🎀🎈💖THE BEGINNING💖🎈🎀

Hello lovelies!
With the chance of my new upcoming solo show with Curio Art Gallery in Portugal, which is themed around Alice in Wonderland, I'll be showing you a bit of my process of how I prepare the work I'll show, so that you can learn sth on the way, whether it is a few technique tricks or the madness of an artist 🤪😂💖

So, let's start with the bunny today...! I decided to start working on the messenger bunny as a first piece, and not the white rabbit, because of the colors! This was the ideal theme to warm me up! A solo show carries a lot of weight and responsibility, it really is hard to explain. I personally see it as a challenge to outdo myself, to go further than I have reached until then, always artistically speaking. On a solo show you work together with a gallery and it is an honor for an artist to be picked by a gallery, so like a parent that has invested in you and helped you, you want to make them proud of that choice and the faith they showed in you!! 🎀

The messenger bunny dressed on the gown of hearts, with warm pinks and reds all around, seemed like the perfect mood-fixer to begin with! Warm colors make you feel more vibrant and more optimistic in my opinion, and are more suitable for activity and 'let's do it' mood!

I started out with a first sketch (above). Eyes are not a problem for me, since I started sketching them at the age of 14, so...many years of practice 😜!!

But the bunny in my first sketch looked older, and more serious than I wanted. Big eyes make a figure look young, but the distance between eyes and the chin line is very important to achieve youth: the closer the eyes are to the chin, the younger the figure. It's the same with children if you observe! With a little tweaking on Photoshop, the sketch came to where I wanted, so that was done:

Many times I make a B&W shading sketch, but for this one I needed the color therapy asap, so I painted my initial sketch with gouache. The result is what you see in the first picture. I was quite happy with it (lucky me!) so this one is ready to go on the painting process now 💖🤗!!

We'll let this be for a while and on the next post we'll talk about fur, so if you're an animal lover, don't miss it ❤😉!

ZELYSS ORIGINALS: 'Take me back (mini 11)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS ORIGINALS: 'Crabby Meow (mini 10)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS originals: 'My scars are pretty (mini 9)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS originals: 'Princess (mini 8)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS ORIGINALS: 'Bloom (mini 7)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS originals: 'I carry stars (mini 6)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

ZELYSS originals: 'Death Trap (mini 5)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

'Sad Mariposa (mini 4)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

'Dreaming (mini 3)'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

Mini 2: 'Blossom Bite'

Available at: http://zelyss.bigcartel.com/

Mini 1 : 'Butterfly Catcher'

Returning....

It's been too long, but let's make an effort. Social media should not swallow all other sites, right?

For the next days, I'll be posting here too my series of mini sketches, which I'm creating daily till September 30th!

This one however, was not exactly a mini, but a personal favorite which started the series...

'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...

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.....  ;)

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!

Alice in process

So I'm working on two pieces at the same time at the moment, my first one Eve should be finished in a couple of days, the second one -Alice- is in first stages still. I'm posting some photos of the process here:

...first the sketch...

 ...then the transferring and lining...

...and follows the highlights+shading 

(rough guide for giving an idea of how the final painting will look like)

Keep checking for follow-ups!

"Alice in the field of butterflies" - wip - sketch by Zelyss

"Alice in the field of butterflies"

Starting new painting, working at the same time on Eve. Photo is poor but camera is not always handy so I am experimenting with anything available.

PS I miss reading :( No time in the last few days (seriously).

Work in progress : Big eye girls by Zelyss

A little update on my current work.

Among all else that I have to do every day (I'm a very busy person but no need to bore you with my obligations), this where I'm at, paint-wise: 

A little sketching...

A little shading...

...and now comes the fun part! Painting!