Newbie Challenge 2012

OK, here goes nothing! I know these are late, but I've been ill so I hope I get let off, rather than sent to the Naughty Corner.

First, here's a linework-heavy(ish) one that I painted on myself. Please bear in mind I'm 100% blind in one eye, so when I'm painting over my seeing eye, I can't see a damn thing and have to do it mostly by touch!



Secondly, my first ever one-stroke butterfly!



Down to the critique bit, then. I don't like the shape of the orange one - it's too square at the sides, and the bottom wings are wayyyy out of proportion, so it just looks wrong. The linework's in need of practice too, but that's normal for me.

The blue one...well, it's not bad for a first attempt, I guess, but it's too messy for my liking. I also missed the antennae off the butterfly! Duh.

Have at it, friends!

Girl, you are seriously on the right track! Don't be so hard on yourself!

The orange one just needs to be a little more open. Picture an X on your face and go with that. Try to make the bottom wings a little smaller than the top.

In the blue one, you have the wing shaped very nicely. My only suggestions would be to use a sponge after the outline to blend the inside edge into the base. To leave more room for the antennae, start the body right between the eyes. Then you have all that lovely real estate of the forehead.

Good job!

Looks good! You'll get there!

Wow Kammy! I think you are doing great!! It is hard to believe you have only painted a few things! A life threatening illness!! that's scary! I hope you are feeling a whole lot better! and that it is NOT something that will come back? !

Katurah. nice work. I love how you do the second outline (in white) it gives your work "depth" in my opinion.

AmyLady, your kids are budding artists too. Thank you for starting this thread for us new people! (And do you have blue eyes or brown???...or is your avatar someone else??)

Miss Heidi, cute little butterfly! I find wolfe black so nice for linework too.

Simone, your butterflies are sooo very feminine. I love them.

(if I messed up on any names, forgive me, this wouldn't let me go back and check names etc and my memory is not the best and I am so far 'behind' on this thread I could not comment on all, but love EVERYONE sharing!!)

My SIL is my Avatar--some of my very first work.
I have brown eyes hubby has blue eyes so I have two brown eyed kids and one hazel (blue/green) eyed kid.
I started this thread for purely selfish reasons really my face is the worst one in the Halloween Challenge-I wanted someone to post pictures where I felt safe@ Can't wait to see what you post soon NieleA!

Diane - thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement, they really do help! I knew I needed to make the lower wings of the orange butterfly smaller, but you're right about the angle, too. Thanks for that, I'll bear the "X" thing in mind. I do love that photo of my little boy in my first one-stroke butterfly, even though I can see where I went wrong with it. He just looks so cute and happy! He was SO excited when my new one-stroke cakes arrived, and insisted I get my brushes out to paint him right there and then. He's such a willing victim.

Metina - I'm thrilled you even took time to comment on my efforts, given how busy you must be. Thank you!

Niele - thank you for your kind words, too. I'm doing OK right now, thanks. I'm still recovering from acute pancreatitis, which was pretty scary. As for whether it will happen again, they're not sure what's causing it (they just know it ISN'T gallbladder issues or alcohol, which are the most common causes), which leaves things a bit scary in terms of the possibility of recurrence. I've already survived it three times, though - I'm downright indestructible! I'm in hospital tomorrow for some scans and other tests, as they try to find out why a relatively young (39, it usually happens to older men!), non-alcoholic woman with no gallbladder is continuing to get pancreatitis....

Sorry for that essay, but you did ask!

Amylady - I LOVE that you started this thread! It's a really nicely-pitched challenge to all of us newbies, and it feels like a very safe, supportive place to explore our successes and our not-so-good creations! Thank you for thinking of it, and taking the time to administrate it.

Now...tigers!

Kammy x

I know this challenge is over, but Big Boss Amylady did say we could keep posting in it, right?

I'm posting this here because it's a really quick butterfly, but I think my general shape and confidence is improving!


I'd still be interested to see others' takes on the original two challenges, especially as (I think?) we have a couple of new newbies on the forum right now.

OH Kammie!!!
I love that! You just bowl me over with your talent!
Your blending is so nice and the little lines of purple especially on the bottom are so delicate and make that butterfly so fragile looking! Please tell me about the colors, I really love 'em. And sponge on this one? (since I read you started out sponging more than painting on the background..)
I love feminine things...not into monster faces at all (in my own FP, but I certainly appreciate the art work/shading that goes into them!) and you have some especially nice feminine designs. Good thing for Cian you are versatile and can do dragons etc.
Remember to take pictures this weekend, IF you are able to

Kammy just so you know my 4 year old is sitting here next to me looking at the pics (her favorite past time is looking for "the perfect face painting") and she is trying to convince me to paint her with your butterflies. She keeps going "Wow! That's so me and THAT'S SOOOOOO ME!!!!!!!!"

