Community gallery #1 - Anything goes!

Question

In this thread we suggested to create a community gallery on Meta, in the hope this will increase participation, grow our community, and improve interconnection.

It is time we start promoting the tangible aspect of our community!

As we want to see as many posts as possible, we will not introduce any restrictions at this point, and you can post whatever you like: any WIP or finalized project, be it old or new, as long as it was made by you.

A few rules:

• One project per post.
• Please describe what we're seeing, and anything else you'd like to add (inspiration, process, backstory, ..).
• Every post may contain up to three images.
• You can have up to three posts (that is ≤ 3 projects).
• Please make sure there are no copyright issues and you have the necessary permissions.
• Please don't downvote or criticize anything - this is meant to be fun (we can have separate threads for appraisal down the road).
• Please do not post anything offensive/NSFW.
• Our Code of Conduct applies.
• As always: be nice and respectful!

Happy posting :)

Answer 1

"Self Portrait"
Year: 2018
Medium: Drawing paper, with alcoholic markers

Done numerous drawings and paintings of self portraits. Sometimes out of boredom, sometimes it is a good way of doing reflective drawing. This piece was the first self portrait I created with alcoholic markers. They are definitely a different medium to work with. Especially when dealing with the type of paper you are using. My inspiration usually comes from sitting alone a lot of the time. Sometimes there aren't models around to do reference drawings. So having a mirror and drawing is a good way to pass time.

With this particular piece I do find joy in just sitting down with a marker without under layers prior to drawing. I started with the darker outlines, and slowly start to color it in. I really enjoyed doing the hair, because it almost had a stained glass effect where all the lines were connected together.

I do enjoy doing realism drawings, but with this particular piece I was trying to go for more of an expressionist look. Of course there is always time for improvements. This was a sit down and relax piece of art.

Answer 2

I don't know if this counts as one project, but this is my historical costume. It represents a ca. 1750 country woman and depending on how much of it I wear, it's either said woman in her "formal" outfit on her way to the market or in a more relaxed outfit working at home.

(click image to enlarge)

I think I started early in 2017 with the underlayers and it took around 9 months until I had a minimal wearable costume. Over time I had to change and add some parts and the hat is the newest addition that I finished 2 weeks ago.

These are the very first items of clothing I ever made myself and looking back, it's amazing how much I learned from my mistakes. Every single item has at least one problem or flaw:

• The shift (undershirt, only the sleeves are visible) is much too wide and is only held up by the stays. I can literally step into the neck opening and pull it up
• The stays (early form of corset, light blue with dark lining) were initially much too small and I had to add the stomacher (separate piece in the center) - which wasn't planned at all - to fit into them. The stays are also boned with metal (absolutely not historically accurate) which makes them much too rigit. Back then I didn't know better...
• The under-petticoat (almost invisible) isn't the least bit "historically accurate". It's just there to give the outer layers the typical historical silhouette.
• The outer petticoat (linen with red stripes) was initially wider, but I removed some fabric because I was afraid it would be too wide. Now it's too narrow and you can see the green under-petticoat through the gap at the side.
• The jacket has a too low waist line and is pushed up by the skirts, which causes the weird wrinkle at the back.
• The apron is much too small in length and width.
• The bonnet has the right shape, but would have been made of straw instead of fabric.

But despite all of that, I love the way it looks, it's very comfortable and can't wait to visit the next renaissance fair in it.

Answer 3

This is my not-so-empty wall:

My entrance hall is very long and the white walls bothered me for quite some time. Then I found packages of 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4 inch mini canvases and decided to decorate.

Most of them are painted with acrylic paints, but some include paper, a skeleton leaf, a feather and mosaic tiles. Some of the designs (mostly the symmetric ones) are copied from books, the others are my own creations.

Answer 4

^{Click for larger version}

UNTITLED
oil on panel
20.4 x 40 cm
2023

I'm trying out leaving the palette—i.c. the extension of the painted part of the panel—visible.
The right part, as an isolated painting, was finished last year.

(This is a photoshopped image: the passepartout shown is a preliminary one, made out of a cheap, yellow-tinted paper and painter's tape. I lightened the border and some of the shadows.)