Picture This!

You're in a studio, painting with a group of artists, with a model positioned on a chair in front of you.  With each stroke, as you try to capture her image, the picture looks less and less like her.

What's an artist to do?

You take a paper towel and wipe it all off and start all over again.

When I left you last, I had completed the first week of "Model #3" and had showed you the first attempt at immortalizing this young lady.

Here's that first draft, again, to the right.

This is what's called a tonal image...in other words, a drawing with some shading of the same color, in dark, medium and light values, to lay out lights and darks and start to give a semblance to the person's likeness.

Week two saw me adding color to the canvas.

Note that I did not say that I was improving the drawing.

Instructor, "Get some color on that thing so that you can deal with details next week.  Don't worry about what she looks like."

She saw my painting...I had kept working on it without a word...did I seem like I was worrying?

I do think I had a bout of color-blindness.  The background was brownish, almost dark camel.  How I managed to get green, I don't know.

Instructor, "Okay, the color's not right, but the value is and that's more important...you haven't ruined it yet."

I heard, "Yet."  Still time to insure a trip to the garbage can!

Here, to the left, color...oh, and hands...remember last time I mentioned those hands.  Hard to draw, even harder to paint.

Instructor:  "What about those hands?  Do you think the drawing is good?"

Me to instructor:  "You see those hands and you're asking me if they're drawn right.  No, they're not.  Can't you see that?"

Now, I'm worried.

The model is wearing a black top, with gold trimmings and has a large green bracelet on her left arm.  Note to self:  save some of that green paint you put in the background, in place of the brown paint, for that bracelet that you forgot to draw in or paint on!

And those eyes!  What was that movie with the beings that hunted down earthlings and burnt them up with xrays that shot out of their sockets? 

Oh, there was a week #3.

Week #3 looks like week #2, because I didn't make it to class.  There was the talk of not going as it was too hot and then we had a car that needed to get into the garage, so we were down to getting to work and back home and back to pick up the repaired vehicle with the one car left.  Didn't make it...don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I did leave the painting on my easel in the basement, with hopes that the little green folks who inhabit this Irish household might take up a brush and fix the thing overnight.

However, it was something else that perhaps improved it.  With the heat outside and the moisture in the basement, the painting started to turn on itself.

Here it is, on the right, in its current state.

Seems that the change to water soluble paints and cleaning tools with water has added a dimension of drying (or not drying) to my hobby.

Left unattended for two weeks, in the dark, damp basement, it turned into, "Dark, A Study."

I'm wondering if the drawing is still there.

However, before I attempt to clean it off, I am considering offering it for sale.  Could end up being one of those magical things...as it dries, the image may re-surface!  Or partially recover...Moldy Lisa?

A show of hands, please, starting the bidding at $5.00!

Face It

...it's hard to paint portraits.

Unlike trees and rocks, and lakes and streams, that appear in landscapes and can pass muster just by looking something like one of those listed, people want something more.

Seems it is expected that the picture you're painting of the subject is supposed to look just like them!

The original "snapshot" before film, portraits were the way to memorialize faces and figures.

We know what George Washington looks like because of the number of paintings of him, and they all look like the same guy.  You could probably pick him out of a crowd today, based on those visions that we've seen.

Same goes for Ben Franklin, Napoleon, and a bunch of other people.

To take the pressure off, I've decided to paint portraits of people that my friends don't know.  That way I can assure them that the likeness is dead on...sorry I can't produce the model, but trust me this is just what they look like.

I started taking a portrait class last week, at the Woodstock School of Art.  You should check out their classes, as the offer instruction in many medium:

http://woodstockschoolofart.org/

I've wanted a challenging art class and I got one.

I thought I'd share the process here with you, through the four once-a-week classes that will result in a completed portrait at the end!  Really!  The instructor promised that!

To the right, above, you'll see the work in progress.  Now, before you get all excited and start writing me about how she seems to be missing an eye and, well, it's not really a very good painting, I must point out that this is the first layer...an under-painting, if you will.

As the model posed, we had three hours to draw in the head and shoulders and start putting in values.  She was very patient and kept the same pose, with a few breaks, without fail.

I think it's a really good start.  The instructor thought just a bit different, "that's going to need some work."

While I was busy measuring the eyes, the nose, the mouth, etc., I got a bit side-tracked...as the teacher noted, "you seem to have flown into space, transposed yourself, and seen the model from over there," as she pointed to the other side of the room.

It was then that I noticed the model was actually facing the other way!  Details!!!

"I did get the hair values right," I added quickly.

Our instructor threw a glancing blow, "a little dark for a blonde, but I guess you can claim artistic license."

I worked on the canvas for another hour and made terrific gains.  Here, to the left below, you'll see the differences...right?  Big improvements?

The nose lighter, better color in the shadows, brighter whites?

You can see the vast difference after an hour...no?

Oh well, more later...another class this week and you'll see...the commissions will start pouring in.

I remember what a former art teacher said to me about portraits.  "Do your best, but don't show it to them right away.  Put it in a closet for about 10 to 20 years, then give it to them.  They'll love it."

Let me know where you're ready to pose!