I – Monochromatic

(I – Monochromatic by Tanja Gotthardsen, 2012)

So, your’s truly decided to take a break from exam papers and the obligatory chaos to make a little something. I spent roughly 2 hours drawing this self portrait. And I normally don’t (DON’T!) do self-portraits. With all the amazing stock and references out there, it seems a pity to work with my own face. But here it is, a spur of the moment. And it’s messy, rough and slightly chaotic compared to what I normally do.

Just reflecting upon all the tumultuous thoughts that have been flooding my mind. I guess we all have those days.

Caran D’Ache Pablo coloured pencil (colour “Carmine”) on 130g Canson.

A Tiny Update + Artwork

(Sort Sol by Tanja Gotthardsen, 2011)

Hi lovelies,

so, I’m in the midst of exam-chaos, I hope you’ll excuse my absence The blog is after all my creative oasis – and without time to be thoroughly creative.. it makes no sense to make posts about nothing.

Today I want to share a very special piece with you. It was done in March last year, for a person that is at the center of everything I do. My grandmother. She raised me, gave me an incredible amount of love (sometimes I feel like I’m bubbling over with love, I can’t contain it), gave me values and the strenght to stand my ground. To make her proud has been my motivation, and it still is. She died of cancer in October, and ever since I have felt a little bereaft. But she’s always around, in some sense.

The drawing was done for her 70th Birthday, but I got it done almost six months early. The idea just came to me, and I had to do it. And quite luckily she got to enjoy it for some months. She didn’t survive until her 70th birthday, she died the week before. When we got the diagnosis I gave her the drawing, for strenght. I had it custom framed.

I come from a part of Denmark where you occassionally can see the starlings gathering together, flying in formations over the marshland. It’s really beautiful, and it was a sight we shared many times. My grandmother did not enjoy great freedom in her life, and the birds represent the freedom we always dreamt of, together. Starlings are not the most beautiful birds seen from afar, but together they’re astonishing. And up close, they have so many beautiful patterns. And they have each other. Saying it with a big smile, she now has wings of her own. And they’re beautiful

My Original Works Now For Sale on ETSY!

Hi guys, I’ve been a busy bird as of late. However I just wanted you to know, that I’ve opened an ETSY-shop, where you will be able to buy original works, if you fancy that above prints.

I will be adding drawings and paintings as we go. If you are interested in something, that has not yet reached the shop, let me know, and I’ll see if it’s something I’m up for selling

To the-super-awesome-Etsy-shop!

In Flight for Freedom – Finished

(In Flight for Freedom – Tanja Gotthardsen, 2012)

I finally got around re-colouring this one!

You see, when I thought, that I’d finished this one, my scanner wouldn’t render the softest colours.  And that meant, that putting this one up for grabs at my print shops, was out of the question.

But now, well - it’s there! I’ve attached a few pictures from Society6, so you can have a look at the products.

To purchase: Society6 & ArtFlakes

A Tiny Birthday Card

A quick birthday card done for a classmate last week We’d bought her some presents, and I offered making the card. She’d invited a few people to visit her at her dormitory for cake, such a nice thing! Took me around 30 minutes and then i had to wait for it to dry. That was the only drawing/painting i found time to do last week, and I doubt this week will be much better art-wise. I hope you’ll hang in there, though

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve added some categories to the top-bar. My front page will only display the three latest post, but simply go into my 2012 archive, and there you’ll find all the posts so far!

Walkthrough of ‘The Stuff We’re Made Of’

I just thought I’d keep you entertained with a tiny gif-file of my latest painting Especially since the scan I’ve uploaded didn’t show the softer blue hues. So here you go, this is more or less how it looks.

Don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin’, you’ll fine the icon just below!

The Stuff We’re Made Of

(The Stuff We’re Made Of - by Tanja Gotthardsen, 2012)

Finished!

I disagreed with my scanner on how much of the blue it was allow to eat.. steal.. The shadows are not as visible as on the Iphone pictures I shared of the process. I think we need therapy. The scanner and yours truly. Aside from that, I’m quite happy with the outcome!

Prints will be available sometime over the weekend, I just need time to get a good scan, figure out the sizes etc. So I hope you’ll hang in there, should you be interested. And you’re always welcome to send me an email, if you have questions on printwork and the like. My email address can be found in the section ‘about’ me

I won’t say to much about the drawing, I will leave the interpretations to you for now. I will say though, that I really enjoyed painting this! It was relaxing, calming, to say the least.

Windsor&Newton watercolours on 250g Montval.

Hope you like it!

Painty-doodle-doo!

A little something I’m currently painting for you.

The complete lack of good male reference and stock has left me improvising, and my principle of never drawing celebrities is currently in a grey zone. Ugh.

I’ve attached some extremely ugly and quick sketches below, to show you my planning process. These were doodled during ‘Studium Generale’. If nothing else, those hours of epistemology will have me painting walls and climbing curtains. (Or, that’s an exaggeration. And I do have a strange ability to doodle and listen all at once. Fancy that.)

The Questions, Spontaneity and Impulses.

(If Mother Earth Was a Child… by Tanja Gotthardsen, 2008)

To put it differently, my drawings are often spurs of the moment. I do a bit of planning while drawing, using the additonal space to scribble down ideas, but it’s not like I start with a developed and finished idea. What I start with is a face. Or maybe just eyes, a nose or lips that intrigue me. I don’t think I’ve ever done a celebrity portrait, or maybe? Can’t remember. I quite like the freedom anonymity allows me. Suddenly it is just about the expression and emotion, the aesthetic qualities and intriguing detail of someone’s visage.

The drawing above, however, took me by surprise. That was one of the few times, where a drawing just, more or less, drew itself. I mean, I spent 25+ hours on it, but it still came quite easily, I didn’t have to force it. The composition and everything.. well it was quite impulsive, but this one was done with a quite specific question as guideline. And that guideline became the title; “If Mother Earth was a child… would we treat her differently?”
Being quite fond of the environment, well it was right up my alley. And nature does offer such a rich variety of colour.

Those are the drawings I love the most.

Available as print at Society6 and ArtFlakes

About Future Posts and Reader Suggestions

(Senseless Mess by Tanja Gotthardsen, 2012)

So, as I have returned to my studies, the blog has been rather silent (except for the Gotye song, that I adoooore). But do not despair, I have been planning a bit, and I have a bunch of posts in store for you. As promised I will be doing a ‘walk through’ of my latest drawing ‘In Flight for Freedom’, I just need to get a scan, that will show the lighter colours well enough. (Hurray, for working with the subtlest of hues..)

I also received something fantastic last week, that I will be sharing very soon! It would not be an exaggeration to call me ‘thrilled’ But more about that later.

Here’s one of my sketches, done a few weeks ago. I realized, that I hadn’t shared any with you yet. When I’m busy throughout the semester, I’m lucky if I even get to sketch, so I believe a lot of my posts will be doodles. I hope you don’t mind I do consider my coloured portraits to be my best work, b/w does feel a bit ‘bare’ compared to. But colour = time and even more time.

If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see, please bring them forward!