Chicks with guns and a Rose for the ladies

Hello my friends!

It's been a roller coaster week for me.  I've been chasing sleep this week, and can't seem to get a schedule.  Then a friend reminded me, "Hey, you are an artist, and you don't have to live on a set schedule anymore."  How do you like that?  A total moment of reva-freaking-lation.  So I'm going to be up when I want to be and sleep when I want to and see how that works out for me.

No fear though I've been working steady on a couple of projects that I'll share now.

The first is a continuation of "Spooner" 

For my art friends who follow you can see I am layering it up from the darkest values to the lightest.  

You'll also notice that the umber glazing I did is giving it an "atmosphere". I had to re-draw his arm due to a mistake, but it's fixed and I'm feeling solid about it in general.

That isn't all I've done this week either.  I have one of my sexy ladies going on now too!  

I'm working on this pencil drawing and I have to say I'm drooling.  A tough sexy woman is beyond compare!  

I have a featured Print this week, For all my sins

Take a look, leave a vote, make a comment, and *cough cough8 Christmas is coming ;)

One last thing before I hit the canvas again.  Not too much longer on my ebay auction.  it's going for a steal at the moment.  One day twenty-two hours left as of this posting.  Original oil Pirate ship ebay auction

Alright my friends, it's back to the oil mine with me.  I'll catch you all next week!  If you have any art questions hit the comments, and I'll be glad to answer! 

May the darkness comfort you, 

Nick

A rose you'll never forget to remember

Hello my friends,

Say hello to my new logo!  Indeed, this is me and when you see this new design you'll know it's Nick Rose.  I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you, and let you know my daughters helped me decide on this for my new legal logo for my studio.  I'm thrilled about it, and think this is the best logo I've ever had.

In the next couple weeks I'll be working on and unveiling a new place for people to buy prints of my art.  It's high quality and a couple of my artist friends are using it to get their work out there.  I've asked around and they are impressed with how the art is made and what all is available.  Details to follow when I get things set up.

Speaking of my art...The above picture is the finished drawing, of "Spooner" with an "umber" glazing.  I'm trying it out as something new in my style.  Glazing can be done over the top of a finished painting to change the chroma/hue/tone of a section or entire painting to give it a certain feel.  Doing it under the painting changes depth and texture (some what)  because it changes the hue slightly of the more transparent pigments over it, giving the over all painting it's own feel.  I'm letting this get nice and dry, but will update you on it when I get started in earnest.  The color I used here has a strong impact on middle tones and dark tones, so I'm excited about how it will add to the creepy feel.


Well, that's all for now my friends.  My body is still healing but I am in good shape.  I'm pulling up my Dr. Creep boxers and getting a lot of work done. Until next time...

May the darkness comfort you,

Nick

Pirates and more, a rose at your door

Hello my friends!

I'm a complete pirate kick right now, as our little ghost ship will tell you and the last three posts too.  This one is a water color I just got finished.  If you want it it's 175.00 first come first serve.  It was a lot of fun to make, and I find myself growing in the water color medium with every painting I do. 

For those who don't know, water color is challenging, not only for it's consistency but for it's translucent nature.  If you aren't an artist and have never worked with something like this, let me describe it to you, and tell you that you can get a feel for it by trying to guide a droplet of water around a piece of paper into a smiley face or something.  Then factor in that you need to do that sometimes many times over to get the boldness of color you want, you'll get the feel for what I mean. 

If pirates aren't your thing and you are ready so see me go back into some horror work then this next piece is going to thrill you. 

A friend of mine brought this piece up to me a little while ago, the bottom picture is an old digital piece I did back in 2010.  I call him "Spooner".  The top picture is kind of a clue for you to let you know I'm working on doing it in oils.  I'm kind of excited, and think this might be better than the original work.  I'll be updating it soon, and we might have it ready to show you for my next blog post. 


One more thing before I go, a good friend of mine, Lisa Brandel, was just featured in an online art magazine.  Art by the Hour Magazine, featuring Lisa Brandel  She's a good friend of mine and I've watched her develop her art since the beginning. 


That's all for today my friends.  I'm getting my stride back as you can tell.  It's crazy to think that just six months ago I was in a terrible dark place.  Now things are going great for me.  It just goes to show you that if you hold on, and keep working everything can change for the better.

