcum powder at your fingertips to make it easier to handle - but since there was no talc here at home and I was too lazy to go out and buy it, I was in the same race. I scraped the small pieces with the scissors and waited for the glue point of the varnish (while you cut the pieces you want to use, the varnish is sticky and ready to receive the sheet, which takes only a few minutes).

With a soft brush, attach the leaves to the varnish and then gently rub the brush across the area. The parts of the sheet that have not been glued detach, leaving only the shape of the drawing . Apply the varnish to the watercolor, thus finalizing the process. As with the handling of the mordant varnish, the watercolor varnish requires a brush only for the applique because the bristles become hard after use.

The final result of the application is this below. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Any questions leave in the comments that I will answer :)

Artist's Alley on 27th Animextreme, I'm going to participate!

The event is in October (1 month !!) in Porto Alegre, FIERGS. It's the first Artist's Alley I play , although I've been to NerdLand twice here in Bento - which is an event with a similar theme, only minor. And it was precisely because of NerLand that I decided to go into it and book the table at Animextreme: my experience with this year's event was VERY cool, people responded very positively to my work, and to the Sailors project I'm doing with to Gabi . So, I thought, who knows, I might risk a slightly bigger event ?

I think maybe this is a great opportunity for me to be in a bigger event, with more people, and personally showing my art (and all my love for Sailor Moon ♥) . I can not help saying that I'm a bit nervous about this; I really hope that the audience of the event likes Sailor Moon (ideally, more than they like the crowd of invited Youtubers ), since the one who had the childhood after the years 90 is not exactly familiar to this anime. But I'm positive, and who knows, I convince some young people that Sailor Moon is incredible (♥♥).

Of course I have a little cold in the belly with the whole situation, and I'm running to finish all the Sailors and prepare some wonderful prints to launch there. My goal is to finish a few more for the Sailor Drops Project , and as soon as the prints are ready, I'm going to publish some photos here to advertise:

If you have questions, suggestions and TIPS FOR ME (!) About the event, please put all that there in the comments. Thank you so much ♥♥♥

Polychromos - Faber Castell- Conclusions and present for download

For months now I have been planning to publish this review regarding Fabrick Castell's Polychromos line, and finally, now, I have managed to finish it. In a way, I think it was good even my little ( small ? / Laughs) delay, since I have already been able to use my palette in many works and I am absolutely sure that they are the best crayons there are. Want to know why? So come on.

Polychromos is Faber Castell's professional color pencil line. They come with the proposition of being permanent, resistant to water, not to vanish and have very resistant tips. After a year of use, I can confirm all this. In fact, the tips are so sturdy, that they never broke when falling to the floor (and unfortunately I let that happen often). This also makes them very easy to aim with a stylus, since, along with soft wood, it is not necessary to apply force that could cause the tip to break.

Polychromos x Albrecht Dürer

The colors are the same, by nomenclature, as the pallets Albrecht Dürer (AD). As of the latter I have only 36, I can not compare all, but I can already have a concrete idea of ​​the comparison between colors. Polychromoshave very vibrant colors, easy to apply, but they are not as pigmented as AD watercolors. The following image has some examples:

Still, Polychromos offer excellent coverage, especially from the second layer of color . And my favorite part: it accepts infinite layers , and the color continues to merge perfectly with the ones below. Of courseinfinite is a figurative way of speaking, but so far, in all my works, I have been able to apply many layers myself .Even when the area seems saturated, in which a school pencil would have no more effect, it is possible to apply colors with traces in medium pressure.

In my paintings with crayons, I like to completely erase (or as much as possible) the texture of the paper .The most efficient way to do this is obviously using a plain paper. But still, depending on the pressure used, the characteristic texture of painting with pencil appears. Therefore, I always try to use more than one layer in all areas of the drawing, and, as I get closer to the result I want, I apply the last layer with greater pressure, to completely close all the small white spaces that could still be there.

esistance to light

The lightfastness classification of Faber-Castell pencils is as follows:

*** = Maximum resistance. It means that the color of the painting lasts 100 years or more without fading.
** = Very good resistance. Lasts 25 years or more without fading.
* = Good resistance. Lasts 5 years or more without fading.

