Happy new year to everyone!!

For the new year, my best wish to everybody.
What else could it be?
HEALTH
Above else and most important than anything...

Love,
Zelyss

Lollipop Rococo

This is my last painting, 'Lollipop Rococo' and I wanted to share it in bigger analysis with you.

She's the first actual Lowbrow piece that I've painted and it feels kind of awkward. But it certainly has the general feeling of my work on it. 

I hope you like it! 

Elephant lover's eye

This heart-shaped block of wood was laying around in the studio for far too long. I ended up into turning it into an 'Elephant lover's eye'... I'll take another photo of it hung up on a wall because I was in a rush this morning.

I'm thinking of keeping it but I'm a little worried that we'll start looking too much like a museum around here in the end... I 'd so like that! :)

Suffocating. Unable to breath. Stressed. Always. Why?

'Guarding Angelica' by Zelyss

Angels are a good theme for Sundays I think... and Mondays. And so on... 
Detail of my painting 'Guarding Angelica', acrylics on board.

Runaway Scarlett : detail

Clearing up my camera and I just came across this photo. I kinda love it, so I thought to post it. The lighting is totally off , glares everywhere, but the butterscotch colored eyes are there...

You can see the full painting here: deviantart - zelyss

WIP : Cinderella

This is where we currently are, me painting blurry, crying eyes...

Blythe in Candyland

Anyone for candy???

Progress photo - girl in woods

This photo is in so many ways wrong, it was taken in the dawn fade natural light creeping in my studio. But the painting is coming out so nice... I'm thrilled!!! I think in the end I will wanna go parading in the streets to show it off... ;)

To Blue Fridays

Only a couple months back and it seems like it's been years since I painted her. I came across this photo in my folder and had to repost it, she's one of my favorites. I'm in the same color tones with this today, blue as can get. I've got a flue and I've got the blues, my head 's spinning and couldn't have my painting session. There goes half a day lost... :(

PS. I'm more punctual on my Facebook and Instagram feeds. Hard to keep everything updated, because taking photos, improving them, uploading them, writing something, it all takes time in a day. I've got to paint too, right? Plus all that other boring and totally time-wasting stuff, like feeding myself+others, sleeping etc.  Tsk!! ;)

Tips+tricks series starting

For those of you who don't know, I am a self-taught artist. Self-taught meaning that I've hand-picked numerous art books which have shown me things that I would have learned in an art school I suppose, and I've spent endless hours of my life trying to learn every little detail that will make what I paint look a little better than yesterday, and me a little more happy tomorrow...

The main reason I still spend time on social media is to learn, Internet is a great tool and a great source of knowledge. So I'm thinking to contribute my piece to this process, and post occasionally some tips that I find handy, simple things really that however may be of worth to some beginners. I'll be marking such photos with a 'tips+tricks' stamp so that they're easy to recognize. 

Below is me working on 'Lolipop Rococo'. You see that I'm laying a dark blue color on the bows, although you may see them turning out purplish, even whitish in the end. The reason is that blue lies everywhere(thankfully!), on every shade, on everything we see. The sky is blue, the sea is blue, and they're all around us. Every shadow has blue in it and every dark part of your painting should too. Don't use stand-alone colors as I see in so much artwork posted around. Mix up things on your palette a little and play around. You'll be surprised... wink emoticon 

Lovely inspiration by Mariska Karto

Is it photograph or is it a painting? Hard to tell.
I love the cotton-smooth skin depicted on Baroque/renaissance paintings and thought it's hard to achieve on acrylics, that's where I'm headed at.

Mariska Karto's work seems a highly-recommended inspiration if realistic painting is where your heart lies, and it's definitely a pleasure for the eye and the soul. Lovely work!!! Here's her website if you're interested for more:http://www.mariska-karto.com/

'Out of space Leia'
by Zelyss
Acrylics on board 32x28cm

'Tic-toc' by Zelyss

My blog being my most favorite media to write on, and I can't believe I haven't posted anything since 14th September! Uncontrollable time!!! Here's a little 'time-involved' project on progress, just for eye-candy... 

I'm trying to gather a small tutorial post (of sorts), on my current working piece. Check back here or on my facebook account https://www.facebook.com/zelyss.art so that you don't miss it. Cheers!

