Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 21, 2017)


I kept going on this project this morning. I am painting this double portrait of a couple on vacation in Greece. I am working from one or their vacation photos, showing them riding a motorbike along a coast road and wearing helmets and sunglasses. Today I started adding color to the both helmets, and added more color to the man's shirt  I also made a few changes on the faces.  Looking at the helmets, I can already see some things I need to change, but tomorrow is another day. To be continued. . . .

Monday, February 20, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 20, 2017)


This morning I did some more work on this painting. This is a double portrait of a couple on vacation in Greece. My reference for the portrait is their favorite vacation photo that shows them riding a motorbike and wearing helmets and sunglasses. Today I started with by adding still more light to the woman's face.  I made some changes to the her shoulder, and worked on the man's shirt.  There is not much room to show the background, but I am indicating what little I can see in the photo (and in the reflections in the sunglasses). For the rest, I want to use the bright sunlight and reflections of the water to convey a sense of the place. To be continued. . . . 

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 19, 2017)


I kept going with this project today. I am painting this double portrait of a couple on vacation in Greece. I am working from their vacation photo showing them reading a motorbike and wearing helmets and sunglasses. Today I started with by adding light to the woman's face and also made small changes to her face and to her helmet.  I also modified the line of her shoulder. Then I started to add some color to the man's shirt.  To be continued. . . . 

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 18, 2017)


I went back to this project first thing this morning This is a portrait I am painting of this couple on vacation in Greece, on a motorbike, and wearing helmets and sunglasses.  I am using their vacation photo as a reference.  (I am working in acrylic paint on a 14 x 18 inch canvas.)  Yesterday I did some work with the woman's helmet.  Afterward, late last night, I looked at the painting again and realized that the woman's head needed to be tilted just a bit more. I am glad that I figured that out, but since it is a bit tricky to fix, I drew the corrections first with a piece of pink conte crayon. Then I got out the brown and white paint and made the changes.  I was happy with the changes.  I also made some more changes to the woman's face, hair, and helmet.  Since I had some white left over, I added a touch of yellow and painted in some background. At this point, I am pretty happy with the likenesses of both subjects.  So I need to add a bit more color to the faces, add detail to the sunglasses and helmets, and finish painting the clothing and background.  

Friday, February 17, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 17, 2017)


Yesterday I worked on this project again.  I am painting a portrait of this couple, using their vacation photo as a reference.  The photo shows them in Greece, riding a motorbike and wearing sunglasses and helmets. The canvas is 14 x 18 inches, and I am using acrylic paint.  I am keeping the paint thin for now, as I work out the likeness.  Yesterday I kept going with corrections, using only brown and white paint.  I started with changes to the position of the woman's neck and shoulders, and then made some changes to her helmet.  I made some small changes to the woman's face. And I did more measuring and changes to both sets of sunglasses.  I want to get this right, so I am making haste slowly.  But I am getting there. To be continued. . .   

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 14, 2017)


This week I have been working on this project, and this is how it looked on February 14th. This is a portrait of a couple of vacation in Greece, and I am working from a vacation photo of them riding a motorbike, wearing sunglasses and helmets.  I am using acrylic paint on canvas. On Tuesday, I continued with small corrections, using only brown and white paint.  I made small changes to the faces, and then worked on the figures as well, adjusting the woman's shoulders and sketching in the shadows on the man's shirt.  To be continued. . . 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 13, 2017)


I have been working on this portrait, and this is how it looked on Monday at the end of my painting session on . I am painting this portrait that I am painting of a couple of vacation in Greece. My reference is a vacation photo of them riding a motorbike, equipped with sunglasses and helmets.  On Monday, I focussed on correcting some problems.  Working only with brown and white paint, I made corrections to the helmets and the sunglasses, as well as some small changes to the faces.  I continued to measure, compare the painting with the photo, and to check by looking at the painting in the mirror as well as by looking at it upside-down.  To be continued. . . .

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Surprised by Roses (Photo with Prisma Filter)


Today I was surprised by a delivery of enormous red roses.  They are beautiful, and I took some pictures of them in front of my kitchen window.  Tonight I used the Prisma app on my iPhone to add a filter to one of the closeups.  I modified the amount of filter, saved the image to my computer, and then cropped it to get this composition.  Tonight i was intending to post something else, but life is full of surprises.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Pattern in Blue and Hot Pink


Yesterday I posted a little abstract digital drawing, the first one ever made on my new Procreate app for iPhone.  Yesterday I opened the image in Painter, cleaned it up, and used it to make this pattern. 

