Bua Loi - Love (A working title)

I got some work done on my painting and I'm actually starting to like the cheek and the area around the eye. I posted a photo of my palette as of right now just for fun. Also this palette looks neat, and the rubber part is comfortable when you are holding it but the plastic surface stains easily and the plastic part is separating from the wood core since I washed it once. Though despite some not so great review about the water soluble oils, I'm having a better experience with them than expected. At least with the Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils I'm not having a problem at all. The texture is smooth, I'm not having any stickiness, and they dilute well in water. Maybe it's because I haven't work with regular oils in years but from what I remember they are just about the same, minus the smell of course and the need for turpentine. I also wanted to say that for the most part my color choices have been working out. I worked from a list of colors from another artist's palette in an Artist's Magazine article. Their style is similar to what I want to achieve, I used mostly their colors but then added in a few I remembered from high school.

More work on my painting

I'm not really feeling confident with this painting. This is my first painting in forever and I really shouldn't expect to pick up a brush for the first time in years and be able to produce work at the quality I would like to. I'm having such a hard time with the colors and shading. The detail work has gotten a little easier because I got two smaller brushes today. I just love realism, I love the texture that is somehow achieved with skin the realistic colors. I admire artists that use realism but also incorporate a concept that brings something extra. It's not an alternative to a photograph it's an expression of something. I'm trying to accept my non-perfect realism, and just see where it goes. If I can capture the likeness but still have a great look and feel that isn't quite realistic that's great too. Maybe after I paint again for awhile I'll finally be able to figure out how to get the colors right and the blending and shading right.
Really I don't think it's all that horrible, at least not as bad as I think it is sometimes. I'll probably end up with a great painting.

Bua Loi in Furuba

I finished this last night, but I waited til this morning to take a photo. The lighting was great by the window it wasn't too bright but bright enough. I retook a good bit of photos of my work and I'll be putting the revised version up online today. All the photos look more true to life now.

http://jessicamckelvin.com

Some fixes, some progress

The hands may still be a little too big, but I think they are far better than they were. At least to me they look that way. Add some of the shirt in, and I already see one spot on the shoulder I need to fix but over all I think it looks better than I thought it did. I'm making the shirt a little darker in color than it should be but I think the contrast will work well against the skin tone. I had so much trouble with the hands and I get to re-create them in paint. That should be fun, but at least some of the measurements might be a little easier. I might work on the background of the painting tomorrow as well as do some more work on the shirt in the drawing. A few fixes and finishing the shirt and background and I'm done. The upper left side background is finished, though it really doesn't show up well on camera. In real life you can really tell that there is white pencil filled in there at least compared to the paper next to it.

Wreck this Journal - Week 8

I did a few more things this week. I've kind of forgotten to update the past few Fridays. I actually took the time to do a few pages while I was at my grandmother's house this week. I threw the journal across her yard and dropped from the top of her porch into her basement stair well. I added more photos into the Picasa album I created for this: here.

From Wreck this Journal

From Wreck this Journal

From Wreck this Journal

Only drawing today

I still don't have a title for either the drawing or painting. I didn't work on the painting tonight because my knees have been hurting me today. I still need to fix some of the shading in the hands and maybe figure out how to make the one hand look a little smaller. Though both hands might just be a little larger in comparison to the face. I'm just going to work off the proportions for what I have now I'll just keep a better eye on the size when I work on the hands in the painting. I was thinking about the background of the painting today too and I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. I want to at least start the background before I add the hair in. The little strands of hair would work better laid in over the background. It will either be some sort of green value or the fence, leaves and grass. Not quite sure yet. I may experiment with the fence and if it doesn't work out I'll just go over it with the green.

Drawing and Painting

I haven't edited either photo for this update, it's pure straight off the camera. I started with the painting first tonight. I would have done more but I need things to dry, and I need a smaller brush. The nose is getting a bit muddy because I keep trying to go over it. The eye also looks odd because I tried to go over it after I wiped it off last night. I think I got the placement a little better. Though I do think it could be a little lower. I'm hoping that after it dries and I get a smaller brush I can go in and do some fixes with the eyes.

For the drawing I'm a little unsure of the size of the hand and I'm still a little unsure about the little finger. Though I think it would work out best if I just added in more around it first and saw how it looked.

