Today's Study: Glass

Today I decided to spend a few hours observing glass.  I have painted this vintage Chanel bottle before, but hated the composition.  I wanted to achieve the feeling of glass, but was not too successful.  I, again, did not pay close attention to the drawing.  Instead, I focused on the material.  I may touch it up a bit tomorrow, but doubtful as this was just a study.

Garlic Study, ETC...

This morning I painted garlic for 2 hours.  Like yesterday's eggplant, I studied value, hue, and form.  It was more challenging to create the form of the garlic than the eggplant, but still not too difficult.  What I struggled with was value shifts.  Part of this was a result of only using a palette knife, and my canvas was only 8X10.  In the end, I handled the paint well, matched colors, but the overall result is somewhat messy.

After I had enough of looking at garlic for one day, I went back to yesterday's eggplant, and touched it up a bit.  Still not great, but I have to remember it is only a two hour study, just to keep myself using paints.  I'll leave extended, laborious subjects for ARA.

Then, yet again, I added to the shoes that I have been working on for over a year.  I think this painting is just about complete.  There are a  few things I want to do to it, but overall, it is better than before.

Study of an Eggplant

Since I have recently been developing my drawing skills, I have neglected my paint brushes, and I miss painting.  I bought an eggplant at the market this morning, and spent a couple of hours studying it for colors and values.  I spent little time drawing it out as an eggplant isn't a difficult shape, and focused on hue, chroma, values, and the direction of the form.  It was a good exercise.  I used only a palette knife.

Mediocre Hour Study-QAA

I have been so busy and stressed from my job, I haven't been able to do quick studies.  Here is one I worked on this week.  Unfortunately, on account of the holidays, QAA will not have a drop in for the next 2 weeks.

QAA - One Hour

Eyes are a bit cartoonish......

Transfer Time and an Award

I haven't posted since I started the school year, because most of my work has been on my Dante Bargue and during a Saturday figure drawing class-long pose.  All my work is in progress, thus, I have nothing to blog about.  I do have a few things to post today, however.

First, I have been working on Dante since the Spring.  I had been determining shapes and recreating them to a degree between ARA Spring and Fall sessions, but I needed the advice of an instructor to check areas and push me on my way.  Wednesday night Bargue class at ARA began on September 12, and we have a new instructor, Christina Mastrangelo .  She is fantastic.  I knew the first day that she would be insightful, and, four weeks later, with her critiques, I am able to transfer onto good paper.

Now the fun will begin!  I am terrible at rendering.  I hope the darks don't drive me through Hell!

I also attended QAA drop in this last Tuesday.  It was the first time in weeks I have been able to drop in on account of the fact that my teaching job has consumed any and all of my leisure time.  I am delighted that I went, because I learned that I won 3rd place at Quincy Art Fest on a drawing I was about to throw away.  Back in January I worked with a reed pen and Sumi ink on quick 5 minute sketches.  George, a fellow artist, retrieved this drawing from the trash, and threw some watercolor paint on it.  We won third!  The original can be found here (the middle drawing).  The following is the one with color:

Here is my hour drawing from Tuesday:

                                                 

Colleen Barry Workshop

Good painting is the kind that looks like sculpture.
Michelangelo

I completed the second week of Colleen Barry's Figure Painting Workshop at ARA.  Even though I was disappointed in my own work, the workshop itself was phenomenal.

Initially I had been enrolled in Emmy's figure drawing workshop.  I had signed up for drawing the figure, since I remain at the drawing stage in my artistic development.  Unfortunately, this workshop was cancelled, so I enrolled in Colleen's painting one.  It was definitely worth it.

Colleen stressed developing form and compression of values.  The result will be a painting that has a realistic feel, while not being "photo-realistic", a style that is not desirable to me.

During the final day, I became more accustomed to painting using Colleen's method.  Since I had wasted an exorbitant amount of time on the model's face, I didn't work on the figure as much as I now believe I should have.  In retrospect, I wish I had moved to the figure sooner, and perhaps I would have gained more comfort.  

I know that if I am able to practice Colleen's method, I will achieve good results.  I do want to say that attempting to achieve the rounded forms of the figure with oil paints was an arduous challenge.  I dare to express: even more laborious than reading Vergil for the first time!  Yet, it was definitely as stimulating, satisfactory, and pleasurable.  

If only I had more time to paint the figure!

