After a couple weeks, I put this back on my easel to try and create a more realistic piece. I used several glazing applications. I am afraid I have much to learn with this technique.
I believe it helped and I will continue putting several more glazes on hoping it will accomplish what I want!
Total Views
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Will I ever finish...
Another layer added and many more after that. I was not liking the color of my darkest shadow. So I painted over again and again. I also darkened the eyes then lightened them again.
The green background was not doing it for me. I decided to painted over it.
After much frustration, I finally had to put this project to rest in order to come back later with fresh eyes.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Portrait Painting Progress
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Layering Continues
Each and every layer creates more depth but it is also creating a change in my subjects face. Not so sure I am liking the transformation.
As the last layer dried it looked a little chalky. I went in and added more warmth and deepened my shadows with a cooler tone.
There is much I have to learn before my painting can be considered "realism"... practice, practice, practice!
I will continue posting my transitions as I complete them.
As the last layer dried it looked a little chalky. I went in and added more warmth and deepened my shadows with a cooler tone.
There is much I have to learn before my painting can be considered "realism"... practice, practice, practice!
I will continue posting my transitions as I complete them.
Hair
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Eyes
Eyes are the soul of a painting. Trying to capture your subject's true essence is no small feat!
When I first began my painting the subject's eyes followed me from right to left. Since that time something happened and I lost it.
One of the things I do along my painting journey is photograph each step. It allows me to go back and see what I liked and disliked. Unfortunately, painting does not allow me to select the undo tab and go back. But having past photos of my work can offer insite of what I may have done wrong so that I can fix my "happy mistake"!
When I first began my painting the subject's eyes followed me from right to left. Since that time something happened and I lost it.
One of the things I do along my painting journey is photograph each step. It allows me to go back and see what I liked and disliked. Unfortunately, painting does not allow me to select the undo tab and go back. But having past photos of my work can offer insite of what I may have done wrong so that I can fix my "happy mistake"!
Oily Face
Once the acrylic dries (which only takes minutes instead of days or weeks) I begin using oil. I may not appreciate the length of time oil dries, however, I do appreciate the smoothness of this medium.
As you can see oil creates a smoother finish on the subject's face. The next several stages will be adding one layer at a time. Hopefully, with each layer the portrait will become more realistic. At least that is my goal.
One of the things I anticipate along the way our little mistakes and as Bob Ross states, They are "Happy Mistakes"! Got to love that guy, God rest his soul!
As you can see oil creates a smoother finish on the subject's face. The next several stages will be adding one layer at a time. Hopefully, with each layer the portrait will become more realistic. At least that is my goal.
One of the things I anticipate along the way our little mistakes and as Bob Ross states, They are "Happy Mistakes"! Got to love that guy, God rest his soul!
First layer of oil |
The Process
I decided to do something a little different this time. I had read where using acrylic paints under oil works fairly well for the under painting. The last oil portrait I had painted I used all oil including the under painting. It took forever to dry! Patience is not a virtue of mine!
Acrylic paints were used to begin the under painting process |
And continued with acrylic until everything was covered |
Oil Painting Of My Daughter
Drawing on a 16x20 Canvas |
My daughter will be graduating next summer and one of the things she ask me for was a portrait painting.
I had taken a couple of photos of her along side our pond. I decided a full frontal photo would not work for my portrait.
Instead, I snapped one of her with a slight profile. This angle allows for deeper shadows and will have more interest once I begin the painting.
Photo was enlarged and Photoshop |
To save time and to have the subject's face proportionate I pieced together four 8x10 imagines to the size of the subject I wanted. For this project the canvas size is 16x20. I pieced the photos together like a puzzle to create the above photo.
