Dracula Vampira again.

I want to show off another progress shot of "Dracula Vampira", just 'cuz I really like how she's looking.
I would like to reiterate that I started her sometime last year, after I returned from Conexión Drácula, an artistic residency here in Panama. I had an image of her, as the residency came to an end, I think, but I was really iffy about what medium to paint her in.
I had started out with watercolors, because I'm usually more comfortable with them, but in the last couple of months, I've really gone in with acrylic paints, specially when I painted that cartoon portrait of Trent. Here's the entry: A Demon Possessed. I painted it with acrylics, because they dry so fast.
I'm actually really glad that I'm beginning to work with them, they're clearly a super versatile medium, but they require a lot of learning. At least, for me, because they dry so fast, I'm so used to being really comfortable with how slowly the oil paints dry and the nice degradations and blendings I can make with them.

So, yeah, here's a progress shot.

I was trying to work with some colored pencils yesterday, because I feel like I have more control with that; but I've kept working with acrylic paints, trying to tread carefully.

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Dracula Vampira

I've taken this piece up again after a really long time, maybe a year? I don't know.
I felt/feel intimidated in the sense that I want to go in with medium that dilutes in water, as in acrylic and watercolor, and these are not my strengths; and I really like how she looks and I don't want to mess it up, so I'm trying to tread carefully.
She's titled "Dracula Vampira", because the pattern on her skin is based on the orchid of the same name and it's kind of the personification of that orchid. I knew of this orchid, with the residency that I did last year, this piece is kind of a consequence of that residency

I've applied all that heavy shadow with dioxazin purple, a color that I really like and I don't know where I'm going to go now, wether I'll finish it off with acrylics or get some colored pencil or watercolor in there.

Either way, yeah.
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A Demon Possessed

"A Demon Possessed" is the title of an image that I stumbled upon in my tumblr. My tumblr is NSFW if you're one of those that needs that type of warning.

This is the image:


I have no idea who the original artist is, at least not yet, I've only been able to find out that it's the cover of a very rare Nine Inch Nails album called "A Demon Possessed".
So, yes, I stumbled upon it sometime last year, maybe, and I knew it was good. But my crush on Trent Reznor goes in waves, it recedes and then it comes back like a tsunami and it is currently wreaking havoc. I don't mind. I stumbled upon this image again and now I just can't get over what an absolutely great cartoon/illustration/portrait it is.
I am mesmerized by it, by how it retains his features and facial expression so well, whilst still being a cartoon and accentuating just the perfect things. Trent's nose, his mouth, that PERFECT cupid's bow.
And the facial expression, he is somehow smiling, pouting and relaxed, all at the same time.
The finish of it, I have no idea what medium was used, it could just as well be oils, acrylics or watercolors; but that is a great finish.
The whole image is appropriate and fitting of a demon, the stare.
The thing is that I started drawing it on my art journal with a Bic pen and then decided I wanted to finish it off and I did with acrylic paints.
So here is the end result


I am quite proud of myself, I have to say. I didn't want to exactly reproduce the original, but I did want to feel like I captured the general expression of it. I did also want to make it as similar as possible.

When I muse about things in my head, in this case, I don't want to/refuse to use the word "copy" and I continue to not want to use it; although, by definition, I guess it somehow is.
I guess I disagree with it, because that's not how it feels to me. To me, attempting this specific reproduction feels like admiration and respect for the author of the piece. Some kind of love, maybe even worship, towards the image and the subject in the image.
I also remember in university, we did the exercise of reproducing pieces of the masters as a form of study. I find no shame in being inspired by something, whatever that might be, and I think it was Oscar Wilde: "Imitation is the highest form of flattery".
In tumblr I've also found a lot of other things I've felt compelled to somehow reproduce. I don't know why I seem to be so preoccupied with that this time around, if I've done it before.
I think it's much more important that one gives credit when it's due.

Gabriela Miscelánea

"Gabriela Miscelánea" is the name of my third individual art exhibit. It is currently happening at El Manchego restaurant, it's open to the public until February, 15th.
El Manchego opens from Monday to Saturday, as of six in the afternoon and they serve tapas and wines. It is a very cozy joint and it really lends itself, to just sitting there and hanging out, let the traffic of rush hour rush by, whilst you're sitting there sipping on wine. I don't drink wine and that's exactly what I think of, when I think of that place.

The art exhibit is called "miscellaneous", because there is no specific theme that brings all the pieces togehter, it is several themes in the pieces that are in the exhibit and, other than that, what joins the everything together, is that it's all drawings, pieces over paper and that I'm the author behind them.

Here are some pictures that I took this week of the exhibit. I was forced to move the category "heroínas y antiheroínas" into the portfolio next to the bar, so the great majority of the pieces are now in there.

1. Most of the drawings are in this portfolio, next to the bar. Feel free to carefully flip through the pages and to leave me something in the guestbook

2. These four drawings, in the category "Feelings" are drawings that I'd never shown before. They are surprisingly personal drawings and I had a hard time deciding wether to put them up or not.

3. These three drawings are all made with a Bic pen over paper, their category is "Bic Misc.".

4. This drawing, specifically, is made with Colleen colored pencils and the Bic pen, it is possibly my favorite of the three. He's titled "Demons get all the girls". I love his facial expression and his stare, his features in general and I'm also quite proud of how well the horns turned out.

5. I put my two steampunk themed drawings up, this is one of them, she's titled "Vox". Her trip is that her wind pipe's been replaced with some boom box like parts and she has some crank machine arms opening her throat to expose her new windpipe.

6. The is the second steampunk themed drawing. She's titled "Steampunk Light", it's a woman with very idealized/stylized body and limbs. Her neck requires the assistance of a little brace. She has unusually long arms and fingers, one of her very delicate hands holds some sort of magnifying glass.

Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but blogger has changed it's picture format thing into something similar to Facebook's, now, if you click on the pictures they pop up bigger and they go from one to the next, like a slide show, as you click on them.

So, yes, this is my third art exhibit, you really should go. You should really buy some of my work and you should really sit down and have some wine and tapas.

Don't forget my Facebook page, like it and share it, it really is where you go to keep updated with my work: Gabriela Handal Arte

Other than that, thanks a lot for reading and see you next time!