Daily Doodle #8

Yippeee!!! We're closing in on the double digits for my Daily Doodles! 

For today's installation, I thought about doing something with a New Years Eve theme, but as I received a new Fleur Paradise Prisma Cake in the mail from Silly Farm today, I chose to play with that instead.

My weakest skill in the world of Face Painting & Body Art is definitely the whole Rainbow Cake, Split Cake, and One Stroke Cake phenomenon. My previous face painting experience, almost 2 decades ago, never included anything like them. You mixed and blended your own colors, that's just how it worked. 

(Call me old school... Just don't call me old. Besides, I'm not that old really ~ It will be at least another 20 years before my age makes me eligible to become a crazy cat lady. Moving on...)

As I mentioned, I got this awesome Fleur Paradise Prisma Cake today. As far as split cakes & one stroke cakes, I really only have about 6-7 at this point as I'm still learning all about using them. (As I mentioned, it's my weakest skill as far a face painting goes~ and not because I can't do it, I just don't have the skill mastered yet. Plus, as you will quickly learn, I love, love, LOVE, flowers ~ I even make my own Fantastical Flowers as I mentioned yesterday. (You'll be able to purchase them here on my site soon!)

My favorite flowers are daisies, especially Gerbera Daisies with all their layers and bright, bold, and blending colors. Though I have noticed there is a big rose trend in the Face & Body Painting world these days, especially because of the invention of split cakes and their ease of use. Well, painting daisies is not so much of a challenge for me ~ I paint them all the time, just because they're so fun and aside from a round brush, Filberts are my favorite. :) 

Now back to the roses... I'm not so good at painting those, especially with split cakes. (Not yet anyway, but I'll get there...) I can draw them and paint them with acrylic paint, but as speed is a big thing in the face painting world, it's important that I practice getting roses down using split cakes to assist in the speed factor. Enter the Fleur cake and also the new Loew-Cornell 3/4 Flat Brush I got in the mail today too (also from Silly Farm) that will replace one of the crummy flat brushes I have. 

Being so excited about my new arrivals in the mail today, I chose to forego a New Years Eve theme and do something floral instead. Well, working with that new brush & cake just wasn't the easiest for me. First off, new brushes are always stiff, and secondly, new cakes take a bit of use before they, too, are broken in properly. But, I gave it the old college try anyway and chose to go big or go home...

My new 3/4" flat brush in hand, I set off to conquer a rose. Everything was working out well in the beginning~ Got my ruffly background petals in, and the center cylindrical shape came together nicely, even the side swipes to the center cylinder came in nicely too~ it was just that the center pieces ended up being a little too off center from the background petals to look like a rose ~ It sort of just looked like a ruffly mess. 

Being my fathers' daughter however; I chose to work with my mistake rather than start over. My father is a wise man and I get the majority of my artistic chops from him. He's a retired Art Director and Professor of Graphic Design, thus I was working part time in his office during my summers off from school by the time I was 13. Dinner conversations consisted of creating fictitious ad campaigns or products; or even discussing color theory and layout design... There was really never a dull moment at our dinner table. 

One summer day, when I was working in his office, I was wasting some time drawing while I waited for him to finish his work for the day. While drawing with a technical pencil, I made a mistake. So, as anyone would do when they make a mistake, I went in search of an eraser. Not to bother my father while he was working, I was going in and out of each employees taboret tables looking for an eraser; none was to be found. Finally, I decided to interrupt my father and ask where I could find an eraser and he says, "We don't have erasers here." Looking at him all confused he continued, "To be a really good artist, one of the best skills you can have is to WORK with your mistakes, not eliminate them. So I have a rule that there are no erasers in the office." 

Looking completely dumbfounded and probably like an ashamed daughter for even bringing up the subject, he proceeded to put his hand on my shoulder and say, "Go back to your drawing, take a look at it and just consider what you can make of the mistake you made. You don't need an eraser, just use your imagination. I bet it will turn out better than you expected." Thus, I sauntered back over to my drawing area and stared at my picture. Sure enough, after a few minutes of gazing at the thing, I found a way to incorporate the mistake into the drawing. We soon left the office for the evening, and I left the completed drawing on the draft table I had been working at. 

A week later when I came back with my father to help in his office, I was pleasantly surprised that he had my drawing hanging on his office wall along with all of his own amazing work. "You see?" my father asked me, "It's spectacular! I bet it wouldn't have turned out like this if you hadn't made that mistake." Giving me a little wink and pat on the back. And he was right...

Now, getting back to the whole daily doodle and rose thing...

So, I made a mistake when I first painted the rose; but rather than wiping it off my arm and starting over; I could hear my father saying~ "You don't need an eraser, just use your imagination." and so that's what I did for tonight's doodle.  

BEHOLD, the last Daily Doodle of 2014 (Along with a pic of the paints I used: Paradise Prisma Cake in Fleur, and Wolfe Black & White.)...

With that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that your 2015 is Wonderfully Fantastical! 

(Oh, and don't forget~ Throw away your erasers, your imagination will do the work for you!)

Keep Creating, Keep Smiling, and Keep Dreaming~

-tif-