"Nasolabial fold," Maddie repeated, somewhat amused. He was right, though, it wasn't. "It's the way I remember his face looking. Perhaps he's got a lopsided smile." Facial expressions had a lot to do with said folds.

"I'm going to see if he's competent. Ask lots of questions. Observe him in action. Surely there will be loads of opportunities given the madness that goes on here." Plenty of opportunities for the new head to jump in and show his skills as the man in charge.

Oh, good, she hadn't been waiting too long and, by the sounds of it, Hadleigh had gotten there early. "Certainly not a bad habit to have," Ansley said with a smile.

He glanced at the girl's sketchpad as she closed it, wondering how much she had worked on it during the summer, or even the first few days of term. "Sure, why don't we have a review, so to speak. Pick something in the room, or even the view from the window, to sketch out and paint. Make sure you use as much of your parchment as you can to create an interesting composition." Not too much white space or have anything appear to be floating in space.

He attached some of the heavier weight parchment to the easel to support the painting. "Mind if I take a look at your sketchbook while you get started?"

A small smile and a quiet laugh was the reply to Ansley's comment. It was indeed not a bad habit to have at all. There were far worse ones then being a few minutes early.

The news of doing a review was expected and one she didn't at all mind one bit. What was suggested for the review was what the girl hadn't expected. Use the entire parchment to recreate what she saw. Well alright then but it could take some time. Especially if she was to work on the view outside the art room window. Which was exactly what she was doing. "I can do that." Hadleigh looked over all the supplies laid out and picked up a simple pencil first. Her eyes drifted towards the window taking in the sight, the trees, the lake in the distance, some students that were out there. Setting the tip of the pencil to the parchment she began to make some very light tentative lines working slowly but effectively across the paper.

"Not at all Sir, please go right ahead," she answered reaching over and picking up the sketchpad to pass it to him. Not every page was filled but those that were rather good, not great but good. Sketches most from Ireland, the landscape of the rescue reserve and the creatures there. She had also worked one other things such as just a vase of flowers or a guitar or set of drums. Many pages then were blank before somewhere in the middle was one sketch that didn't look complete but it was of her new siblings. It was clear she was curious to how well her work or faces was coming along.

While he was looking the sketches over Hady had fallen into a quiet sketching mode where she just worked. Slowly the light lines began to come together forming trees, the ground, the lake, and people.

"Oh, yes. Perhaps." Rooney gave another look over Miss Maddie's shoulder at the art and smiled. "I think you're outstanding, Miss Maddie. Very talented." And she was a seventh year, yes? "Are you planning on continuing it after you leave here?" Or had she not particularly been considering that side of thing? Post-Hogwarts? For him, he already had four plans...for others, he guessed they may not have been as forward thinking as he.

An odd trait, Roo found.

"Good plan." One he would also adhere to.

Ansley was vaguely curious as to what Hadleigh would choose for her review subject since he basically gave her the choice of anything in the room or the view through the window. It didn't matter too much, he just wondered, and he glanced at the supplies he gathered to the table to make sure he had gotten everything she needed as she decided.

He noticed that she decided to begin a sketch of the outside view, which he thought was as good a choice as any. Maybe even more difficult depending on her approach considering that real life didn't always stay stagnant long enough to capture it artistically. Once she got started, he picked up her sketchbook and began to flip through.

He stayed silent as he looked through so as not to disturb her current work. Not bad work. It was good that she was trying to make observations and sketching them out. It would keep her skills sharp and help her improve. He turned to the page with the unfinished sketch of the children's faces. "Oh, who are they?" he asked lightly as he studied her lines. Pretty good for an observation, if that was what it was. They could probably work on proportions next though.

Working silently for a long time wasn't at all a problem for the sixth year. Her eyes would slowly shift from the parchment she was sketching on to the view outside of the window then back again. People kept moving around out on the ground and as a soft breeze blew through the trees it would change what she had just seen. This was making it a tougher for her to fill in more detail when the time came to do so especially when she had began on a person and then that person had gotten up and went back inside. It left her with what her memory told her the person had looked like. It certainly would've been much easier to have picked something inside the classroom.

Ansely's question pulled Hady away from her sketching for a moment as she turned her head to see which sketch he was speaking of. "Luna and Lukas, my baby brother and sister," she replied a light smile forming on her lips. She knew it wasn't the best sketch at all but she had tried and would continue to try until she got it perfect.

It always felt wrong to accept compliments on her art as Maddie didn't feel as though she'd worked particularly hard at excelling in this area. Capturing what she saw on canvas or parchment had always come so naturally and while she practiced quite a bit, it wasn't because she wanted to improve. Her reasoning had everything to do with the fact that the act was enough to calm the storm inside her that was constantly threatening to rear it's ugly head.

