A Visit to the Venice Canals

Yesterday, I visited the Venice Canals for the first time! It was beautiful, idyllic place, with the coolest houses lining the river!! I swear each house was so unique and different in it's own way- some were very contemporary looking while others looked like they came from the Victorian Age. I took the opportunity to do a couple quick water color sketches of place. I haven't done water color in a long time, so it was kind of a struggle.  Had a lot of fun, and hope to come to this this place again!

Tried to catch the sunset!

Artist Spotlight: Richard Schmid

I am currently painting my grandparents for their 60th diamond anniversary gift, which I will not show because I'm super frustrated right now.  It currently just looks too neat, and I can't seem to capture my grandma's likeliness.  Then with the help from good friend Leighton Hickman who suggested I look up Richard Schmid, I completely fell in love!! This is exactly how I want the portrait to turn out, with really broad, bold brushstrokes that bring out the face so beautifully against a muted background.  

Im just attaching a few of his portraits I really like :)

Finally got an Instagram!

I guess it's kind of overdue, but I'm not really technology savvy when it comes to this stuff as I don't really even use FB that much o.o  But follow me and I'll follow you! My name is tiffiemangoes :)

View from the Balcony

The color looks a little different here for some reason, a little more icky than on photoshop, but oh well.   Here is a quickie sketch I did in remembrance of my Thanksgiving cruise! I wanted to capture the beautiful view I saw from my cousin's balcony of her room. It was so cool to see those distant city lights, and there were these really cool wispy clouds.

I was really going for simplicity, and trying to use minimal colors.. don't know if it really worked out? I think it looks better small :p thumbnail!

Cruise Sketches!!

Hellos!!

it's been a while since I posted since I've been pretty swamped lately, but it was Thanksgiving break..which means vacation!! I got to go on an awesome four day cruise with my family in celebration of my grandparent's 60th diamond anniversary, and we visited San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico! Aside from some super cool and chill sightseeing, I would say the other two activities I triumphed best was eating a crapppp ton, and sitting on couches listening to performers all around the ship.  I got to sketch some singers, which was super fun, among them a trio of merry mariachi players who performed daily, and a super talented British guitarist/singer! I had a great time just hanging out with the fam, resting, and gaining back all the weight I might have lost during the school year.

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The Mariachi Trio!

The Awesome British Guitarist!

A really nice waiter who was kind of flirting with a guy (or it was the other way around actually) but I didn't get to draw the guy because his wife came back and he had to go. HAHA

So kind of funny story- one of my uncles on the cruise has this literal PERPETUAL pout/ frown on his face that never came off during the cruise.  I'm sure he doesn't intend for it, he's actually a really reserved gentle guy, but that's just how he is.  I decided to draw him one night during dinner, and it was frustrating me so much that I couldn't get his interesting pout right at all.  I just made like 3 different versions of guys. One of them looks like Obama.

And then I think on the top left, I finally got the essence of it! But now he kind of looks like the main character from House. HAHA.  So still kind of a fail. That's my other uncle on the bottom right with kind of crazy hair. 

One of the mariachi players and a oldish woman dancing salsa who was really into it!

The British guitarist at night, wearing a suit and looking good, who, by the way, is Toby- Joe Reilly- worth looking up. Woman on the bottom right really into him.