Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces Chp 5-10

Finished! Hooray!

Source Picture

Before
After

What do you think????

I enjoyed following along with "Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces" by Carrie Stewart Parks.

Chapter 5 - Shade
Carrie teaches us to use values to shade our self-portraits which really gives dimension to our drawing.

Chapter 6 - Drawing Eyes
This chapter and the remaining chapters refine what we already know adding additional tips and measurements. This chapter gave my eyes life and you should be able to see the difference. I did.

Chapter 7 - Drawing Noses
Again, some refinements to my nose created a more realistic nose,,,pug that it is :)

Chapter 8 - Drawing Lips and Teeth
More expounding on lips and teeth to make a more realistic portrait.

Chapter 9 - Drawing The Head
Explains the difference between adult and child heads and between male and female heads. Much good info here.

Chapter 10 - Drawing Hair
Good chapter, discusses hair types, shades and highlights.

All in all this is the best book I have read on portraits. I learned a lot and I think the difference between my before picture and my after picture is astounding. I will be looking for more books by this author. Thank you Carrie!

My apologies to anyone who picked up my post with Babylon information embedded in the text. I think I inadvertently caused this and have since removed the offending code.

Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces Chp. 4

Continuing with my self-portrait I've completed Chapter 4 in "Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces" by Carrie Stewart Parks.

Chapter 4 - Shape
Carrie teaches us the elements of "Shape" by training our minds. There are quite a few very useful items in this chapter and here is where my drawing starting coming alive.

I apologize for not posting sooner but throughout this entire month my internet provider has been down more than it has been up as they have been replacing cable and repairing as they go.....

Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces Ch. 1-3

Here is my self-portrait line drawing after finishing chapters 1-3 in "Secrets To Drawing Realistic Faces" by Carrie Stewart Parks.

Chapter 1 - Materials and Supplies
Carrie discusses various materials and supplies, but basically all you really need is pencil, paper and a BIG eraser!

Chapter 2 - The Problem
This chapter is most interesting as the author discusses perceptions and memorized facial patterns. These memorized patterns get in the way of really seeing what you are drawing. Additionally there are before and after student portraits. One of the students is 7 years old and her work is amazing!

Chapter 3 - Site
Here we start getting into the meat of the book. Carrie shows us several methods to use to help get the right proportions. Very useful chapter.


I am enjoying this book and really believe that it will help me become a better artist.

Book Meme Let's Play

Oh fun, it is called The Book Meme and it goes as follows:
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

The Mapmaker's Opera By Bea Gonzalez

'And because he is no good at small talk, has never bothered to learn the rules that govern high society, does not know how to engage this man on his own turf, Nelson jumps in now and begins to laud the area's birds - the motmots, the ibises, the hummingbirds, the owls and the terns. "So many precious birds," Nelson says. "Do your people know how truly lucky they are to live under this extraordinary piece of the sky?"
Don Victor nods in reply. Though he has only a passing interest in the area's birds himself, he is most pleased at a foreigner traveling from so far to admire the beauty of his region of the earth.'

I tag Debi Cates Photo A Day, Sue of Sacred Circle Mandalas, Barb of Life In The Sunshine, Enzie of World Market Portraits, and D.C. Confidential. Let's play!

The Good Earth - Books II

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck is one of my favorite books and I hope part of a new "series" of collages about books. I read this book when my granddaughter, Antigone sent it to me in the mail a couple of years ago. My mother had a copy of this book on her bookshelf, but I did not read it back then. So it was nice circle completed when Antigone sent it to me. Since I love this book so much it is strange to me that I struggled so much representing it. I've had it in my folder for quite awhile debating whether to publish or not. Please leave your comments and critiques especially because I really want you to let me have it. lol!

Wang Lung decides to marry and although poor he is able to buy a good wife, O-Lan. He is a hard working farmer who spends his days in the field with O-Lan by his side. Together they work the land and bring forth three children. Wang Lung is eventually able to rent some land from a rich landowner and improve his condition. Dought occurs and he looses all he has gained. With his family starving he sells all that he owns except the land and flees to the south where he finds work pulling a rickshaw but it does not provide enough for them to live so the children must be put to begging.

It is a very strained and turbulent political time in the city and Wang is afraid he will be conscripted into the Army. He works only at night to avoid induction. A riot occurs and the peasants break into a wealthy family's palace. Wang Lung is drawn into the crush and finds himself face to face with the rich man who unable to flee and is begging for his life. He offers gold in lieu of his life. Wang Lung uses this gold to return his family back north to the land.

