gotta stay busy

as usual i have way more ideas for paintings than time to do them. this is one of those times when i had only one project going at one time. i needed to get another one of two started tout suite(sp?).

when i was at a pottery studio show and tell with my spouse who is a potter, i came across this fellow playing guitar for the milling throngs. i thought he would make a great painting and asked if i could take his photo. he quickly agreed and i told him i would send him a print if i ever got around to painting him. well the time will soon be nigh. i started the drawing yesterday. i wasn't looking forward to all the strings on his guitar so i cropped most of it out.

i also had this photo of our youngest grandchild out in portland last fall. she had just finished polishing off about a cup of guacamole (she and i actually) which she fed to me in large fingers-full while giggling inanely. there was a good light coming in from the window to highlight her features. it was a fairly simple draw so i got to painting it right away. here are a few of the first steps.

drawing and initial washes; start on features

more features, background, dress color trial

ditto

state of affairs at present

sometimes she just needs more than tea" (22"X14")

"sometimes she needs more than tea"  (22"X14")

i decided that i wouldn't fool around with the composition anymore. i know some would quibble that it's still off and poorly done, but i think it works. i'm pretty sure i hear a not-so-dull mention of "lack of planning"from the mezzanine, but i did plan to give myself some trouble....in that i succeeded beyond my wildest dreams! so, here it is, warts and all.

she has a need, a need for..............coffee?: wip

attempting to solve the composition
dilemma

i have been working pretty steadily but rather slowly on this piece over the last couple of days. the reason for this that i really bit off a little more compositional challenge in this one than i could chew. the figure is way over on the right side of the paper leaving a huge amount of empty space on the left.  as i added little details on the figure and her clothing, i took long pauses to mull over this dilemma. my initial thought that the shadow and chair would take care of the problem appeared to be in error. i wondered if adding something in the upper left would help and i think the violet/yellow splash did to a certain degree. in for a penny, in for a pound....i put a similar splash of burnt sienna/violet in the lower left to sort of balance the boots. ........hmmm, still not sure. so then the brilliant thought of adding the electrical socket and faceplate. this kind of works, so i think i will leave this at this state before finishing the arm, hands, and hair on the figure.

here comes the socket

i should also note that the shadow under the chair was too dark and i lifted some pigment out of there with a 3/4" flat synthetic and blotted it. this gave it some cohesiveness.

work in progress: desperate for some java

it had been quite a long time since i posted and decided to get something in here today even though i don't have anything finished to showcase. i haven't been entirely idle as i have done a commission, just not a painting for general consumption.

so, this is based on a photo from a session with a great local model anna last fall. i am still playing around with pushing the composition envelope a bit (well, maybe a lot....or even too much????). i know that i will have to devise a solution to this dilemma. something in the upper left would probably do the trick.....the edge of a frame, an amorphous organic blob of yellow, what ever.....i will have to think about it as i go along. it also appears that i have gone back to darker washes and i am not too sure that i like this. anyway.

the colors for the flesh and initial light wash were scarlet lake, raw sienna, brilliant orange, and manganese blue. the modeling on her flesh was various mixes of vermillion and raw sienna with and without the addition of cerulean blue both alone and in the mix. i used a very dilute wash of ultramarine blue to help some of the shadows recede by both cooling them off and darkening a bit. this seems to do more cooling than actually changing the overall value....which can be beneficial. the shadow on the wall behind her and on the floor is a stand-by ultramarine blue and burnt sienna with some alizarin crimson permanent and mineral violet tossed in rather randomly for interest. this is where i wish i had gone lighter from the get-go. that would have allowed me to manipulate it in terms of color, temperature and value as i went along....now it is, if anything, too dark already and i will have to leave it alone....sigh.

initial washes and start of modeling

in other news, i noticed that escoda synthetic watercolor brushes (prado tame models) were deeply discounted at dick blick in anticipation ( i think) of the delivery of their new escoda versatil synthetic kolinsky feel-alike to the states. i painted all of this painting to this point with the #16 round prado and some of the details, like eyes with the #8 round prado. i really like them. i have to say that they appear to me to have all the qualities that we like in sable but at a much lower cost (the #16 was $19.00) and i suspect more durability. the one thing i will comment about as one might miss it in the details is that these brushes are about one size smaller than corresponding brushes from other manufacturers........the #16 is more like a #14 and the #8 is more the size of a #6. so enough of this prattle. on with the show.

more work on her face and start
of her clothing

boots, top, hair

mainly shadows

current state of affairs