Values study

No class yesterday (President's Day) so our assignment was to set up something in our own studio, light it, paint from life. Keep it real. But just use tone; still no color. Well, I just had to work in a teeeeeensy bit of color to the lemons and grapefruit and lime! I got done with it and it didn't have enough contrast, overall... so I wiped off some the the paint that had gotten kind of thick and gooey, to lighten some areas. Now I like it even less. Oh well, now this painting doesn't exist! (Only one that looks a lot like it.) If I cared, I'd work on it more tomorrow, but it will probably get tossed on the heap, when it's dry. That's what "assignments" are for, right?!

Ahhhh, summer!

Out in the studio, working from a photograph taken several years ago, out at Cannon Beach. This is a very quick painting (less than two hours), and I have a bit to do on people's legs at the top, and complete their reflections a bit. I won't take this too far, so I don't overwork it. Oh, I have some refinements to make in the little girl's form, she looks more mature here than she actually was. (Hm, what's causing that? I'll have to review children's proportions.) I was inspired to do this one by looking at Sorolla's work. Holy cow... I love Sorolla! How can it be I'd never even heard of him before now??!! This recalls his work in the environs of Valencia. Except--lucky him!--he was working "direct", outdoors.
(Commenced February 15, 2011)

First painting of "painting" class!

OK, we've started painting in this painting class now! No color; tonal values only. We were to premix the darkest value, put white on the other end, create 4-5 intermediate values--not arbitrary values, but those that we see in the model. Well, of course I ended up combining some of what I'd pre-mixed to get a more accurate tonal range. It seems crazy, but it's a challenge for me, figuring out what tone any given color is. Maybe, with time, I'll be able to hit it ("see" it) accurately to begin with. With this one, Aimee gave mostly pointers, but her hand was in the underside of his nose, a little bit... geesh, noses! (In fairness to her, I must point out that what you see here isn't her work... I just got frustrated with the dang thing, and it still doesn't look right! What a stupid looking nostril!! I may have to go back into this one and fix it!) Also, I see too much drawing in this--I need smoother transitions in the form shadow, like at his jaw line.
(February 14, 2011)

Drawing 4 in "painting" class

Still class #3, this was a longer pose. Aimee refined the nose of this one quite a bit (dang! I still have trouble with noses), and as you can see, there was a difference of opinion about the chin. The model had a long face--I was fine with where I'd placed the chin (even tho' it is not idealistic beauty), but the markings show what Aimee was seeing. Time ran out, so no verdict on the matter and I made no correction. Definitely progress here... or am I channeling some Renaissance past life?! (She looks kind of Madonna-ish from this angle!) Or maybe it's the charcoal medium, that always looks so old world.
(February 7, 2011)

Drawing Three in "painting" class

This is the first drawing in class #3; a short pose. This is all me (Aimee didn't touch this one). No time to finish, but things are basically in the right place. Yea me!
(February 7, 2011)

Drawing Class Two

Second drawing in Aimee's class. She had a hand in this... refinements of nose, slimming down right side of face, and slight adjustment to neck (raised it, where beads meet shirt on left). Still, I think I'm "seeing" better than last year. Progress!
(Class was January 31, 2011.)