Blog Bragino » Paintings

The Mothership

Bragino — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:42:16 +0000

Just to illustrate the way my mind thinks I offer this. As an artist I'm in continual search of understanding about form, scale, invention, imagination, and color. Sometimes I see something and I can imagine it as something else as we've all done from time to time. I was recently upstate and while driving I noticed this enormous cloud and immediately saw the mothership from District 9. Well it wasn't actually the same shape but the scale of it just screamed alien invasion. So here's what I painted in photoshop and below is the original photograph that I took which sparked the idea. It's more of an exercise in color. How to paint in a ship that appears to be in the actual scene. I think I did a pretty decent job for a 30 minute sketch. With more time and some attention to detail this ship might just abduct someone….

The Mother Ship

Original photo

Bragino Sketch 100607

Bragino — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:13:35 +0000

Using the Sketchpad on my blog I created this.

I was explaining to a friend the use of contrast or lack thereof to depict distance in a landscape image so today I decided to draw this image and play with the concepts myself. There is also the theory of warm colors vs cool colors in being able to show distance…Distance is shown here by creating less detail in the distance or (background) of this image. The colors used in the background are also cooler colors as compared to the middle ground (really warm and colorful stuff). Then the foreground is established by using lots of detail and the darkest color (black). Usually only the foreground will have high contrast or the use of black/ darker colors in relation to really light colors. These are all things that can be observed naturally outdoors. I am using the concepts and creating my own colors/ arrangement of colors to illustrate this. It's a game of sorts. Take a concept and try it out. That's what I've done here….

Ode to Anjela

Bragino — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:41:14 +0000

It's sad but true. One of our favorite models from the Friday night figure drawing session has moved back to Australia for a while. Just wanted to give a public thanks to her for all the amazing work she's done for us. In honor of Anjela and with the hope she'll be back in the states again soon here's yet another one of her wonderful poses and the image I drew from it…

A drawing of Jenna

Bragino — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:32:13 +0000

One night we found ourselves without a model for the Friday night drawing session. Luckily my friend Jenna was around and was so gracious to allow us to draw her. She made a great model. Thanks Jenna!

A Night at the Gallery

Bragino — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:25:39 +0000

Figure drawing happens every friday night at my gallery "theceeflat" and here's what I drew/painted on Jan 15, 2010 during a 4 hour session. I'm feeling like I started this year out right and I"m very pleased with a lot of the things that are happening here. What do you think about this one night set?

Figure Studies Sept

Bragino — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:37:09 +0000

Here are some of my favorite studies from September..

I chose this one because it's something I'm working on, which is just painting while working from the model. That is no mediums that are generally used for drawing, ie: markers, pens, oil pastels etc……Just acrylic paint and a few brushes. This page was prepared before painting this image with a solid green background. "Killing the white of the background like that helps you to work with paint a little better. It basically creates a mood that you can then place your figure into.

I really love the way this one came out. It reminds me of an old USO poster, or something that would have promoted Coney Island. It just has that 40's/50's feel to it mostly I suspect because of the color.

In this image, as opposed to the last two, I'm using drawing as well as painting. There are many things that I like about this but mainly the distortion through the page and the complexity of the angles in which body parts are moving. The stockings might have caught my attention as well.

iPhone brushes app paintings

Bragino — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:02:47 +0000

Here's some more paintings using the brushes app on my iPhone

Soul searcher 2

Study for an underwater scene, there will soon be seahorses in this image..

A made up portrait study, working with color here and still getting a feel for the brushes app

iPhone Brushes app

Bragino — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:57:58 +0000

It's official, I'm obsessed with the Brushes App on the iphone. It's basically a painting program on the phone which is amazing.
It's so convenient to have a full blown painting program in your pocket at all times. I can now do 30 minute painting studies anywhere
without lugging around a bunch of equipment.
If you check out the left sidebar of this blog you'll see that I'm also uploading all my images that I create with this app to flickr. The other
amazing thing about this app is that it records everything you do so you can export a movie of each painting being brush stroke by brush stroke..
Check out my flickr page for some videos…..

Here's what I've done so far..

My first painting…"Firefly Sentinels"

Here's another awesome function of the program…..The background of this is a photograph that I took. I painted the character and rain on top. Yes the app has support for creating multiple layers as well…..

Cherry tomatos at my mothers house. 30 minute study…

1 hour study of the support that holds up the Pulaski bridge in Greenpoint Brooklyn..

Figure Drawings June

Bragino — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:01:12 +0000

Here's an image I created of Jesse……
Above all I like the muted color palette, the aspect of painting in this image and of course her hair which is just lovely to draw…..

Gilgo Beach Mural Take III Finished mural

Bragino — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:46:33 +0000

I am posting some quick pics of the finished Mural at Gilgo beach plus some in progress shots. There will be a short time lapse video coming soon plus there might actuall be some real video as well……..I'd like to thank and give credit to Rory O'Donoghue from www.ODAPhoto.com for the great in progress shots of the mural…….

Finsihed Mural…..

In Progress shots………..