thewitchpaint

[thewitchpaint]

Fungi Moss Lichen Jacket Speed Paint

Here is technically my first/third speed painting. It was the first one I recorded, but the third one I processed.  I plan on many more as time goes on, but here’s number 3!

[thewitchpaint]

The Journey of a Long-Ass Time...

Begins with the initial purchase of materials. In this case.

I am officially part of the academy of the 501st Legion Starkiller Garrison, which is badass. I am excited to start my Sinya costume. That being said, I will have a LOOOOOONG journey ahead of me since I have to piece everything according to my budget. So far, I have acquired fabric for the shirt and the corset/vest and shoulder pads. I also have grommets for the corset whenever that gets made. I also need to find some boning and some more cotton batting. The corset won't be a strongly boned one, but probably one or two stays along with the appropriate stays at the grommets. The color of some of the fabrics is wrong, but I'll dye them to be "regulation".

My ultimate goal is to make some of the pieces out of leather, and thankfully, my dad has the tools needed to make them. He also has leather and rivets, so I'm grateful. I want them (a belt and a helmet of sorts) to be made out of leather mainly because I want them to be of good quality and to last a while. I feel like approval will happen quicker if the materials are higher quality.

I also have the conundrum of the lightsabers. If I am allowed to make these out of PVC pipe and other materials, I will have no problem constructing them myself and will probably enjoy the process. I had been stumped on how to make them until my dad suggested PVC.

Anyway, this will be a long journey, but if I get approved it will be a rewarding one. I'm excited to take first steps, which will probably be making the shirt and a mock up of the corset. Tally Ho!

[thewitchpaint]

New Stuff!

Today, but technically yesterday, I got a new tablet, a Huion Inspiroy H640P. I am excited to finally be able to properly use programs like Krita and Inkscape to start doing design work.

As for the tablet, I am still figuring it out since I only opened the box today (Friday). Inside was the tablet, a usb/usbc adapter cord, a pen stand (which contains 8 extra nibs), and of course the pen. The tablet has six hot keys that I still need to investigate. The drawing space is approximately six inches by four inches and I'm having to get used to that space relative to the monitor.

So far, I've been trying it out with Krita and it's a little frustrating, but really it's only the first couple of hours since I've gotten it. The learning curve will be to translate movements on the tablet to space on the canvas/monitor so that I can draw effectively.

For those of you who don't know, Krita is an open source painting program and Inkscape is an open source vector image program. Since Adobe Creative Suite is awfully expensive, I figure I'll try my hand at these programs before going on to Adobe. I want to build a portfolio that looks relatively decent so that I can look into design as my new profession.

Another new thing besides my foray into design work, is that I have joined my local 501st unit! (The 501st Legion is a globally recognized costuming group that is centered around the Empire in Star Wars. A sister organization is Rebel Legion, which is a group of the good guys and is also globally recognized). I have an advisor and such, so hopefully soon I will be able to start building my costume. My goal is to make at least one costume for the 501st and one for the Rebel Legion if I can end up joining them. My costume for the 501st is a character called Sinya. She is a bounty hunting Twi'lek. The character I would like to be for the Rebel Legion is The Armorer from The Mandalorian, as she is my favorite character from the entire series.

Below are pictures of my new tablet and its "digs" as well as pictures of Sinya and the Armorer. I hope to keep you all updated soon! Once I get the hang of using the tablet I will be asking people to let me doodle around with business logos or business ideas to build a decent portfolio.

[thewitchpaint]

Rainbow DragonJacket part 2

I’m progressing with the construction and painting of my rainbow dragon jacket and I assume I’ll have it done in a short bit. I can’t wait to see it finished! I will have it for sale when it’s done, or even beforehand if you trust me to finish it ;). There will be two dragons, one on the front and one on the back that’s spiraled up, plus hand knitted rainbow sleeves.

I’m asking about $350 plus shipping for anyone who might be interested in buying this jacket once it’s finished, or even before that on the promise that I will get it done asap.

Please spread the word about this jacket, and if you are interested in your own custom jacket, you can reach me through email at this link: https://linktr.ee/hideous_swamp_witch_designs

I’m more than happy to paint a jacket or a bag (like a tote bag or something that has space on it). I do almost anything except for political stuff or things that disparage others.