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Blue and Hot Pink Abstract


This is my first try at using the Procreate app on my iPhone. I just tried a little abstract, drawing with my finger.  Procreate is similar to the Brushes app, but more powerful, with more options.  And unlike Procreate on the iPad, this app does not take a stylus. (It does capture a video, however.)  Today I transferred my first try into Painter, corrected a couple of distracting marks, and cropped it to get this composition.  Then I used Painter to capture this image and create a pattern with it.  I plan to to post that here tomorrow.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

New Tree (Digital Woodcut)


Yesterday I published a stroke-by-stroke video that I created on my new iPad with my new Procreate app.  The video showed a tree in all four seasons.  Today I took the drawing from Procreate (the final frame of the video) and opened it in Painter for some cleanup.  Then I decided to apply a digital woodcut effect.  So here it is, for Tu B'shvat (Jewish New Year of the Trees whch is today.) 

Friday, February 10, 2017

New Tree (Stroke-by-Stroke Video)


This is a tree, seen in all four seasons  I created this by way of celebrating Tu B'shvat (Jewish New Year for Trees aka Jewish arbor day), which starts at sundown.  But no matter what calendar you follow, it is good to remember that however cold the night, however deep the snow, spring is inevitable. Yesterday I made this little video by drawing on my brand new Procreate app on my new iPad.  (Like my old Brushes program, Procreate captures a stroke-by-stroke animation as you draw.) This might look familiar because I have made similar videos before, but everything felt new because I am still figuring out my new app. 

Thursday, February 09, 2017

Apple Store Abstract


On February 5, the day before my birthday, we went out to dinner for an early celebration.  Afterward, we stopped to check out the new Apple store, recently relocated to Lynnfield.  My husband suggested that I check out the new iPad pro, so I did.  The new iPad pro takes a stylus, and the demos in the store were loaded up with Procreate, a drawing program I have been thinking about.  So I played around with the stylus and Procreate for a few minutes, just trying things out.  I made a few strokes and changed some colors, and then it was time to leave, so I took a quick picture.  Little did I know that a new iPad was already on its way to my house, a birthday present from my family. I now I have my new iPad pro and stylus, and have installed the Procreate app on my iPad as well as my phone, so there will be more images to come.  But meanwhile, here is my first image, my little drawing from the Apple Store. Today I opened the image in Painter to remove some reflections, and then cropped it to get this composition.


Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Set of Three Bracelets with Jade


Here's a picture of the three bracelets I made last week. Each bracelet is different, but they all have similar wooden beads and some jade, and so they can be worn together.

Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Three Bracelets with Jade


Last weekend, I made a set of three bracelets.  My daughter asked me to make them as a present for her friend, and the bracelets are already on the way.  Each of the bracelets uses jade.  They can be worn one at a time, or all three together, as shown in this picture.

Monday, February 06, 2017

Bracelet with Jade, Wood, and Blue Glass



This is another bracelet that I made last week. This one combines jade medallions with blue glass and wooden beads.  This is the third of a set of three bracelets; they can be worn together or one at a time.  My daughter asked me to make the set as a gift for a friend.

Sunday, February 05, 2017

Bracelet with Jade, Dark Wood, and Turquoise Beads


This is the second of three bracelets that I made yesterday, a set for my daughter to give to a friend.  This one combines a jade medallion with jade beads, dark wooden beads, and two turquoise beads.

Saturday, February 04, 2017

Jade Bracelet with Wood


I made three bracelets yesterday. This one uses jade beads and jade medallions with wooden beads.  I made two more necklaces to go with this one. They can be worn separately or together.  The beads are strung on stretchy cord, so there is no clasp.

Friday, February 03, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 2, 2017)


Yesterday, I did some work on this project. This is a portrait that I am painting of a couple of vacation in Greece. I am working from a photo that shows them riding a motorbike, wearing sunglasses and helmets.  The first step was a pencil sketch that I drew in December (posted here, December 14, 2016). Then I started working on the canvas with acrylic paint, using only brown and white paint.  This week I started to add color. Yesterday I began added more flesh tones: pinks and purples, trying to apply them in layers so as not to loose the likeness.  I continued to measure, compare the painting with the photo, and to check by looking at the painting in the mirror as well as by looking at it upside-down.  To be continued. . . .

