Featured Art: Angel of Death by Derrick Rathgeber

Angel of Death

Medium: Colored Pencils/ Bristol Smooth 11" x 14"

Original Price: $150.00 -  Click Here to Buy Now.   

Prints are Available:

http://pixels.com/featured/angel-of-death-derrick-rathgeber.html

 

Angel of Death is a tragic illustration of the original poem by my wife. This 11 x 14 colored pencil drawing shows the dancing of death in the pale moonlight in visual that I can't begin to describe as she did in her poetry. 

Angel of Death

By Patricia Rathgeber

“Come dance in the moonlight, little sister.” He calls

The blades sheen reflects off my pale skin

His shadow grows up against the dark walls

As we dance, the darkness blends and I don’t know where he ends and I begin

A tear against the flesh gives way to liquid crimson

The blood, it streams down to the ground

I watch my life melt away, a stream that glistens

The silence is so loud even though there is no sound

He turns me, dips me and I feel faint

I float like a feather, so light weight

He kisses me, my metallic Saint

The taste of his victory over me, I’ve met my fate

The nirvana of the spins makes me drunk as I slowly lose life

His wings spread wide like a bird of prey with meat in his sight

I can’t refuse his kiss, no strife

Growing weak, I no longer put up a fight

I allow myself to fade in his arms

Taking it all in, my memories flash by so fast

Soaking up all his whispery charms

His kiss, the sin, is my very last

More great poems by Patricia Rathgeber can be found on her website below..

http://www.snsaintalwaysnice.com/

Own the original today.

Http://Derrickr.webs.com

Doubt is a Dangerous Thing

As an artist the worst thing you can face is doubt. Doubt is that nagging fear, or voice in the back of your head that tells you you’re not good enough, or you’ll never reach the level of the other artists on the web. It can come at you in ways that will make you want to quit and burn your artwork. I can honestly say I to this day face doubt strait in the face, and sometimes I do want to quit.

I recently got back into drawing again after a very long hiatus. I had a torn tendon in my drawing wrist that was never allowed to recover properly. When I got injured on the job I was given a brace and set right back to work. Over the years I tried to sketch here and there and my work suffered. My hand would shake, I would drop the pencil, my fingers locked up, and sometimes my wrist felt like it was being torn right off. I couldn’t draw anymore and that sent me into a very angry and dark place. The one thing I thought I was good at was taken from me, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I doubted that I was ever going to draw again.

One day I found myself digging out my old drawings. I kept a box of my work that survived the rain and the move. I did what I normally would do, and that was pull them out of the box, look at them all and them place them back in the box. To me this was a way of looking back at something I couldn’t get back, and believe me I tried. I would draw out some new drawings, and I was upset that they were out of proportions, and very sketchy. I couldn’t get the look I used to anymore let alone what other artists could do. I think my wife saw me, or heard me because a short time later as a gift she got me a nice sketchbook. She only had one rule that I sketch out whatever comes to my head, and do not share it with anybody, just draw for yourself she said. And I think she was on to something.

Over the next year I did just that. I just started drawing small faces or, weapons, characters and random trees. All short small non detailed drawings, but each one got better. It wasn’t until last year in 2012 that I started rebuilding my portfolio. Something in me snapped and just woke up. I grabbed the largest pice of paper and all the colored pencils I had and created A “Bird in Bloom.” Believe it or not this very large 22×28 piece took me three months to complete, but to me it felt like one of the fasted drawings I have ever done. I was enveloped into getting back to where I used to be as an artist, yet somehow by the end of this piece I was better than I ever was. To put it in perspective the last award I won for a piece of my artwork was in 1999. It was now 2013 and I took this one piece of art and entered it into a show against painters and sculptures. Somehow my RoseArt colored pencil strokes won me Best in Show. This was not a cash prize win, but it was enough to convince me that I was on the right track.