Thank you!

[thewitchpaint]

Glamborous Sheep Jacket Speed Paint

This is technically my second speed paint.  I’ll post the first one in a bit ;)

[thewitchpaint]

Rainbow Dragon Jacket

Currently I am working on painting a sleeveless denim jacket. The reason it is sleeveless is that I removed the sleeves in order to knit new ones. I am also painting the back and possibly the front with rainbow dragons in the hopes that someone who loves both things will want it. I was most recently working on putting copper paint on the dragon as if it were stained glass. There's a little more to go, but I felt like I needed to pack it in for the night.

[thewitchpaint]

Boy, do I love painting Jackets!

Not only do I paint pet portraits and still life images, but I paint apparel too! My main outlet is denim jackets. I have done a couple of tee shirts, but they are a little more finicky. I hope soon to graduate to leather jackets so I can reach a wider audience of people. So far, my favorites to paint are heavy metal jackets and I plan on doing a lot more!

If you would like to commission me for a jacket, you can reach me at this link, which contains my rates and my email. https://linktr.ee/hideous_swamp_witch_designs

I have some example of what I've made so far here:

Pic 1: Many Mushrooms shirt

Pic 2: Kirin shirt

Pic 3: Forest Spirits jacket

Pic 4: Rebels Ahsoka jacket

Pic 5: The Mandalorian and Grogu jacket

Pic 6: A comic book cover (the first one to ever feature a carnivorous plant) jacket

Pics 7, 8: Powerslave Iron Maiden jacket, as modeled by my friend who requested no sleeves, haha.

Pics 9, 10: Van Halen jacket. This one was modeled after one of Eddie Van Halen's guitars and is modeled by the recipient

Pic 11: the "Glamborous" Jacket (a sheep with makeup and jewelry with lots of gold paint).

Pic 12: FML: The Jacket. That's Fungi, Moss, and Lichen for all you gutter minded people!

[thewitchpaint]

How I Paint

Hello everyone!

The title of this post is simple, yet self explanatory. I in no way consider myself to be an expert, but I don't paint badly (unless I feel like it. You'll know.). I wanted to give you a glimpse into my process and to maybe give you the inkling to want to pick up a brush and paint. My method is solely with acrylic paints, not oils or watercolors (though I dabble in those too), so I wouldn't use everything here to do those other media. I also work primarily from photographs because my subjects are usually a pet, and pets are hard to keep still. This allows me to paint a pet that I know I will never see in person or one that has sadly passed away and all that exists is photographs.

If anyone wants an idea of my particular style: I try for some realism, but often what I want to do is capture the essence and spirit of the subject and focus on that instead of perfection.

For my examples, I am using two different paintings, but showing the same processes because I am terrible at documenting (I keep painting and forgetting to take pictures!)

To begin, I make sure my setup is how I want it to be. My choice setup is my little portable table, which sits betwixt the legs of my easel. You can choose any easel you want, but I specifically got one that can adjust/telescope from table size to floor size without a lot of hassle. It's not the sturdiest, but it does the job. Keep in mind, this is all sitting on top of a canvas drop cloth because most places I paint are danger zones when it comes to drips. My water glass and brush rolls go on top of the little table. (Pic 1)

Speaking of brush rolls, they are very important if you have at least a modest collection of brushes. I will go into depth about those in another post!

I then grab my canvas of choice. I'm into oddly shaped ones, myself because they present a challenge. I do, however, offer four sizes of rectangular canvases as my basis for most commissions. It's much easier to price them if I know what shape/frame I'll be using. Sometimes too, my canvas might be watercolor paper because I like to make greeting cards. Sometimes I will paint on wood or wood slices because it offers a nice change. Really, the canvas you choose is what speaks to you for your project. There's no wrong thing to use as a canvas as long as you don't get in trouble, haha.

