Summary 2024

 HELLO!

 

So, as usual in the beginning of the new year I will briefly summarise what happened on the a-r-tistic blog in previous year. I'll try to bring up threads concerning changes on the blog, and also potential things I would like to do in 2025.

SO, LET'S BEGIN! 

Summary 2024, graphic.
This graphic presents parts of works I've created in 2024.

among the sunflowers

 HELLO!

Honestly I've never got a chance to create something on a circular medium. 

And I was really curious how will I deal with that.

So it became my aim - a tondo. Tondo is a term for a work of art created on a circular medium.

And today's the chance to show how I dealt with this chalenge.

I was wondering a bit about what I want to draw, or paint on a circular paper. I came up with an idea of a romance between an acrylic paint and a black pen. It's not the first time I'm doing this kind of experiment (previous works: lost in the dream, At first sight?).

Below you can see the net result of my work.

Summary 2023

 HELLO!

New year has come. It brought us all not only an additional day but also a hope for a better future.

It's time to summarise my activity on the a-r-tistic blog in 2023.

So, let's begin!

Summary 2023, graphic.
This graphic shows fragments of works I've made in 2023.

a picture of a horse

 HELLO!

For some time an idea of drawing a horse was clinging to me. So it became my aim.

I started with drawing a sketch based on a following photo.

Horse. Source of illustration.

Below you can see a sketch I've made with a pencil.

Summary 2022

 HELLO!

Previous summaries appeared at the beginning of January. This time I took a rest from blogging and decided to show summary of 2022 in my a-r-tistic blog in the February. 

So, let's start!

• In 2022 I published 23 posts. This year I made lots of graphics and pastels. Collages made an appearance, too.
• I was able to accomplish 2 aims - a Dragon and Pandora. Now there are new aims - a picture of a horse, and also a Cityscape. Regarding to an illustration to Shostakovich's Waltz no. 2 I decided to change this aim because somewhere along the line I lost desire to make this. I'm sorry. I came to conclusion that it still be an illustration to piece of music - and I would choose one of Joe Hisaishi's compositions.

Pandora

 HELLO!

From time to time I find films concerning mythology pretty interesting (especially greek and japanese ones). One of them got my attention to Pandora and her mysterious box. So I started thinking about her, and I was wondering how would I portray Pandora?

So, that's how Pandora became my aim.

Here is the 1st draft.

I wanted to capture a curiosity not only on her face but also in her movements. She swings forward the box and reaches to it with her right arm.

Below there's a final drawing made by a brown crayon on a paper.

a Dragon - part 2

 HELLO!

Today's the continuation of creating a dragon, and consequently - this is the last part of dealing with the dragon. If you want to remind yourself what happened in the 1st part, check it out HERE. 

My next step was colouring a dragon's eyes. 

I coloured his eyes with crayons - yellow, green and blue.

At first I wasn't sure which colours should I choose for this dragon. I was thinking about it pretty long.

Finally I decided that dragon will be gray, his thorns - brown, red, orange and yellow. 

But I started from creating a background with soft pastels. I wanted to get an effect of the evening sky which is glowing because of the fire.

a Dragon - part 1

 HELLO!

One day I thought that it would be splendid to draw a dragon which doesn't look sillily. This desire was inspired by manga One Piece, and a sculpture of chinese dragon I saw in one of the polish museums. 

So, my aim became a dragon.

This picture shows a Far Eastern Asian Dragon flying above the waterfall.
In this waterfall there are carps koi. This sketch was inspired by the legend about
the Golden Dragon.

SUMMARY 2021

 Hello in the New Year!

In this very beginning of the year I would like to briefly summarise my activity in 2021.

Let's go!

• This year I published 24 posts on this blog, and it's a new record. 
• I made small changes on the blog. One of them happened at the end of the right sidebar, and it was called: a-r-thoughts.
• I've accomplished 2 aims from my list this year. I'm glad that I draw the portrait of Hikaru Masai, and "pastelled" a portrayal of a Samurai. Now the new aims became: the Portrayal of  Pandora, and a dragon. I hope that this year I'll be able to create an illustration to Shostakovich's Waltz no. 2 too.

Works 2021, gif. This gif shows a details from my works.

a Portrait of Hikaru Masai

 HELLO!

Today I'm showing one of my aims with a great pleasure

. It is Hikaru Masai's portrait. 

Who is Hikaru Masai? 

She is a japanese singer who nowadays is performing as H-el-ical//. Previously Hikaru Masai was a part of Kalafina. This splendid japanese group disbanded in 2019. They were well-known for their songs composed for various anime series.

Previously I drew also portraits of other members of Kalafina: Keiko Kubota and Wakana Ootaki. I was so eager to draw her as well, but as a result of various obstacles I was leaving this aim over.

The time has come but I decided to change something in a style of portraying.

Samurai whose eyes are aiming at the cherry blossom

 Hello! 🌸

   So, this rare opportunity, which is an image of a man on my blog, has come. For this particular portrayal I chose a samurai. I accepted this challenge with a pleasure (lately One Piece increased my interest in japanese culture much more). I went through a huge brainstorm... Firstly I took pastels and made an undermentioned sketch.

