Somethng Old..Something New.. Something Borrowed.. and LOTS of Blue

It's amazing to me how something old, can inspire something new. I love when I'm able to go back and look through some old work that I've done, and find something new in it. Which in turn, ultimately leads to something brand new for me to create. I find that in this process, I am forever evolving and building my own signature style. For instance, look at how this old drawing lead to this new painting in the making...


SOMETHING OLD:

So this was a random sketch I started at work that slowly developed into this full blown drawing of a mermaid face. I did this last year, added color and then completely forgot about it being in my sketchbook. I loved the face, her hand placement, the opacity of her eyes. It was very eerie but beautiful at the same time. I've become known for my "Afro Girls" and I just loved the idea and an underwater afro. I like how even with her being surrounded by water, her hair still holds its shape.

If we're speaking physics, I understand 100% that this is not a possible or believable concept. The water would manipulate her hair n some sort of way. But in my universe, her hair holds its shape so...... yeah lol. Moving on, let's see how she inspired something new.

SOMETHING NEW:

As you can see, I had a few underwater mermaid ideas stem from this original sketch. I love the soft poses. It feels very feminine, very girly and peaceful. My artwork has been coined "fantasy feminism" a few times, so I really wanted to stay true to that. I've researched a few poses a few model references to get these ideas flowing and I just really wanted to stay as close to the original idea and image as I possibly could. So I find it very challenging and rewarding when I can do that and I can see it come out the way I want it to successfully. Now looking back... you can probably see where the "something borrowed" played its part. Let's look at the original image again:

SOMETHING BORROWED:

Okay, so f we look at some of the details, you can see some of the things I kept in the new images going forward. The bubbles n the fore nd background I feel add a very nice touch to the drawing itself. I really struggle with drawing things like water, metals, woods... basically any element lol. Fire I can kind-of pull off but not really. I'm still a work n progress. So the best way I could convey an underwater feel, is to draw bubbles. Another detail I've decided to keep, were the shells and starfish. In the original image, I have them adorned in her hair as accessories. I've done the same going forward. But  also decided to incorporate them as tattoos as well. As  stated earlier, I like the way her eyes look. It's a ghostly film over her eyes but I love it. In the new sketch, you can't really see that because I have her looking down. But I may end up changing some things around in order to keep that detail. And now.... the LOTS OF BLUE!!!!!!

LOTS OF BLUE:

         

Without knowing it, I've somehow used the exact same color palette every time I draw a mermaid. Lots of blues, purples, soft greens and pinks. Very pastel in a way. There is a blue undertone in all the colors I use. So the image gives a cool feeling. from what I've studied in school and in my own personal training, blues, purples and greens are cool colors. Reds, oranges, and yellows are warm. So I tried my best to completely eliminate those colors so as not to confuse the viewer. This painting is still a work in progress. I have a ways to go. But I want you all to take this journey with me. I would eventually like to have a blog with a back story to every image I create from here on out. If you like and support this,  will continue to do so.

Please feel free to comment like and share as much as you like. Visit my other social medias and do the same. I'm everywhere lol. Until next time my lovelies

Love, Peace and Tacos for all

<3

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The Importance of Having A Reason!

Hello my lovelies, and welcome back to another kjartz blog post. Today, in the midst of everything that's going on around me, I would really like to focus and speak on something that is very important to me. I absolutely love being an artist. It's who I am. I live and breathe art. It's such a huge part of my life. A lot of people don't understand me at times. I tend to frustrate people often because of the way I think or see the world.

I see art in everything. I try to find the beauty in everything around me. So I feel like I have a purpose. Like, I was put on this Earth for a specific reason and it circles around art a great deal. So my art has purpose, my art has meaning and I have a reason for creating. I'm not looking for fame. Not looking for fortune either. The most gratifying thing I get out of what I do, is when someone tells me how my art touched them on a personal level. Or if my artwork moved someone to tears. Or even spark a conversation.

Case in point, a while ago, I uploaded a blog about one of my drawings, "Don't Shoot"...

Long story short,  uploaded the drawing to my art page on Facebook. Shared it here as well. Pretty much anywhere I thought I could get it seen. The reaction was so overwhelming. It landed me the cover of my local art magazine (Shout out to Triple Cities Carousel in Binghamton,NY). It also was a hot topic and discussion piece at Mural Fest here in our area. The most BEAUTIFUL thing about Mural Fest, was the togetherness that this piece invoked. A collective group of college students, joined together, and painted MY DRAWING of "Don't Shoot".

Black, White, Asian, Christian, Muslim, Male, Female.... All came together under the unity of a message. Under the unity of my painting. You can't put any price... no amount of fame, or money could touch THAT MOMENT for me. It got press coverage and has since been used in many marches. That is my reason. That is my driving force. The change... the conversation...the actions that took place behind it. People's reaction to such a powerful image. It's the reason why I love what I do and will never stop.

I was given this talent for a reason. It's taking me some time to truly tap into it but I PROMISE YOU I AM WORKNG ON IT. Please continue to support. Please continue to share my work. Please continue to talk about the art. Please continue to SUPPORT THE ARTS. My purpose is to change this world. One piece at a time.

Until next time,
 Love Peace and Tacos