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The Art of Lavina Marie

The Carnation's Caper by Lavina Marie Verdolaga
The Carnation's Caper
Watercolor on paper
29.7 x 21.0 cm

This is one of my favorite paintings from the exhibit. I'm particularly proud of the way I painted the background; I was experimenting with gradients, and I thought a merging (interchanging?) effect would make a nice change from my usual background, i.e. emptiness haha. This is also the painting I placed on my calling card.


The card is quite simple compared to other artists' calling cards, but it's good enough I think. Funny thing, I designed and had my cards printed before I purchased a domain for this site, so the info on the card is rather outdated. It's okay though; I'm going to update the design sooner or later, once I'm out of cards. 

On an unrelated note, it's almost Christmas, yay! I've always wanted to paint something for this specific season, but I never find the discipline to. :)) I should really change that attitude of mine, and force myself to get into the 'mood' to paint - and actually finish. I have tons of paintings pending right now, it's a tad irksome. :\ But do expect updates soon; a product review, in particular. It's gonna be - wait for it...

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Orchid Blooms
Watercolor and acrylic on paper
29.7 x 21.0 cm

I nearly gave up on this painting; firstly, I didn't know what to do with the background, and secondly, the paper was irritatingly difficult to work with - it absorbed water and paint too fast, creating ugly splotches here and there :\ Good thing I was able to salvage the painting with acrylic paint; acrylic paint seems to have a consistency that watercolor paint lacks. Or it might be just the case that I had/ have no idea how to work with watercolors. Either way, I'm not very proud of this painting, but I think it turned out okay. The colors are much lighter and softer in real life, though.

This is still for available for sale if anyone's interested. :)

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Lull
Watercolor on paper
20 x 15 cm
I've decided to name this series of tiny paintings, 'Flories', short for flora fairies. :3 This is the second one I've done so far, and I'd be really happy with it if it weren't for the bad scan -   for some reason my scanner emphasizes the texture of the watercolor paper. I'm thinking of hunting for hot-pressed paper, which is supposed to be much smoother than cold-pressed paper, which I currently use. Would anyone know where I can find any in the Metro? :)

In other news, I am officially a college graduate, WOOHOO! I'm currently sending out resumes like mad across the region, hoping to land a good job in either the creative or HR/ administrative field. Keeping my fingers crossed! 

P.S. I decided to change my blogger's banner, inserting Five Winks into the image; just to make my blog seem more like me. Let me know what you think! :) Toodles! ♥
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Five Winks
Watercolor on paper
5 x 4 in
Note to self: never use black for a soft image; it ruins everything :| 

I randomly decided to do this small painting, and, for once, with no references - I'm so proud of myself, haha! I can pinpoint a whole bunch of mistakes, though, but I guess that's all part of the learning process.

Someone once told me that I should paint more from imagination like this; I'm thinking of putting a twist to it, maybe a postcard series or something, which I could sell in print form once I make enough paintings. I'll see. :) For now, I must concentrate on job hunting - a funny business, I must say.

Cheers. ♥

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Calla's Morning
Watercolor on paper
29.7 x 21.0 cm
(Credits for model: inspyretash-stock)
As a graduation gift, I was given a 72-set of Derwent watercolor pencils, and I love them soo much!! I used them for the painting above, and they couldn't have worked better with the Daler-Rowney Langton paper. The colors are so amazing, and the paper absorbs them nicely. It's very ironic that I've taken to watercolor painting now, especially since I spent a good portion of my life berating the medium (only because I didn't know how to work with it). Now that I more or less know how to use watercolor pencils, I can't wait to paint more with them! <3

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Woolgatherer
Watercolor on paper
23 x 30.5 cm
(Credits for model: faestock)

I feel like I'm not updating this blog as much as I should... the weight of my last ever semester is finally sinking in; the workload is just insane, although admittedly some bits are more fun than others (like tonight I have to deliberate on which Akira Kurosawa film I should watch for my Film Theory report next week).

I was only able to do this painting because I managed to finish a paper earlier than I expected; it was supposed to be a speed/ practice painting, but I couldn't resist adding more detail, so the planned two-hour session became a ten-hour episode (which is still faster than my usual). I wanted to practice drawing/ painting from imagination, so I didn't use any references for the flowers and foliage (yes, that's why they look strange). 