Painting started and drawing progress

I made a commitment to work at least a little on something each night. Overall I really don't think I got much done, but I do feel accomplished. I think I fixed the finger for the most part. It still needs some tweaks but I'll be able to really figure out what's wrong with it when I get the other finger in. I didn't spend much time on the drawing because I actually started my painting.

I finally got my reference photo printed today. I started putting in the first layer. I'm trying a few new things with this new painting. (Well new from what I used to do in high school.) I'm trying a layering technique. So this layer is more of under painting. I think I'll get a thicker coated painting (won't see canvas). I'll also avoid the muddy colors, because I'll be able to wait for it dry before I add in another layer. I think I tried to do too much in one layer kept getting muddy and over worked. I think if I do a series of rather thin layers (I don't paint thick anyway) it will turn out much better. Also since high school I've seemed to figure out skin tone and so far I've learned to tone down the color. Though I do think that maybe I need another type of brown. Mine is a bit too red, though adding green into the mix evened it out. I also need a smaller brush for detail work. I keep trying to do small detail lines and they get big and smudgy so quick. My pencil sketch for this was just awful but it did give me a general idea of placement. Though the eye on the left is too high up. I need to lower that. Also I do not recommend the Richeson White Melamine Palette if you think your palette will come into contact with water. The surface is not easily cleaned and the laminate is already separating from the center. I'll have to buy a new palette soon but this one will do for now. This is also my first time using Holbein Duo Aqua Oils. So far I love them at least fresh out of the tube, they have a great texture. I'll have to see how they work out tomorrow though when I open up my palette seal.

Some progress

I think the second finger looks a little off, I think it's too thin. I went from the first finger looking too wide to the second finger looking too thin. It's a relatively easy fix. I didn't get much progress done and I did add some white to the upper right background. You can't really tell in the photo but it did clean up that area a bit.

More Progress

I spent some time working on the drawing last night. I've got a new goal of working at least a little on something each night. I spent a lot of time working on the finger and I think it still needs some tweeks. I also have rubbed the paper a little too hard on that high light on the nose and that dark spot in a bit of that pulled up paper. I find a way to make that blend in again.

Progress

For the most part I'm done with the hair and face, I just need to do some minor fixes. I've settle on the composition. An 8" x 10" cropped with slightly more negative space on the left. The photo reflects the composition for the most part. I got a little too wrapped up in the drawing tonight and didn't get around to sketching on the canvas, I think it's ok though. I did get some work done on something.

Also once I do finish a painting I'm thinking of creating just one central gallery on my site. I might then turn that into the index page. I'm not sure though. I'm almost for certain going to create one gallery at least for a while. I may separate the galleries again later when I get more paintings.

Drawing Progress

I spent some time working on this drawing today, tonight I think I might start sketching on the canvas for the painting version of this. I think I still want to work more on this drawing though. I think I need to raise the left side of the nose a little. It won't take that much to do. I still haven't gotten the reference photo printed, but I'm going to try and sketch on to the canvas using the image on the screen. I shouldn't have to use the easel for the sketching. The painting is going to be a good bit larger than the drawing I'm working on so I'll have to see how increasing the proportions is going to work out, and also figure out the composition for the painting.

Bravo's doing an art project

Bravo is doing an as of yet untitled art project. I don't think I'm a good fit for it. Considering as how I'm working on rebuilding my portfolio and I just don't think I could leave my family for 5 weeks. Also I'm really nervous around people so I don't think it would work out anyway. Also it is asking for contemporary artists, and I'm more traditional in style. It should be an interesting show to watch though.
For any of the artists that read my blog the details are here on the casting:
http://www.bravotv.com/casting

More on the sketch and painting to be started soon

I've done a little more work with my sketch I went to start a new sketch in pencil but it really felt like I should be waiting to do that on the canvas. So I've been filling in this sketch with white trying to get some of the shapes and values right. I might just continue with this and turn it into a full drawing. I still want to do the painting too because I want to work with this in color. I just really like this sketch. I'll Gesso the canvas tonight and maybe start sketching out some basic shapes in pencil.

