Thursday, January 28, 2016

Sculpting Mini-Elephants: An Art-Thursday

Hello! Happy Art-Thursday :)

I was recently reminded how much I love and missed sculpting! An old friend of mine visited, and we reminisced about how we used to make sculpted-creations for each other as gifts! So I was inspired to make her this little guy for old time's sake:

 
Baby Grizzly Sculpt
(Click to enlarge)


I enjoyed the process so much, that I decided I would create more, even smaller sculptures! My first thought was of a tiny elephant, and how sweet he would be as an animal totem pendant! I thought it might be fun to see my process through the elephant's creation, so without further ado, here it is:

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1.  Concept 
First, I go on my trusty computer to look for reference, this time of asian elephants. I chose asian elephants specifically because I remembered loving their structure and colors. Based on my reference (pictured left), I came up with this quick pen and digital sketch (right) for my elephant pendant:



Reference & My Original Concept
(Click to enlarge)

2. Sculpt
This little guy (pictured left) was my first draft. I used a small bunch of floral wire to bulk his body and give me a good handle to hold him by as I sculpted. I used Super Sculpey polymer clay and a myriad of wood and metal sculpting tools, and my hands to sculpt his body.

Once his sculpt was finished, it was baking time! The middle image shows him at the baking process, and the start of my casting a mold of him. I used Sculpey mold maker.

In the photo on the right, I have some of his family! It was my very first time creating a mold, so the elephant brethren on the right were very roughed out by the mold, and then I took over the rest of the sculpting by hand.

 
Elephant Sculpt Process
(Click to enlarge)

3. Hook & Paint
For the necklaces, I add a hook to the raw clay elephants and bake them in the oven already intact. Then it is painting time! I use all acrylic paints, and the (almost) finished product can be seen below! The last finishing touch I'd like to experiment with is adding a varnish to protect the paint further and make him look A+

Elephant Pendant, First Draft
(Click to Enlarge)

4. Review
I am always looking for ways to improve my work, and these guys are no exception! I am pretty happy with how they are looking so far, but like I said, I'd like to give them finishing touches. I will definitely experiment with varnish, and I would like to make the next group a little more pudgy in the body, and work on an even smoother surface finish of the sculpt.

I will post an update later with my improvements! But for now, this will conclude our Art-Thursday!

Thank you for reading, and check back next week!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Art Wednesday: An Art Dump

Good evening Art-Wednesday readers!

Before I get too into all the details of my new adventures in artwork, I wanted to catch you all up on my work since I went blog-silent.

My last individual post was in honor of my Great Uncle. Needless to say this was a major factor in my time away from blogging. Since then, I am happy to say I got my art groove back and have worked even harder on my artwork in his memory. He helped (a lot) in funding my art education, and I was never able to express my full gratitude. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite pieces I have created since then:

I worked on developing a mermaid like character for my science collaboration...

 
   (Click any image to enlarge)


I got back into more frequent doodling...

 
   (Click any image to enlarge)


I tried my hand at Copic Markers for the first time....

 
   (Click any image to enlarge)

And had fun with new ideas!

 
   (Click any image to enlarge)

Well that is all for this Art-Wednesday update. Catch you next week! Thanks!



Wednesday, January 6, 2016

First Art-Wednesday Post: What's New?

Hello! It is the first Wednesday 2016, so today starts my weekly posting!

You may have been wondering, where has Brianna been? Has she been busy, doing art? So to catch everyone up on my progress during my blog posting break, I want to let you know about my most exciting new art-adventures!

I was doing some soul searching during my months of blogging hiatus, and came to two conclusions: First, I wanted to do more art. And secondly, I wanted to start something new with it.

To start addressing my goal of creating more art, I have launched these Art-Post-Wednesdays hosted here on my blog, and I have also started a "365 Day" Art Challenge on my Instagram @briannaleahyart  , which I started January 1st, 2016!

@BriannaLeahyArt on Instagram:  365 Days of Art so far


But what should I do with my artwork that is "new"? Multiple friends, peers and colleagues had been suggesting Etsy to me for quite some time, so I began to research everything about it. What I found had me so excited! Though I plan to have a "Grand Opening" of my Etsy shop:  Badgerbri Art in the near future, I am glad to say that the store is open! You can click the link above to check it out.


Etsy Shop:  Badgerbri Art's first products, available for purchase now!


And if that is not enough, I have started collaborating with a marine microbial ecologist from Oregon State University for a new, ongoing art and science project! For clues to what that might be, watch my Instagram....we will leak more details later when the project gets closer to its first (of many) publishing!

So, I am going to be hard at work on my daily Instagram, my weekly blog posting, working on a collaborative science & art project, and with developing my Etsy Shop to fit my hopeful vision. Here's to a great 2016!

Monday, January 4, 2016

Coral Reef Study: Digital Painting

Starting off 2016 right with more consistent artwork! I painted this quick study while watching Disney & Pixar's "Finding Nemo" last night.

My goal doing the painting familiarize myself with some of the shapes and colors of a coral reef. I planned this exercise as a very fun and informal introduction to coral biology, as I am looking forward to a more in-depth project collaborating with a microbiologist in the field!

Please Follow me & Heart artwork on My Instagram
Painted on my Wacom Cintiq Companion, with Adobe Photoshop CC

Blog Update: Wednesdays are now Art Days!

Welcome 2016!

It is a new year, which means wonderful new beginnings, and a lot of new year resolutions!
This blog will now have.......

A New Art Post Every Wednesday!

So keep an eye out for new, and more consistent art postings. To catch everyone up on what work I have been busy with, I will start by posting a digital painting piece today! And as always, please feel free to leave comments here or on my Facebook page.

Thank you, and my best wishes for everyone for 2016!