'Pinocchio's Blue Fairy' : artwork by Zelyss

Finally finished. And I say finally because this was CANVAS, and many people like CANVAS, but for me it's like the CANVAS is the leader asking me to follow, while I should be the one ordering CANVAS to do what I want. And I do ask, but the CANVAS doesn't follow. So I hate CANVAS @#$@$!@#!!!. 

I love the fairy though... :)

'Pinocchio's Blue Fairy' by Zelyss
Acrylics on canvas 

30x90cm

'Let me kiss you' (the frog prince) : WIP by Zelyss

Too many things to do, too little time. I regret leaving my blog for days on end, but it's not possible to catch up on everything. Here's what I'm working on right now. The lighting is coming from a warm lamp so it changes the colors, but the theme of the painting is great. My concept of the Frog Prince:

'French Croissants' - artwork by Zelyss

Here is  my finished piece 'French croissants':

"French croissants" : original artwork by Zelyss

Acrylics on masonite board(1.5cm thick) - 16x39cm

(detail)

WIP : "French Croissants" by Zelyss

My last two paintings, "Thursday" and this one, are small and rather 'rushed' because I'm trying out surfaces again. Canvas ("Thursday"-previous post) seems to accept paint better, it's easier to work on, but the 'bumps' are visible and I don't like it. I prefer the smoother texture of the board.

The following WIP ("French Croissants") is on primed masonite, and again masonite proves too smooth for me. It helps to get easier the facial colors but the paint needs 2-3 layers to stick on and have the thickness I like, and I don't know if I have enough patience for that. Pff! Potato-potato!

"Thursday" : artwork by Zelyss

"Thursday"

original artwork by Zelyss

Acrylics on canvas - 24x30cm

'Lady' : sketch by Zelyss

Fresh air clears your mind, I can guarantee that. 

Here is one of the sketches that I prepared during my short time away. I guess we might see her coming live through acrylics at some point...

New work started: 'Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy'(unofficially named still)

My next painting to work on. Inspired by 'Pinocchio' of Carlo Collodi, picturing him together with his Blue Fairy, who has the leading part on this piece. 

One of my favorite stories ever. I adore Pinocchio as a figure, not so much his misfortunes, but his actual being...

WIP : 'Pray'#2 - Zelyss art

A series of process photos for my current work "Pray"...

I am focusing on light effects in my last paintings. Layer upon layer of color, it takes longer than expected to reach the desired tones. Plus that staircase on the background is a real 'piece of cake'...!

"Bat your eyes" : finished piece

"Bat your eyes" : art by Zelyss

40x50cm, acrylics on wood

Big eye paintings - www.zelyss.com

https://www.facebook.com/zelyss.art

New work in progress: "Pray", by Zelyss

Summer is making everything slower and it starts getting to my nerves (OK, kind of, but still, I sometimes miss a cold wintry breeze...).

This is the last piece I've started, in between sections of my other painting, (meaning whenever I'm too exhausted to paint fine details, I prefer something more loose).

Started off bigger headed than my usual likes...

With a bit of alteration, we ended up here:

And so it begins. Good luck to me!

:)

WIP : 'Bat your eyes'#3

OK, this is becoming a series (posts regarding progress of 'Bat your eyes'). 
I like the follow-up...

WIP : 'Bat your eyes'#2

And here is the update on the process of 'Bat your eyes':

Step #...7(?): Working on the eyes

Skipped the intermediate steps... Too messy fingers for daring to pick up the camera :)

WIP : 'Bat your eyes'

 This is my next project for right after Sandybell. 

These are the stages so far:

Step #1: Enlarge sketch

Step#2: Transfer or board

Step#3: Line with acrylics

Next will be a guideline shading and right after, I can begin coloring!

WIP by Zelyss: 'Sandybell and skippers'

 Currently working on: 'Sandybell and skippers'

Progress photo

Progress photo 2

...and inspiration photo (+a bunch of others of course...)

Too late to write more now, sleepy-sleepy-tired!

Bye all,

:)

Thank you...!

To all you wonderful people 

who follow-comment-like-view-share my work, 
a great 

'THANK YOU'

by me.

Humbly yours,

Zelyss

Cheap and Chic : no cost Stay wet acrylics palette

Don't know if you're into crafting, but if you are, you're surely already into using items for multiple purposes. Have you ever tried using an one-use plastic party plate as your palette? Do so. It's the cheapest, lightest palette you can have on your hand. 

