Portrait Study #3

8 x 10, oil on canvas

One morning my son came out of the bathroom wearing the mustache (but not the glasses/nose) and said, "mom look, I'm in high school"---he's in second grade.  Whenever I'm feeling grumpy I think of him saying that and it gives me a good chuckle.

This painting I'm much happier with than the previous posting, which was also of my son. There's lots off on that first one, especially the eyes. I think this one, even with his real nose obscured, is more successful at capturing his likeness.

Portrait Study

8 inch x 10 inch, oil on canvas

I've been working on a couple of larger still lifes paintings that have lots of objects in them so they're taking a bit of time. In between drying I did this portrait.  It's from a photo I took. I wanted to do it alla prima (all at once) which I did but I didn't finish it. I can't decide yet if I want to go back and work on it.  I'm leaning toward no and instead trying to painting it again on a new surface.  ?

I'm eager to finish my current still lifes so I can take down my scenes and make space to have a new live sitter.

Mom Reading

My first oil portrait from life: my mom reading and knitting.

8 inch x 10 inch, oil on canvas

I did this in two sittings, one about three hours and another a couple of days later that was almost two hours.  It was challenging for both of us---for her to sit so long and me to try and capture her in paint.  I had moments when I felt like I understood what I was seeing and doing, but mostly I felt sloppy and a little lost.  I can't wait to try another one and find more of those times that I feel like I know what I'm doing. I'm thinking I will practice from photos as well to get better with handling the paint so when I have a sitter I can be more efficient.  My mom was the perfect first subject. Thanks mom!

Tiny Yellow Roses with Cat Skull

Back to painting...

8 inch x 8 inch, oil on stretched canvas

I finished this today.  I had started it a while back with the intention of doing it alla prima but some distraction happened and I wasn't able to.  I kept the still life set up; the roses curled and dried and the leaves fell off but the rest was fine, a little dusty.  Luckily, I had finished most of it except for the skull---that's what I did today.  I'm glad to clear the space now and start something new.  Still working on my skin color exploration charts so possibly the next painting will be a portrait. ?

Sketchbook Portrait: Prismacolor Awkwardness

Increasingly interested in not using photos I gave this portrait a try with the use of a mirror. My whole family said it's scary.  I did it in the evening with only one (harsh) light source---that probably didn't help nor did the resulting wonky eyes. Practice, practice, practice.

This week I'm going to do some color mixing charts in oil paint to explore skin color in preparation for my first sitter! That first portrait is going to be real interesting and probably a mess.  My youngest son just started school so it's the first time in many years that a block of time has opened up to work. I'm so excited and eager to find my rhythm again to be painting regularly. I can't wait to see what comes of it.... 

Prismacolor Marker & Graphite
Reflection #2

Sketchbook Portraits- this week in prismacolor

What really interests me in portraits is doing them eventually from life, that's what all my practice has been leading up too---feeling confident enough to ask someone to sit for me.  The last couple weeks I've attended an open studio life drawing session and tried my hand with the prismacolor markers I've been experimenting with of late.  My first attempts came out terrible, so much so I didn't want to post them.  I was happier with my second attempt---lots of practice is needed still, but I feel I'm getting better.  I sometimes question posting these in-between works, the growing pains, but I also like to see other artist's early works and their evolution. I hope it's interesting to you too.

So here's a few samples from my last live model session.  All the poses are 20 minutes only! Very challenging but extremely exciting to being doing them from a real three dimensional person.

All are prismacolor markers and graphite on paper:

Sketchbook Portraits in Prismacolor

Reflection 

 Another yearbook portrait:

Marty

Sketchbook Portraits: More Makeovers in Prismacolor

Ms. Sanders- After

Ms. Sanders- Before

Gabby- After

Gabby- Before

Sketchbook Portraits---Prismacolor Before and After

This past week I revisited some of my early portrait attempts with the Prismacolor markers and redrew them.  The results are pretty interesting. My control of the pens is getting much better---I still have a long way to go. In some ways, I like my naive renderings more but I like the new ones too.  Right now I'm experimenting with adding blues, greens and pinks to the face--- trying to make the head look three dimensional.

Here are a few of the makeovers:

Christopher---before

Christopher--- after

Shane---before

Shane---after

La Vonda---before

La Vonda---after

Sketchbook Portraits---This week in Prismacolor

More Prismacolor marker portraits:

Mr. Dombroski

When my older son saw the above one he said, " Oh, you drew Frankenstein" and then my younger one said, "Yah, that was when he was younger before he had the knobs".   That made me laugh although, Frankenstein wasn't my intention. It's the hair, I think, I did a little too much on his left side.