Wang Lung is able to improve his farm, build a new home and live comfortably. His wealth is now tied to the harvests from the good earth. He becomes respected and prosperous and decides to purchase the house of Hwang where the wealthy owners have succumbed to vice and addiction. He takes from O-Lan the jewels she looted from the palace in the south and with them he purchases the house of Hwang and all their lands.

If you want to know more you will just have to read this wonderful classic by Pearl S. Buck. he he

Deconstruction: All using Adobe Photoshop
Photo, letter, man plowing and bookcover were all vintage. Desk, typewriter, landscape from dreamstime.com ($4). There were many layers, but it finished out with 12. I think I used every feature I know on Adobe Photoshop to attain this result!

Birthday Bash

Hanna's Mom is having a big one year blogging birthday celebration. She is giving away a book from her collection! So go there and make a comment to win!

p.s. If you like Colette Peter's books cake (above) check it out here.

* * * * One Thousand White Women

One Thousand White Women: The Journals Of May Dodd a novel By Jim Fergus

At first I thought this book was going to be corny. But I persevered and am so glad I did because I'll be remembering this book for a long time. The book is based on a supposed historical event where Cheyenne Chief Little Wolf asks the government to trade one thousand white women for horses. Regardless of the truth of this event, it is a good story and I enjoyed it immensely.

* * * * The Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany


I love this book. It is about the inhabitants of the Yacoubian Building, some of which rent space on the roof. There is a huge cast of characters and I enjoyed the switching from chapter to chapter, giving a real challenge in remembering who is who (but the author kindly provides a list of characters at the beginning of the book). I just didn't want it to end and felt that the ending was a little abrupt leaving a few lives with an unsatisfactorily end.

* * * 1/2 The Red Thread

The Red Thread, By Nicholas Jose

Shen, a modern day Chinese art dealer in Shanghai comes across an old bound book, Six Chapters Of A Floating Life, but there are only four chapters. For some reason he is drawn to reading it and holds it back from auction. He meets an Australian woman, Ruth, and they fall in love and so as they read it together, their lives begin to parallel what they read. They pick up a singer, Han, as a third member and the finding of the lost two chapters are critical to Ruth's health.

I give this book only three and one half stars, it could have been better with a such an intriguing storyline.

* * * * Zarafa

Zarafa, by Michael Allin


I loved this story about a giraffe that was given by Muhammad Ali, Sultan of Egypt to the Charles X, King of France. The book focuses on Zarafa's incredible journey, complete with maps, from Sudan to France. Lovely!

LibraryThing.com

Here it is! Exactly what every book lover needs!

What is LibraryThing?
LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth.

What does it cost?
A free account allows you to catalog up to 200 books. A paid account allows you to catalog any number of books. Paid personal accounts cost $10 for a year or $25 for a lifetime.

I searched for The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You and here is the nice result. I came to this link via a bookmooch.com. One neat thing is the book Unsuggester which turns the suggester on it's head. I put in The Binding Chair and it returned these results of books to not read.

Give it a whirl!

The Binding Chair

The Binding Chair, By Katherine Harrison ***

May's feet were bound when she was a child, as many Chinese girls feet were for over 900 years until the 20th century when it was outlawed. The story alternates by chapter between May and the English family that she finally marries into. I find the story and the characters unbeleivable and strange. Foot binding alone should have provided material enough for a story without introducing this English family. Somehow, though, it kept me reading through an agonizing 372 pages. I am amazed that Amazon.com readers give this book a generous 3 1/2 stars.

BookMooching

I finally started "bookmooching" and got my books registered. I got 16 mooches last week and was at the post office every day mailing out books. I have nine books that I mooched and so will soon be busy receiving them. I think Audrey had very good luck with bookmooching also. Here is my inventory in case you might see something you want to mooch.

I am so proud as I am now down to one bookcase! Amazing! Also, I won't have to spend so much money on books, one of my life goals. I always feel guilty about the amount of money I spend on books and am grateful that Bill doesn't have a problem with my "habit".

* * * * 1/2 Spring Moon

Spring Moon, by Bette Bao Lord

A 5 generation Chang family saga that takes place in pre-revolutionary China. The main character, Spring Moon, is a pampered, intelligent and outspoken daughter whose parents fear that she may not make a good match because of her character. Her fate is foretold at birth, she will live to see 5 generations.

