As the nights really do start to draw in, I can feel my usual response of needing to bake, or knit or read,or draw or paint all of it in the warmth of a cosy cottage and not needing so much the tennis or walking that I am supposed to keep going.
Anyway, I did get into the studio yesterday and worked on the portrait. I almost don't want to show it in its current state as I am not pleased with the work at the moment. However, I always find the mistakes as useful in the long run as the successes, so will briefly talk through what I tried to do and why I think it went wrong. Hopefully, my next blog will show an improvement.... I wanted to blend the tones on the skin more gently so I re-worked most of the face with a lighter mix of raw sienna, white and cadmium yellow with the tiniest touch of red. I left the nose alone as I was feeling OK about that, and also the highlighted forehead. The result is too bland and does not show the shadows enough. I did then try a little shadowing at the side of the face which is in the original image but it looks like he has a smudge of dirt on his face. When I go back to it, I think I need to add the darks more confidently. Watch this space for whether I succeed. Any ideas or comments, gratefully received, by the way. I compounded the problem by using payne's grey to outline the eyes and define the mouth and smile lines so that an almost cartoonish look is now there, drat it.. I cheered myself up with a bit of work on my cards, also shown here. Happy Hollowe'en!
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Can't believe it is ten days since last post. Time flying etc... Anyway, life first. All well with new life in that Toby thrives and parents dealing well with challenges. I enjoyed Private Eye Dumb Britain where question is : Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of which political party? The answer is : Conservatives. Well some way to go there then. Also good meal least evening with good friends providing new material for Facebook page - all good. Only cloud on the horizon is the tax bill at end of January - keep saving!
Painting I have been continuing to work on the portrait and have finished the pieces for the local art club to choose from for their Hornsea exhibition. Thoroughly enjoying both. I am also trying to do the ten minute drawing a day activity which I will share despite it not being v good to date. Portrait. I have worked on the forehead tones and am pleased with the highlighted area. I used the method described earlier of building up tones from lightest to darkest and then adding the highlights. I also like the nose which is beginning to look right. Here I just keep looking at the original image and concentrating on where the light falls. Much else is still to be improved on the tonal quality of the face. I have begun to work on eyes and T shirt and background, all just really colouring in which I admit to really enjoying. Work for art club The finished products are evident below; hopefully one will be acceptable. The photography piece is inspired by the Hockney collages. The painting is my first attempt to use glazing (which I am currently really into) and the middle piece is just playing with the original image. Having had a momentous couple of weeks away while my daughter gave birth to her first child, Toby, it feels good to be back in the studio. I have completed another stage of my portrait. As you can see in the image below, there is more work to be done on the facial skin tones and I can see that the one cheek line is wrong. However, I am pleased to have started on the eyes and mouth and can begin to see how they might work out, fingers crossed. I have used a simple colouring in for the eyes at the moment combined with an outline in raw sienna to help with definition. The mouth is again a block colour with stronger definition used for the middle and the lines on the face caused by the smile. I will keep working on these features, the skin tone and the hair over the next couple of days. I am also working on a picture for my art club. We each had to consider a square on the map of Hornsea and produce an image of that area. I am working on two ideas, one with photos creating a panorama up, down and around and one of a paining of the 'ditch' or beck to use a more romantic title. It is not a picturesque area but I love the greens and tones that the photo shows. Welcome to October. Enjoyed coffee in sun on my deck outside the studio - may not be many of those times left this year. Tant pis. I am waiting for my daughter to give birth and feeling lazy so I have been doing my constant relaxation technique of watercolour cards based on ideas from Pinterest and other sources and not doing the portrait which is looking accusingly at me this morning.
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Jane Limousin
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