ART UPDATE: AN ACRYLIC PORTRAIT AND AN OIL PASTEL LANDSCAPE

 Lately I have been devoting most of my time and energy on making art. At times, it feels like  I have challenged myself to see how much art I can make. Anyhow, today I'll share two new art pieces to share with you: a portrait and a seascape. One is an acrylic painting (that would be the  portrait) and the other is an oil pastel drawing (seascape). Both of them were drawn on the mixed media paper. I don't have much to say about the art process itself.  I've basically used the same art brands I normally use for both. The oil pastels I used are from Russian brand Sonnet- the only oil pastels I have, I think. I don't think I've ever used oil pastels before I was gifted the Sonnet ones (by a friend, so #notsponsored) and I can't really compare them with any other brand. You can see some of my other acrylic paintings here and some of my oil pastel drawings here and here. I post my art pretty often on this little place of mine. 

ANOTHER ART VERSION  WITH DIGITAL RETOUCHING FOR REDBUBBLE (MAKING IT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE ORIGINAL ACRYLIC PAINTING)


THE ACRYLIC PAINTING- USING A PHOTOGRAPH AS A REFRENCE
I used one of my old photographs as a reference for this acrylic painting. I basically wanted to paint a girl whose hair is let down apart from a braid or two, because I like that hairstyle. I couldn't find any photo reference online, so I remember I wore this hairstyle when I visited Rome back in 2013 and had a close up photograph of good quality that my husband took. However, I didn't really wanted to paint a self-portrait, so I didn't try to recreated the photograph referenced, it was more an inspiration. I uploaded a digitally edited version of this painting to my Redbubble shop. Scroll down to see the art process. 

THE SEASCAPE-  INSPIRED BY ISLAND HVAR (SOUTHERN GDINJ'S BAYS)

The seascape you can see bellow was inspired by island Hvar, more precisely bay Tvdni dolac, one of southern bays belonging to Gdinj village. I blogged about Gdinj village many times on my blog because as readers of my blog know, I have roots there. Back to the seascape in question. As you can see bellow, I again used one of my own photographs as a reference as made this oil pastel drawing on basis of that. I'm not sure how have I done. I'm sure there is much I don't know about oil pastels, but I like working with them and I'm motivated to learn. Another thing that I love is drawing and painting waves and the sea. It is something that really fascinates me and I'm trying to get better at it. 




Thank you for reading and visiting. Have a lovely day ahead!

Comments

  1. Ananka7 December 2020 at 14:33

    These two look great. I love your fashion style and your art work :-D

    ReplyDelete
  2. lovenova7 December 2020 at 21:59

    They look great. I'd like to try them. I think they're full of art.
    ombre bundles with frontal

    ReplyDelete
  3. Selvaggia Capizzi8 December 2020 at 02:38

    Ciao Ivana, stupendo anche questo autoritratto! Sei una bravissima artista!
    Don't Call Me Fashion Blogger
    Facebook
    Bloglovin'

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Exclusive Beauty Diary8 December 2020 at 03:13

    Ne mogu se odlučiti koja mi je slika ljepša, acrylic portret ili landscape. Oduševljena sam kako kombiniraš boje i kako vjerno preneseš na platno fotografiju.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2020/12/scentxplore-2020-first-virtual-niche.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. ellie8 December 2020 at 04:24

    Wonderful work! I can understand wanting to make more because the impulse is there. And I think many of us are finding we need to keep that energy going. And you are feeding it so well. Lovely and your talent keeps growing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:39

      Thank you, it's good to keep the creative juices going.

      Delete
  6. Caitlin'nMegan8 December 2020 at 04:25

    Beautiful pieces! Love seeing your space where the work begins. Awesome designs!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pablo Parra (Fungi)8 December 2020 at 06:33

    Hello Ivana, I hope you're having a good week!

    Good work as usual and I like that you're always challenging yourself with new techniques and ideas, in the end art is also about experiences and new ways of interpreting the same daily life, so I congratulate you.... sometimes talent is not the only thing that matter but also our capacity to try new stuff and going out of our bubble of comfort.

    Both results are very good, acrylic and pastels! I used to have lessons with both techniques and I didn't enjoy pastels a lot (too messy for me but maybe I should give them another try) but for something like the water in your drawing is very useful and the result is magical!

