Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Portrait of Mary Conover - Final


Alas! I have finished this portrait of my good friend Mary. I think it is a very good likeness of her, but I'm not completely happy with the background. When I took the photos of the pose, I didn't put up any special draping, just used the ivory wall. So, I played around with the color of the background until I stopped with the present state. It is what it is. 12"x12" square canvas.
I hope Mary likes it :)

Tomorrow I will begin something new, an oil, but not sure yet which one it will be. I'm still doing pencil sketches from tv and film. It makes me feel like I'm doing something besides vegetating in front of the boob tube LOL

Days to go: 327
Portraits to do: 337

Monday, September 21, 2009

More Sketches


Still a little sickly...so I continued practicing sketching from the TV. Men are for some reason more difficult for me to work from while they are moving...or the films I'm working from aren't the best choices...so I've trashed quite of few sketches or poorly done men actors. This is a very good exercise for me, that's for sure! So, here is Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansen as the Boleyn sisters from "The Other Boleyn Girl" and Patrick Swayzee from "Dirty Dancing" (it could be better, but no sooner had I started the pose ...it was nearly the end of the movie before they showed that side of his face again!!!) The grayed out box on the lower right was a terrible sketch of Keanu Reeves from "Speed"...it was interesting to not that the camera was on Sandra Bullock much, much longer than Reeves...I should have been doing her! LOL anyway...onward!

Days to go: 329
Portraits to do: 338

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

3 Pencil Sketches

There is one thing to draw from a photo, another thing to draw from a model who is not moving...to drawing from people who are constantly moving. I have never really tried to draw a likeness of someone that is moving. This is my first attempt. I think two of them are ok (upper left and lower right). They were done while watching movies. What I discovered is that I was forced to really look at the person and pick out the features that make them uniquely "them"...e.g. Goldie Hawn ("Bird on a Wire") and Julia Roberts (Erin Brokovich") both have distinctive mouths. The third one, Kate Winslet ("Sense and Sensibility") has distinctive eyebrows. I had wanted to go out into the public like the mall or a park and do this from strangers, but I am unfortunately coming down with a cold :( I enjoyed this exercise and will do more of these. Obviously I need a LOT more practice. It will be interesting to see my progress from the first ones to months from now. I believe this will really up the ante on how quickly I can capture likeness.

Days to go: 333
Portraits to do: 341

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Self-Portrait - Sepia Chalk on toned paper


I can't believe its been since Thursday that I've posted anything new! Been working on Mary's portrait and its about done. Decided to fill in the background and waiting for it to dry before putting last finish layer...perhaps tomorrow. So, today I decided to do a Self-portrait. I don't care much for doing self-portraits...had to do them in college art classes. I also hate most photos of me. But, here it is. I actually like this pose in the photo and have been using it on my Facebook account. I used Light Sepia chalk on green toned pastel paper. It's the same paper I used on Chris Saper's, and I still dislike it. I think I will give it away. Much too grainy for my taste.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Final - Lady Fraser after Henry Raeburn

It is finished! I couldn't get my daily horoscope out of my mind though... "finish projects in-progress before beginning anything new". Geez...no kidding!! Ha! Can you tell which is the painting and which is the photo? OK, so it's not perfect. But, one of the purposes of doing this project is to practice "achieving a likeness" so why I show the reference photography as comparison.

To be a portrait artist, it needs to look like the subject, right? So, onward I go. I had my friend Mary come by for another sitting and to check over the status of her portrait. It is important to have feedback from the subject if possible. She had some very valid comments, but overall, she is pleased with its progress. I hope to have that done before the weekend.

I've only completed 5 portraits in 12 days...but, my real problem isn't doing the 350 portraits in 365 days...but...where do I plan on finding 345 more subjects?!! I don't think I thought of that when I got this big idea. I might have to establish some rules for myself. Like allowing to do multiple portraits of the same subject. That would help considerably. Well...it's another late night and my eyes are bleary...I bid you good night :)

Days to go: 353
Portraits to do: 345

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Portrait of Chris Saper in Red Chalk

I worked on this last night till 2am! But, couldn't stop until I was fairly done with it. I really need to catch up as I am feeling the pressure of meeting my goals. Doing the oils takes time, so will fill the in-between times with sketches and drawings. I love to draw, especially charcoal, conte', etc. It's my favorite thing to do. Partly, due to my short attention span ! LOL and my impatience. If I can't finish an art project in a couple hours, I have problems going back to finish, and it takes me forever!! Anyway...this one is of a well-knowned portrait artist friend of mine, Chris Saper.

Days to go: 354
Portraits to do: 346

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Portrait of Mary C.


Nearly done, am posting this progress shot. Needs to dry and then I will go back in for finishing touches. Not sure I like the vignette background or lack thereof. It also looks a little muddy to me. The photo enhanced a lot of ruddiness/redness to her skintone that I did not want in the painting. Though I may have overcompensated and it tends to now not have enough natural redness. Hopefully, I will be able to correct that.