Some points for me to remember:

1.  Gradation of values

2.  Compression of values

3.  Soft vs hard edges

4.  Turning the form

5.  Light points-where does the eye want to go?

6.  Where does the light hit?

7.  Warm shadows, cool highlights

8.  Cool coming out of shadow

9.  Push back form with higher values

ARA Workshop with Colleen Barry

I have the extreme pleasure to be attending a workshop with painter Colleen Barry.  She is a superior painter, and has a wealth of knowledge about painting techniques and the history of painting.  I was extremely hesitant to participate in this workshop on account of the fact that two of my instructors from ARA are also participating in the workshop.  I am glad I did, however, even though my work isn't comparable with the work of other participants.  Colleen is helpful and clear.  She is well-organized and thorough.  Painters of all levels would greatly benefit from listening to her, watching her, and heeding her advice.  We are working in the French Academic manner of the 19th century.

The first three days were drawing days for me:

My block in was decent.  We worked using the comparative measuring manner.  I worked this way in Brain's portrait class, so I was somewhat familiar with the technique.  It is different from how we usually draw the figure at ARA.  We began with a gesture and then measured from the inside out, unlike ARA where we create a silhouette first.  Even in Brian's portrait workshops, I was careful to construct an accurate silhouette.  Colleen believes that when beginning with a gesture, there is more feeling and expression in the drawing.  In addition, it is a much faster process.  It was rather liberating, but my drawing isn't as exact as I think it would be if I had employed our usual method of obtaining the construct.

After Colleen demonstrated window method of doing a grisaille during much of day 3, I began painting during days 4 and 5.  Colleen believes David was the first to proceed using the window method for his studies.  It is a great way to acquire form.

I worked in raw umber and flake white.  The brand of raw umber I used was warmer than other brands, but I did not mind so much because our model has a reddish hue to his skin.  The problem with my raw umber, though, was that it was too oily.  I had to tone up on my values to have my oily raw bind with my flake white.  I used a 2 round for my brush to begin with, but Colleen thought my 2 was too small.  I ended up with a 6 round, and turned out to be more appealing to me.  During this process, I had to fight with the paint to achieve form.  It is OK, but not as strong as I would have hoped.  As I review my work now I can see that I need to study anatomy more thoroughly.  

The workshop is two weeks.  Next week we will pain with a limited palette, but I will work more on the model's torso, and hopefully do another run over his biceps.  

QAA: Result of 4 Week Long Pose

I am relatively pleased with my progress at the conclusion of the 4 week long pose at QAA.  I obviously didn't finish, but I worked using the process I learned in Garrett's workshop to the best of my ability.  I have a photo to work from, but I have great difficultly with color when working from a photograph, so I will probably leave it unfinished.

Here is week 3's dead color stage:

I have too high a value under the cheekbone, but I resolved that during week 4. 

I was able to show Garrett the result.  He indicated that I did well with the color on the model's face, and especially well with the amount of time I had to work.

2 out of 4 Weeks at QAA

I am currently working on a 4 week pose at QAA.  Although I  have a mere 12 hours to work on this figure, I decided to paint adhering to what I learned in Garrett's class at ARA.  In Garrett's workshop, I had 32 hours with the model, but I hope that by continually approaching a subject using the ARA procedure, I will improve my own technique.  By the way, full time students in the ARA program have 90 hours for one pose!!!!!

In order to work on most of the steps I learned in Garrett's class, I will proceed as follows:

Week One:  Drawing
Week Two: Dry Brush
Week Three: Dead Color
Week Four: First Painting

I omitted a value study only on account of the limited time I have with the model.

Weeks One - Three are complete.  I am posting only the first 2 weeks, because I am still working on the dead color.  The coordinator of the group took photos of the model, so I may want to continue to dead color.  I doubt, though, that I will be able to paint much, since I can't really determine temperature in the photograph.  The figure is much too flat and the skin has an orange glow, which it does not in person.

Week One:

Week Two:

I am actually rather satisfied with what I have accomplished.  During the first week, I achieved a likeness, and the dry brush during the second helped with dimension.  I worked faster than normal, and I did not have the assistance of a teacher.

The Transformation of Jill

This summer I painted Jill, The Goat, for my friend Leslie.  I had promised her I would paint her beloved cat, and I mostly did it in the manner I learned in Garrett's class.

Drawing:

Transfer:

Obviously I fixed some areas from the above drawing before I transferred.  I must not have taken a picture of the better drawing.

Dry Brush:

Dead Color:

Lots of Paint:

This last part of the process was not ARA style.  I just painted with little medium (walnut oil), if any at all, and loads of paint.

