So you want to know.....

I am going to break it down for you... because it is complicated..... it is part art, part geekery... That is me, part artist / part nerd, in a nutshell.  So I am going to try to give you an idea of how my process works. 

It is my process, not necessarily the right one. Remember, I am self taught, I have spent many a sleepless night making hundreds.... no wait.... thousands of mistakes. And when it comes down to it, a person may have a natural ability to draw, but if you don't practice you wont improve.... I have drawn and drawn and drawn.... I have pieces I love and pieces I hate (that will never see the light of day). And I might add that even if I feel like I am getting better at something, then I stop doing it for a while, well then... I have to work a little bit to get it back, it is the same with writing, singing, anything really... you know the saying, "if you don't use it you lose it". 

So, do you remember this?

I did this sketch a while back... 

I took a picture and threw it into Photoshop creating the silhouette I wanted to use. I create a transparent layer on top of my sketch. Then, I just used my mouse and a simple black marker PS brush to get the silhouette how I want it. 

Until it looks like this:

Then it is back to the drawing board.... I sketch a face using regular old pencil and paper:

Most of the time I paint the face using Conté pastels (and always in my cutouts) , But recently I have been trying my hand at painting on my Ipad using Sketchbook Pro App.... I cant help myself... I love to experiment! 

So then the face looks like this....

Then I put it all together and play with lots of textures and Layers until it looks like this:

That is one of my processes.... not really a tutorial but a glimpse of what I put into a piece. It involves many different elements all of which I enjoy... the need to feel a pencil in my hand and my love for all things tech! It is an uphill battle sometimes. Many art curators and critics don't like the influence of anything digital and that to me is nonsense! It is still art.... I still draw..... I didn't just wake up one morning and wish the painting into existence... many hours go into each piece. It is a new age in art and I think society should embrace it. Shunning art because it isn't traditional... well that just doesn't make sense.... art is supposed to be about the creative mind. So here is to all the rebels out there who dance to the beat of your own drum ... keep on marching my friends!!

xo

Peace

Carrie Lee