Alaya Art sponsored 29 Faces in September 2015.  I didn’t get all of my 29 faces completed during the challenge period but I am going to continue with them until I get them all done.  It has helped develop my skills so much that I want to make sure I make it through all 29!  Also, Kim Dellow over on her blog has a fun thing going called Art It Friday – Show Your Face.  I discovered it while browsing some linked blog pages on Julie Fei-Fan Balzer’s regular Friday post Art Journal Everyday post which she usually posts regularly every Friday.  I also found Paint Party Friday through Kim Dellow’s post.  This is a fun group, too!  There are some really talented artist doing all sorts of painty things over there.  Here is my entry for all today, which is also 29Faces-No. 22.

scan.128

I see people using colored markers, etc., to sketch all sorts of things in their journals.  I’ve been wanting to try this for quite some time so today I did!  I was kind of bored with my background (I need to rotate my “go to” paints in my work area and get some fresh colors in there) so I decided today was the day to try a colored-marker sketch.  I guess I have this notion in my head that I prefer to use a more neutral outline for sketching.  When I see others use this technique, sometimes I really like it but sometimes I really don’t.  I went with a greenish marker so it at least sort of blended a little better with the background colors already there.  I think I don’t mind the colored marker quite as much as I thought I might and I think it is because it kind of matches the background and doesn’t appear as stark as it might if it were more of a contrasting color. Just my personal weird preference.  I may try it again sometime but I will definitely use a color that goes well with or pulls out a background color.

For this sketch I laid down a very thin layer of gesso and then used thin layers of acrylic applied with the edge of a pallet knife.  It was still to bold so I covered it over with a couple of really thin layers of gesso with the top layer being smoothed with a pallet knife as well.  The greenish marker is a Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen (Phthalo Green 161).  Just a touch of pink Neocolor II crayon was add to the lips, eyes and cheeks (Pink and Purple colors) and then added light to the eyes with a Molotov Acrylic Marker–extra fine.  I added a little water under the jaw line and lightly smeared the marker to add just a slight shadow underneath the face–I couldn’t help myself–LOL!  (Interestingly enough, the Pitt markers are supposed to be water proof.  However, I have found that they do not seem to be when used over acrylic.  They moved and dissolved quite easily when I added just a little water.)  I used a drawing by Jane Davenport as my inspiration.

I hope you have a beautiful, art-filled weekend!  🙂