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