The vast majority of Polychromos are classified with maximum resistance (***), which are 102 of them.Only 2 are rated with resistance of only 5 years or more, which are the colors # 119 Light Magenta , and # 155 Manganese Violet .

Next, I put Faber Castell's entire table in pdf, from the original site of the brand , with the spaces to paint the table of colors (this makes it much easier to paint the drawings).

Conclusions and present for download

I will reaffirm what I said at the beginning of this review: Polychromos are the best colored pencils in the world . I've tested several brands, and those are undoubtedly the ones that made me more satisfied with the result (and I'm a boring person). I bought the 60 color palette and maybe one day I won as a gift invest in one of 120. But, at the moment, the 60 colors are more than enough; even because it contains some nuances that I do not use (and I think I'll never use it), and I even replaced them with single colors that I ordered from the palette of 120.

As I use them VERY much, my favorite colors are already very small, but for this very reason I took the opportunity to order 3 to 5 units of each one. I even recommend buying single pencils on international websites, because the price here in BR is exorbitant.

And also, I changed the color chart pattern I introduced in my first reviews. I did something more functionalnow, which can be downloaded, printed and painted according to the colors you have. They were small, but it's just a quick reference that should fit in the box (it has to fold once).

A great experience on my first Artist's Alley, and first Animextreme not even that great

On the weekend of days 7 and 8 (2 weeks or so), I attended the first Artist's Alley of my life . I will tell you here why I found the experience so cool, and at the same time, not so much .

I had already participated in Anime / Nerd events here in the city (Bento Gonçalves), which is an interior and people are still slightly more closed to these things (I thought). But as the public response here to my work was very positive, I figured that in a larger event it would be even better . You know nothing, Jon Snow.

I'll start by saying what was good about the event. Why, despite my final criticisms, I loved having participated!And I might even say that I intend to go again. But let's leave the conclusions to the end.

Great # 1: There are amazing artists very close to me

Yes! I met many incredible talented artists , with great initiatives and ideas, that are right here in RS and had never seen anything about them. So regardless of any result, I met new art buds , more experienced people in the artistic life who shared many tips with me.

The first one was Camila Raposa , who had the table right next to ours - yes, of course: I took my squire, Pauline (best sister) to help me with that. Camila does some wonderful watercolors, and is almost the human printer of the characters. She does everything so beautiful and produces SO MUCH that I found it extremely positive to talk to her about it.

Another artist I met there, with a job that I loved VERY, went to Nanda Passos . In fact, I have already saved the references for a future inspirational post.This post on Thiago Krening's Instagram on the event, which I left here, is a great summary of the coolest things about Artist's Alley.

At the end of Sunday, it was my favorite part of the whole experience, in which we exchanged gear with one another. This contributed very positively to my magnetic wall. Now it's getting wonderful:

Blank Infinity and Gabi's Jupiter now have these wonderful prints of Carol and Nanda . I found it very wasteful to stick the stickers somewhere, so I left Thiago , Camila and Capivarinha on the mural as well. There are also the cards of Bruna and Jakie , which I found valid to use as decoration. Was not it beautiful? (I.e.

Great # 2: Many new people got to know my work

This, undoubtedly, was one of the best things, and I can count on the finished goal. This contact with new people has already given me great partnerships, as well as a very positive result after the event - I was so happy with who scored me in the sotries with the prints! ♥

I was also very happy that Blank Infinity pleased so many people . This, of course, brought me many new project ideas with her, as well as other characters of mine that I still want to work on. As for the audience that actually stopped at my desk and was interested in the work, it was really a director for me.

Great # 3: These cosplays

The cosplayers are Liadan Soul (Super Sailor Moon), Dryade (Venus) and Slyth Salaz (Pluto).

But what was so bad, then?

I think I can sum it up in one word: YOUTUBERS .

Yeah, and I'll explain.

It is undeniable that Youtubers are now the "new celebrities" and that they attract crowds. I myself very much like to follow channels of countless themes - from supernatural news to beauty tips, going through, of course, the many artist channels I like. So what could go wrong in inviting only Youtubers with over 5 million subscribers each?