Thursday, February 02, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Feb. 2, 2017)


I kept going on this project yesterday. I am painting a portrait of this couple, working from a vacation photos which shows them in Greece, riding on a motorbike, with sunglasses and helmets.  I started the process in December by drawing a pencil sketch as preparation (posted here, December 14, 2016). Now I am using acrylic paint on canvas, working in thin layers.  I began with only brown and white paint, but this week am starting to add color. I am moving slowly, being careful not to throw the likeness off as I add color.  Yesterday I focused on adding pale yellow light to the background on the right, and showing that reflected light on the faces.  I want the light and colors of the background to show in their faces, as it does in real life. As I go along, I often stop to measure, compare with the photo, look at the painting in a mirror, and even turn the painting upside-down.  

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Portrait of Us (As of Jan. 31, 2017)


Yesterday, I returned to this project, a portrait that I am painting of this couple.  I am working from one of their vacation photos, which shows them in Greece, riding on a motorbike, and wearing sunglasses and helmets.  Back in December, I did a pencil sketch as preparation (posted here, December 14, 2016). I traced the main lines of the pencil sketch onto the canvas to start, and then switched to acrylic paint. Since then, I have been working in thin layers of paint, using only brown and white. But yesterday, I finally started to add more color.  I started with the blue background on the left, and tried to work out where the reflected blue light was hitting the faces. It is a lot of fun to add color, but the tricky bit is to do so without losing the likeness.  I also added blue to the woman's shirt, and some periwinkle blue for the part of the man's helmet that is in shadow. To be continued. . .

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Blue Mountain with Storm (Framed)


This weekend, I framed this painting, one of three that I painted this week. This is  another "Mountain Daydream," landscapes painted from my imagination but inspired by memories of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, where I grew up.  This is acrylic paint used as water media, on watercolor paper (9" x 12"). Yesterday I delivered it to Galatea Fine Arts (galateafineart.com), where it will be on display in September, in the  "Artists' Alcove."


Monday, January 30, 2017

Pink Storm PInk Mountain (Acrylic Water Media)


This is the painting I have been working on lately, and I finally finished it this morning.  I added purple washes to the clouds and sky, and then added more pink to the base of the mountain.  I added some purple outline to the top of the mountain, as well as some pale pink accent lines.  I am glad I kept going with this one because I like it much better now. This is acrylic paint used with water on watercolor paper. It is one of my "Mountain Daydreams," painted from my imagination and memories of the mountains in Colorado.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Pink Mountain Pink Storm (As of Jan. 28, 2017)


I started this painting on Thursday, and yesterday I did some more work on it.  I added a pink wash to the clouds and a brighter pink wash to the mountains, especially the lower half.  I also added blue and purple washes to the sky.  This is better, but I think it needs a bit more work, so I will continue tomorrow.  This is acrylic paint used with water on watercolor paper (9 x 12 inches).  It is part of a series of paintings that I call "Mountain Daydreams" because I am painting from my imagination and from memories of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Pink Mountain Pink Storm (As of Jan. 27, 2017)


This is another painting, only had enough time to get it started yesterday. This is another mountain landscape. It is part of a series that i call "Mountain Daydreams, paintings created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  To be continued. . .

Friday, January 27, 2017

Blue Mountain with Storm (Acrylic Water Media)


This morning I finished this painting that I have been working on for the past few days.  I added more purple to the sky and some purple washes to the mountain.  I was going to do more, but I looked at it and decided that no more was needed and that it was done. This is part of a series of landscapes that I call "Mountain Daydreams" because they are painted from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado Rockies.  This morning I also got another painting started, and I plan to post it here tomorrow.  

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Blue Mountain with Storm (As of Jan. 26, 2017)


This is the painting I started yesterday, and it is still a work in progress.  I am working with acrylic paint and water, on watercolor paper.  This painting is part of a series I call "Mountain Daydreams," created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Today I added some pink and purple washes to the sky and the mountain.  I like the mountain but want to do more with the sky, so I will continue tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Blue Mountain with Storm (As of Jan. 25, 2017)


I started another painting this morning, and it is still a work in progress.  Like the painting I finished yesterday, this is acrylic paint used with water, on watercolor paper.  This is part of a series of mountain landscapes that I call "Mountain Daydreams" because I am working from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado Rockies. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Stormclouds and Mountain (Acrylic Water Media)