On another note, I've been working on giant acrylic pieces to build up on my portfolio, and to get started on my lifelong dream of having an exhibit of my works. It's difficult, however, only because I have to fight my naturally short attention span; I get distracted easily, so I don't usually finish artworks :( It helps that people like my boyfriend are continuously encouraging me to push forward (he gave me a huuge easel and a canvas for Christmas; he's so awesome!), but I hope I can achieve my dream soon.

I'll give a sneak peak of my acrylic paintings later on, but for now, toodles! 


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The Rose Retraction
Watercolor on paper
22 x 31 cm
(Credits for references: marjoleinart-stock, mamacatayes-stock, astrals-stock, Iadinea) 

I have never spent so much energy on a single painting in my entire life. Oh my gosh I am so happy with this one! I think it's the paper I used (it's different from the I one I used for the first watercolor attempt), but in any case, I am so proud of this painting! <3
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One of my dearest friends recently introduced me to the work of Rima Staines, a true-blue bonafide gypsy; she actually traveled for a year and a day in a house on wheels (it's so much fun to picture it!), exploring the world and 'the otherness that can be found on the periphery of our lives, the strange and grotesque, the absurd and unnerving... that topsy turvy in between place where things are not quite what they seem...' (Staines) Finally settled in a little cottage at Dartmoor (a little moorland in south Devon, England), she continues to this day to paint her daily thoughts and experiences, embellishing them with fanciful verbal descriptions reminiscent of ancient folktales. Her style is so magical, like it captures the very heart and soul of the other worlds; and being a lover of all things faerie, I am absolutely captivated by her works.

Miss Staines' current online lodging, whimsically named The Hermitage, is a fantastical collection of her works, most of which are based on nature; just look at her header!



Wood seems to be her favorite material for her paintings; in addition, Miss Staines also fashions clocks from barks of wood, clocks that she collectively calls the 'Once Upon O'Clock'. Here are some of her works:


These Words
Anja in the Horse Chestnut
Hummingbird Clock
Wheels on Houses are the best things. Here's one I made.
Inside is a tale about a king who journeys to find What Really Matters.
 As the wheels turn, they move wooden cogs underneath
which in turn turn the scroll inside and
the words of the tale move past the windows.


I can't even begin to imagine how Rima Staines views the world; she's virtually the embodiment of the fairytale... and I thought I was in tune with the preternatural. In the real live art world, though, Miss Staines is already quite well known; she receives several commissions and has even made mini-animations of her works. The images I have here are from her blog and her Etsy shop; do drop by the Hermitage, it'll be worth it! :)
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Last week, I was scanning the crowded shelves of Booksale at SM Mega Mall when the gilded title of a certain green book caught my eye: Painting Acrylic Flowers A-Z. With no hesitation I tugged at the book until it pulled free from its tight wedge, and flung it open on my lap. It was love at first sight, my dear. 






Authored by Lexi Sundell, the book is a simple but thoroughly comprehensive manual regarding the task of painting flowers using acrylics as medium; it includes a detailed introduction to painting in general, floral structures (basic shapes and such), as well as an entire directory of paintings of beautiful flowers... I'm so happy I own such a book; I feel like I want to own more art books like this, it may help to improve my technique.

I've always loved flowers, but it was only recently I actually resolved to paint them more. Case in point:




I admit this is a more of a fruit fairy than a flower fairy, but she's based on a plant, nonetheless. This is a cape gooseberry fairy, or Cape Goosefairy, as I like to call her. Completed last summer, this was actually my first attempt to perform watercolor techniques using acrylics. It didn't turn out so well, since the paper I used was severely inadequate (you can see the dark areas where the paper dried in bumps), but I do like the overall outcome, more or less (she looks a bit dead though). I had initially planned for her to be a simple flower fairy, but then, browsing through the internet, I discovered that little curiously-shaped fruit with the precious name. 

The next few flower paintings I plan to do will be on canvas already, since canvases really pick up the vibrancy of acrylic colors. Let's hope I can get started on them soon!

On that note, have a pleasant day ahead, everyone!
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It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing. {Mother Teresa}




I still can't believe I drew the one above; I think the immense amount of free time helped (this was done during my year-long break from school in 2008, prior to university); and I admit I cheated a bit (I used a grid for this one; I copied it from an ad in Dubai's Friday magazine); but still, looking at this drawing just makes me wonder why I don't do leisure drawings like these anymore.

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All images displayed, artwork and non-artwork alike, belong to Lavina Marie Verdolaga unless stated otherwise, and cannot be used or reproduced by any person or company without permission from the author.

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