Black and White Boy- The Album Art Commission

Hi guys and gals,

I know I've been terribly inconsistent of late posting in my blog, but I felt that this was a perfect opportunity to make a new post!

I have been very busy of the last two months working on a few rather challenging, interesting and different commissions! The one I've just finished (and the one I'm blogging about today) is the album art for "Black and White Boy's" new album "Fragile". This was an amazing opportunity that came about after Andrew- the genius behind Black and White Boy- saw my chalkboard drawings in the Beanscene and thought my work had real potential for his album cover.

This was obvious very, very flattering and also such a great chance to try something completely different. It was also a chance to let my inner illustrator out to play, since I have quite an illustrative streak in my current style of work.

So to start with, when doing a commission it's always a good idea to draw up a creative contract. Nothing scary, no small print, just something simple and easy to understand for both client and artist. Cover the basics such as copyright, time scale to completion and payment. If you guys let me know I'll do a proper post on the ins and outs of creative contracts, but not in this post :P

After all the boring (but necessary) paperwork malarkey was done the first stage is to play about in the sketchbook! Something I love doing, and I always have a little sketchbook in my handbag! Here are some of the basic first ideas I had:

 You'll obviously notice I stuck to a similar sort of idea. This is because the client gives you a rough idea of what they are looking for, inspired by and think would look good. When you take it to sketchbook you have to work with both your own ideas and the clients to create a symbiosis of the two concepts.

These sketches were sent to Andrew and he loved them, then giving me further ideas and more refined criticism so that I could narrow the scope in development. The umbrella was particularly liked, as was the tea staining and so I pulled these two elements forward to the development stage.

The development stage

So the development stage was more refined, and I asked again what the client thought. He loved the vibe, thankfully I was pretty close to the mark, but he questioned whither the character could be a child rather than an adult.
Personally I have rarely drawn children, but I loved the concept! It worked well to truly hammer home the concept of a fragile, vulnerable character. And so I took my development and concept sketches and reworked one or two other options:

Option 1

Option 2 and Wild-Card Option 3

AND it was back to the sketchbook. Three options were given, two from the original idea, and one wild-card, because you never know!
Andrew was very quick to decide that he wanted option two and so the final piece began!

And here it is!

"Fragile" album art commission by Kimberly Hagen. Copyright 2013

The final piece is now finished and being picked up tomorrow. I am very proud of it, as it was such a fun, and different project! I particularly enjoyed being able to continue tea staining, which I loved doing for the group exhibition I was part of in May. 

Thank you Black and White Boy for the opportunity! For those of you who are curious to hear the music of this very talented gentleman clicky HERE. The website is full of great info so please do check it out! 

Thanks and keep checking to see if I've updated ;) 

Kim. XX

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Blackboard Art-

"Snow Queen"
Blackboard Chalk Piece in Beanscene Stirling
March 2013

I've recently started doing pieces in chalk pens at The Beanscene in Stirling.
Why is this a cool thing to blog about you ask? Well for one it's a really interesting way to work. I love creating something that I can change, rub away, manipulate and all together remove at any given time with no effort. There is also something damn cool about working with a new tool, so in this case chalk pens, and even chalk itself. I've worked with charcoal before and that was interesting, but my experience with chalk and pastels is very limited so it's a really invigorating to experiment with this new technique in such a public setting.

"Esmerelda Lady of Spring"
Blackboard Chalk Piece in Beanscene Stirling
April 2013

Another thing that makes this worth blogging about is the amount of exposure it is helping my work get! Starting out as an artist is hard, there are no ifs or buts about it, but you can make it easier by being out there and talking to people! This gives me an opportunity to do that. Thus far I have only done three pieces in The Beanscene, but I have met some very interesting people, all with helpful and constructive comments and compliments. The amount of fans on my facebook page has gone up, as well as the views on my etsy store (despite the fact that my etsy store is pretty empty right now) which can only be a good thing!

"Wild Rose" Blackboard Chalk Piece in Beanscene Stirling April 2013
copyright Kimberly Hagen Art

What I truly love about doing this so far is that it does help with my confidence as an artist. I can work on something, while people watch, work away and enjoy it without worrying too much. I can experiment as well, which is always fun! It's a great challenge and a way to defeat artists block.
I'm really interested to see how two of these transfer into paintings. We'll see ;)

On a side note, I will try and blog more! I've missed doing it and it does help relax and refocus my mind a little. Hope you all had an awesome Chocolate Bunny Day :D x



All artwork is copyright Kimberly Hagen ART. Artwork may not be reproduced without written consent gained from the artist in advance. All rights reserved. 

It's 2013! Bring Forth The Fairytales!

Sorry for not blogging for so long, but life has very much got in the way! In the last six months I've moved house, started university, been ridiculously ill and all round just busy! However I am back, with news and new art work to share. Woo hoo!

So lets start with what I'm currently working on. I have an exhibition coming up in April and I'm very very busy with that sneaking up on me. I have seven paintings all on the go at once, none of which are coming together quickly, but I also have a mini project that I'm going to share with you guys today.