This is the painting I have been working on this week, and today I finished it.  This is part of a series of mountain landscapes painted with acrylics and water, on watercolor paper.  I call them "Mountain Daydreams" because I paint them from my imagination and from my memories of the mountains of Colorado, my home state.  Today I finished this with a couple of pale purple washes over clouds and sky. I also lightened the sun color and added more pale purple to the top edge of the mountain.  I started this with the idea of a storm threatening over the mountains. but I wanted to make the clouds a bit more subtle.  I hope to paint one or two more of these, for an opportunity to show at Galatea Gallery next month. (If you want to know more about Galatea, follow this link: (http://galateafineart.com/)

Monday, January 23, 2017

Stormclouds and Mountain (Painting as of Jan. 23, 2017)


This is the painting that I have been working on this week.  This is acrylic paint used with water on watercolor paper. This mountain landscape is part of a series I call "Mountain Daydreams," paintings created from my imagination and my memories of the Colorado mountains.  Today I concentrated mostly on the sky, adding some pale washes to lighten the sky.  I also added some highlights to the mountain top.  This is almost done, though there are a few things I want to fix.  You might notice that the color is very different from yesterday's photo.  That's because I took this photo in the evening under artificial light, while yesterday's photo was taken in daylight.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Storm Clouds and Mountain (Painting as of Jan. 22, 2017)

Today I did some more work on the painting I started yesterday. This is another one of my "mountain daydreams," painted my imagination and my memories of the Colorado mountains. This is acrylic paint used as water media, on watercolor paper. Today I added some washes to mountains and sky.  This is still a work-in-progress, but I hope to finish it tomorrow.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Storm Clouds and Mountain (Painting as of Jan. 21, 2017)


This is a painting that I started late this afternoon, a small mountain landscape.  This is one of my "mountain daydreams," painted from my imagination but inspired by memories of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Like other paintings in this series, this is done with acrylic paint used with water, on watercolor paper.  This is a work in progress.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 20, 2017)


Late this afternoon, I finally had a chance to work on this project.  I am painting a portrait of this couple, using acrylic paint on canvas (14 x 18 inches).  I am working from their vacation photo which shows them in Greece, riding on a motorbike and wearing sunglasses and helmets.  In December, I did a pencil sketch as preparation, to get to know the faces. (The pencil sketch is posted here, December 14, 2016). I traced the main lines of the pencil sketch onto the canvas as a way to begin, and then switched to acrylic paint. Since then, I have been working on thin layers of paint, using only brown and white. Today I kept going in brown and white, make small changes, still using only brown and white.  I concentrated on the faces, looking for dark and light areas.  When I got stuck, I turned the canvas and the reference photo upside down because that always helps.  I also made a few changes to the woman's helmet.  Although each change was small, I think the changes are beginning to add up, and the likeness is coming along.  

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Roses for Mrs. O. (Posterized Photo)


This afternoon while out shopping, I saw some roses on display, and took this photo. Tonight I edited it in Painter to simplify the background, and the added some posterizing effect.  I decided to post this tonight in honor of Mrs. O., to say thanks for eight great years! She will be a hard act to follow.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 18, 2017)


I returned to this project this morning. I am painting a double portrait of this couple, working from a vacation photo that shows them in Greece on a motor bike, wearing helmets and sunglasses. In December, I did a pencil sketch to get to know their faces. (The sketch  is posted here Dec. 14,  2016).  Then I used it as a guide when I was ready to start painting, tracing the main lines of the sketch onto the canvas, using graphite paper.    Since then, I have been working out lights and darks with thin layers of acrylic paint, using only brown (burnt umber) and white.  I will add color soon, but right now this is "underpainting". Today I started by making some more corrections to the faces and adding some light to them. I think the likeness is getting there. I measured features on the reference photo and the canvas, I turned the canvas upside-down and painted, and I looked at the painting in the mirror. All of that helps. I also worked a bit on both helmets and on the necks and shoulders. Finally, I worked on the sunglasses, adding lights and darks, working from the photo.  I was surprised at by how much of a difference that made.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

January Flowers (with Prisma Filter)


Here is another version of the photo I posted here yesterday, this time processed through the Prisma app with the Mosiac filter.  I took the original photo at Tendercrop Farms, on a recent run to get fruits and vegetables.

