the Hunger Games

Yesterday was the opening of The Hunger Games which is an adaptation from a bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. Hybride did (I think) over 200 shots of vfx.

Old drawing

This is an old drawing of a good friend from high school Gus Papoutsis circa 1990.

Silverpoint stuff

I prepared a bunch of boards for silverpoint. I used matboards and illustration boards. I used Golden brand gesso for silverpoint and used a 2.5 inch brush to apply it.

The brush is a cheap brush from the hardware store so I had to keep an eye for falling bristles. The gesso dries pretty fast so I had to work fast too.

I did several different sizes. 8x10, 10x12, 16x20.

I started working on a double portrait of my aunt and uncle's wedding picture. I started using pencil and eraser to draw out the placement. After erasing the pencil, it gives a shiny finish to the gesso so I decided to abandon the pre drawing thing. Ok, Kawabunga here I go!

Here are the first marks. You cannot see it very right now but I just start placing the head on the right side of the double portrait.

Good news

I am honored to be selected to one of the honorable mention or certificate of merit in the annual Portrait Society of Canada portrait competition "The Miracle of the Portrait". I entered 2 portraits of Tex Lecor but I dont know which one got it. One is in pastel and the other is in silverpoint. The one posted is in silverpoint but the info is of the pastel. I will have to ask which one got picked. Fellow Montrealers Marina Dieul and Irena Korosec won People's choice award and the best portrait award respectively. You can check out the winners on the Portrait Society of Canada site.

Les Pastellistes demo opening night

Last night, I had a chance to do annother portrait demo/challenge with Denis Jacques and Ann Rochefort at the opening night of PSEC annual exhibition. As usual, I was super nervous doing it live. This time I listened to music to calm my nerves...kinda helped. Here are some pictures.

The model was PSEC member Ann Duckett. (right)

After over an hour. Time flew by. It felt like only 30 minutes had gone by. I think I got the likeness but I am a bit off at some places. :(

Post demo. The 3 portraits.

I was so happy that the grand prix of the night was award to a good friend of mine Dominique Bisson! Come and visit the PSEC exhibition. There are some wonderful works there!

Les Pastellistes 2011

I will be a part of this year's annual exhibition of PSEC's Les Pastellistes. I have 2 artworks in the exhibition.
I will also be doing a portrait demo live with Denis Jacques and Ann Rochefort on the opening night at 4pm, Nov 4. There is also live demoes everyday during the exhibition. Details are below.. Hope to can make it.


When: Nov 4th to 13th, 2011
Where: OGILVY TUDOR Hall, 1307 West Ste. Catherine Street (5th floor), Montreal, Quebec (H3G 1P7)
Opening hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday, Friday - 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday - 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Official Opening reception: November 4th, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.


DEMONSTRATIONS' SCHEDULE


•Friday, November 4th, 4pm to 6pm. Portrait Challenge with Denis Jacques, Ann Rochefort and Josef Sy.
Three talented portrait artists step up to the challenge and paint the same model. Observe their varied techniques!

•Saturday November 5th, 10h30. Margaret Ferraro; Set up for Spontaneity in Pastel.
Margaret will use a process where colour becomes a key factor in learning how to play in the moment, in order to find your true voice as an original artist, using colour intuitively.

•Saturday November 5th, 2 pm. BILL HOSNER; Painting a Portrait ($10 Entry Fee)
Take this unique opportunity to come and see Mr. Bill Hosner, Master Pastellist with the Pastel Society of America, as he paints a portrait from a live model.

•Sunday November 6th, Noon to 5 pm, Café des artistes
Visitors will be free to tour the exhibition and watch the artists at work, while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, with a lovely musical backdrop.

•Sunday November 6th, 1:30 pm, Véronica Takacs Fragman, Guided Tour;
Véronica will give a guided tour and reveal why some works are so successful.

•Monday, November 7th, 1:30pm. Ann Rochefort; Still Life
Ann will show us her still life painting techniques.

•Tuesday, November 8th, 1pm. Juan Cristobal; Painting a Rainy City Scene
Juan, a PSEC master pastellist, will paint an atmospheric rain-soaked city scene and tackle the challenges of rendering cool and warm lights.

•Tuesday November 8th, 3pm. Juan Cristobal, Guided Tour
Juan will finish off his demonstration with a guided tour, commenting on strategic and fully developed compositions.

•Wednesday, November 9th, 1:30pm. Véronica Takacs Fragman; Guided Tour
Véronica will give a guided tour and reveal why some works are so successful.

•Wednesday, November 9th, 2:30pm. Susanne Strater; Ways of Working
Susanne will show us how she layers her pastel strokes to achieve a rich texture and a semi abstraction of the subject matter.

•Thursday, November 10th, 1:30PM. Michel Raymond; Night-time City Scene.
Michel will paint a night-time city scene and explain his choices of colours and tonal variations to achieve the required mood.

•Thursday, November 10th, 5:30pm. Suzanne Godbout and Viviane Roman; Pastels and the Proper Tools.
A yearly feature, Suzanne and Viviane will introduce all the different materials available on the market, and discuss their inherent qualities.

•Friday, November 11th, 1:30pm. Magda Bascaron; Composition from a model.
Magda will show us how to establish, from a model, the elements of the composition, including lines, shadows and lights.

•Saturday, November 12th, 11am. Suzanne Godbout; Guided Tour.
Suzanne will give a guided tour and reveal why some works are so successful.

•Saturday, November 12th, 1:30. Suzanne Godbout; View of the Saint-Lawrence River
The artist will establish a tonal structure with an under-painting adding depth to colours.

•Sunday, November 13th, 1:30pm. Caroline Guernon; The artist's portfolio
What comprises a professional looking portfolio, from the cover page to the resume.

Rawdon, QC

I took a dayoff from work to go outdoors to paint. I was with a friend artist Linda Lamontagne in Rawdon checking out the falls. There are a couple of falls around there. We painted where there is a cascade or mini falls upstream. Feels great to be outdoors!