The answer is: CONTEXT . In an event that is defined as the largest GEEK event in southern Brazil, called ANIME XTREME, we want to see what? Nerdices and Japanese culture, maybe? Everything related to anime and series, maybe? Scribes and writers, yes or no? Yeah.

I identified only 2 voice actors at the event's "line up," and they were still scheduled for a timetable that was basically only the exhibitors and themselves on the spot (1pm). Most of the guests I saw listed on the schedule were Youtubers I had never heard of - and for an obvious reason. In a quick search on each of them, I saw that some of them even were on the subject, like Haru and Satty. So, we get into the final balance of official photographs, and what do we have?

My art, a few years and now

In the last months of 2017 I finally got as close to the result I always imagined for my drawings. I finally start to get things done that really are how I wish they were. The ideas, the composition, the colors, the drawing and the painting. I am fully aware that this is not the end of my studies in drawing - since it is impossible for us to stop studying something in which we want to improve forever - but it is the beginning of a stage in which I dreamed my whole life to achieve: my own artistic style .

Yes, the very dreamed style itself . Now that I really know what I'm doing, I no longer feel that absurd fear of blank paper, nor that constant dread of not being able to trace what I'm imagining, or, even worse, having the perfect reference and not being able to use it (this is awful, anyone who has gone through this tastes very well), I can finally work to shape the style of my art . But this post is not about that.

I want to share, in this first post of the year, my evolution in drawing and painting. Many people admire things I do, and some sometimes (unfortunately it happens a lot) feel bad to see works that they consider very good, mine or even of other artists, usually summarizing the situation with phrases like "I will never get there". My goal in showing what comes next is that there is no magic gift , there is no novena, astral map, request to shooting star to accomplish this. The right word is dedication , hard work , persistence - I think the latter fits perfectly. Persistence.

Artists who are better, more experienced, more creative than we should be a source of inspiration, not frustration ! Because everyone drew ill one day, and persisting we can improve noticeably . And this post will prove it! LET'S GO.

When I thought I already knew how to draw (2010)

This drawing I did in second year of college. We should do human figure sketches or something, so I chose Alissa White-Gluz. All in graphite 2b, 6b, something else darker and crayons in some parts.

So I decided that I SHOULD know how to draw, once and for all (2013)

It was my senior year of college, and I had some free time because I had quit my job. I decided I would draw something every day, every day, and who knows, I would learn to draw better and faster. I still had a hard time with a human figure, and I could not always reproduce the reference images. This project was inspiring at first, but in the end it became a complete frustration . I left before the end of the year.

I resumed drawing courses (2014 until 2016)

I was still pretty frustrated with my slow or non-existent design development. The college was over, and now I would have time to spend my evenings on some course. It was by indicating a friend that I arrived at the course of Micael (my current teacher) . I really thought I knew all the principles of good design, but I thought that taking the course from the most basic level would not hurt anyone. And that's what I did.

At the end of 2014 I managed to reproduce perfectly, without suffering, this Emilie here, and this motivated meto continue drawing 

From then on, I began to work with new references, but always trying to modify or create something over the images that I drew to study. My favorites of 2015 and 2016 are the first 3 "bird women" (this series has never been given a decent name). I also made an illustration that would be the first of my series of signs; I tell you, in my first review on watercolor papers , why I take so long to continue this series. In the meantime, my way of drawing and painting also evolved, so I rephrased what I intended for this series, and that Pisces image will also be redone later.

NOW GOING (2017 and 2018)

In 2017, I produced 7 Sailor Moon character arts for the Sailor Moon Drops project with Gabi Xavier . From the first to the last Sailor I drew, I think I've had a remarkable improvement, although my favorite art so far is, without any comparison, the Aries painting.

I am positive that in 2018 I will be able to solve small things in which I still have difficulties, such as certain positions of face and hands, I want to lose the fear of adding contrast in the paintings, and who knows how to learn a new painting technique! But for this post, is the final summary of my evolution:

I hope, with this post, to have inspired new artists in the arts of persistence while learning drawing. I hope my next post on this topic is how I learned human figure to the point of drawing any hand pose without needing reference (!). And feel free to ask and comment on any stage of these learning years: D