A smile was given and the brunette considered the younger boy's question a moment as she started cleaning her brushes, satisfied with the painting at last. "Actually, I think I'll keep this for myself. My art is for me, I don't want to do it for a career." She paused, then added. "I'm going to pursue potions when I go to uni."

She knew it was a good plan and gave a nod of agreement, her eyes trained on the boy though her mind was on other things. It was a moment before she seemed to return to the present. "If you want people to listen to you, you need them to respect you. Respect is earned. Just keep that in mind while you're prefecting, hm?

Potions, hm? Rooney nodded and gave the painting another look. "Anything specific with potions? Want to cure something?" There were a lot of branches that one could explore with the art of potion development, Roo was sure of that. Their Professors were constantly bringing new ideas to the table or throwing new situations at them. There was clearly a lot more to potions that the younger students knew of. Maybe Miss Maddie knew a lot more about it than she let on. Enough to go to uni, anyway.

Her comment about respect caught him off guard and for a second, he was sure he looked like she had said the most stupid thing possible. "What?" And that was when he frowned and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Have you heard that people don't respect me?"

There were a few things Maddie wished she could cure, though she wasn't sure she wanted to pursue the medicinal side of potion brewing. "I haven't decided what my focus will be yet, actually. Recently I've been brewing my own cosmetic potions, though it's more for experimental purposes than any desire to do that for the rest of my life."

Other people might've been concerned when they elicited a frown but Maddie found that she was more confused by the expression. "I haven't heard anyone say anything about you, actually." Not that she payed much attention to people in general. Well, people who weren't her people, more like. "It's just what I think a leader should keep in mind and since we were on the subject of leadership, I thought I'd share." He was welcome.

"Ah, I see," Ansley responded lightly with a nod, his eyes still on the sketch. He hadn't known that Hadleigh had any siblings, though he didn't know that much about the personal lives of most his students. It was probably best for a professional environment anyway.

"Did you sketch them from them being in front of you, from a reference photo, or from memory?" He had a guess which one she would say, but he was curious of her answer regardless. Each of those choices would tell him something slightly different.

It was then that he finally looked up to see her progress on today's sketch. It looked like it was coming along quite well and he nodded in approval. "You can start painting when you feel you are ready." There was no sense in getting too much detail with the pencil when the majority of it would be captured in paint. "I think we can start working in layers. We'll do an underpainting first." That was really important in portrait painting and she could learn the basics of it now.

Not many knew about the twins as they were very young. They were two she enjoyed speaking about and showing-off when she could. "That one there was done while I was watching them in the two-way mirror. Probably not the best idea for detail purposes but I figured it was worth a shot." She had many pictures she could try sketching from now as well and when she went home for the holidays she was sure to be sketching them even more. What did it matter though? Did it really make much difference? "Does it matter how I sketch them professor?"

Hady looked back at the evenings sketch and smiled lightly to herself. It really wasn't all that bad, in fact she was quite pleased with it. Layers? Under painting? The look on her face probably matched exactly what she was thinking. "What exactly does that mean?" Would she only be focusing on a certain section of the sketch to paint first?

While she waited and listened to the instructions of what she would be doing next she began to go over the colors and shading aspects in her mind.

Ansley looked up from the sketchbook as Hadleigh spoke in order to give her his full attention. "Ah, I see," he nodded. He was more curious than anything. "Mirrors aren't the greatest, they do give some distortion," he agreed. "But it's still not a bad way to practice. I say any time you are practicing drawing or painting is time well spent," he added with a smile. "And you've done a pretty nice job with all of these." He was really glad to see that she had kept sketching over break.

Ansley closed her sketchbook and set it back on the table out of her way. "It does and it doesn't," he said with a shrug. "It is all good practice, but they have their differences. Drawing or painting from life will give you the best detail and sense of realism, but any means is great." He was just wondering more than anything else.

"Underpainting is very important when painting portraits. It will help give the people in the paintings some depth and help them not to appear flat." And they were meant to appear as life-like versions of themselves. There was not a lot of room for abstraction or wild variations when considering magical portraiture. "An underpainting establishes the values in the subject - the lights and darks and everything in between." He thought he had gone over value with her last term, but a review wouldn't hurt. "Underpainting is done with light to dark tones of brown, no matter the actual colors in the subject. Let's try an underpainting for the drawing you've created now." He waited to answer any questions she might have before she'd begin.