Manley

Colleen

Bryan

And... my boys and I played with some porcelain.  They didn't want to keep their creations but I kept the one I made.  If it makes it through the firing, it will serve as a tray to hold my salt and pepper grinders that now just sit on the kitchen counter and make a sprawling mess. I have a few more functional projects in mind.

porcelain, leather hard stage, 5" x 8 1/2 "

Sketchbook Portraits---Prismacolor and 1984

Some more Prismacolor Marker portraits from this past week:

Mr. Evans

My references are small black and white photos from a 1984 yearbook.  Some of the portraits from the previous posting were also from the same yearbook.  All the different face shapes on a page are so intriguing.  I'm making up the color and most of the shading, playing and experimenting and enjoying these studies immensely.

Mark Kahlhoefer

Marc Stager

Mrs. Lucero

And, I finished the slipcover project. It took me a little longer because I decided to make some pillows. Now the test will see how it works.

Portrait Sketches in Prismacolor

Even though this summer I haven't been able to paint, I draw a little everyday.  For awhile I was doing a portrait a day to practice capturing faces.  In trying different drawing media I fell upon Prismacolor Markers and my drawing people routine morphed into doing some experimental abstract sketches.   Once I felt I was getting the hang of the markers, I returned to doing portraits and now I'm finally getting around to posting some of them (as some are really too bad to share!).  I think they're a bit odd (and a little off) but I'm really loving the medium.  I don't do any preliminary drawing, I just jump right in with the pens.  There's no going back on mistakes---I have to work with the marks I put down.  It's a joy to make these sketches.

Here are some of my favorites in order starting from the most recent (today):

Jonathan Toulin

Mrs. Nolan

Bob Smith

Gloria Smith

Mrs. Martin

Mrs. Sanders

Shane Winfield

LaVonda July

Christopher Koster

The Violin Player

The Chef

Man in Gray

Collaboration

My youngest son and I made this today.  He calls it the Pigheaded Kangaroo.  He made the head and I made the body.  The line at the belly is actually a seam where the lid with the head and the bowl with legs fits together. I think it's my favorite one yet.  I love the way he did the eyes.

Longhorn Red Clay, leather hard stage,  71/2 " tall

Our army of these critters are growing.  One of these days we'll get to glaze them and then I'll take a group photo.

Summer Time

Summer and the last couple of weeks:

When school lets in June our routines and schedules seem to evaporate.   I so enjoy these months but it is difficult to paint.  My boys are young and want to hang out with me (and I want to hang out with them) and I know that before I can blink too many times, that won't be the case---they'll want to be hangin' with their friends, not their mom.  I try to squeeze in painting when I can but I work best when I can do it on a more daily basis with uninterrupted blocks of time. Instead of getting frustrated because that's hard to negotiate and that I'm not painting, I pick projects that I can weave into the rhythm of our days. Right now it's a sewing venture. While I'm working on it, the boys and I orbit around each other. I'll be cutting material on the living room floor while pirate ships are circling about, sword fights are happening overhead (and our dog thinks the freshly spread out material is the best place to lay) or sewing at the table while they're drawing robots etc...---always close to each other. Then we take breaks and go on adventures: to swim, to the movies, to visit friends, to the park, and then return to the house and resume our individual activities. It all makes for a (mostly) peaceful and happy house.

My sewing project now is making a partial slipcover for a antique couch I inherited from my great grandmother.  I know---slipcover---not very exciting, but it is!  I love to sew, especially items of my own invention. The couch is white.  I have three boys and a dog in the house...  For the last couple of years I've draped quilts over it to extend its life --- not a look I like. So, we'll see if my plan works.

I've been thinking of this project since the couch came to me. It's a joy that it's finally coming to fruition.  When it's done, it's so satisfying---well, that is if it looks good---never know until the end.  I think I'll be done next week, I'll post the results.

Study of the Ocean Alla Prima

A few days ago we returned from a splendid family trip to South Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico.  Before going I had envisioned doing all these small paintings on the beach under my umbrella with my cigar easel box on my lap. I did get to paint several times in such a way but mostly ended up playing in the water and walking along the beach.  It was so lovely.

Below I have posted my attempts to paint the amazing ever changing ocean which I found both extremely difficult and exciting.  I had many, many day dream thoughts of living for long periods of time on the beach so I could paint everyday and figure out how to convey what I was seeing. 

Day One: 

Studies in watercolor with thoughts of how I would paint in oil.  So much to see--- horizon gradations, folding of the waves,  reflections from the sky on the water, reflections of the cresting waves on the surface, the wet sand....

watercolor on paper

watercolor on paper

Day Two:
My first try in oil of the waves and sand.   So many colors in the water, it was hard to keep it simple.

4 1/2" x 6 3/4" oil on linen panel

Day Three:
Trying again to understand the waves and the sand as the light continually changes and the waves come and go.

4" x 7 1/2" oil on linen panel

Day Four:
Study from the balcony.

watercolor on paper

Day Five:
More studies from the balcony.

watercolor on paper

Day Six:
After an afternoon of swimming, my last painting done from the balcony. I could of stayed there for a year....

6"x8" oil on linen panel