Your paintings have a unique style accompanied with stories.They are enjoyed by the whole TB community. What inspires you to paint this way? Hi Dave! I guess I am just a story teller at heart and love to express it in pictures, (now that I can on TB), and maybe I just love to talk as well! My pics are all in story book style you may notice, but one day I will be advancing to copying photos of real people as well. When I retire there will be time and energy for that.
This is how my story book art "evolves". (narrative art is how one TBer describes it and he knows about these things. He also had another fancy name for it but I can't remember what it was as it has been wiped out by the giant bug). Everything I do is completely out of my imagination unless I state otherwise. When I say "No Ref Used" it means that it is all imaginary and I didn't copy anything.
I start moving the mouse and forming the shape of a face, and this is always in practice mode as I never ever have anything in mind when I start to draw. (I tried that way several times and it was hopeless and I couldn't draw anything, couldn't even make a start. A mental block I think)! By the way, I hardly ever sketch the picture first. I just use wide bands of colour to form parts and use the wet finger blender to alter shapes if necessary. It does not work out so well for me if I make a sketch. Sometimes general types of "rules' are not suited to various artists.
I then start the features and putting an expression through the eyes, mouth and shape of the face. As I see what is emerging it starts triggering memories of happenings in my life or in other people's lives. I start thinking more about those happenings or situations and this comes out more and more as I draw. When I have
finished the person with all the lighting, shaping, shadows etc, I then have to try to put an appropriate background. (sometimes that is very hard for me). By this time all my thoughts are tumbling about in my mind and I can't help but let it spill out onto digital "paper".
When I look at my art without the story I feel that it doesn't really tell anyone anything, so I will probably continue on this narrative vein as it is the easiest and most exciting thing for me to do right now.
It is amazing the memories that emerge as I go through this process. Things that I had forgotten about or so I thought. I am sure many others have been through this experience as they draw, as I don't think anyone is completely unique.
How did your interest in art develop and when did you start using TwistedBrush?When I was very little I not only started drawing faces, but I also started observing faces and expression. Every where I went I would look at all the faces around me. I would sit in a car and watch them all walking past on the street, noting what was showing on their face and wondering why. A bus was good for that as I could study everyone as they came on to pay the driver, and it kept them still for a little while. (I was never so rude to look at them when they were able to see me doing it). I come from a family with 9 children and believe me, there were plenty of expressions going on there! It was very good for me to observe them all. As I grew older I was able to get these expressions onto paper. (don't worry, plenty of expression came from me too. A pity they were wasted, especially the moody ones)!
It's funny but only a talent for drawing faces came down to me. My mother was the same, only faces, and we could also draw the body if we could ever be bothered. (mostly not). This was also passed down to my daughter, but her children have a much wider range of talent in art as they inherited more from the other side of their family.
My children and grandchildren could always do better than myself using paints or even just sketching a scene as I am hopeless at both. You should see me trying to draw a tree or an animal, or using paints! (I am talking about imaginary scenes etc, not copying as we love to create our own). I do know though that I will be able to learn to paint as I saw some Bob Ross videos a while back, and I did so much better when I attempted another painted scene a few days later.
When I was in intermediate school (age 11/12) there was a picture of the Queen on the wall, 3/4 profile, and it was the commonly used photo of her that was on calenders, chocolate boxes, magazines, stamps etc, so we saw it everywhere. I copied it twice onto my exercise book and from that point on I could draw her face off by heart, ending up with exercise books covered with her face, and they were all exactly the same. I used to draw more of her just to please the other kids and to prove that I could actually do it. What that showed me was that I could draw a true portrait if I wanted to, and I keep this in mind for my desire to draw portraits in the future.
Funnily enough there was a competition to draw that exact face at that time in the class room and I could not be coaxed into submitting mine, and I have just realised as I write this that I was completely non competitive even way back then!