May the darkness comfort you,

Nick

The Rose in bloom

Hello my friends!

I have been a productive and busy person this week.  My body made me take two days off, which I filled with some relaxation and television.  I needed the rest, I work until my body makes me rest, but that's ok.

In art right now I have pirates on the brain!  You remember last week I posted Ghost ship.  This week, I have a sexy pirate lady.  It's days like this that I love my job.

The top picture you see me (and I feel like I've aged ten years this year)  with the finished piece. Then the finished piece below it.  I'm selling it for a super low price of 125.00 first come first serve. 

I am also looking for a Kindle book padd if you or anyone you know has one, I am willing to barter something for one.  I have over 500 art books, and would really like to put them in a form where when I move I don't have to bust myself up. 

I'm feeling stronger all the time, and can now push myself more in my work than I've been able to.  I have a fire in my heart to get my career back on track, and then get down to see my daughters.  I feel really blessed to be back on the road.


Now I have to tell you there is a good friend of mine who could really use some help.  Her name is Michelle, and she is facing cancer.  Help Mighty McT kick cancer's ass  That link will take you to her fund raiser page, and if you can't donate share it for her.  We all need a little help up from time to time.

So until next week, May the darkness comfort you...

Nick

Nick Rose is back and better than ever

Hello my friends,

I bet you thought I wasn't ever going to blog again.  Nope, here I am.  I'm heading into a new chapter of my life and art career now, and want to be able to share it with all of you.  It's been a tough road of moving, recovering from a surgery, and finding the daughter I never knew I had.  If that sounds like a lot in the last year, it is!

I'm well on my way though.  I'm feeling stronger and better than I have in a long, long, time.

Now that I'm back blogging I can't tell you now what all I'll be talking about.  Surely, some new art, like the picture above. "Ghost Ship".  It felt good to get into the studio after recovering from the surgery.  So good in fact that I just finished this one, and am excited to get back on the canvas again today.

Speaking of blogging, I plan on doing a post at least once a week, more than likely on Thursdays to share new art and new events going on in life.  I plan on doing some more videos soon too!  As you can tell I have a new energy to create.  I feel better and stronger everyday.

"Ghost ship" is for sale and if you are interested in the painting email me at my brand new address: nickroseart1@aol.com 

Mark that new address down for contacting me about commissions, questions, buying art, or just to drop a "Hey Nick!" in my inbox.   Before I take off to start my new painting..I want to share a few more pictures.  

This is part of my new studio set up, and man am I loving it!  

I finally have some room to move around and create!

And one more piece of new art before I go.  "Dark Priestess" was one of the last paintings I did before my surgery. 

So my friends, I'm ready for a ride into your nightmares, bringing them to life on my canvas!

Nick Rose is back and I am ready to shake the world of horror again! 


May the darkness comfort you,

Nick

Chainsaw Sally Begins!!!!