Let's get into my actual method now, since you've had to read through the prep:

I just slather the canvas in a background color! I know that some people may not like that, and that's obviously something you can change if you're being commissioned, but often I can't be bothered to do a crazy background to start. You can always add fantastic things later, but my particular method is emphasis on the subject and not necessarily the background. I have been known on occasions to do stripes or starbursts, but that is only really at the request of the commissioner or if the painting really calls out for it. Note, even if you want the background of your painting to be white like the canvas, it's best to actually paint it white and not rely on the empty canvas. (pic 2)

Once the background is dry, you can begin mapping out your subject. I tend to do broad outline shapes in white and just fill in with white because if you screw up, it's hella easy to just cover it up like you would with the canvas. (pic 3)

I fill in with the basic shapes of the subject in the approximate colors that you would be using. Up until a certain point, when I put in more details, I like to call this portion "The Roughs", as in "here's your rough draft, the rough shapes, the rough outlines". (pics 4-8)

Keep adding onto your roughs. Keep in mind playing with negative and positive space-- taking those shapes and making sure they all line up. Play also with shadow and light in the same manner. Try your best to color match what is actually in the picture and not what your mind thinks it is. Shadows aren't all black and highlights aren't all white. Snow is a tricky one, for example because it contains so many subtle colors that our eye still perceives as white.

A lot of times, I will use my thinnest brushes to make an outline of different parts of my subject. Sometimes the lines will end up in the final "draft", and sometimes they will be covered over in favor of softer edges, but it all just depends on what is called for in the painting.

Keep going smaller and smaller with your rough shapes, adding more detail each time. If you feel like you already reached that point a while ago, you can ignore this, but I feel up until you really go in with detail, you're in the roughs. (pics 9-10)

Add your detail! Once you get a lot of your highlights, shadows, spaces, shapes, and colors mapped out (whew!) and you feel satisfied with the result, go for it. Use smaller and smaller brushes. Be deliberate with everything you are painting (if you weren't already being so). Put meaning behind every stroke and don't give up before the finish line. (pic 11)

If you need to at any point during the process, take a break! It's very good to step away from your work, especially if you have been at it for hours. Give your eyes a break, take a drink, walk around. Try not to think about your work for a few minutes and come back with fresh eyes.

Go in with final details and do a check over. If you weren't already checking over the painting to get everything in there, now's the time to do it. Is your subject missing a non-missing digit? Is there anything that seems off? Go in and correct it. If there are corrections of any size that need to be done, big or small, it's best to go with the closest color to paint over it or else use white to start fresh.

Once you're satisfied ENOUGH with the painting--- freaking stop! You are your own worst critic and it's most likely that whatever you do will be much appreciated by your patron. Unless there is something GLARING that you forgot, it's probably fine. The goal is not to be perfect (hard, I know!), but to be finished and be satisfied with the work you've put through. (pics 12-14)

Now that your painting is finished ENOUGH, be proud of yourself. Since it is acrylics you don't necessarily have to put a finish on it, but you can. Once everything is dry you can send it out or hang it on your wall to show everyone.

[thewitchpaint]

My Hat Project

I've been working for several months on a hat project. I'm creating a knitted hat pattern that I have been perfecting with the intent to sell it. If I can't perfect it, I don't mind making it a free pattern because I just want to see people make them.

The hat combines my love of knitting and Star Wars- If you are familiar with the race in Star Wars called Twi'Lek, they are a fairly ubiquitous set of characters with famous ones like Hera Syndulla, Aayla Secura, and Bib Fortuna. I absolutely love the look of "Lekku", or the "head tentacles" that come off the back of their heads. There are a few crocheted patterns available, but I have yet to see a fully fleshed out knitting pattern. So far, though I'm not always pleased with the results, it's a bunch of trial and error and some engineering, so it will be an ongoing process. I've gotten to Mark IV, with Marks 1-2 being trashed and Mark III being my default one that I will wear for making online content.

Mark V will be a slightly different method from the previous ones to see if it succeeds-- I will be using a version that my friend came up with, but with some tweaks.

I have a Facebook messenger group for people that I will hope to have test knit the hat, and I'd like to have as many people as possible to test out the pattern. If anyone wants to join in on it, please feel free to DM me. It will be a somewhat advanced pattern, so you do need to have some at least intermediate knowledge to create one. I might find another place to hold a messenger type group- maybe discord once I figure out how to use it? haha.

I have some pictures here of Mark III and Mark IV. Mark III is the peach one and Mark IV is the white one.

I'm also working on trying to make crochet head pieces for wearing over the original hats. They will generally be universal in construction because I want them to fit on the hats regardless of where the Leks are sewn onto the head.

[thewitchpaint]

What do I do?