I continued making large pieces and smaller pieces, and I think it wasn’t until the great feedback on the Macaw piece that I found that I may be able to have a career in this. I pushed and shared my work online, and joined various art sites to sell my work. I had high hopes that since I couldn’t work and I wasn’t getting paid by the insurance company that this could be my way of providing. When several months go by and nothing sold DOUBT attacked me again. Every time I would open my email and see all the artists who sold their work, or got a great commission, I would definitely get very envious. Here I am thinking I was good enough to win a juried show, and write lessons for RoseArt; and I cannot even sell one piece of art for my family. It hurt. Sometimes it still does I won’t lie. So Doubt hit again, very hard.

You know what brought me back this time? What keeps me going is all of you. I don’t mean to sound cheesy, but you are at home and you chose to read this. Zillions of things on this internet to laugh at and watch and you choose to read the rantings of a beat up colored pencil artist. I appreciate that. When you message me, or write me to congratulate me, or ask me of all people for advice. It pushes me. When I see you struggle in the same ways that I do, and still succeed. I know doubt is a huge waste of time.
Each of us have a story, and in our stories we have a doubt or fear of succeeding. We cannot let this doubt to come into our artwork, because as an artist you know when you erase too much, or overwork the piece it will be ruined. Take a break and draw something you love in a sketch book that you don’t have to share with the world. Do what you love because you love it, and all that doubt will go away.

I have only one more thing to say and this is the most important piece of advice I can give you.
-When you wishing that you had the ability to draw like that great artist you see posting their masterpieces, somewhere there is an artist looking at your masterpieces wishing they could draw like you. Please support and help each other.

Thank you,
Derrick Rathgeber

Success is not a Dollar Amount

I have come a very long way since I have started drawing again. I have a new website, my own blog page, and my artwork has been seen all over the world, and I am currently in a gallery here in Riverside until August.  To me I feel like I reached the top as an artist. The only thing that would make my journey complete would to be able to live off of my artwork. Being that I have yet to sell more than one print, I can honestly say that is not going to happen. In my entire art career I have only sold one original drawing, and one signed print for $20. Does that make my career in art a large failure?

The answer is heck no. I am sure there are plenty of artists out there who place their work on the web in hopes it will go viral, and sell 1,000s of prints, but only get 5 likes. And maybe you have placed your work in a showcase in hopes people will buy your piece, only to take your card and lose it. Believe me you are definitely not alone. I have found that there are a lot more artists in your position than you think. And each one is more discouraged and ready to quit than the next.  I know I wanted to quit myself quite a few times because my art just wasn’t selling like I wanted to.

Then I woke up one day realizing that I almost quit doing what I love because someone didn’t give me money for it. I felt like an idiot. I almost gave up a talent that others strive for because I was selfish and wanted money. All the new upcoming artists that came to me for help and questions were going to be sent away, and the people that subscribed to my website, and blog, social media sites because they enjoyed my work were no longer going to see it anymore. I almost let my kids down who look up to me because in their eyes I am the best artist in the world. To me that almost made me sick to my stomach that money became that important to me. Has the world broken me down so bad that money took a place hire than a talent that no money could ever buy?

So I decided that I would no longer see success measured with a dollar amount. And no one should. Have I made millions of my artwork? No. Have I hit over 100,000 likes on Facebook? Far from. What I have done is inspire young artists to continue bettering themselves. I made someone laugh with my Twisted Fate comic. My work has been seen by people all over the world without spending one dollar in advertising. I have shown people what you can do if you put your trust and patience in yourself, and really enjoy what you do. That is my greatest successes as an artist. If I can keep going, and push myself to finish piece after piece, comic after comic, share my drawing lessons online free, and just help others, then I feel I have reached a level that I didn’t know existed.

What defines you as an artist? Ask yourself why you started? Why do you love it so much? Why do you or did you want to quit? For me I started because I really enjoyed taking my imagination, and thoughts, then just laying them out all over the paper.  I love it now because I can see things that other people cannot. A gift to see colors that did not exist before and I can share them with all of you. It makes my day. I wanted to quit, well for a reason that wasn’t good enough because I am still here. I am still here drawing, coloring, and sharing it all with all of you, and I hope that as long as I continue to share what I have to give with you, that you return the favor .  I want to see all of your talents, because art, poetry, words, stories, imagination, it makes the world a much better place to live in and enjoy.  