Monday, January 16, 2017

January Bouquet


Here's another bouquet that I saw at Tendercrop Farms.  Tonight I cropped the image to get this composition. I did a bit of retouching to eliminate a bit of distracting cellophane.  I also created another version with a Prisma filter, and I plan to post that tomorrow.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

First Tulips at Tendercrop Farms (with Prisma Filter)


Here is another version of the photo that I posted here yesterday, this time with the Prisma mosaic filter (at about 80%).  The original photo was taken at Tendercrop Farms, here in Beverly, MA, during a run to pick up fruits and veggies. Here north of Boston, spring always comes early -- in the grocery stores.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

First Tulips at Tendercrop Farms


A couple of days ago, we stopped off at Tendercrop Farms to pick up some fruits and vegetables.  After I picked out apples and asparagus, I saw the flowers on display, so I took some pictures.  I was excited to see tulips, a sign that spring is inevitable. (Here north of Boston, spring often appears first in the grocery store!)  Today I edited the original photo, cropping it to get this composition.  While I was at it, I made a version with a Prisma filter, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 13, 2017)


This morning I worked on this project, a double portrait that I am painting.  I am working from a vacation photo that shows this couple in Greece on a motor bike, wearing helmets and sunglasses.  Last month,  I drew a pencil sketch to get to know the faces. (The sketch  is posted here Dec. 14,  2016).  When I was ready to start this painting, I used the pencil sketch and some graphite paper to help me mark placement of objects on the canvas.  From there, I did a little more drawing on the canvas in pencil, just so I could see the lines.  Then I switched to paint.  I am using thin layers of acrylic paint, and so far, only white and  brown paint  (burnt umber), just to identify light an dark areas. I will add more color later.  Today I started by correcting some things that I knew I wanted to fix. Some changes had to do with facial features, but I did make adjustments to the size and shape of the man's helmet.  Although I am always working towards a likeness, I am still trying to concentrate on whether or not things are in the right place. Today I used a ruler to measuring relative distances in the photo and to compare measurements on the  canvas. 

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Winter Morning Sky (with Prisma Filter)


This is the photo that I posted here yesterday, but this time I applied a filter with the Prisma app on my iPhone.  i think the filter worked well on this image.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Winter Morning Sky


This is another photo that I took on January 9.  It had snowed the day before, but the next morning the sun was shining.  I looked out the window when I got up and saw this view, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped the original to get this composition.  I also created a version of this image using the Prisma app, and I plan to post it here tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Snow Through Window Blinds (With Prisma FIlter)



This is the same photo as in my previous post, but with one of the Prisma filters applied.  The blinds are actually white, but they turned red with this filter, and I liked it.  I also cropped the image to get this composition.

Monday, January 09, 2017

Snow Through Window Blinds


We had a snowstorm yesterday and cold temperatures.  I took this photo from an upstairs window.  I like the textures and patterns of screen and blinds.  I also used my Prisma app  to try out some filters, and I plan to post the result tomorrow.

Sunday, January 08, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 8, 2017)


This morning I continued working on this project, a portrait of a couple.  I am working from their vacation photo, taken in Greece, that shows them on a motor bike, wearing helmets and sunglasses.  In December, I did a pencil sketch (posted here Dec. 14,  2016).  Then a few days ago, I traced the basic lines of the pencil sketch onto the canvas, to help me get the painting started quickly. This gave me the basic positions, with a few lines, barely visible.  After making sure I could actually see the lines I had traced, I switched to paint (acrylic).  So far I am still using only white and brown paint  (burnt umber) because I am not yet going for realistic color but  just trying to see where the lights and darks areas.  I am working from the photo, trying to make sure things are in the right place: facial features, sunglasses, helmets.  Sometimes I am measuring, and sometimes looking at the painting in a mirror and sometimes even turning the painting upside-down. As I work I am already trying to get a likeness, but right now that isn't my primary focus. At this point I have more basic goals: does anything in the painting seem to defy the laws of physics, or of biology, etc.?  Is this a believable picture of a man wearing a helmet, of a woman in sunglasses, of two people on a bike? 

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 7, 2017)


Today I did a little more work on this painting. This is (obviously) a work-in-progress.  I am just getting started. This will be a portrait of two people, painted with acrylics on canvas ( I 14 x 18 inches). I am working from a vacation photo of this couple in Greece, riding a motorbike and wearing helmets and sunglasses).  Last month, I worked on a pencil sketch as preparation, to learn the faces.  (The pencil sketch is posted here, December 14, 2016.)  I made a quick beginning of the painting by tracing the main lines of the pencil sketch, just to establish the positions of the figures and the main features. I did a little more drawing on the canvas with pencil,  just so I could see the marks, and then switched to brown and white paint. Today I kept going with just brown and white paint, in thin layers of paint. This is underpainting only. At this point, I am not being too fussy about getting a likeness, but am just trying to make sure things are in the right place.  