"Mirror Mirror" 2013 copyright Kimberly Hagen ART

"Lustrous Locks" 2013 copyright Kimberly Hagen ART

"Anderson's Merchild" 2013 copyright Kimberly Hagen ART

For a long time I've been thinking about doing a project around the fairytales but it has never really come about until now. I've been delving into my old copy of Grimm's Fairytales and Hans Christian Anderson's Stories, as well as having a swatch or two at my roommates new copies. It's got me seriously inspired! I forgot how much I loved the true harsh and twisty fairy stories. 

So with that in mind I am doing a series of 14 drawings based on these amazing stories. All will be created using water soluble pencils on hand-made paper. I won't be showing you them all just now, I need something to hold back till my exhibition, but here is a sneak peek of three of them!



All work is copyright Kimberly Hagen ART. No work can be copied or reproduced without written consent of the artist. All rights reserved.

Being an Artist Who Paints Figures and Rubber Ducks

Y'know being an artist often means doing a crappy job that you hate. I used to clean toilets and serve tourists food to make the money I needed to paint, so I know exactly how that feels. I hated both jobs, but they led to where I am now. 

I paint ducks. 

Yup! You read that right! I paint rubber ducks and sell them. 

That isn't the only crafty/arty/weird thing I create to make a small living, but it is a start and it's something I really enjoy. I think that many people forget that as an artist we can have "day jobs" that we enjoy to fund our art, and that these two concepts do not have to be separate. My second etsy store may well support the fact that I am a freelance artist, however that does not make the fact that I AM a freelance artist any less important, or the fact that I am both a business woman and an artist any less valid. 

The business of being an artist is a difficult one, so we supplement it with other things while we make our way to independence. In my case I run a small family and friend craft business that I can also sell my art prints and accessories through. 

I think finding a wee day job that you love, and allows you to be creative away from your painting/sculpting/photography can only be a good thing! It allows you a break from the hard labour of love that is being an artist while still keeping the creative juices flowing. 

I'd love to see more young artists like me doing this! It's a different way of being a working artist, but I find it very satisfying :D 

X

So it's July: Update!

So I'm putting together my video compilation for my first exhibition and looking through the footage is great fun as well as rather embarrassing and silly.

I often find when asked to talk about my paintings it is very difficult to explain my thoughts on it or what the paintings themselves were "about". It seems to weird to be watching myself back, talking about the "meaning" and techniques involved in my work. Especially since I will give you a different answer everytime you ask me what a painting is about. It depends entirely on my mood at the time, and I see no point in pretending otherwise.

However for the sake of the compilation I did go through the paintings from the exhibition and gave a wee bit of chat about each one. I sound like such a crazy wee woman with no clue what she is doing! But I'm sure that most artists feel that way... I hope :P

In the mean time I'm working on two projects just now (when I get the time between this moving house milarky and my crafty business). One you all have seen before by now is the painting "Stretching Female Form":

I've never felt she is entirely finished, so tonight I took her out of her frame and put her up on my wall to work on. I'll post a WIP as I get on with it. She is quite a different piece, and one of my earliest oil paintings so I do care about the piece, however (much like Maiden of Time) I exhibited her unfinished. I'm sure I will know when she is truly done!

I'm also working on this little painting, which is currently drying on my mini easel:

It's just a play painting more than anything else. I decided when I was finished with the "Maiden, Mother and Crone" lino cuttings I didn't want to just put them in a drawer and forget all about them. Instead I have stuck them onto a piece of mock-wood and started to work on them as a piece in their own right. I've just finished re-applying some of the brighter oil colours.

So that's me just now. Working away, and packing like a crazy woman! Moving takes so much effort it makes me ache! But hopefully once we are moved into the new flat and I have my own little studio room all shall run smoothly once again!

PS. New Exhibition in the pipe line... Wait out on that :) x

My etsy store is open ladies and gentleman!

Kimberly Hagen ART STORE!

Currently there isn't a lot on it, but over the course of this week I will be adding different items for your viewing (and hopefully purchasing) pleasure! 

Right now the store has the 20 limited edition prints of "Maiden, Mother and Crone", all numbered and signed at £12 each! I'd go take a look!

Lino Prints (The Maiden, Mother and Crone)

Hi guys!
So in the last week or so I have been playing with lino prints, which I haven't done since a little experiment in high school. It's been a very interesting experiment and I've discovered that I really like this type of print making.

Having not played with lino prints in a long time I was very careful cutting out the lino that would become "The Maiden" and "The Mother". And then I got cocky just at the end and cut my finger. Remember boys and girls lino cutters are sharp!

This was very much an experiment stage. I love working in a sketchbook, so it feels very good to have one pad for my lino print work. I also did a few relief prints, just to make sure I didn't waste any of the printing ink. 

This being the final composition of the prints. I also did the final pieces on this beautiful handmade paper. I got it in Samye Ling, the Buddhist monastery in the borders. It's stunning stuff, and feels fantastic to work with. 

And there we have it. The final 20 prints of "Maiden, Mother and Crone", lino prints with pen-work. 

I'm pretty pleased with these pieces and I've discovered that I really like making prints in this way. The beauty of it is that there is no way to guarantee that every print will be the same. There will also be a slight different each time you print, which is what makes it so much fun!

x

"Maiden, Mother and Crone"- Limited edition signed lino prints with pen-work. 

Price: £12 (plus postage)

Kimberly Hagen 2012.