5 MINI PORTRAITS (WATERCOLOUR PENCILS AND ACRYLICS)


Today I'm sharing some quick mini portraits. I made quite a few of these in the past week. I like to work on these mini portraits to keep in 'portrait art' shape while I work on landscape paintings. I often sketch these portraits in my smaller sketchbooks or I just sketch many small ones (on the same page) in my larger sketchbook. You had a change of seeing some of these mini portraits in my last post (the focus was on crepe eggs, but if you remember I included some mini portraits as well). Sometimes I also like to thrown in elements from my other illustrations, for example borrow roses from another painting I did. It saves me time not having to paint the roses every time. It also works well with placing these illustrations of products.  I think it makes these portraits look more pattern appropriate when I use them to create patterns for my Redbubble shop. I'm also worried that if I just uploaded  these mini portraits without these floral additions or a background of some sort, they wouldn't look so good in pattern form. Not that there is much demand for my work printed on products, but it's good practice in designing. 

In comparison to landscape paintings, these mini portrait illustrations take only a small portion of my time (half an hour tops and sometimes only a few minutes). Speaking of landscape paintings, I decided to start a new art challenge.  I'm very much interesting in seeing how many of those landscape paintings I can get out in a month. I'm trying to paint 7-8 hours every day (not counting in the time it takes me to set paints, clean up brushes, do research and find a reference), just counting painting time. Painting eight hours a day is actually not as impossible as it seems. If you take for example that it took me approximately one hundred hours to paint the last large seascape I worked on, you can easily see how a painting like that would take at least a few hours a day over the course of a few weeks.  Naturally, it all depends on the style I'm using. More realistic or surrealist paintings typically take a lot more time.  When I'm doing something for the first time (and that's often enough), that takes a lot of time as well. Now, let me show you these mini portraits that didn't take much time.

MINI PORTRAIT #1. A GIRL WITH RED HAIR
 MEDIUM: WATERCOLOUR PENCILS ON PAPER



MINI PORTRAIT #2: A GIRL WITH PINK HAIR 
MEDIUM: WATERCOLOUR PENCILS ON PAPER 


MINI PORTRAIT #3 A GIRL WITH GREEN HAIR
MEDIUM: ACRYLIC PAINTS ON PAPER

MINI PORTRAIT #4: A GIRL WITH BLUE HAIR 
MEDIUM: ACRYLIC PAINTS ON PAPER

MINI PORTRAIT #5: A GIRL WITH BLACK HAIR 
MEDIUM: WATERCOLOUR PENCILS ON PAPER


SOME THOUGHTS ON ART MAKING AND LEARNING 


Often I learn by trial and error. I think we all do, but I also think it makes sense to get as informed as you can. Art is one of those areas in life you cannot know too much about. You don't have to discover everything by yourself.  That being said, mistakes can't be completely avoided. You just have to work with them and through them. Some things you do have to discover by yourself. Learning about art reminds me a bit of language learning. There are many approaches one can take, but the important thing is to be consistent with your work. So, that is what I'm trying to do.  I mean sure I'm watching all the art tutorials that I can find (some of them are amazing). While attending art classes was an option, I was doing that, but now I have to rely on online learning. I might invest in an online art course some time in the future, but right now I'm just focusing on developing my techniques. Nevertheless, I think art tutoring and guidance really helps. Fortunately there is a lot of online guidance and resources out there. I'm trying to make use of them, but I also want to really put in the hours. So, I'm starting this challenge. I'm already spending a lot of time painting but it's nice to have it written down as a proof of some kind. 

 

Thank you for visiting and commenting. Have a lovely day. 

Comments

  1. J.P. Alexander6 April 2021 at 18:35

    Me encanto los últimos retratos . Cada vez lo haces mejor. Eres muy buena artista. Espero que estés mejor de salud. Te mando un beso

    ReplyDelete
  2. ellie7 April 2021 at 04:24

    So do you make those roses separately? This is such an interesting process to see. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split7 April 2021 at 13:03

      Yes, the roses are drawn with traditional media but I add them up with Paint 3D if that makes sense.

      Delete
  3. Caitlin'nMegan7 April 2021 at 04:25

    Oh, you are so busy. 8 hours! I can see your passion! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown7 April 2021 at 05:48

    Che belli, sei bravissima! Non solo i visi, ma anche quelle rose sembrano vere!
    Kisses, Paola.