    Acrylics are one of my favorites since you can always correct on top, the portrait is so beautiful and I love the calm tones in her expression!

    Stay safe and creative!

    Pablo
    Hey Fungi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:39

      I never had lessons with oil pastels but I'm trying to learn through YouTube.

      Delete
  8. Elizabeth Walker8 December 2020 at 07:25

    Always love your art work! Acrylics are also my fav!
    All About Belt Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anna-Alina8 December 2020 at 07:38

    I love the mix of a photo and a drawing! I prefer to draw people too, but I should learn how to draw different things for sure!

    xx
    https://anna-alina.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:33

      actually it is not bad to focus on just one thing for a while.

      Delete
  10. Silvia Negretti8 December 2020 at 08:45

    Sei bravissima Ivana: entrambe le illustrazoni sono davvero belle!
    personalmene la tecnica che preferisco è l'acquerello perè ha un effetto molto delicato e luminoso, ma anche gli acrilici mi piacciono molto perchè risultano vivaci e decisi!
    I pastelli sono forse più difficili da usare bene ma secondo me hanno molte più possibilità di utilizzo.
    Ma forse quello che mi piace di più delle tue opere è il mix di arte e fotografia, sono proprio originalissimi quei fotomontaggi!
    Baci!
    S
    https://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Vix8 December 2020 at 08:45

    You're on a creative roll at the moment! The portrait is gorgeous. x

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Velvet Runway8 December 2020 at 09:50

    You are so talented, Ivana. I love both the portrait and the seascape. I have never tried either acrylics or oil pastels but I love seeing your work!
    Julia x
    https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oksana Zolotukhina8 December 2020 at 10:06

    Wonderful pics and interesting post dear!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Polyester Princess8 December 2020 at 10:46

    Oh my you are certainly on a roll, Ivana! I'm glad to hear that you are making the most of the time on your hands by employing your creative talents. The portrait is my favourite, but I'm also loving the moody seascape! Thank you for sharing! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:11

      Thank you. Yes, I figure it is good to keep busy while job searching, one feels more productive that way plus this could be a nice chance for me to improve my art skills.

      Delete
  15. Sheila8 December 2020 at 10:56

    I love the portrait, especially with the enhancements of digital - your Redbubble version is amazing, very ethereal.

    It's really hard to get water - especially waves! - right, and you've done an awesome job here, Ivana. My mom uses chalk pastels quite often, and smudges with them - her fingers are always covered in it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:08

      I haven't worked with chalk pastels yet, but I saw some amazing art done with them, very soft looking painting and images. Maybe I will try it some day. I think I finally figured (to an extent) how to use oil pastels today. I worked on one painting for a few hours and it started to make sense. It is very different from other mediums. Fortunately, I also found some videos on YouTubes. It helps to see other artists, it's hard to figure it out on your own when you start a new medium.

      Delete
  16. awhite8 December 2020 at 12:25

    You are really stretching and developing your talent, babe!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ivana Split8 December 2020 at 12:41

    dzijekuje

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jodie's Touch of Style8 December 2020 at 15:54

    It must be so good for your mental health to be creative this way Ivana!! I just love the water sketch so much,
    XOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

Popular posts from this blog

THE ISLAND OF THE MISSING TREES BY ELIF SHAFAK (BOOK REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

Image
Today I shall review The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. I was actually gifted this book. What a wonderful present it proved to be! Published in 2021, this postmodern  novel  follows two  story lines and uses framed narration.  The Island of Missing Trees  tells the life story of a Greek Turkish couple and their adolescent daughter.  This novel examines and explores a number of topics such as identity, migration, immigrant life, war trauma, memory, love and family. It's an ambitious novel that examines serious topics with due respect and sensitivity . I read it months ago, but I remember it vividly. Honestly, I cried a lot while reading this novel. It really moved me greatly. In fact, that is probably why it took me this long to finish this book review. I needed to emotionally process the story.   The Island of Missing Trees is   set in London and Cyprus. The narration isn't chronological .  The story jumps back and forth, following ...
Read more

VISIT SINJ (CROATIA) WITH ME! EXPLORE THE DALMATIAN HIGHLANDS!

Image
Hello readers and fellow bloggers! Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm Dalmatian and ' parce mihi Domine,' (as St. Jerome's supposedly used to pray). Dalmatia is one of four historical Croatian regions. When we're talking about coastal regions in Croatia, there are only two: Istria and Dalmatia. Occupying the majority of Croatian seaside, Dalmatia is extremely popular with tourists. Dalmatian coast is quite long, including hundreds of islands, and running from Zadar in the north do Dubrovnik to the south.  However, there's more to Dalmatia than its seaside and islands.  I'm from the seaside myself, a proper sea child and all,  but I love the Dalmatian Highlands. Rich in history and culture, Dalmatia Highlands are unique in many ways. From culinary delicacies to fascinating traditions, from untouched nature to picturesque towns and villages, you'll find much to admire here. Have I blogged about it before? I certainly did. I blogged about the Gr...
Read more

WHAT I WORE IN MOSTAR FOR WONDERFULLY WARM AND SUNNY AUTUMN DAYS

Image
 Hello readers and fellow bloggers! Happy Sunday! In this post, I'll share three warm Autumn outfits I wore for strolling around Mostar city. Today is quite cold and cloudy for our Mediterranean standards, so the plan is to stay in and catch up with blogging. I've had a pretty eventful weekend so far. Weekend sometimes seem to just fly by, don't they? We often try to make up for the things we didn't do during the week, especially us ladies. We try to fit in all in- to clean the house, do chores and that sort of things. Sometimes weekends can even be tiring. There are conferences and meetings to attend. Learning how to shut down and rest properly can be a challenge. Life gets busy, and sometimes the older we get, the more busy it becomes. That's why I'm so grateful for these little outings I do, being a tourist in my own city and country- that sort of thing. I sometimes feel like I mastered sustainable and local travel . The challenge is just finding the time to ...
Read more

BURGUNDY AND YELLOW OUTFIT IN SPLIT CITY

Image
 Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, I'll show you an autumn outfit I wore for a seaside stroll with my family in Split city, Croatia. This outfit is another example of me shopping my closet, so you can expect the sustainable fashion files to kick in any minute. This was a very comfortable outfit to wear that also felt very energizing. Probably it was due to colour therapy and all that. Wearing colours often makes me feel better. Mustard yellow and burgundy are the main colours in this look, and I do love these colours together. I dressed in layers, for it was quite windy and fresh despite the warm sun.  As regular readers of my blog know, Split is my home city, and you can find me there very often. In fact, you could say that I live between Split and Mostar. I love Mostar, but I do miss the sea. Is there anything better than seaside in Autumn and Winter? I always love being near the sea, but during the Autumn and Winter when there are hardly any people aroun...
Read more

30 PLUS WAYS TO WEAR AN OLIVE BLAZER (SUSTAINABLE FASHION FILES)

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, we'll talk some more about  sustainable fashion. As I believe the best way to learn is through example, so I'll show you multiple ways how to style an olive green blazer. On this little digital place to call my own, I love to show you how you can be more sustainable by shopping your closet. The more you love items in your closet and the better care you take of your clothes, you easier you'll find it to shop your closet. So, that's something to keep in mind! Besides linking up outfits with this blazer, I'll link up multiple ways to wear other items in my closet. As always, there will be fun collages to help you see the vision- how chic and fun restyling items can be! Olive green can be somewhat of an underrated colour, even if it is trending at the moment. For Autumn/Winter 2024/2025, tonal dressing in olive greens and khakis is right on trend. I'm convinced that when styled right, olive green can look good wi...
Read more

FORGIVENESS DAY BY URSULA K. LE GUIN (BOOK REVIEW AND AN AUTUMN STYLING)

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! How are you today? I'm back with another Ursula K. Le Guin book review. In this post, I'll review " Forgiveness Day" , a science fiction novella that is a part of the Hainish Circle. Published in 1995, "Forgiveness Day " won multiple awards. This novella is often published together with her other novellas from the Hainish Circle, and it can be find in various editions of Four Ways to Forgiveness and Five Ways to Forgiveness.   Thematically, this novella is a part of five stories featuring two Hainish planets, but it can definitely be read on its own. I think it functions well as a stand alone novella. I listened to it in audio form, and I didn't have any problems following the story.  The world building is simple and effective. The author fills us in about the history of the two planets as the story enfolds. For such a short work of prose, this novella is really impressive in that it manages to explore the theme o...
Read more