     Hello my friends. I am writing this in two sittings. I have about an hour before I am going to the dentist to start getting some major dental work done on my teeth. It is going to take several months to get it all finished, but once it is done, I will be not be ashamed to smile anymore, and I will be more healthier.  But at the moment, I feel like a condemned man waiting for his turn in the chair, electric chair that is! lol.
   This is something exciting and I am doing it for my fellow artist, so please read. I have started a new account on Facebook called Nick RoseThree. The first one is maxed out and the second one is almost half way there, but I started 3 for a very different reason. One of my goals is to share and teach and that is what 3 is for. I am going to show you day by day how I work and the progress I make, except when I have to take a day off because of my health. Hopefully those will get less and less as time goes by and I work on improving my health and body every day.  But on today's blog I am going to give you and ideal of how Nick RoseThree works. I do not put this many drawings in progress on my other FB accounts or on this blog, so if you really want to see how I do my thing and learn from me, then go here and send a request. I will add you.
     Before I start with the art today though, I want to share some thoughts with you. I hope you will take the time to read and think about this. Recently some people I love very much have become sick. Hopefully through surgery they will be fine, but it is possible we could lose them as well. This has really been a wake up call for me personally. I have a habit of keeping a certain distant from loved ones because of some things that happened a few years ago. Since that time, I haven't let anyone outside of Madison and the kids "In"  and this has been a horrible mistake on my part. I do have a lot of people that really are good friends to me and love me.  Realizing I could lose a couple of them just like that, made me promise myself that I would start being a better friend to them and let the ones I love in. I would start calling and writing more, not put them off when they call or something. I also decided, whether male or female, I would always tell them that I love them and let them know they mean the world to me.  After all, you never know when you are going to lose someone or yourself.
    You should never be embarrassed about telling the people you love that you love them. If you tell another man you love them, that doesn't make you "Gay", it makes you a better person. There is nothing wrong with love or expressing it, no matter who you are, your beliefs, your sexual preferences and so on. If only everyone would realize this, the world would become a better place instantly. Think about this, and then start spreading love to all your love ones. Who knows, it could start a chain reaction.
    Here is where I am going to have to take a break and head to the dentist, hopefully when I get back I will be up to finishing this....
I survived the surgery and am actually doing well, although it is the following day. They pulled out one tooth and the remains of 3 teeth that went bad years ago. There was a huge amount of infection in my gums and this is one of the main reasons my body has been feeling bad for so long. On top of the things that disabled me, my body is having to fight this infection everyday. No wonder I have felt so bad so many days. In two weeks, they are going to do my right side, pulling out 4 teeth from there as well. Then finally in a month, 4 of my front teeth have to come out. Then, I will be fitted with "Partials" and I will have nice teeth and feel a thousand times better. I want to give thanks to the "Lady and the Lord" for making this possible. They do provide well for me.
     Ok, on to art. As I said earlier, your not going to see this much detail in my blog. At max in the blog, I show a painting at 4 stages tops. On Nick RoseThree, you will get to see it in about 20 to 30 steps.  I did not put the first two steps here on the blog, because mostly, they are just a bunch a scribbles that help me get to this point here....

     If you noticed, to this point I have keep the pencil work very light. The main reason is I want to offer pencil prints of the work as well as the oil painting prints. I work with 3 pencils. I use a 4h to lay the drawing out because it is very light, but very hard. It doesn't smear like a softer lead, but you have to learn not to put a lot of pressure on the pencil or it will leave intentions in the paper if you have to erase.  From this point on, I use a HB lead and a 2b lead pencil, like the one you would use for school or just everyday use. Now I am very sure that other artist will tell you they use other things instead, and that is wonderful. It is a personal thing, and these are the pencils I learned to work with through the years.
    Erasers are important as well. I use a Pentel "Clic" eraser, I also use a battery operated eraser, and I use a "kneaded" eraser as well.  Between the 3, they do a good job cleaning out any mess or smears I will make while drawing.....

    Now I start adding the details, values and shadows. I've always like to start with the eyes first. I'm not sure why, I just do and from there I work on the rest of the face. (If you will notice, there is a paper towel on the right on the drawing. I have found that by using a paper towel under my hand, it keeps the smudging to a minimum}
    In this painting, I am basing it on a "publicity" photo of  April's character "Chainsaw Sally" , but I am wanting to take it up a few notches from there. If you have watched "Chainsaw Sally" show or movie, you know it can get pretty gory in a cool way. If you haven't been able to see Sally in action, then go here  and you can see video, pictures or whatever you heart desires. After I am happy with the "Likeness" of April in the drawing, I start adding new elements. For me, I start thinking about these things as I start laying out the drawing. In a lot of cases, I start thinking about how I want something to look a couple of weeks before I even start the piece.
    Every artist is different, and I was trained to do all of these values schemes and drawings long before I start the finished piece, and on occasion, I will still do it like that depending on what the piece is and what it is for.  But in this case, I want it to be spontaneous like the "Dark Fairy" painting I finished recently...

  In the second picture, you can see some of the changes I am starting to make, but we're just getting warmed up! lol and here is another close up of April's face in progress.

    So next time you see this piece on the blog, the drawing will be finished. If you want to see it in the steps that get to the finished drawing, then you need to send a friends request to Nick RoseThree.
    Well my friends, I hope to see you there but if not, you know you will see me here several times a month. I hope you all are having a wonderful week and enjoyed seeing this piece in this much progress. Love and Hugs
"May the Darkness Comfort You"