Hello everyone,

Welcome! I just wanted to give you all a peek at what I like to do. My background is in fine arts and fiber arts and I am more than happy to teach people that are willing to learn.

Since the tender age of....well, I could hold a crayon, I have been fascinated with drawing characters- people and animals, and that inclination was fostered from that point on. I always enjoyed art class in school and have loved creating all sorts of things.

What I do in the "fine arts" realm is mainly portrait painting and still life, as well as apparel painting. To exemplify this further, my portrait painting, mainly acrylic, falls into mostly pet portraiture and some human portraits. I like to paint still life scenes on greeting cards. My apparel painting is mainly the backs of denim jackets, which is my favorite puzzle to figure out.

My life and love of art has been a rocky relationship to say the least. While I had received praises for my creativity from a young age, I had not achieved the notoriety that I had hoped for, as some of my peers had done, so I felt inadequate. Those feelings were only amplified during my years in college. I would spend countless all-nighters, pouring myself into the creative process of my projects only to be told that I was essentially, still inadequate, by my professors and fellow students. I had been told in so many words, that since I didn't already know all of the technical aspects of subjects like drawing, painting, and sculpture, that I would not be taught, because making up "reasons" for my artwork, that expression was more valuable than technique and process. While I do believe that expression of the artist is important, it's not everything. According to my professors, the explanation of "I like it" or "it's pretty so I wanted to make it" wasn't good enough. Things had only been made harder by not being properly medicated for anxiety and ongoing digestive issues (I couldn't drink with the students or even have a refreshing cup of coffee in the morning without getting sick, so I missed out on a lot of communal time with my peers).

It wasn't until after my first stint at university and a few years of inner turmoil later that I finally started to heal my relationship with art. I entered into an associate program for Special Makeup Effects, and later a certification course for Fantasy Art. When I entered the Fantasy Art course, the teacher informed me that I was wrong about my inability to paint and draw, that my previous teachers had been wrong. That all I needed to do was try and actually learn how to use materials "properly". It was there that I learned how to do more advanced acrylic painting, drawing, and airbrushing. My confidence rose because I finally felt like I was appreciated for being able to do even an inkling of art, that my ideas weren't dumb, and that the process matters as much as the expression.

Still, not being properly medicated, I did slump back into depression and didn't do a lot of work for several years, but in 2020, I decided to pick up the paint brush and have a go once more. I started with simplified, illustrated style paintings, but after practicing again and finding something I liked painting, I got back into doing what I do now, the portraits and the apparel.

Fiber arts appeared in my life shortly after I learned to draw, probably around the age of five. My aunt taught me how to crochet the chain stitch, which resulted in MILES and MILES of chains everywhere. I eventually learned how to actually continue with other stitches to create all sorts of things from toys to a pair of slippers for my dad. Around the age of 8, my "sort of" grandmother taught me the basics of knitting when I was staying with them for a while in the summer. Granted, she had only shown me garter stitch, but from there I shot off and learned so much more. After these humble starts, I ended up teaching myself more advanced stitches from books and sources like YouTube. Over the years I would say that I am an advanced intermediate with my skills, but not quite to expert, and definitely not a master (there actually is a master set of courses for knitting-- after having an explanation of what they were I decided I didn't need to be a master, lol.). My favorite things to make in both knitting and crochet is shawls, and I love if they are somewhat complicated, or at least have a lot of variety. It was in my 20s that I learned how to spin yarn from a friend at a retreat, and now it's one of my favorite hobbies. I find it very relaxing. My goal with spinning is to eventually learn to spin cobweb thickness yarn and knit a Shetland style wedding shawl from it.

Needless to say, It's been up and down, as any person would have in their lives, but I am at a good stasis at this point.

I do painting for commission work now, but not fiber arts, as the latter takes a LOT of time and the labor cost is outrageous, so if you get something I've knitted or crocheted, consider yourself lucky, lol.

If you are interested in seeing my artwork or want to contact me for a commission, please feel free to hit this link: https://linktr.ee/hideous_swamp_witch_designs

The best way to contact me is through my email, but feel free to peruse my other links on the page! I have a few examples of my work on this post as well :)

[thewitchpaint]

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, The Witch Paint, which is the home of Hideous Swamp Witch Design's posts about art, fiber arts, and hobbies. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer!