Portraits of Rock Stars http://www.cynthiablair.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sat, 3 Jul 2010 20:00:31 -0400 Sat, 3 Jul 2010 19:57:48 -0400 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com http://www.cynthiablair.com/assets/portraitThumbs/bkatT.jpg http://www.cynthiablair.com Casey Calvert, Hawthorne Heights 125 125 Bamboozle Road Show last date on the tour in MA at the Comcast Center. That and a hug and auto from Caleb Turman. Alex’s fav memory of the day was a kiss (oh yeah, on the lips!) from Caleb as she handed him my drawing.

She’s been a huge fan of Forever The Sickest Kids for ages, as well as requesting me to draw Caleb, so I knew she’d love meeting him. She also got a photo with JCook, so you know I’m going to end up drawing him as well. As we’re sitting in the box seats, the waitress hands us a menu and Alex hands it back and orders, "I’d like my Jonathan, Cooked rare please!" I’m training her to be my agent. The kid learns fast.

I re-worked areas Caleb’s drawing (earlier mistakes I was too lazy to fix!) because it had to be my best effort…until 3 am the night before. I mean, these musicians give us their best, every time they’re on stage, how could I do less? I think he really liked his drawing, and I’m thrilled he finally got to have it. I gave a print of Jack Barakat as the Mad Hatter (All Time Low) to their merch guy Vinny- I would’ve liked to give Jack the original oil painting but it’s a bit large to take to a concert. There’s always next time.

Great concert-but I’d rather see them at a small venue/club. Comcast Center in MA-imagine- there was no pit. They kept inviting people down to the front to dance and security kept sending everyone back to their seats. Lucky for us, we had VIP box seats, so we could stack the chairs and dance away. Anyway, great day, even if it was hot and humid and clammy sweaty…most concerts are anyway (if they’re any good).

Be back there in 2 weeks for Warped Tour 2010.gonna miss seeing 3OH!3 this year.Their new album is really getting into my head. Look for it this Tues. 6/29 and have a house party.]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com B7D969A3-9499-47D7-B168-5538A85FBE3B Sat, 3 Jul 2010 19:57:48 -0400

This time I tackle an oil portrait for older people, showing how to handle multiple light sources, wrinkles, lines and skin texture.

Our model is Gandalf, who probably has more facial hair and a longer mane than most of us artists will ever encounter!

Happy Birthday to Sir Ian McKellan 5/25/2010, who made Gandalf so well beloved in the movies.

Step by step photos show my painting process from start to finish, including my color palette, brushes, correcting mistakes, and some tips on shooting your artwork using a digital camera. This is a downloadable .pdf file

You can also see the finished painting here:  Lord of the Rings series]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com A50DA859-B477-486E-B399-0DBD39A74BAA Sat, 29 May 2010 17:40:32 -0400

This is an oil painting portrait tutorial, including mixing skin tones, open canvas method, covering my painting process start to finish. Next up will be Gandalf, so I can cover beards and wrinkles, etc...all this is applicable whether or not you're painting hobbits, wizards, or just normal people...

is there such a thing as a normal person?

Tutorial on oil portraits here, as a downloadable pdf]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com FB895227-D770-46C7-8ED3-DDD634977D97 Sun, 16 May 2010 01:23:09 -0400

Finally, after a bunch of requests, I finally did a tut covering the basics of portrait drawing- it's in charcoal, which I use, but really the ideas can be applied to any medium of your choice. It also applies to regular people, not just drawing hobbits, hehe.

I included a list of materials, as well as some close-up tips on eyes and lips, step by step images, start to finish.

You can view the portrait drawing tutorial here, in downloadable pdf format.]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com 15461342-DC6D-45D8-968E-C70B09266837 Sun, 16 May 2010 01:15:14 -0400
Jimmy Page, in honour of his birthday 1/9/2010 ...this one's for you- still looking magnificent at 66


Here's wishing you the highest and best for 2010
May you inspire us with your music for many years to come
and explore the artist in your soul.
Keep rockin' the Universe!


original oil painting
11x14
link to the large view of the painting here]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com DB98FF60-0BD1-46AF-B0E8-C86A6E5ABBD6 Sat, 9 Jan 2010 15:08:56 -0500
"And you will live on
Our hearts will be stronger
As we will made as one
We would last just a little while longer

And we pull ourselves together
We can't help, but be torn apart
We will always have each other
Just like it was from the start

When five becomes four
And four becomes one
You're not just passing on
You're passing on all the fun we had

