I missed about a month of open studios between getting sick followed by the flu. It was a delight to come back and meet this wonderful model.
Little still life study.
Ladies and Vases
This pose was particularly challenging for me because it moved it strange ways so it was hard for me to make sense of it.
Little study :)
What I have taken from this study is if you don't arrive an hour early (I'm guessing) for an open studio you are going to get a lot of practice with foreshortening.
Ladies, Mohawks, and Poppies
The tilt of the model's head here was challenging for me to get without making her features look like they might be sliding off here face... Also, today was dark and rainy so this was lit by artificial light which I don't have much experience with so it was tricky all over.
Artificial lighting again. I miss the sun.
Now I want a purple and blue mohawk too.
Figure day:)
Quick study of poppies
Painting Studies from December
A teacher asked me if I used comparative measurements to check my proportions during my last year at The Florence Academy of Art. I thought using sight-size was enough. He asked how I was going to paint if I couldn't use sight-size after I left the school. I was speechless. The thought never occurred to me. The idea of not moving seamlessly from The Florence Academy of Art to a controlled north-lit studio (with a studio mate, of course, I'm not a dreamer) never crossed my mind. That critique was over 8 years ago and looking back I can confidently say that was a solid question. I believe my work is stronger when I'm able to use the sight-size method but when that is not possible it's also important for me to paint no matter what. Here are some studies from last month.
I tried to make her legs look less like a mermaid's tail and more like human legs but then all I could think of is how they are kinda in the shape of a mermaid's tail and she would make a great Siren.
This was a continuation of last week's pose but I did another small sketch instead to practice getting down the pose as quickly as possible.
We had two days with the same model so I decided to focus on her portrait to see how far I could get on it in 12 hours:)
Back to a one day pose with this study.
This model came PREPARED! He wore a black graduation robe with his Boy Scout sash (always a Scout I guess). He even brought his own props, two books that he held in his lap, one about poetry and the other about portrait painting. Unfortunately, I only brought a 8"x 10" panel so I could not capture everything. It was his first time modeling and he crushed it!