Hello everyone. I have been on a break from my artwork for a couple of weeks. Got back into it today, and completed a piece I had been working on before my break. This is from my other class. 16"x20" oil on canvas.
Process was interesting. Used 8 brush strokes to lay-in background glaze. Subtracted out the drawing. Layed in midtones and made corrections to proportions. Then the final touches. Posting the transformations here.
Lenet
Hi Lenet. Missed seeing you here. So glad you posted the progression of your painting. I never would have guessed where this was going. Really like the final result.
Two questions. Are you living in your new home? Did you have any problems with the bad weather in Texas?
Terri Robichon
Hello Terri @robichon , thank you for your comments. This is getting to be more fun with each new technique learned.
We have not fully moved yet. I still have some things to finish up before we move. Also, my wife has some serious health issues, so sge is trying to take care of as much as possible before gaving to switch Dr.'s.
We had lots of rain, both places but nothing too serious where we are, but areas close by here in Texas got it much worse than we did. Mostly flooding in the adjacent towns.
Thanks,
Lenet
Lenet, I love your portrait and that you showed the progression. I haven’t yet tried oils and probably won’t. I did the dog in water mixable oils and might give those another try at some point.
We, here in Huntsville, are one of those towns/areas that got a ton of rain - over 20 inches in 7 days. Half of our yearly total. It’s a real mess around here, but no flooding for us. I’m just worried about the saturated ground and the old growth pine forest we live in. Hope those trees stay upright! Other folks along the rivers and lakes have had 3 to 4 feet of water in their homes. Roads are washed out and in bad need of repair.
Good luck with your move and with your wife’s health issues. It’s never fun to change physicians, but especially when you aren’t well. We have just gone through that ourselves, and we didn’t even move. A corporate entity bought the clinic we went to, and they don’t honor anything but their own medicare plan. Ugh
Brenda
Thanks, @Brenda . This was a scary process. I didn’t have enough confidence to just go class by class but previewed the whole process before I put paint on canvas. But, I learned another technique. I am learning to trust the processes. Also learned that making cirrections is not as fearful as I thought it would be. If you look carefully, the facial proportions were slightly modified in each of the last 3 progressions. But I guess if you look at this, you can understand why it was called a “Monster Portrait”.
Hope you all recover well and pine trees stay upright.
Thanks,
Lenet
Lenet, I actually really like the way it progressed and changed until it was a softened, well-done portrait! I am so lacking in confidence, but I’m working on it!
Brenda
Hi Lenet.
Thanks for the update. Sounds like you’re juggling a few balls. Wishing you and your wife well as you continue to transition to your new home.
Terri
@Brenda it just takes practice and repetition. This is only my 3rd oil painting. It is still nerve-racking, however, I’m thinking of these as learning progressions not trying for the masterpiece (yet). Even the small wins are wins; learning a new technique, making a better series of strokes, mixing a better color, etc. They each help build my confidence.
Lenet
Hi Lenet and Brenda. @lenetg137, @Brenda
Isn’t it amazing at this stage of our lives that we open ourselves up to learning new things that are difficult. We have all accepted the fact that we will do our best, and even if we don’t succeed as we had hoped, we learn something along the way and continue to keep trying.
These struggles are important and I hope I never lose this desire to learn.
Brenda, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that your family makes it thru this wet weather and that there is no property damage of any kind now or in the future. I live on property with a lot of tall old growth trees. In the past we’ve had storms that took down 35 huge trees at one time. Thankful our house was not damaged and we were able to hire skilled people to do the cleanup. But still it was costly and stressful.
And now I think it’s time to get some sleep. Bye for now,
Terri Robichon
Lenet, thanks for sharing. This really shows your thought process from start to end, great job. I’m not an oil painter but I certainly do appreciate the art. The hair really sets the entire painting off. Thanks again for posting this, Ron
Hello Ron @rleeelliott , I appreciate the comments. The oil painting is new to me. I have only done 3. All 3 used different techniques. I feel that there all several people here that don’t have a lot of oil painting exposure. For me, there was a fear of not understanding the many different methods of creating an oil painting. Now that I am learning some of these, I thought others would appreciate some of the insights I am learning. I find the process fascinating and thought others would appreciate it even if they don’t paint with oils.
Lenet
Lenet, thanks for the reply. That is a nice result for only having only done three. I enjoy seeing all your posts you are a real good talent. I’m an old man (77) been dabbling in many forms of art since childhood drawing cartoons. My faculties are fading in these later years but I love art and will continue to do so until I can no longer do it. My problem is I spent many years on a drafting table and auto cad (mechanical engineering) where everything had to be perfect, where a mistake could cost big $$$. I just cannot break those habits and get loose with my art. Lately I’ve been studying a lot of Japanese dip pen India ink art on wet paper, I love this style and I’m bound and determined to get the hang of it, maybe one day I will. Watercolor, graphite, pastel, and ink are my favorites and I’m just to old to move on to oil from there. You know the old saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” an I’m an old dog. Thanks again keep up the good work, Ron
@rleeelliott , I totally understand the difficulties in getting loose, as I have similar hang ups being an architect. It is really hard for me to move into more loose and abstract type art. The way things are headed, the abstract stuff is coming soon. Part of my feedback on this painting was to let my brushstrokes show more and don’t blend as much. They coaches were looking for more visual color mixing by laying complementary colors next to each other. I guess I did some of that, but was more worried with working with adjusting proportions. Trying to make my natural instinct of producing more representational art change to a looser method is a real struggle. This especially true as I am also trying to get the feel of how the oil and different mediums are supposed to work as well. I too will just keep plugging along and see what happens over the next year.
I’ll keep posting for those interested.
Switched gears today. 1/2 way done with a charcoal still life. I am actually finding the charcoal a bit challenging as well. However, I got the 1st half done in the 2 hour suggested time frame. Lights and midtones are blocked in. Darks are next. Doing this one trying a golden ratio composition on 18"Ă—11 3/8" drawing area. Stay tuned.
Lenet
Lenet, thank you for sharing the progression of this piece. Praying for healing for your wife & for the doctors.
Jim
Great Job. Love it very much
Wow. Thank you for sharing this process! I don’t plan to ever do oils but love to see others work in them.
I have missed your posts
Thank you, @Denise .
Thank you, @junenez . I am back and will be posting more regular again.
Lenet
As you can tell I am playing catch-up here myself.
Your portrait turned out real nice, like Terri (w 2 r’s) I like seeing the progress of your work. I’m still working on the zebra, slow and steady.
Miss seeing you at the live lesson. I may not chat but watch who is there!!
Teri
Thanks, Teri @TLP . Things are a little crazy currently. I may miss the live lessons but generally go back and watch even if I don’t do some of the lessons at the time.
Lenet