At high school the art classes were not much and I always felt let down by them. When I was 15, when I had left school and I was working on my sister's farm, my father wanted me to do a commercial art course and I said yes after much coaxing, simply to please him. He had to pay for the whole course in acdvance, a "whopping" 50.00 pounds. ($100.00) So there I was out on the farm swimming in messy charcoal, drawing spheres and pyramids and cubes. It was so boring for me and there was stress happening and I gave it up after 6 months. Now I do wish I had kept on but it was not what I wanted to do at that time. I felt so sorry to let Dad down and felt so guilty about the money he wasted.
When I was 18 I started nursing and art then took 2nd place for years, and even when I had children, and I never advanced in art in any way.
A relative introduced me to windows paint in approx' 2005 or perhaps later and I was having fun dabbling in this, for me, new type of art, but that program is restrictive (no blenders there)! ~ and there was no one to share the art with, and no advancement beyond a 'toon level...
UNTIL I JOINED TB! (in 2006) I have all the first attempts in TB and the ones I posted in the gallery. LOL ~ What a change has taken place over the years and it took so long to get these changes in place as I seem to change in a gradual way. The artists on TB at that time were very kind and loving to comment on my art even though it was not very good at all, and this encouraged me to keep tryng, so I am grateful to them. I will never forget the kindnesses shown to me.
Tell us what you enjoy about using Twistedbrush and interacting with the TB community.The wonderful thing about joining TB was that now I had free rein with glorious colour and all the wonderful tools and brushes at my disposal! (compare with windows paint) I had mainly always sketched in b/w with the occasional attempt with coloured pencils etc so I was now wallowing with great delight in things I LOVED! Plus we could share our art with like minded people! What a bonus, and I thank you Ken from the bottom of my heart for such a great site and a great bunch of people and the best art program. There is only this art site as far as I am concerned. Nothing else will do! I don't go anywhere else to put a picture together. There is no need for me to do that. I also only share my work on this art site, but I did show some in an ordinary forum that allows pictures, and that was not satisfying at all.
It is so nice to talk to people of like mind. We all have this great thing in common and we are all so different in our
personalities and our art styles and our art posts. When I first joined I was not good at digital art but I couldn't wait to get into the gallery so I desperately put a scene together, so simple that I called it "simplicity", and hey presto I was soon talking to other artists. I then drew my first face and submitted that and people were so kind to me. LOL it was not good at all! It was the communication that was so great.
All artists can teach others and many times this is without a word spoken. Just by viewing we can pick up points and this is how I advanced. One artist used to use extra subtle colours in his faces and I noted this and started experimenting with extra colours. I had never really noticed colour before as I used to do b/w sketches. So he taught me, unknowingly. I used to do outlines and I soon realised, and was told by a loving friend, that faces don't have outlines! LOL Even artists who were not experienced taught me by their example. It seems there is always something to learn when viewing all the art posted no matter who posts it.I love to see something good in all the work posted as I feel that there is good in all. I love to tell the artist what I think, and I'm sorry if I ever tread on anyone's toes by wording things in a way that can be misunderstood. I don't mean to do that or to upset anyone, but it can happen with all our differences.
I also love the comments left under my art and they are like precious jewels to me and so are the ones who comment!
I find that people don't in general point out "real faults" in our art, and even when asked for critique it doesn't seem to happen too much. That may be a good thing and it is the complete opposite to "Wet canvas" where critique is the norm'. (by real faults I mean such things as facial features out of alignment, not talking about slight variations in the features, a bowl with the rounded part on each side way out of alignment, that sort of thing). Why didn't anyone tell me that the features in many of my faces were crooked! ...haha... if we are too scared to say it in public, maybe in private? Well, maybe it is not so important as we generally find these things out for ourselves over time I think.
Who are some of your favorite artists past or present (painting, sculpture, writers, music)and in what ways do they continue to inspire you?This is a hard question for me David. I have seen so many in the art world that I have loved and most are not famous people. They are simply people on the 'Net showing their work for sale. I can't even remember the names! But they inspire me to have a go at various types of art, and I do have a go, but I always revert to what comes naturally. It is their various styles that grab me.
There is one portrait artist, who captured the very essence of the NZ Maori people, who I have always admired and loved his work so much. His name is Goldie.
http://www.arikiart....rick_goldie.htm I think that if he can capture these people on canvas as real people, then I can also do it. In the meantime he encourages me to look deep.