"You are already successful because you picked up the pencil,  and made the world that much more beautiful."

Thank you for reading,

Till next time my friends.

http://Derrickr.Webs.com

Twisted Fate Comic Strip - Don't Bet on Fate: By Derrick Rathgeber

Twisted Fate - Don't Bet on Fate

Don’t Bet on Fate - The new comic in the Twisted Fate comic strip by Derrick Rathgeber.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Derrick Rathgeber

http://Derrickr.Webs.com

Be sure to follow all of the action and new comics to come on Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/derrickr333/twisted-fate-by-derrick-rathgeber-comic-strips/

The Flight of the Macaw: Colored Pencil Drawing by Derrick Rathgeber

The Flight of the Macaw

by Derrick Rathgeber

Price $400

http://derrickr.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/4079072

The Flight of the Macaw was one of my greatest pictures as an artist. I not only completed this piece in a good time-frame but I used over 40+ colored pencils. Composing this image was no easy feat at all either. The reference shot I had was small and blurry, but the pose fit what I was going for. I used other references such as encyclopedias, and zoology books to get the bone structure, and muscle movements down. In this blog I will be giving you a day by day play into the creation of this piece. 

DAY ONE

And the macaw spreads his wings. There is something releasing about sketching the picture on the paper. It can be difficult to start a new project sometimes, and I know once I start to draw the piece I know it's on. I found a good composition in this image that followed a line of action. It gives the illusion of the birds movement, and flight path which is right off the page. I started to color the head and saw the clock, time for a break. 

DAY TWO

I really jumped right into this piece. I felt an immediate connection, and after the success with the Bird in Bloom piece I really wanted to improve more. I used about 4-5 pencils to get a good bone color in the beak. I started to work on the creases and noticed that after I colored in the eye, I felt him staring right at me with almost a grin. Although the camera I used picked up more white than it should have, you can still see the layers of colors I started to put in. I wanted to give this bird a bit of my personality, and you can see that with the yellow to red flame coloring I put in his feathers. 

DAY THREE

Something happened today that was a bit unexpected for me. I found detail that was not in the reference picture. My dad in Costa Rica took a far away shot of this bird in flight and it was very blurry. You could say that I winged it...pun. Seriously though I stopped looking at the photo at this point and just colored. I saw the form of this beautiful bird and knew where I wanted the muscles to flex, and even more I wanted to feathers to fluff out as if he had just flapped his wings, and you get that hint of back-draft. I also went right into the shading too. I don't usually do this until I shaded all the base colors, but like I said something just came over me today, and I was on fire looking forward to tomorrow. 

DAY FOUR

Back to what I was talking about in day three. The muscle definition. I think that was my primary focus on this piece. Not only did I want to see how many colors I could put in it, but I wanted to see how many feathers I could ruffle, and muscles I could flex. The one small challenge I found was the molted white feathers on the legs and by the wings. With colored pencils you cannot just color white over red and expect white. So I had to color around these areas using negative space, and then using small strokes to add the detail of them being white feathers. I did this with grays and browns. After adding some lights and shadows to this point I think I was done for the day. 

DAY FIVE

Today the macaw started to fly. Can I admit one thing, I actually go so nervous before I started the wings that I took a day or two away from this piece. after I put so much detail into the body I couldn't mess up on the wings. That would be the end of it. So I started on the feet. Believe it or not the feet were harder than the wings. I had to get a movement that made sense as well as give them some texture. The color was interesting to, I would say between the blues, grays and tan colors there were about 7-9 colors in the feet alone. That's why I love colored pencils. Just by adding one more color in a different direction or stroke you change the look and feel of what you are coloring. It may take longer, but you have total control. As for the wings I think the most difficult part was the angle of the feathers and showing the wind pushing down on the top feathers, and lifting the bottom. to do that I added a curve at the end of each feather, and moved them as I visualized the bird in motion. You have to do this, create a line of action and engage the audience. You have one image to capture their imagination, by drawing them into yours. 