Will finish up Raeburn copy later today and move on to something new.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Stage 2 - Portrait #4 - Lady Fraser "after" Raeburn

Stage 2 is the first round of glazes. I am using walnut oil as my glazing medium. I had never heard of it before until earlier this year while painting at one of our PAOA Portrait Studio Sessions. A fellow member artist, Linda Fox, gave me a little sample of it. I love it! Thanks Linda! Oh btw, Linda is giving a painting demo at our next Portrait Artists of Arizona meeting September 26th, 2009.

It is amazing how we notice things in a photo of our artwork we just can't see with our naked eye. Although this stage is looking pretty good, I can see many flaws I wish to correct. The hair is not completed, there are some mis-alignments, and edges and facial shadows to be softened. Of course the background is not completed. Still much to do, but I should have it finished in the next session. I think this is little too small for me to work in. My near vision isn't as good as it used to be. I need one of those craft magnifiers!! Not kidding! The photo I took of the original painting while at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is posted in this earlier post go here

I really am enjoying working on this painting. I would like to do some period portraits much like Liliedahl and Weistling do. I need to start developing a costume wardrobe for posing my subjects in more classical settings.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

I've been wondering there haven't been any comments posted to my blog...then I discovered the settings on my account didn't allow comments from people without an account of some sort. I think I've fixed it now so that if you don't have an account with Google, or Wordpress, you can comment anonymously. But, if you want me to know who you are, sign your name inside your comment :)
Thanks.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Portrait Challenge - Day 6


I can't believe it is Day 6 already of my Portrait Challenge to myself!! The times just flies...I will need to step it up if I'm to complete 350 portraits in a year!!!

Today, however, I have posted a new painting I started yesterday of my friend Mary #5. Again, I am working from a photo I took in my studio using my light stand with a 2000K natural light bulb. It's pretty bright, so I had the reflector raised as far as it would go. I also neglected to put up a fabric background...so I decided to add some color to the painting in the background. I've been told you should not do this, but since I am doing a glazing technique to a grisaille and not trying to match colors exactly...I suppose this will be ok. We shall see. Anyway, I thought I would discuss a little about what exactly it is I am doing. I work with "water-soluble" oils. I started using them about 7 years ago because the fumes from the solvents and mediums bothered me too much and my studio is in my home. Recently, though, I've discovered there are mediums and solvents that have virtually no odor...so perhaps as some time in the future (when my paints are all used up) I will switch back to standard oil paints. I use primarily Windsor Newton Artisan paints. I have found them to be very similar in texture and pliability to standard oils. But, I have noticed the water-soluble (or water-misible) paints harden in the tube faster over time. The first step in this painting and in the other one I started the other day, was to transfer the drawing to the canvas or panel. Since I am working rather small, I use my Photoshop skills and I generate a black/white ink jet print at the size I want to work with. I cover the back of the print with a coat of charcoal, tape it to the canvas in the proper position to the composition I want, and lightly sketch or trace in the basic dimensions of the face. Then, with Ivory Black and Titanium White and Artisan's Thinner, I paint in the features creating a marble-like effect...the "grisaille" meaning "gray". The lights should be lighter and the darks not too dark, so that when I apply the glazes the darks will not be overly dark. This happened with my very first attempt at grisaille and the model's skin was too dark. I also blocked in an under painting for the background which will be modeled and shaped with additional color later and lightened up in certain parts.

Please post a comment if you like, or be sure to click on the "follow" button on my blog so that you will be notified of future posts regarding this project. :) Thanks for reading.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Underpainting grisaille is still wet...so am starting on a new oil portrait of my friend Mary. More to come...I figure it I start a new one each day...eventually I will have completed ones about once a day...I'm already behind...!!!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

No. 4 - Portrait of Lady Catherine Fraser - Sir Henry Raeburn - 1816


I thought I would post my progress so far. This photo shows both the 8.5x11 photo I am working on (right) and the 9x12 canvas mounted panel (left). First challenge - - I HATE the panel I chose to work on!! I really should have put a couple of coats of gesso over it. It is too textured for the size and amount of detail I am attempting to do :( oh well...will have to remember that or buy a panel with a very smooth surface. I am trying to use what I already have in my studio...and some things are experimental. I am following a classical style technique, using a grisaille for the figure. Couldn't stand it with just the gray background so went ahead and applied some colored underpainting. It gives it a little more life. I like what I have started so far, but now need to let it dry before applied glazes. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo...guess I should either start another oil, or do some sketches... :) Let me know your thoughts on what I've done so far.

Comments are greatly appreciated!!!

Days to go: 362
Portraits to do: 347

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Today I will start a new portrait. I get great joy from copying paintings of the masters. Mostly because I would never be able to own an original and being able to create a version to hang in my own home makes me feel good about my abilities. I also believe it is really good experience to copy master's. Though, I'm probably beyond needing that and really need to be working from life...oh well...

I was in Philadelphia last year for the Portrait Society of America Conference and I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was great and they allowed non-flash photography. I took several shots of amazing master portraits. Unfortunately, I can't find my notes on who painted them :( Three of them came out quite well and with enough detail I will attempt to work from. It will be a small 9x12 canvas mounted to panel, though the original I think was probably a 30x40.

I'm off to begin...stay tuned for my progress.