Overall, I was happy with the drawing, but I still need to improve my painting.  I do like what I achieved with the texture of the paint, though.

If Leslie is not satisfied, she is welcome to make suggestions.

ARA Work-Finished and Unfinished

I finished my first Bargue drawing at ARA:

As I mentioned on Facebook, Agrippa (above) nearly destroyed me as he did the fleets of the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium.  But what did I expect from the progenitor of both Caligula and Nero?  One Bargue copy down, 3 to go.  For my second Bargue, I am working on Dante, who will certainly lead me through Hell.  I chose Dante because he has many dark tones.  I am terrible at rendering darks, thus I thought it would be a good learning experience for me.  I finished the initial cartoon.  Now I am working on specifics before I transfer onto good paper.  I am still struggling with line quality.  I get too dark too fast.

During the spring session at ARA, I participated in an 8 week portrait painting workshop with Garrett Vitanza.  I didn't finish the portrait, but if I have some spare time, I may work on her some more.  This portion of the post is more a record for myself than anyting else, though when I first began this blog, I decided to post the good, the bad, and the ugly.


On the first day of the workshop, I decided I would paint instead of draw as I had done in Brian's class.  The reason for this was that the model had beautiful jet black hair, which enhanced her crimson lipstick and complemented her purple sweater.  I realized I wouldn't have enough time to complete the portrait ARA style, but I was so inspired by the model that I decided to attempt to add color anyway.  As far as I can remember, the following is how we worked, if we were going to try to paint with a limited palette.

Weeks One and Two: The Cartoon

I was obsessed with the model's right eye.  All my painstaking attempts at properly placing her right eye failed miserably.  I was assured, however, by both Garrett and Emmy that I would lose the drawing anyway when I placed paint on the canvas, so I proceeded forward.  Garrett pushed us and what I had accomplished in 4 weeks during my last session, I did in 2 this time.  Yet, as I mentioned, I wasn't completely satisfied with the cartoon.

Week Three: Tonal Study

This is a tonal study on an 8 x 10 canvas board using only titanium and ivory.  We mixed 5 values, and went on from there.

Week Four: Dry Brush (with some titanium white)

After toning an 16 x 24 linen canvas with a pile of Van Dyke brown, yellow ochre, and a dab of cadmium red, I transferred the drawing.  In class we dry brushed the tones, and added white at the end for some highlights.  I loved this approach.

Weeks Five-Seven: Dead Color

No details here, just large planes, while carefully considering color temps.

Week Eight: Some First Painting

Since I was one of the few who arrived at this stage (only because I had attended ALL 8 classes and many missed one or two), Garrett used my painting to demonstrate first painting.  He did the eye that looks more complete (and BETTER!) than the rest.  I didn't paint much this week, but I learned from watching Garrett.  

8 weeks and I didn't even get to first paint!  And then there is second painting after first!  What a tedious, tortuous process!  In the end, however, I believe it will be worth it!!

I decided to work on a portrait of my friend's deceased cat using this method.  I progressed in the same manner as the portrait above until I started to first paint.  All went downhill at that point.  Stay tuned to see the outcome!!

First Day of Vacation

QAA Figure Study.  One hour and a half.  Charcoal on toned paper.

QAA Study

Black and white charcoal on blue paper:

One Hour Study-QAA

Recalcitrant ARA Student

...recalcitrant because I broke 2 ARA rules.  First, my new teacher for portrait said not to draw a portrait too much larger than life size.  This study is twice as big as life size.  Secondly, though I measured, I worked on this for only 30 minutes, a much shorter time than is expected at ARA.  It was a quick study!  I don't know why I did this, because I very much respect the methods and procedure at ARA.  It was in no way intentional.  I suppose I lapsed back into my old ways.  I hate the hair, but I did achieve an excellent likeness.

Quick Sketch and a Photo

At QAA, I did this quick sketch in about an hour.  Charcoal on paper.

This is a photo Emmy took while I was drawing Tristen at ARA. (See last post)

Tristen

At ARA I worked on Tristen's portrait for 8 weeks with instructor Brian MacNeil:

Graphite on drawing paper.

I took a picture after each of the eight weeks, except 2; one day I forgot, the other day was after I transferred, but decimated the drawing, because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.

Week one: block in

Week two: no picture

Week three: finding planes

Week four: more planes

Week five: cartoon complete

 

Week six: transferred onto a clean sheet of drawing paper, but discarded

Week seven: transfer #2, now rendering

Week eight: last class, completed as much as I could