She had certainly learned that the mirror was indeed a bit harder to use while sketching. It probably wasn't going to be something she would try again or at least not to awhile. "I noticed that a little especially whenever they moved, it made it hard to figure out where the lines where supposed to be." Which was another reason why she planned on getting more photos of them and trying again when she had a chance to see them in person. His compliment and praise on her work didn't go unnoticed as she smiled warmly in response. "Thank you."

Fair enough. It made sense as well. The few sketches she had done while watching the creatures at the reserve had been interesting because she had to be quicker with her lines. You never knew when a creature would move changing how the sketch could turn out.

"So it's so of like in a sense allowing the portrait to appear 3D. While it's not that exactly it's similar since it isn't flat." Probably off on her wording or interpretation of it but she did understand what he was saying. The more realistic a portrait was the better in her opinion, it wasn't like you were really talking to a portrait then but the actual person. Since she didn't have any questions on what was being said Hady gave a nod of her head.

Ready to start with the underpainting part she picked up one of the brushes and dipped it into a very light brown paint. It was time to get started. The first few strokes of the brush were light and careful but after a few moments she got herself into a relaxed rhythm and the blending of her colors for the underpainting took place.

"Cosmetics? Like what?" It was definitely a girl thing, then. The potions for beauty and the like. Rooney understood makeup, because he'd grown up on the stage and had been subjected to his first mascara endeavour before his fifth birthday. But..potions were another thing. Another thing that he was going to have to look into now that it had come up in conversation. He was still trying to find something in the wizarding world that he would want to pursue, should the acting not work out. It was always good to have a plan B, and he couldn't just become successful immediately after graduation.

"Uh...thanks??" He guessed it was worthy of a thanks?

Ansley nodded. He would never discourage drawing practice in whatever form, but he knew a mirror could make things a little more difficult. "It will come easier with practice. Especially practicing drawing and painting people. Even if they move, you will know enough about facial structure to be able to fill in the blanks." And that was true with drawing from memory too, even if not as accurate.

"Right, it does that in a way," he nodded, glad that she seemed to comprehend his explanation of underpainting. "It will help your artwork appear more lifelike." Of course, it did take some practice to get the tones just right because it forced the artist to see beyond just the surface, but he was confident that she would get it in due time. Once she dipped the brush in the paint, Ansley stood back to watch, waiting till she made some progress until he said anything either way.

"I plan on getting some real practice in over the holidays when I'm home with them." Spending time with family was always a large plus in her mind but at the same time this would also be a good time to get real practice in. Plus with the weekly training sessions happening by the time the holidays came around she should be ready to really do a decent job on her sketches and paintings.

Hadleigh smiled softly hearing that her interpretation of underpainting wasn't completely off. She had the general idea which was good. "Which is exactly what I want for when I work on my portraits," she commented softly. The main reason behind these art sessions and not to mention she really had come to enjoy and look forward to them. Soon enough Hady had fallen silent as she got to work slowly blending different shades of brown into her sketch. She had gotten herself into a state of calm and worked quietly for some time until she finally set the brush down. Her work wasn't perfect being as she was learning but it wasn't badly done either.

"I found a way to make skin shimmer lightly, which would be quite pretty at parties depending on the lighting, I imagine." The seventh year started drying her painting with her wand as she talked. "I also managed one that plumps your lips, if you're into that-Actually, that one was my mistake." But apparently there was a market for such things.

"You're welcome." She didn't offer free advice often. "I should be getting back soon. I've got a study date."

"Some would say that our mistakes are some of our greatest successes, Miss Maddie." And he smiled. "I'm sure Miss Chloe Newman would appreciate either of those, though. You should perhaps speak to her. She likes the face things." And he gestured to his own face and shrugged. He still wasn't sure he believed in everything that the girl did. The contouring was...something he didn't see the point of. Chiselled or not, he was not the biggest fan of that art on his own face.

On a girls? Yes, of course.

Rooney laughed and gave the older Ravenclaw a pat on the shoulder. "I should go back to my own art. I'm sure your date would enjoy to see your painting."

"The face things," Maddie repeated, amused. She was smiling now. He was a good one, this Rooney character. "I'll do that. Perhaps she can try out the potions for me." Willingly at that.

Standing and taking her painting off the easel, the brunette's smile widened some and she nodded. "Of course he would. I'm an excellent painter." And so modest, too. "Thank you for your help, by the way. It's always nice to speak to another artist. Happy painting."

And with that, the seventh year gave a half wave and made her way out of the room.