To my own surprise this sketch was looking like a response to Sutekina tsuitachi o. There was a young lady sitting under the cherry blossom with an o-choko (a cylindrical cup which is used for drinking sake) in her hand.

Summary of 2020

 HELLO!

It's time for the second summary on this blog. During writing the first one I thought I should take a fresh look on certain matters and remind myself of them. It emerged that it was necessary to understand this year was full of experimenting and searching.

So, let's start!

• This year I published 23 posts and - so far - it's a record! Yay!
• In the end of October I published the 100th post! This little jubilee is also noteworthy.
• I changed a few things in order to improve blog's functioning. For example I shifted a bit blog's visual design. Plus, I've made a division on the right sidebar - I've separated Finished Aims from My Cycles... And I think it was a good move.

At the end of 2020 a female guitarist is playing something calm

 Hello! 🎸

     In the last post in this year there will be one of my aims - a female guitarist. I haven't got a clue at the beginning how should I portray her... Finally playing on the guitar make me aware which pose looks the best (and drawing a guitar was kinda problematic). 

A Guitarist, pencil and oil pastels on a paper, 14,8 x 21 cm.

     During creative process I decided to experiment a bit. I used a pencil for a young guitarist sitting on a wall and oil pastels for background. I thought about the fourth story from anime Mononoke (2007) where the grey world became lively thanks to smelling various scents.

So... That's all.

As a new aim I chose... a portrayal of a Samurai 

🏯

(because this year's One Piece was really awesome, entertaining and inspiring... For me it was one of those rare things that made 2020 quite tolerable)

♪ Yuki Kajiura - Fake wings

🎉

Ok, my dear readers

I wish you a Happy, Calm and Great New Year!

May your dreams come true!

🎉

a View on Melancholy

 Hello!

     I was always interested in theories concerning temperaments... I haven't probably mentioned it but this interest influenced my way of portraying personifications of the Four Seasons. I couldn't help but assign each of them to respective humours like sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. Today I would like to focus on the last one of them because showing a view on Melancholy belonged to one of my aims.

So let's start with the earliest sketches with the ideas for Melancholy's portrayal.

I chose to show the allegory of Melancholy as a tired, worried and thoughtful woman. Next I draw her on paper. Firstly I wanted to use a black pen for outlines but I've changed my mind.

Summary of 2019

HELLO!

Happy New Year!, gif.

Blog exists more than 4 years and I've decided to create a post with a summary of 2019. Well, I've never thought of this as a necessary act. My decision was dictated by few things which are worth comments.

• This year I published 21 posts and - so far, this is the biggest amount of posts published during one year! 
• I made a lot of adjustments in order to improve blog's functioning. I mean, for example, adding an option "Click there to read more" to longer posts, adding a graphic to the headline, correcting tags and various texts, etc.

next aim - SO LONG! It's portrait of a man!

Hello!

Today I want to show a portrait of a man. This theme became one of my aims because of a major advantage of women pictures on my blog. Initially I couldn't decide who exactly should I portray. But one day - spontaneously - I choose Serj Tankian as a model for drawing.

Serj Tankian, black & white crayons on a brown paper, 18,2 x 12,4 cm.

Keiko Kubota - her portrait

Hello!

First of all - Happy and Peaceful Easter! ❤️ Second of all - that's another aim (already!) - the next will be portrait of Hikaru Masai - another singer from Kalafina. In this beautiful but windy day I show you a portrait of Keiko Kubota. I made it in the same style like portrait of Wakana Ootaki - also filled with titles of songs (not only from Kalafina but also from FictionJunction). I hope this time they're more visible.
Unfortunately I cut a bit lower part of drawing (where is an inscription: YANE NO MUKOU NI).

A portrait of Keiko Kubota, 21 x 14,9 cm, crayons on paper.

A Still Nature - my aim

Hello!

I decided to finish my aim quickly. I'm writing about a Still Nature. Once I saw three fruits: plums, grapes and tomatoes on a plate I wanted to draw a still nature. I was fascinated with their colours and layout. As a result I took a photo which was a very good decision.

And this is a pastel which was based on this photo.

A Still Nature with Plums, Grapes and Tomatoes, pastel on cardboard, 21,4 x 23 cm.

Well... as you see I still must practise.

Have a Nice Day!

Oh... I almost forgot... My new aim is portrait of Keiko Kubota (Kalafina, FictionJunction) in the same manner as Wakana.

A drawing of sculpture

Hello!

   Again - long time no see! Today I'm going to publish my drawing of sculpture. I chose a David made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. But I didn't draw a full sculpture... My drawing is based on a photo of Bernini's sculpture in the catalogue 'the Galleria Borghese. The Masterpieces'.

This is my drawing:

Bernini's David, pencil on paper, april 2017.

A Rainbow in the Mountains

A Mountain landscape with a Rainbow, pastel on paper, 30.12.2016.

Hello!

In this last day of 2016 I decided to show a pastel. This landscape was based on photo in one magazine.