You made us laugh
We only cry, but once
You made us laugh
In photographs, on display for everyone

Now the time has come now
And we must figure out
Driving where they're going south
Growing up or falling down."
~ lyrics to 4 become 1, Hawthorne Heights

link to large view of drawing here]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com/ 378B8484-4F52-4278-8954-D88ADFB2A2C2 Sat, 9 Jan 2010 14:51:31 -0500

It all began one recent night with Alex playing Ocean Eyes quietly on her Mac as I was working on my workstation next to her. Who IS that? I asked after half-listening, focused on my project. Then the tunes started to tunnel into my subconscious, before I realized it. I started smiling without even realizing I was doing it, my spirit lifted as though it had wings. I can’t explain the feeling, maybe the closest would be ‘a lightness of being, that radiated through my whole body’ . Weird, I know. I’m a Cynic and a Dreamer known to Flights of Fantasy, but most days I’m pretty well grounded.

Owl City Fever
If you are susceptible, you may experience some or all of these:
Symptoms:

when listening to Ocean Eyes, a huge smile resonates from deep in your soul and spreads through your body, erupting in a silly grin you just can’t wipe off your face.

running barefoot in the snow without feeling cold

dancing naked in the rain

as you close your eyes and turn up the volume, you deliriously take flight on the wings of possibility

pure joy and lightness of being

Warning: This music is highly contagious.

Dear Adam, thank you for sharing your gift of love and joy of creation, your wings of fantasy. May success never change you, even as Owl City Fever spreads throughout the world. And may the world respect your private space , so you will always have time to dream of Fireflies and Vanilla Twilight. ]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com E464A301-D49C-434B-BF4A-189C7AE122DA Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:18:24 -0500 NorEaster + Warped Tour=mud. Drenching rain until about 3pm...late because of beastly traffic, we missed some early bands and signings. When we finally made our way to the All Time Low merch tent (I was too afraid to consult my paper map too often, it was wet and disintegrating in my hands!) we located one ATT tent only to find out they were at the OTHER AT&T tent, signing. Slogging thru the muck when we get to the line, it’s like 500 people long, and we don’t have one of the 100 ATT passes needed to get into the signing.

So we decided to wait in line anyhow, just in case they’d take pity on the dripping masses of fans waiting patiently in the rain. We found ourselves at the ramp to the deck where they were signing, and an AT&T guard checking the passes - having no pass I whipped out my latest portrait postcard and mentioned something lame about us knowing ATL. She was really very nice, took pity (or wanted to speed up the line) and offered to let one of us in. That caused a discussion among the 3 of us so, in frustration, she waved us all up with: "JUST GO!"

I asked Jack Barakat if they got the original drawings (from Believers Never Die tour) and he was soo sweet about it, told me the drawing is now in his Mom’s living room on display. I told him I was honored, which I am! That made my day. He signed a copy for me, and since I had nothing for Zack to sign, I asked if he’d write something about Jack on it, too. Alex Gaskarth signed his, and Rian signed with Alex after I promised to draw him also.

At the Maine’s tent, we totally missed their signing but a kind merch guy mentioned they were coming in 20 min for meeting with fans. John O, Jared and Pat were really amazingly nice, they took photos with their fans in the pouring rain for what seemed like hours. I think Pat really liked the group drawing I finished the night before. I really didn’t have time to draw each band member separately, but as a group, all their faces were so small it was actually harder. Lesson learned!

Hanging in front of the Maine’s tent I got to witness Jac Vanek (tent next door) nonchalantly poking a big puddle in her roof, which dumped like a pail of water on an unsuspecting person’s head. We rescued a Taking Back Sunday poster off the ground which disintegrated into little chunks of paper in my pocket; so later on, as we resurrected it from oblivion, I called it "Taping Back Sunday" as it is now equal parts poster and scotch tape.


Due to the stage schedules and conflicts, I got to hear All Time Low and those raunchy dudes from 3OH!3 who put on an amazing performance if you can live through getting crushed by their fans...one girl in front of me was jumping up and down like the Energizer Bunny on speed, waving a blow-up flamingo over her head and screaming. By the end of the set I wanted to strangle her with the stupid flamingo’s legs but my feet were so crippled from her stomping on them that, in my haze of pain, the wad of gum flew out of my mouth and down into the back of her hoodie.

All in all, a great time. Every Warped Tour is a unique experience. Someday I’m going to get up early enough to get there by 11.]]> http://www.cynthiablair.com B5B67B81-7BA4-4331-8C59-48219208226B Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:07:05 -0400