I love to sketch but I am not as accurate as I would like to be. Some artist view this as cheating. The way I look at it as saving time. One of the tools I would like to eventually buy is a projector so I will not have to go through piecing and taping large pieces together to get the right imagine!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Window Cats
Beginning the under painting |
14X18 "Window Cats" |
In memory of Miss Tabby and Miss Molly |
This painting was given to my mother-in-law. She had rescued this Tortishell cat from an abandon building. She tried to rescue the sister of the Tortishell, Miss Tabby but unforturnately her nine lives ran out to soon! The window and greenery was inspired by another painting I had seen. I thought what better way to capture a cats lazy day on a sunny window ledge!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sky Scapes and Light Houses Continued
5x7 "Light Willow |
5x7 "Light Moon" |
5x7 "Light Rocks" |
After painting these four sky scapes and light houses I discovered I was ready to go back to a large canvas. I had thought the detailing would be easier since it was smaller in scale but actually it was much more difficult than I had expected. Although, it was another great learning experiance! On to my next project...
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Finished Painting Of "Passage Into Palisade"
A couple years ago my family and I went to explore the beautiful Mississippi Palisade Park. I had taken several pictures while there of my family and some landscape photos. But this particular picture of my daughter using her cell phone to snap a quick picture was interesting to me. At the time, my daughter did not want her photo taken but I did anyway...one of her back! Once home and downloaded to my computer I thought the picture on the back of her t-shirt was just as interesting as the background of the surrounding park. It inspired me to want to paint a picture within a picture.
"Passage Into Palisade" Completed Painting 18x24 Acrylic |
A couple years ago my family and I went to explore the beautiful Mississippi Palisade Park. I had taken several pictures while there of my family and some landscape photos. But this particular picture of my daughter using her cell phone to snap a quick picture was interesting to me. At the time, my daughter did not want her photo taken but I did anyway...one of her back! Once home and downloaded to my computer I thought the picture on the back of her t-shirt was just as interesting as the background of the surrounding park. It inspired me to want to paint a picture within a picture.
Enhancing Folds And Lettering
Enhancing folds and lettering |
At this stage, I wanted to give more depth to the t-shirt. First, I enhanced the folds by using a lighter shade of blue gray for the darkest part of the folds. Then I mixed various shades of white mixed with gray for the lightest part of the folds. Once the folds were complete I focused on the lettering. I mixed a combination of orange, burnt umber, Payne's gray, and white until I was satisfied with the end result. When mixing the paint for the folds and lettering I watered down the acyclic paint until the consistency was similar to watercolor. I applied several thin applications until the lettering began to take shape and color was where I wanted it to be.
Adding darker values to the background
As I continued adding darker values I noticed my painting was not looking like I wanted. The more color I used in the background for the distant trees became to close and crisp. So I decided to do a wash of white mixed with water and painted over the background. At first, I was not sure this would work but after the painting dried it appeared further away and that is what I wanted. However, it was not exactly what I wanted, so I continued experimenting with different colored washes until I found one that worked. However, I believe it was culmination of colors that made the end result.
Continue adding darker layers |
As I continued adding darker values I noticed my painting was not looking like I wanted. The more color I used in the background for the distant trees became to close and crisp. So I decided to do a wash of white mixed with water and painted over the background. At first, I was not sure this would work but after the painting dried it appeared further away and that is what I wanted. However, it was not exactly what I wanted, so I continued experimenting with different colored washes until I found one that worked. However, I believe it was culmination of colors that made the end result.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Opposite Colors Attract Interest
Once the outline is complete the next step is deciding what colors to use. I like to chose colors opposite on the color wheel that reflect or enhance highlights. For instance, the hair I used a soft orange which creates depth when layering dark colors over the orange. With most my paintings I try several color variations until I am satisfied with the end result.
The beginning of "Passage Into Palisades" |
The Beginning Of "Passage Into Palisades"
Image outline |
(Fig. 2) |
I feel the most difficult part of beginning a project is choosing the right image. For me, I need to look at picture or an inspirational piece as a starting point. For this particular project, I chose a photo I took of my daughter while we were out hiking in the beautiful Mississippi Palisade Park.
