New work to do! Yay! Must get started… A 35″ x 27 ” Hawaiian themed piece for a guest bedroom that’s being redecorated. Today I shopped online for acrylic paints and gessoboard. I had to get a more standard size of 36″ x 24″, otherwise I’d have to somehow custom cut/make the panel which I don’t want to do. I also did some sketching. Here’s a mix of some preliminary sketches, inspiration, and the fabric swatches and idea printouts from the client
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In lieu of my usual still life “Painting a day”, I took my charcoal sketch and covered it with a layer of oil paint. (To tell the truth, I liked it better as a charcoal sketch). I think I will keep working on this as an extended study. I want to refine and brighten the colors a bit, soften some of the edges, and give the figure better form.
This is a small charcoal sketch as a preliminary study. I’ll probably do a few of these before actually attempting a larger self-portrait in oil.
I’ve been chipping away at this painting again. My color and drawing issues are apparent… I’ll keep plugging away. Ah, the struggles. But the process and the journey are worth every bit of struggle. My paintings (and I!) grow through the awkward phases.
I’ve almost gotten the canvas covered with the first layer of color – just a few areas that need paint and then I can move on to the refining process. I wish I had more time to devote to painting. The average 4 hours that I put in per week makes for slow progress. I keep telling myself that consistent work, no matter how minimal, will pay off in the long run. I’m just happy to be painting.
I wanted to try to do this painting in a looser style than the other work I’ve been doing at Marcel’s studio. Instead of starting with a tight pencil drawing, I am drawing directly with the paintbrush and laying in a few washes.
I am going to see if I can find a happy medium between the looser, bolder brushwork of my college work and the more restrained work I’ve been doing at Marcel’s.
I’m still working on this one. I think it’s valuable to look back once in a while, in the pause before stepping forward.
Update: Finished painting is here.
Went to the pottery studio and threw some mid-sized vessels that I was happy with, then came home and painted for 7 hours. Here’s my progress on the paintings I posted earlier.