In the scupture world Ron Mueck is so realistic and it is really worth seeing his sculptures. I have a folder of them, sent to me by email. If anyone wants them just let me know. He even has a woman after childbirth in the folder. Check out the newborn in the link!
http://www.christchu...ch-art-gallery/If he can do that in sculpture work surely I can do it in art? There is one in TB who already does great sculpted looks in his portraits because of the way he forms the shapes and contours.
My inspiration for poems comes from happenings and then from within. eg. My neighbours son was careless with his bike and it was stolem. suddenly I was writing a poem for them! That has happened with lots of happenings in the family and out, and I never know what incident would move me enough to write something.
Where music is concerned all happy music inspires me to be positive and happy. I have far too many faves to name and love music from most types. I do love the music composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe in Phantom of the Opera. Wherever Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is involved I usually love. It makes me look deeper into life.
What advice would you give to a new artist who just picked up Twistedbrush for the first time.I know you can't wait to get going but don't expect to be able to master everything at once.Use a practice sheet to try everything out for a while and experiment with the versatility of the brushes by increasing and decreasing the width, opacity and density. It is very interesting to see what happens. Sometimes a brush can surprise you as to what you can do with it.
If you decide to post your work in the gallery, which I sincerely hope you will do, try not to compare yourself with others. I know that's easier said than done, but do try. You are your own self, at your own level. Learn from others by watching what they do.
Ask questions to get any help you need with your art. The artists in TB are very good at helping you. The forum and under your art piece is the place to ask as many will see your needs giving greater possibilities of an answer that suits you. You can also PM (personal message) individuals if you wish, but we as individuals don't know everything.
Remain an individual. Don't try to be something you are not. You are unique, your art will follow in your unique style. It is great to be able to pick out who drew something before reading who did. (the masters of old all had their unique style).
Robyn,for the last question please tell us whatever you like about other life adventures, hobbies and interest.My interests in life are family first in importance,followed very closely by art. Just about everything else has gone west because of that eventful day when someone told me about digital art, and I gained a PC all of my own which I use to the hilt for all sorts of things.
I love gardening but I have to make myself do that now.
The games on the PC are great and I love certain ones on King and Worldwinner. I am trying to keep those down!
I adore the freedom of driving and always will.
Even though I was a nurse I turned to alternative treatments when my children were very young, and I did that because of health problems that the Dr could not fix for good. (I adored my nursing days though as I was looking after people).
I am in the midst of building my website for alternatives and it is still not complete as there is so much typing to do and I use 2 fingers for that. It takes an age. I'm afraid I get distracted by TB. I research a lot on the Net. It is so handy. Remember the days of going to the library to try and find something you needed to know? Thank goodness I don't have to do that anymore.
I have only been outside the country once in 1963 for 20 months, and that was to Australia, which is just across "the ditch". (I am from NZ) This was after I completed my nurse training. We went as a group of 4 and ended up as 2 each in different hospitals. It was wonderful seeing the differences between the people and the countries, but coming home to our green hills was great.
In Australia we had our first experience of not being able to understand what some were talking about, seeing Greek and Italian restaurants everywhere, having people in your face over something they have seen you do or say, not being able to stay outside in the heat for more than 10 minutes. being eaten alive by mossies and not even feeling it while it was happening all over your legs whilst sitting in the recreation hut playing cards, and then having to go to work the next day with both legs covered with pink Calomine lotion, having giant grass hoppers sitting on your bedroom wall and being warned not to stare at them or they would take it as a challenge and jump at your face, having to flush the loo before using to see if there were any frogs under the rim inside the bowl, (and there were plenty in the dry weather), hearing the silence of the night and becoming aware that the frogs weren't croaking anymore, and why? Because the snakes were out there eating them all up!
Apart from that we enjoyed our stay very much...
It has left me with a love for the Australian outback.
I am actually a home body at heart.
Thanks for Listening.
Robyn or Rob, whichever you prefer.
Link to Robyn's (bobbity) personal gallery
Robyn's Personal Gallery
