Branch and Eggs Drawing

16" x 20" dry pastel, charcoal, and chalk on brown paper.

I did this drawing this past year. A good friend of mine did an oil painting of the same subject at the same time as I did, so we had a lot of fun working on our own pieces. Her painting was absolutely gorgeous, filled with lots of purples and yellows, cool and warm balancing each other so simply. What was most interesting to me is that we were working on the same subject, and even though our mediums were completely different, we were able to represent the subject so truly. That's why art is so beautiful; being able to express the same idea in so many different forms, how two separate visions can be so different and so similar at the same time. It's magic.

A few detail shots. You can find more on my Flickr page:

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Watercolor and a WIP

Watercolor Trees:



Very roughly 7" x 20" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

This painting was my first time using watercolors. They aren't nearly as bad as everyone says. Common complaint from people about the paint is that "they bleed" into other parts of the painting. The solution is that you have to let it dry, a lot. You seriously can't rush. Since the paint is pretty much pigmented water (hence it's name), it's just going to blend with anything around it that is wet. Unless you are intentionally trying to get a bleedy look, you must wait for your paper to dry before moving on. Otherwise, everything will run and turn ugly, which I think is the opposite of what you're intending.

About a year after I finished this painting, we had a huge rainstorm in Connecticut. We were sent home from school because of the rain. It was awesome. However, when I got home, the rain had leaked through the roof and ceiling and decided to be right over my painting. Not an oil painting, but a watercolor.

I was able to save most of it, but you can still see some of the damage.



Otherwise, the painting is in great shape.







Bonus for today: a WIP (work in progress).




I'm still trudging along on this painting, but I swear I'm going to finish it soon.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Drawing/Painting, and a song.

About 10" x 12" charcoal, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor on drawing paper.

Inspired by the World of Warcraft warlock spell "Drain Soul." No detail shots since it's large enough to not have them.

Also, I have a song to share with you all.

The Avalanche by Sufjan Stevens.
(link leads to a YouTube video.)

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Wednesday 13 July, 2011

Happy Wednesday evening, folks.

Light the Way:



16" x 20" tempera on canvas.

This painting was inspired by the song "Light the Way" by Athlete. You can listen to it on YouTube if you want to try and see what I was seeing when I listened to this song. I painted this entirely from my mind, listening only to that one song. It only took a few classes, but I still love this painting.

Now that I listen to the song again while looking at the painting, I find that it doesn't exactly match up with the lyrics. Funny how the mind's eye envisions something, and generally only views it that one way when you hear something, smell something, any sense. It's funny to think about, sometimes.

Some detail shots.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Mega-Monday-Update

I completely forgot to post anything Saturday and Sunday. This Monday will totally make up for it with not one new pieces, not two new pieces, but three pieces.

First, some watercolors.

Jar with nails, direct observation:

8" x 10" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

Self-Portrait from a photo:



8" x 10" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

Now, a drawing.

The Field:



8" x 10" dry pastel on brown paper.

This is a drawing of the field next to my house, however it's extremely stylized and illustrative rather than realistic. The yellow house there is not nearly that far away; it's much closer if you were to see it from where the viewpoint of this drawing is. However, I did this drawing from the perspective of a very young Kevin, which is why it's a much more "cartoony" feel. The field in this drawing is very rolly and hilly, and that fence looks much healthier in the drawing. I have a pretty heightened sense of perfection in my mind, it seems.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Photo Painting - Harkness

This painting was done using a reference photo quite some time ago.

15" x 30" oil on canvas.

This was the first oil piece I had ever painted. I've come a long way in what really is a short time span. The title "photo painting" will be used whenever a piece uses a photo reference; in a way, it's cheating, but not quite. Y'know?

Detail photos below.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Arboretum 1

I painted this back in October at the Connecticut College Arboretum.

11" x 14" Oil on canvas.

Personally, my favorite part of the painting is the trees. Not the leaves, mind you, but the trunks that fade into the rest of the woods. From where I was sitting, I was looking across the lake at the area where Flock Theatre usually performs shows at. You can see the stairs that lead down beneath the stone wall from the spot. It was a beautiful day while I was there; I took the day off from school just to paint. It did get a little awkward when a science class from the college walked by me as they observed leaves and different plants.

Here are some detail shots.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.