Rooney smiled when Miss Maddie thanked him, and gave her another thumbs up for the excellent painting. She really was better than a lot of people that thought they were good at it. "Happy study date!" He too gave a wave, his a full one and then moved back over to the table he had been at earlier. And then he checked over his shoulder to see if she had come back at all - which she didn't, so it was okay.

So the Prefect went on with his drawing of that he could see out of the window in silence until he was finished and too headed off to get some studying done. Probably not in a date form like Miss Maddie.

"That would be a good time to do it," Ansley nodded. "If you have the time, of course." He knew that even with the best intentions, holidays and breaks got busy and ended up really too short to do everything one wanted. But he also knew that she found time over the summer to work on her sketching and if she was that dedicated, she would find the time at Christmas too.

"Good," he smiled. "It's important for this kind of art to look realistic. Underpainting is just one step that will help that, and practice is another." He was more confident that she would be a skilled painter if that was what she set out to do. She certainly seemed to have the drive. Once she had set her brush down, Ansley looked up at the painting to assess her work, keeping silent for a moment as his eyes moved over the board. "Not bad... some of these shadows could be a little darker." He pointed them out in her painting, then gestured to the same area in the view from the window. "But overall, I think the values are good. You can cast a hot air charm over it to dry the paint, then start painting the actual hues or.." He glanced at his watch. "We can stop for today and pick up next week if you'd like." It was starting to get late as it had taken a bit of time to get the first layer. And she probably didn't want to be there all night, though she probably could get a little more done if she wanted.

"I'll find some time," she answered smiling lightly. There wasn't much for her to be doing this holiday except spending time with family and a few friends. There was nothing but time now. So she might as well fill it with sketching, at least it was something worthwhile.

Hadleigh was quiet while Ansley observed her work. She took note to what was being said about some of the shadows being darker in certain spots. "Okay." She'd make note of that. Looking between her painting and out the window she was able to see exactly what he meant and was glad he not only told her but also pointed it out. Not perfect but not horrible either. A small smile formed on her lips as she pulled out her wand aiming it at the painting. Casting the 'hot-air charm' on it only took a few moments of her time really. "I think I'll stop here tonight. I'm sure if I was to continue I wouldn't want to stop halfway." Not to mention it might be tougher to pick up exactly where she had left off next week. Best to just start fresh then. "I'll clean up and then be on my way." With that said the Slytherin did just that and began cleaning up her paint brushes, paint and everything else.

Ansley agreed that it was probably a good idea for her to stop there and then continue during her next session. He would have stayed longer with her if she liked, but he did have some of his own work to do in his office, plus he was sure she had her own things to do before curfew. He nodded as she cast the charm onto her partially completed. "Sure.. I'll see you here next week, same time, and I think you'll be able to finish it." Then they could start with the life paintings after that and she could bring a friend to model. As she began cleaning the brushes, he took it upon himself to start cleaning up some of the supplies as well. He'd probably close up the room until tomorrow once she was done as well.

Leaving things half finished wasn't something Hady liked to do normally. In this case however if she was to start painting now she wouldn't have the chance to finish. At least leaving it how it was now with only the underpainting completed she would be able to work fully on the painting with all the colors next week.

Finishing cleaning all her supplies Hady helped put everything away. "I don't see why I wouldn't be able to finish it next week if I focus on finishing it." If her attention was on the painting then she shouldn't foresee any problems. Grabbing her bag she slung the strap over her shoulders. "Thanks for your time Professor, I'll see you in class." With a smile the Slytherin was headed out the door and towards her common room.

Just when the studensie went away. THE GNUUPIDS HAVE ARRRRIIIIIIIIIVED! 'sank you very much. They had lots and LOTS of grams to deLIVER.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Ansley agreed that it was probably a good idea for her to stop there and then continue during her next session. He would have stayed longer with her if she liked, but he did have some of his own work to do in his office, plus he was sure she had her own things to do before curfew. He nodded as she cast the charm onto her partially completed. "Sure.. I'll see you here next week, same time, and I think you'll be able to finish it." Then they could start with the life paintings after that and she could bring a friend to model. As she began cleaning the brushes, he took it upon himself to start cleaning up some of the supplies as well. He'd probably close up the room until tomorrow once she was done as well.

AHA! One of the receivers was right HERE! HERE! HERE! The rain of confetti danced with the gnupids as they circled the man. NO. STAAAY. Tossing a box of assorted Muggle sweets they began to SIIIIIING-

You're the best of friends anyone can ask for.
Thank you for always being there.
I just want you to know I appreciate you!

Frooooom
Kaysha Stewart


No time to stay now! More and moore grams to deliver as the former gnomies left in a rush.

Giggle, giggle