Comic Strip

Hey Tamales,

I was reading the paper this morning and I thought I would share a comic strip from Pearls Before Swine (you might need to click on it in order to read it).

-San Francisco Chronicle 9.30.09.

Happy reading,

Leslie Ann

www.leslieannart.blogspot.com

Transfer Techniques on Paper and Mo' New Pain'ings!

This is another work form the narrative series. It's done on duralar and I wanted to create something that caused fear. Like fear as we see it when we are younger. It's a feeling that's very unclear but I've always feared people more than anything else when growing up.
This portrait was made with acrylics on paper. That's right I went there. I made an acrylic painting on paper. First I used a light sheet of acrylic matte medium in top of the paper then waited until it dried to apply another layer, and another layer. The point is to have something solid to paint on so it doesn't crumple up when you are painting. After that I laid down two colors: blue and beige. Then I got a xerox and transferred the black and whiteness of it with Acetone. Xerox transfers well on acrylics. You could also do it another way if you don't have acetone. You can paint the image with matte medium then glue it to the paint. Once it dries you can grab a soaked scrub and scrub away the paper. It might take a couple of scrubs but the results are amazing. Lastly I added white to the eye :P

If you can't tell I was going for a Warhol like look with the transfer.

update...

here's the recent work i've done on the piece. i think i'll take Victor's advice and put more sheets together to make a really huge one, but i feel i should finnish this page completely before i move on.

QUICK!

Ok this is really quick post before I have to leave for work!

I'm trying to fill up this whole 18x24 inch space with drawings, all in black and white. It has taken many hours to reach this point, and I still have many to go, but its been a rewarding and fun experience. I hope that I can to several "fill the whole page" pieces. Tell me what you think, does it need to pop more, be bolder in certain areas or what. DO NOT CENSOR YOURSELF, I'm really curious to see if it's working as a piece or not. Thanks!

The Unfortunate Reality...

Hey Tamales,

I just wanted to share a comic strip I read on Monday from Non Sequitor (you might need to click on it in order to read it)...

-San Francisco Chronicle, 9.7.09.

Enjoy,

Leslie Ann

leslieannart.blogspot.com

I finished it

I just finished (not really there are little details i need to attend to) the painting I previously posted.  I've been writing a lot in my journal and I tried to figure out moments in my life where I was more off the earth than others.  It was kind of a journey and I if I could I'd split myself into different people.  I'm still deciding whether to go anywhere with this or not but it seems like something I personally would want.  Like a catharsis of some sort.  How do you guys feel about this painting?

A Trip to the Cow Palace

Lesson I: TAT-TOO: Tattoo comes from the Tahitian word tatau. Tattooing involves injecting colored ink beneath the epidermis with tiny punctures through the skin’s surface.The word “tattoo” was first introduced into Europe in the 1770s by Captain James Cook in his journal that described the Tahitian natives:

Both sexes paint their bodies, Tattow as it is called in their language, this is done by inlaying the colour of black under their skins in such a manner as to be indelible. -Cook, July 1769.

Where is this Going?: Last Friday, I went to the famous Cow Palace to check out the Tattoo Expo. Although I’m still considered a “virgin” in the Tattoo World, I find tattoos fascinating and I wanted to learn more about this fashionable form of art. I thought that the best way to experience and learn about this type of body decoration was to go to the Expo and to see first hand how one goes about getting a tattoo as well as how the tattooists work with this medium. I originally wanted to dive right into discussing my experience at the Expo, but after talking to people about my experience, I realized that a lot of people don't know how historical and cultural the art of tattooing has been worldwide. I decided that I would try to inform people of its long history and then I'll share the pictures and a few things I learned from the Expo. I will only focus on the highlights and attempt to make it as brief as possible, but you can skip the history and go to the Tattoo Expo section if you like.

Cliff Notes Version of the History: Before tattooing even began, body painting was considered the earliest form of body art. Popular pigments of the Paleolithic time were: red (commonly representing blood, vitality, mortality, and fertility); white (often associated with rituals, mourning, purification, and the supernatural); and black (typically representing impurity and evil). Depictions of such body paintings can be found on cave paintings illustrating hunters, men, women, and shamans. Different body painting patterns, geometrical shapes, and colors often represented ceremonies, rituals, tribes, gender, and shamanic experiences. With time, tattooing became the new fad.

Sahara rock painting, Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria. Dots and lines represent
tattooing and body paint used in ceremonies, as identification,
and for shamanic experiences.

The Tattoo Expo: I didn’t realize before coming to the Expo that there seems to be two types of tattoo groups:

1. the “I only get sentimental and meaningful tattoos” group

2. the “I just get souvenirs and whatever” group

I respect both groups because I see the beauty, passion, and appreciation that each group has about their tattoos and about creating those tattoos for others. Each tattoo is unique and it tells you a little about the person based on their interests, beliefs, and artistic appreciations.

For More Information: If you would like to see more pictures or to learn more about the history of the tattoo, cultural influences, the controversies, and some of the things I learned from the Tattoo Expo, visit my blog: http://www.leslieannart.blogspot.com/.

Happy reading,

Leslie Ann

leslieannart.blogspot.com

New Paintings

I started this one this week. It's not finished.  I want to paint a lot on it because I want to know how it feels to have a lot of layers on top of your work.  Anyways this is the first one.  It's going to become a lot quieter once I add the dark blue overtones over 90% of the area.

A Glimpse Inside the Studio

I just finished my third painting yesterday. I went down to my studio this morning to get something and I realized that it looked almost like a crime scene down there. I thought I would show you a picture. When it dries, I'll post another picture -it doesn't look as murderous up close (it actually looks more like something from an anatomy book).

The Scene. (click on it to get its full effect)

My Shoes.

Happy viewing,

Leslie Ann

leslieannart.blogspot.com