Drawing by Observing a Photo I Took Using Mixed Media; Details

Taking the picture

My original idea for this photo is to show the emotion of exhaustion and emotionless with the symbol of the goldfish to relate to my previous painting which is about freedom. The fish scale shows the broken person.

For the model, I decorated I used acrylic paint goldfish on her face and use the plastic bottle to cut into small round pieces and stick them together with hot glue to make fish scales. The place that I choose is in the bath and I use the blue-purple color light to create a down vibe.

Challenges during the process of Props making and Taking pictures.

For the fish scales making, I use the idea of heat-shrink sheets, its activity kit consists of sheets of polystyrene that can be cut with standard household scissors, then heat to make the pieces to be more thick and smooth. but I don't have the heat-shrink sheets so I use plastic bottles. Then I squeeze some time to save plastic battle or any package that is made of plastic.

After that, I realize that if I use hot glue to stick them together it’ will affect the appearance, so I tried to use thread to string them up. but the time will take too long, eventually, I compromise to use hot glue. The outcome was still acceptable at the distance.

The next step is to put them on the model's body, I have difficulty finding a way to stick them on the model, the only way I found out is to use hot glue, so we decided to bear this danger eventually it went quite well, especially those in the model's face.

However, while I took pictures the fish scale stick at the body just fell.

The experience of taking pictures is very fresh. Finding the perfect angle of the portrait and the pose of the model are important elements. Initially, I took about 100 pictures or above but by selecting there are only 30 that can use. During the process, I change the light and focus. The technique of the camera is a blind spot, I don't really have any knowledge to set up the camera so I communicate with my brother who studied those by himself to set up the camera. Mostly I just use the autofocus.

For the painting on the face, I use the foundation mixed with red and yellow acrylic

Process of Drawing

The project is focused on the experience of mixed media and exploring new media.

The media I choose is watercolor and oil pastel.

This is my first time using oil pastel to draw a portrait the challenge is to be used to the texture and color control.

First, I started doing some exercises on my sketchbook trying to figure out what color I was going to use, since oily chalk skin tones are very fake, I tried mixing it with other colors.

Then start the actual one on the watercolor paper.

During I using oil pastels my hands got dirty so I used tapes to protect the other places that I going to draw in watercolor.

Based on the characteristic of the oil pastels and watercolor they couldn’t be mixed.

Because of the mixed media, the paper I select is watercolor paper, so the surface texture of the paper is rough which is making the oil pastel couldn't be able successfully to draw on the paper without showing the pores of the paper. To solve that I need to apply thicker to fill that hole.

The picture above is the back of the portrait which is dark and with a little bit of reflection from the shower curtain. At that part, the gap between the arm and back is the most challenging.

The most detailed part of the painting is her face, and also the most important part of the picture because this will be the first visual focus people will make.

Details are hard to make with the oil pastel, especially those and lips, but the advantage of it is they are retrievable which means if I can change the color that I drew just to scrape off and put the paint again.

To fill these pores there is a difficulty that appears that is the color mixing.

Because the media is oil pastel, I try heavy-pressure blending and fingers to achieve mixed color and focus on the force I put into it, if I put too much force the prose will appear again, so it’s difficult to find the balance.

The picture above is the neck of the portrait, the colors there have a strong contrast with a little gradient from bright to dark, I was having difficulties blending because you can see the color that I used is the low situation and the gradient is also unclear.

Fish scales, the final look of the fish scales is unclear, it’s hard to find the color that can show the texture of fish scales because they are transparent and made of plastic. So eventually it’s hard to tell what is that just by looking at the picture.