    Expressyourself


    My Instagram

    ReplyDelete
  5. Vix7 April 2021 at 06:10

    These are just wonderful, I love the girl with the green hair! x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kinga K.7 April 2021 at 12:24

    Lovely portraits ❤

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ivana Split7 April 2021 at 13:19

    dzijekuje

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sheila7 April 2021 at 16:21

    I've done miniature landscape paintings, and most of my Zentangles are small - it feels good to be able to make something and finish it in one sitting. The lady with the green hair is my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Polyester Princess8 April 2021 at 10:31

    Love the mini portraits! I too love the the green-haired lady the most!
    My stepdaughter creates miniature art, and I think it's delightful.
    As for your challenge to paint 7-8 hours a day, that truly shows how dedicated to your art you are! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Turgay Aksoy9 April 2021 at 04:29

    Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ananka9 April 2021 at 06:39

    These are great. Loving the colourful hair :-D

    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 two main timelines, one set in moder
Read more

SUPPORTING LOCAL DESIGNERS IN MOSTAR: TRANSITIONAL AUTUMN STYLING WITH OZZ BRAND

Image
Hello readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, I'll share two transitional outfits featuring a lilac skirt from fashion designer Stanka Zovko. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you've probably seen this skirt before. Afterall, I'm really good at shopping my closet. I've been wearing this lilac skirt a lot in the past few months. It's also a great piece for transitional weather because it can be easily layered, or dressed up and down.  Supporting local designers and artisans is certainly something that pays off in the long run. If you want to own unique pieces and at the same time, support your local community, you should really explore shopping local, or commissioning local artisans and designers.  Sustainability in fashion is a big topic nowadays! However, sometimes I feel like people make it more complicated than it really is. We should go back to our origins. Explore vintage, second hand and local shopping. Learn how to stay away from the big shoppin
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

MALTA HIKING TALES (PART FIVE) GHAJN TUFFIEFA AND QUARABBA BAY

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! I'm back with another Malta themed post. Recently I posted a painting inspired by Malta. As some of you might remember, I visited Malta a few years ago, but I only blogged about it last April, when I published a series of post on Malta. My series about Malta isn't finished, though. In fact, today we're going to continue it. Considering my stay on Malta was two weeks long, it deserves more than a couple of posts. There is a lot to see and do on Malta. It's a small island, but one that's filled with so much life and beauty. Although Malta faces some problems caused by fast tourism, it remains an unique and magical island.  In this post, I'll take you to the bays I visited while hiking on Malta. One of them (Ghajn Tuffieha Bay) is the one I painted. You can visit that post by clicking on the link below: TRAVEL WITH MY ART #43, GHAJN TUFFIEHA BAY, MALTA LET'S START WITH THE GOLDEN BAY We actually didn't go all the way
Read more

FASHION ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY WATERCOLOUR: LONG DRESSES AND DE PROFUNDIS QUOTES!

Image
 Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! It's almost ten. I've had a long week and I'm quite tired and sleepy. However, I'll try to wrap this post up for you tonight. What kind of post? Well, a post about art. Fashion art to be more precise.  I've been on a roll lately with my art posts. After a period of not posting my art at all, due to a variety of reasons, I started posting my art in every post. I got back to my destination art series, and now it's time for another post in my fashion art series. Friday Fashion Illustration  is somewhat of a regular feature on my blog. Today I'll share two watercolour pencil fashion illustrations of mine. I sketched both of them this Summer in my A3 mixed media sketchbook. I sketched the long yellow dress first, and then the blue and read one. The medium for both of them is watercolour pencils on paper, the same brand I always use. I find watercolour pencils to be quite practical, especially for sketching. I often use the
Read more

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER, A SHORT STORY BY W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Image
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! Welcome November! We'll welcome this new month with a blog review. In this post, I'll share my review for Maugham's short story titled T he Ant and the Grasshopper . This post will also be  a reading recommendation because I enjoyed this story a great deal. I've been reading Maugham's The Complete Short Stories for some time now. I've been taking my time with this collection, but I enjoyed it a lot. When I finish this book in its entirely, I'll share a review for all of his stories. Until then, I'll keep posting individual reviews of stories I liked the most. If you want to read Maugham yourself, you can find his collected works online (among other places  on project Gutenberg ) and read them for free.  W. Somerset Maugham is a writer whose subtle use of humour is delightful, but sometimes it's easy to miss it just because it's so subtle. He's wonderful at mixing the harsh realities of life with clever
Read more