The plates come into a variety of sizes and colors, which means you can choose whichever is more convenient for you.

Now as for the staying-wet part. It's not as tricky as you might think. Your best friend here would be a spray bottle filled with clear water. You should use it every now and then (depending on the humidity of your conditions and temperature, the time varies). You will learn from experience how often you need to do it while you're working to keep your paints moist (in general one round-around spraying every 10 minutes should be enough). And after you're done with your painting session, you spray with water once more (if you haven't done so quite recently) and you put the paper plate under another sold plastic plate, tray, whatever you have available, with some weight over it for extra sealing (I use the water jar that I use for cleaning my brushes). Done!

If you will not be using the colors for over a day, just uncover, spray once, then cover again. You're set for another day. I use the same plate palette for the entire painting. It saves money and tears, believe me!

Hope you find this useful, ever since I tried it, it's the only way for me.

Till next time, 
:)
Zelyss

"Rosemary, the time keeper" : by Zelyss

And she's officially finished.

"Rosemary, the time keeper"

Acrylics on wood

40x50cm

detail

detail

Sneak peek : Rosemary

My girl is about to finish, hopefully by tomorrow (fingers crossed), if only my strained eyes can take it! I really say, and it is not an hyperbole, that the camera can't do justice to the artwork, the feeling is so much warmer when you look at the painting from up close.

If Rosemary were a fairy, or a deity or something, and if I was granted a wish, my wish would be one and only right now: for her to use her magic hourglass and give me more time for painting...

Nice weekend to you all!!

Sneak peek: "Thessaloniki, the remaining sister"

Sneak peek of my mermaid girl, will be uploading her quite soon. She's turned out lovely and I'm really proud of her. It's one of the very few times that I have nothing to complain about. Actually, thinking about it, I think that's a first. Huh!

A bit of a WIP : Mermaid...

I am in an actual living hell these days, or at least just outside the gates of it. Because things might get worse. Much worse. But I am working, I just don't have time to post.  

Here's a bit of what I'm up to:

A mermaid for a project. This is the first sketch, thought was that it would be underwater, but the hair would not be floating enough and I liked the way it was, so decided not to change it.

This is the mermaid after the sketch transfer, a bit altered. A little more mystical, a little less jolly, sitting on a rock out in the fresh air, a sunset behind her. 

I'm a bit uncertain about the color theme (as usual), I don't want the stereotype colors of a sunset (I really hate orange, too).

I wonder if I could fit teal in this painting as well.....  ;)

"Eve in the garden of Eden" : finished piece

Tutorial #3 : Glimpses of my process - FIRST STAGES: Sketching and shading

So I woke up this morning in a foul mood, crazy things are happening these days. Since I'm not at a point of pure happiness, I decided I might give someone else a chance to feel lucky today :)

Jokes (or not) aside, I am sharing below a little bit of my process with you. This is the current painting I'm working on at the moment, it will be titled "Rosemary, the time keeper".

So, let's begin!

1) On gesso primed and sanded board (I have given details of the boards I am using on previous tutorial, see here: BOARDS TUTORIAL), I paint on a greyish background and once it's dry, I transfer the sketch. The initial transfer is by pencil, then I trace it again with a very thin brush dipped on diluted acrylic paint.

2) The next step is establishing values and tones. First come the highlights (with pure, diluted, white) and then the shadows. The process is a little bit like this: 

paint on...

3)

...then smear. 

So that we get that shady effect. The paint must be really thin and you mustn't fear getting your fingers a little dirty. But I don't believe there is any artist who does.

The process of establishing the values is very important, simply because it gives an idea of what the painting will look like, and at this point it is easy to see and correct the mistakes. I used to do this by pencil on the initial sketch as a guide, but I now prefer to do it directly on the painting. It is one of the most fun steps of the way, perhaps the one I enjoy the most! At this stage it is good to take a photo of your masterpiece, to keep it as reference afterwards, because layers of paint will start covering everything pretty soon and you will not remember where is what in the end.

That's all I got for now, but I will keep you updated soon. Have you liked my tutorial so far? Then how about dropping by my facebook page here : FACEBOOK ZELYSS and like my page. 

I like to gain fans the fun way! 

See you on my next post!