There is a nice drawing in the front of the book showing the courts of the House of Chang which I referred to several times while reading the book. Also each chapter begins with a quote from actual Chinese authors which enhances the story. For funs, the Peabody Museum has an entire Chinese house, Yen Yu Tang, which has been dismantled and is on display via the internet complete with fly throughs and a nice slide show.

This is a good read and so I'll be looking forward to reading more of Bao Lord's works. And, yes! Antigone, I'll be sending it on to you.

* * * 1/2 Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe ***1/2

Published in 1958 "Things Fall Apart" takes place at the turn of the 20th century in Nigeria, Africa and is the story of Okonkwo, leader, local wrestling champion and head of a family consisting of three wives and numerous children. Life deals a few blows to him, like when he is exiled from the clan, then later when missionaries come to live in the village. It has a surprise ending which I always like. Widely acclaimed, selling 10 million copies worldwide and now 10,000,000,001 counting my copy:) And is required reading in some high schools and colleges.

* * * Bittersweet

Bittersweet, by Leslie Li

This is a fictionalized account of the author's grandmother's life. Bittersweet was a Chinese peasant farm girl who followed her destiny when when her parents arranged a marriage to Li Tsung-jen, a soldier in the Koumintang army in the early part of the 20th century. He quickly outgrew his taste for farm women as he advanced in his career. This story could have been a blockbuster, but while good, did not quite hit the mark for me.

* * * The Snow Fox

I just finished reading The Snow Fox by Susan Schaffer. It begins with the story of four royal children who were hidden away during a civil war in Japan and later became lost from their parents. But the story is not about this. It is about the adult lives of these children, court intrigue, cruelty, war, samurais and lost love. I enjoyed this book, but not enough to seek out other books by this author.

Check this bookstore out. I purchased the following 9 books and get a load of the total amount! Four of these books were on my amazon.com wish list and some were up to 90 percent off. If I had used bookrate shipping it would have been under $5, but since I had a coupon I splurged for ups.

Order Date: 1/8/2007 8:36:02 PM
SKU Qty Title Status Price Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1569246920B 1 A Parish of Rich Women Ordered $3.99 $3.99
042517266XB 1 Daughter of My People Ordered $3.99 $3.99
0931715008B 1 The Curious Morel (New Edition) Ordered $3.99 $3.99
0312316089B 1 Dreaming Water Ordered $3.99 $3.99
0060599758B 1 Spring Moon Ordered $4.99 $4.99
0060934425B 1 The Binding Chair Ordered $4.99 $4.99
0786866543B 1 The Lost Daughter of Happiness Ordered $4.99 $4.99
0375702091S 1 God's Fool Ordered $3.25 $3.25
076273907XB 1 xxxxxxsurprise 4 someonexxx Ordered $5.99 $5.99
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coupon Disc: -$5.00
Sub-Total: $35.17
Shipping: $9.67
Handling: $1.00
Tax: $0.00
ORDER TOTAL: $45.84

Help! I'm looking for a good novel to read. Got idea?

* * * * 1/2 The Hungry Tide

What I am reading Now

The Hungry Tide

The Hungry Tide is the sixth novel by Indian-born author, Amitav Ghosh. It tells a very contemporary story of adventure and unlikely love, identity and history, set in one of the most fascinating regions on the earth. Off the easternmost coast of India, in the Bay of Bengal, lies the immense labyrinth of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans. For settlers here, life is extremely precarious. Attacks by deadly tigers are common. Unrest and eviction are constant threats. Without warning, at any time, tidal floods rise and surge over the land, leaving devastation in their wake. In this place of vengeful beauty, the lives of three people from different worlds collide. Piya Roy is a young marine biologist, of Indian descent but stubbornly American, in search of a rare, endangered river dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris. Her journey begins with a disaster, when she is thrown from a boat into crocodile-infested waters. Rescue comes in the form of a young, illiterate fisherman, Fokir. Although they have no language between them, Piya and Fokir are powerfully drawn to each other, sharing an uncanny instinct for the ways of the sea. Piya engages Fokir to help with her research and finds a translator in Kanai Dutt, a businessman from Delhi whose idealistic aunt and uncle are longtime settlers in the Sundarbans. As the three of them launch into the elaborate backwaters, they are drawn unawares into the hidden undercurrents of this isolated world, where political turmoil exacts a personal toll that is every bit as powerful as the ravaging tide. Already an international success, The Hungry Tide is a prophetic novel of remarkable insight, beauty, and humanity. From Wikipedia's Entry For The Hungry Tide