DAY SIX

Ah the right wing. This wing was killer. I almost made the mistake of thinking the macaw's feathers were blue on the top and bottom. After looking it over I found they were just a darker color of red. The feathers are actually layered, and their blue feathers are on top. That being said I really thought I would have more blue in this picture, but If I am going to make it believable you have to do your research, even if you are making it your own. Now if you are drawing directly from your imagination, which I love, then all bets are off. This is the funny part I made sure that I placed the blue on the second wing anyways. I changed to composition to have this wing come off the border. It solved two problems for me, One I needed the wings to match up in color, and Two this was a perfect line of action that made this draw much more interesting. Now I was ready to move forward. 

DAY SEVEN

This is the phase where most of artists start to crash. The final lap of the finish line, and you fear finishing. Part of you wants to push harder just to end it, and the other halve just wants to put it away and never finish it because you fear the success or failure of possible messing up. This is where you have to be cautious and take breaks. For me I told myself I would just do the log for the day, and as hard as that was I did it. I added the shadows, and different colors of browns to get the color I wanted. A voice poked in to my head saying just color in the shrubs and be done with it, I know that would have been a big mistake. I was tired, and my wrist was hurting, and I know I would have skipped details, and just rushed it. So I gave it one more day. I originally attempted to draw this 18" x 24" colored pencil piece in 7 days, but I would rather add one more day and be happy with it, than ruin it but trying to hit a deadline that I placed on myself. 

DAY EIGHT

And with the large brush in the background with the skyline, this piece is finally completed. I think this piece cemented me into a good spot as an artist. What I accomplished fore myself was just priceless when I finished this macaw piece. I used over forty colored pencils, and I did it in eight days. It was a good feeling to know I did that, and I wanted to do it again. I continued making new portfolio pieces here on out, and rebuilding everything. If you think about it The Flight of the Macaw was me. I was spreading my wings and letting the wind take me. All the way trough I animated him in my head watching him move, and I think that made the picture take form and move with me. 

Thank you for stopping by. 

Derrick Rathgeber

How to Color a Daisy With Colored Pencils by Derrick Rathgeber

How to Color a Daisy With Colored Pencils

By Derrick Rathgeber

Welcome to the next lesson in colored pencil drawing. In the last lesson we learned how to layer different colors to create a solid multi-colored pink lady apple. In this lesson I will teach you how to train your brain to see your drawing as different individual pieces. The perfect way to do this is with the daisy. We will focus more on directional shading and coloring in this lesson, and how to obtain textures using different strokes.

Grab your box of Colored Pencils out and grab the following colors; Pale pink, Pink, Cerise, Ruby, Light Brown, Golden Yellow, Grass Green, Black, and White. These will be the 9 colors we will be using for this lesson.

Tip: If you would like to change the color of your flower, you may substitute the petal colors (Pale Pink, Pink, Cerise, & Ruby) to another four colors. Just make sure you go from light to dark. For example a purple flower you could use Light Lavender, Lavender, Purple, & Orchid. 

Step 1: Lightly draw your daisy using faint strokes of a pencil, or light grey colored pencil. Start with the circle in the middle of the flower. Follow that with about six individual petals all roughly the same length, but different characteristics. If you note each petal has two fold lines going down the, and the ends are jagged. Behind these petals you will draw more petals. Continue layering your petals until you are satisfied with the shape of your daisy. Now use the Grass Green colored pencil and draw two curved lines for the stem.

Tip: If you would like to skip ahead and focus on the coloring lesson. You may download the sketched out image seen below. Click the link Below.

http://www.4shared.com/office/lLB4l57E/How-to-draw-a-daisy-001.html

Step 2: We are going to put down the base color for the flower. Take the Pale Pink Colored Pencil and start coloring in each petal. Now to do this we are going to use a fun technique. The reason I chose a daisy is because it’s a circle shape. You will want to color in the direction of each petal; to do this can get frustrating because you have to contort your hand into uncomfortable positions. So what we are going to do is keep our hand in the same position and rotate the paper. Use light gentle strokes across each petal evenly, and use more pressure on the lines, and towards the center of the flower. Continue rotating the paper and coloring each petal until they are covered.