For a quick start I enlarged the original 8x10 photo into four 8x10 sections (Fig. 2) and placed together to form one large photo. Next, I used tracing paper to trace the outline of the image onto a 24x18 canvas. This allowed me to place the image proportionately without much fuss, plus it was quick and easy. Some call this cheating, I call it being efficient.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What's Next...
I'm contemplating my next painting subject, and a self-portrait seems intriguing, particularly in the style reminiscent of Andy Warhol's iconic works. It would certainly present a unique challenge. Alternatively, I'm considering a portrait, a landscape, or even diving into the realm of abstract art.
Deciding what to paint is always the toughest part of the process for me. Without external pressure or demand for my artwork, I'm driven by the desire to continuously evolve and explore new techniques. Each painting serves as a practice ground, pushing the boundaries of my creativity and honing my skills.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Castle and Dragons
Typically, I enjoy painting landscape or scenic places I have visited. My subject for this painting was inspired from another artist. I would give credit to this artist if I knew the name on the picture I found on the Internet.
Castle and Dragons was created for my son who enjoys these magnificent fictional creatures. I wanted to use as few colors as possible to invoke a mystical theme. Most my other paintings I use many colors and variation of hues. The picture I used as my inspiration was done mostly in different tones of grey with hints of blue, black or charcoal. For my painting I used purple,ultramarine blue, process cyan, cobalt teal, paynes grey, raw umber, burnt sienna, orange, yellow ochre, black and white. I was happy with my finished piece considering this was my first attempt with a more monochromatic feel. I would have liked my painting better if it looked more realistic! I keep telling myself the more practice painting different subjects I will eventually find my "it" factor...until then practice, practice, practice and learning patience along my painting journey.
Castle and Dragons was created for my son who enjoys these magnificent fictional creatures. I wanted to use as few colors as possible to invoke a mystical theme. Most my other paintings I use many colors and variation of hues. The picture I used as my inspiration was done mostly in different tones of grey with hints of blue, black or charcoal. For my painting I used purple,ultramarine blue, process cyan, cobalt teal, paynes grey, raw umber, burnt sienna, orange, yellow ochre, black and white. I was happy with my finished piece considering this was my first attempt with a more monochromatic feel. I would have liked my painting better if it looked more realistic! I keep telling myself the more practice painting different subjects I will eventually find my "it" factor...until then practice, practice, practice and learning patience along my painting journey.
Sketch and mask |
Used deep and light purple for the under painting before adding different hues of grey and blue. |
Remove masking paint |
Grey and blue blended too much with the sky. |
Used orange for an under painting. Liked the affect but it was not what I wanted. But interesting! |
Then I used a mix of Raw Umber
and Colbalt Teal
|
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Gifting!
Instead of shopping in busy malls or waiting in long lines to purchase a gift. Why not create a ONE!
Saw Blade had been previously painted by another artist, however, the pasture was missing something. So my friend wanted me to add the horses to give more interest to the foreground. |
I used painters glue and iridescent paint to create more interest and texture. |
Added a personalized touch! |
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Abstract "Mindless Spiral"
After my last painting,"Autumn Bliss", I needed to change things up! I wanted to clear my thoughts of the previous painting and take on a project that I call mindless, with very little thought or prep. In this painting, I began with flowers which quickly turned into spirals because I did not like the shape of the blooms. So I swirled the colors around and liked what was happening to the painting. Painting was done in oils.
After I swirled the colors together I was not sure where to go next with this painting. I just kept adding deeper reds, oranges, and continued playing with different colors.
Finished! What I love about this painting is that it can be placed on the wall in any direction!
After I swirled the colors together I was not sure where to go next with this painting. I just kept adding deeper reds, oranges, and continued playing with different colors.
"Mindless Spiral" |
Finished! What I love about this painting is that it can be placed on the wall in any direction!
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