OK they say better late than never, so here we go first off is of course...Spiderman



Hey it's not MY fault my son insists on Spiderman having black eyes. lol
Here is my little Black Widow as well...



Then ... Butterfly Marathon



Done sitting, rolling, running, and seriously if you can paint her then you can paint ANYONE. lol



Painted while waiting for my mom to come out of surgery. Yeah Mom I bet it looks cool against my tan 20 minutes after waking up. lol



tragically smeared



This was my truely first none cheek art butterfly



Just goofing around.

and finally (ok technically it's not a "butterfly" but it has wings)

NieleA wrote:OH Kammie!!!
I love that! You just bowl me over with your talent!
Your blending is so nice and the little lines of purple especially on the bottom are so delicate and make that butterfly so fragile looking! Please tell me about the colors, I really love 'em. And sponge on this one? (since I read you started out sponging more than painting on the background..)

Niele, you say the nicest things - thank you so much! Yes, I used a sponge for the background. It's just Snaz white in the middle, blending out to Superstar lilac. The purple bits are done with Snaz purple on a big 3/4" filbert brush, and the dots with Wolfe white, as I had some over-wetted and to hand (thanks Cian).

I love feminine things...not into monster faces at all (in my own FP, but I certainly appreciate the art work/shading that goes into them!) and you have some especially nice feminine designs. Good thing for Cian you are versatile and can do dragons etc.
Remember to take pictures this weekend, IF you are able to

There's a monster in Shannon's book that I really, really want to paint on Cian....but he's scared of it and says he'd rather have wuppies or butterflies. :-D Today he was a pirate (he looks SO funny with stippled stubble) and spent the whole afternoon looking for treasure.

I love doing feminine designs, probably because I don't often get the chance except on myself. I live with two males. And a cat who I'm told I mustn't paint.

I hope to take photos on Saturday, but I'm hoping even more that I can delegate that job so I can just concentrate on painting! I'm not very fast, so I'm worried about the potential for unpainted, disappointed little ones.

lady jynx wrote:Kammy just so you know my 4 year old queen is sitting here next to me looking at the pics (her favorite past time is looking for "the perfect face painting") and she is trying to convince me to paint her with your butterflies. She keeps going "Wow! That's so me and THAT'S SOOOOOO ME!!!!!!!!" bounce

You and your little girl just made my night. I'm grinning all over my face now. Thank you! And get painting her, it'll be no time until she's running for cover any time you brandish a brush! I'd love to see her painted as a butterfly.

This place seriously rocks. And it's good for my ego.

Kammy x

P.S. Search on YouTube for Jinny's butterfly design. This was based on one of hers, and it's really not difficult. :-)

Lady Jynx - I love your Spideys and butterflies, they're all great! I especially like the one you doodled on your arm, though. Great shape and colour. You missed a trick with your mom, however - you should've crept into the recovery room and painted her before she woke. Still subject makes for easier paint application, and all that.

Seriously though, hope she's all recovered and fine now. xx

I was teasing her while she was waiting that I was going to sneak in and paint her while she was knocked out and she would wake up aith a massive dragon face. lol She said she wanted a butterfly. That was why I painted one waiting for her. That was Mom's butterfly. And yes she is back up and around now. She had been in for a partial knee revision which is a fancy way of saying they replaced her knee cap. Thanks!!! And you can see that my little girls favorite is the butterflys. It's my boy that runs screaming. Spiderman was the last thing I got to paint him back in August but I won't go into that on this thread. Let's keep the great designs flowing folks.

Wow, thanks for all the inspiration!!

What I learned from this practice session is I really need to practice my lines!! eek! and um, I really could use some base make up! ha! Well, here goes... all feedback is welcome:)

my first spidy



butterfly #1 brushed on with a more closed design



butterfly #2 sponged on with a more open design

Lady Jinx, nice job! Love that expression on the face of the child with the spider design. Also, such nice detail on the wings of that last one.

Leilani, that's your first spider design? very nice design and painting! Like your butterflies too!

Happy painting everyone!

Yes my youngest. She was in such a mood that night. We had gone to the park as we usually do for daddy's monday gig but it got way to cold and I ended up painting her in the car!!! We then went to dinner and saw daddy perform which is where the pic was taken. My camera wouldn't work before. The pic was done after 2 touch ups from tear filled break downs and after dinner so I was surprised it made it through that well. She passed out 30 minutes later. lol

And some butterflies.. I tried a few different things.
I was doing them without any reference as i was too lazy to go get my laptop

trying to figure out this one stroke stuff

I like the first one the best---add a little curve to the butterfly body to make it look a little more delicate---keep at it!