Step 3: Practice Makes Perfect. Find a petal to start with, and start adding the next layer of color. Using the Pink we will start off at the base of the petal and color in the direction of the petal. Color only the base of the petal and the center area of the petal. Again rotate the paper as you go and color in a position that is most comfortable for you and your wrist. This will allow smoother lines and more control.

Tip: Treat each petal as a new drawing. Taking your time and giving attention to each one will allow your brain to see shapes that you would otherwise over look. Remember to draw comfortably, take breaks when you need them, and just have fun.

Step 4: Using the Cerise you will continue adding more color and depth to the flower. We are going to start adding some shadows and curves to the petals. Color from the base of the petal with more pressure and lighten your strokes as you reach the end of the petal. Define the shadows for the petals underneath by using darker strokes where the top petals overlay.

Step 5: We are going to fine tune the shadow by adding one more red color. Using the Ruby Colored Pencil we will once again add more depth the flower petals. Rotating the paper as you go of course, sharpen your lines toward the base of each petal around the circle. Then define the lines of each petal using the Ruby color. Now as you rotate the paper use back and forth strokes to really get the dark Ruby color to make an even shadow on each petal towards the center of the flower to make it look like the petals fold inward.

Step 6: Now we are going to get into the middle of this flower. Don’t worry no more rotating the paper for this one, unless you want to of course. This part is actually kind of fun for me. Making a realistic pollen look is easier than it looks. Using the Light Brown find the center of your circle and make a much smaller circle. This will be your starting point. Now continue making small circles around this circle, and continue until the center is full. Once you get to the edge of the petals, use the Light Brown to fill in any gaps between the flower center and the petals. Now add some of this brown to the stem with some lines dark lines, and we will move on to the next step.

Step 7: Now it’s time to add some color to the center. Using the Golden Yellow make even circular strokes to fill in the center area. Continue going over it until you get a nice even color. Once you are finished use the same Golden Yellow color and very lightly go over the base of each petal. We do this because light reflects colors onto nearby objects. Sometimes it’s not noticeable, but just enough will make your drawing look that much more realistic. Then to finish off this step add some more light stroke lines onto the stem to give it an earthy browning like color when we go over it with the green.

Step 8: Probably the easiest step of the drawing. Take the Grass Green color, and color the entire stem. Be sure to color right over the Golden Yellow and Light Brown colors. Remember to color along with the shape of the stem in the same direction. You can even rotate the paper to give you a comfortable position and clean lines. Color the area by the flower darker show the shadow of the flower covering the stem.

Tip: By now I hope rotating the paper comes to you as a reflex. This will help you draw strait lines and curves, and can be used to draw all sorts of shapes and objects. Draw smarter not harder.

Step 9: Now to cast the final shadows. Use the Black Colored Pencil and outline the base of each petal and the flower center. Next begin shading the top petals lightly just enough to show that they curve inwards towards the center. Add some more black color to the petals underneath using the top petals as a guide. Next tilt the black pencil to the side a bit, and give a shadow to the center of the flower. Use crosshatching strokes towards the bottom of the circle to make it look like a sphere. Finally cast the shadow on the top, and down the side of the stem to finish up the shadows.

Step 10: To finish up our flower take the White Colored Pencil and color the edge of each petal. Next blend together the light and the dark colors by coloring from the edge of the petal down to the middle of each petal. This will even out your colors, and help cast light onto your drawing. Next add white to the cent of your drawing, and to the stem. And there you have it a beautiful flower.

Tip: Find your light source. Sometimes when I draw I will cast a light over my drawing and see which way the paper casts a shadow. Use this as a guide for your shading.

That does it for this lesson. I would love to see your work. Send it to us and we would be glad to share your results on my Facebook page at http://Facebook.com/DerricktheArtist

Be sure to come back here for more lessons. If you would like to ask a question or make a suggestion for a drawing lesson email me at http://Derricktheartist.com.

Thank you for coming.
Derrick Rathgeber

http://Derricktheartist.com