Friday, January 06, 2017

Sky from Independence Park (with Prisma Filter)


I decided to explore the Prisma app tonight (on my iPhone). I went back to a some photos that I took in November, at Independence Park, a waterfront park here in Beverly, MA. I picked out one of the photos still on my phone and tried out some filters till I found one I liked. (You can see the original version of this photo posted here on November 17, 2016.) After I chose the filter and applied it, I transferred the image back into my desktop computer, and cropped it to match the format of the original. Prisma has made some improvements, and apparently, they no longer slap a "Prisma" label in the lower right corner. Hooray!

Thursday, January 05, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 5, 2017)


This is a painting that I am just getting underway.  This is going to be a portrait of two people, in acrylics on canvas ( I 14 x 18 inches). I am working from a photo of this couple, riding a motorbike in Greece (wearing helmets and sunglasses).  Back in December, I worked on a pencil sketch as preparation, to learn the faces.  (The pencil sketch is posted here, December 14, 2016.)  Yesterday I jump-started the painted portrait by tracing the main lines of the pencil sketch onto the canvas. (I used graphite paper and put tape over the pencil tip so I wouldn't make in marks on the sketch.) This gave me just some very light marks on the canvas, pretty hard to see, but I could make out the position of the figures, the helmets, and the main facial features. So then I used pencil right on the canvas to make those marks easier to see.  Then I switched to paint, some neutral beige (brown and white) and started painting, starting by making the marks and lines on the canvas easier to see.  That was as far as I got yesterday.  This afternoon, I didn't have a lot of time, but I worked on this anyway. I already could see things I needed to fix.  (Portrait painting is all about making many mistakes and then correcting them.) So I mixed up some more neutral paint (brown, beige, and white) and made some of the changes.  Then I used the paint to indicate light and dark areas. I worked mostly from the original photo, but sometimes looking at the sketch too I only worked for about 40 minutes, but now I feel that I have made a start.

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Portrait of Us (Painting as of Jan. 4, 2017)


It is finally time to get this portrait started. I am painting a double portrait, working in acrylics on a 14 x 18 inch canvas. My reference is a vacation photo of the couple, riding a motorbike in Greece (wearing helmets and sunglasses).  Back in December, I worked on a pencil sketch as preparation, to learn the faces.  (The pencil sketch is posted here, December 14, 2016.)  I am pretty happy with the sketch, and had managed to work out placement issues and the position of the two helmets. The pencil sketch is about the same size as the canvas, so I decided to use it to jump start the painting. I put a big piece of graphite paper over the blank canvas, and then positioned the pencil sketch over it.  I then went over the main lines of the portrait, using a pencil with Scotch tape over the tip (so I wouldn't make marks on the sketch). When I was finished, I had some very light marks on the canvas. They were hard to see, but the position of the figures, helmets, and main features were pretty much there.  Then I did more drawing on the canvas with pencil, to make the lines and marks easier to see where I was.  Then I switched to some pale brown acrylic paint, and started painting over the marks. That was a much as I had time to do.  I think it helped to start this way, but even so, portrait painting is a struggle.  But I am looking forward to it, and happy to be getting underway.

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Bluebirds (Digital Drawing)


This digital drawing is the final frame of a little animation that I posted recently, "Happy New Year" spelled out by bluebirds in formation. I made this with the Brushes app on my iPad: as you draw, it records every stroke and the result is a little animation. So, here is the drawing, which is also the final frame of the video.  If you want to see the video, it is posted here on Jan. 1, 2017.

Monday, January 02, 2017

New Year's Flowers (Digital Drawing)


I recently posted an animation that I made for New Years, flowers blooming around a window.  I used the Brushes app on my iPad for this project: as you draw, it records every mark and the result is a little video. Anyway, here is the drawing, which is also the final frame of the video.  If you want to see the video, it is posted here on Dec. 31, 2016.

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Bluebirds


Unfortunately, I can't seem to posted it on Blogger, but I was able to post it on Flickr, so here is the link: 


Here's another little animation I created with the Brushes app on my iPad, which captures your drawing as you create it. It took a little too long for those birds to get organized.