I just remembered a dream from last night which I actually remember pretty clearly. The painting was unfinished but I had decided to finish it. I might actually try to recreate that painting but with some changed details. I just took some notes, I'll have to see how I feel about it after I finish this painting.

Updates

I just got an email reminder for a competition deadline. The deadline is September 1st. When I first read about the competition I thought that would be plenty of time to do a couple of paintings and be able to pick from them which one to submit. Well now it's 60 days away from that deadline and I have no painting, in fact I'm sketching for two paintings while I wait to have the opportunity to print a reference photo. I'm now worried if I'll even be able to finish one painting before the deadline. So much has been, "oh I'll wait until next year." This competition I wanted to do this year. Also I still have to go through my latest work and start planning on framing it, I have a show coming up in October (hopefully). I also just want to keep expanding my portfolio so that I can I submit my work to more shows and maybe even some galleries. I have a list of places to look at but right now I think the most important thing for me to do is expand my portfolio. I also need to find a balance between drawing and painting. Right now I'm sketching for a painting but I'd also love to use that same reference photo in a drawing, though I really do want to work with it in color in a painting. Hopefully I'll be able to start a painting by the end of next week. I just need ink for the printer and then I can print the reference photo. Until then it's just sketching. I also have a nice concept in mind for a painting but I need to get a flower and take a reference photo for that. Then I'll have three paintings lined up to do. That will keep me busy for awhile and might work on a smaller drawing while I work on those paintings, just work on the drawing at different time of day.

New sketch

I took some photos and came out with this one reference photo that I'm really excited about. I want to start working more in painting so I've decided to start out with sketching this. I have really painting in awhile. I started a painting a while back but thought it a bit too complicated to tackle so soon. I have decided to start with a self portrait, I'm going to use the reference photo from the last set of sketches. If I felt confident enough with hands I'd start with this reference photo. I think I'll use my self portrait as a bit of a practice (though maybe I should do one without glasses). I may end up doing a pencil drawing of from this reference photo, but I really do want to see it as a painting. I love the color of her hair, the black with the lighter highlights, I think it will look great in a painting. I may work on this as a pencil drawing, or charcoal drawing while I work on my self-portrait painting. Though I'm not sure. I'm always afraid of exhausting a subject too soon. I don't know though I may do a drawing and still be motivated to see it in color. I just want to feel comfortable with everything before I start the painting. I'm fine with experimenting and screwing up my self portrait, this one though I want to get right.

Sketches

I did these two sketches today. Both are pretty quick and obviously incomplete. The first one was done earlier in the day from life. I was struggling a lot with it because it was hard for me to go back into the same pose after looking down. I don't thinking working from life with a mirror is going to work for me, even for a simpler piece. I would like to hop into maybe a more interesting pose anyway, which of course will not work out well in front of a mirror. The second photo is from a reference photo. Again done rather quickly, but still a big improvement over the first one. I had a little trouble with the nose but I think it was working out well. I'm going to take some reference photos tonight, and print some in the next few days. I'll work from a print out rather than computer screen when I start painting. I might do some more sketches but mostly I'm just working on poses and ideas until I get a print out.

Wreck this Journal - Week 5

I missed the past two weeks updating, and didn't get a lot of pages done in between my last entry and now. I didn't follow some of the rules on the pages, the one page I was really agonizing over. It says to spill your coffee on that page. Well I don't drink coffee and I wasn't about to borrow any to spill, so I thought that I drink tea on occasion but I love my Monk's Blend a little too much. So I finally decided that I don't have to listen to specifics and poured some of my soda on the book. The Picasa album has a few more photos and some captions to explain what is going on.



Picasa album

Some updates

I've spent some time thinking of some poses and I also thought of a concept for a series of paintings. I'm going to do some sketches tonight, and maybe take some more reference photos. I did take some reference photos and test shots the other night. I won't be able to print anything until next week though, so I'll either start a painting from life or just sketch and work with the photos until then. I'll be doing my sketches from life tonight, so depending on how that goes I may be starting a painting from life. It will be just a basic self-portrait to help get back into the idea of painting something. If the sketches tonight are any good I'll post them tonight or tomorrow. I'll post when I start my painting in a few days as well. Also tomorrow I should have my wrecked journal updates up.