3 Paintings, 1 Drawing, 1 Day

Title: Penitent Man

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For Figure Painting. Foreshortened head. I have now sculpted, drawn, and painted this guy. My school likes to use him as a model a lot.  This was difficult because began it on Friday and finished it today.  It had time to dry and become tacky in between so while working on it today it was really really hard to blend. I think it ended up nicely though. 

Title: On your Mark, Get Set

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 18 x 24

Inspiration: For Figure Painting. Foreshortened figure.  I really really like the way this guy turned out.  About 1/2 way through I turned him upside down and painted that way causing me to concentrate more on form and value rather then arms and legs.  I left my initial draw in marks because I think it gives is a nice sense of dynamic movement. 

Title: I Look Cute When I Do This

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 11 x 14

Inspiration: For Heads and Hands.  Working on painting in value.  It is much much harder then it looks.  I like using color better.  

Title: Kaylee

Medium: sanguine on paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: For Heads and Hands.  Final homework on Charcoal.  I think it turned out well.  I wish I had captured her smile a bit better.  I find the more I do these the quicker and easier they get.  Imagine that. 

Shawna's Aunt and Uncle

Title: Shawna's Aunt and Uncle

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 9x12

Inspiration: Over two years ago my friend Shawna asked me to do a portrait of her Aunt who has breast cancer.  I have been really afraid to work on/ finish this painting.  I was really intimidated so I brought it to an art class I signed up for so the instructor could give me some pointers and help me finish.  And that she did.  Lynn Gertenbach is amazing.  You should check out her work if you have time.  

It feels really good to be done with this.  I cant wait to show it to Shawna then varnish it and give it too her.    

 

Too see some in progress of this piece check out here and here. 

Blah I Hate It Blah

Title: Black Lady

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For Figure Painting. No inspiration.  We were told to copy this painting and that is what I tried to do.  I hate to copy especially when I dont know who the artist is that I am copying.  Blah!  Not everything can be a masterpiece I guess.

The Grand Tour

In my art history class I just learned about the Grand Tour (google it).  

I would love love love to go on one.  

My tour would include:

• England- London and Stonehenge
• France- Paris and the Countryside
• Italy- Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples, Sicily
• Greece- Athens and Crete
• Egypt- the Pyramids  

EDIT 2May2010 to add:

• Mesopotamia
• India
• Russia
• China
• Japan
• New Zealand

 

Black Man on Blue Paper

Title: Black Man on Blue Paper

Medium: Charcoal on Paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: For Heads and Hands.  Practice drawing people of a different ethnicity.  I think he looks good.  Oh and I LOVE drawing on colored paper. So much so that I dont think I will ever go back to plain white. 

"Before You Judge a Person, Walk a Mile in Their Shoes"

or in this case feet...?

Title: Sister's Feet

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For Figure Drawing.  From life-my sister modeled for me.  My first crack at feet. I was going for a childish unsure feeling in the positioning of the feet. I think it works yet I need more practice on the rendering.

  

Title: Foot

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 11 x 14

Inspiration: For Figure Painting.  My second try at feet.  Definitely improved.  Done from an image provided by class.  

EDIT

Title: Blue Hair

Medium: Mixed Media (Acrylic, Colored pencil, Charcoal, Sanguine, Pastel) on Illustration Board

Size: 15 x 20

Inspiration: So0o0 I woke up this morning and decided I want to change the angle of the nose to make it similar to the reference.  I also took a picture during the day so the colors look a little better. 

Blue Hair

Title: Blue Hair

Medium: Mixed Media (Acrylic, Colored pencil, Charcoal, Sanguine, Pastel) on Illustration Board

Size: 15 x 20

Inspiration: For Heads and Hands.  For some reason this week I really wanted to do a profile so I found this reference photo on DeviantArt.com.  I am very happy with this piece.  It was a fun nice process to complete.  I may to more mixed media portraits.  Below are some in progress shots. 

After the first wash of Yellow Ochre and Cad Yellow Light with a light wash of White added to the face and hair.  

The initial drawing.  Laying out the proportions in Sanguine and some Chocolate Brown.  

My I Lend You A Hand?

Title: Man Hands

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For Figure Painting.  Hands are not my strong point.  These are better then the first one I did which is posted below but I still need A LOT of practice.

Title: Fist

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 11 x 14

Inspiration: For Figure Painting.  Not proud of the at all.  It fought me the whole way. I wanted to cry when I was done.  It was not a good time painting. It is the first hand I did in oils. 

  

Another Portrait for Class

Title: Portrait of a Girl

Medium: Charcoal on Paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: For Heads and Hands.  I really feel like something has clicked.  My proportions arnt perfect but they are getting better and better every week as it my rendering. Practice makes perfect right? 

Adam and Newspaper

Title: Adam

Medium: oil on canvas

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For my figure painting class.  My second oil portrait. It is my husband. I have done many portraits of him and this was the first one that he actually cared about. It is also the first painting I have done of him. Usually he just lets me be but for this one he kept coming in and telling me I was making him look fat or that a line was off. It was weird to have him show so much interest. He hasnt seen it finished so I hope he likes it. I sure am proud of it. I feel like I really captured him lol. 

Title: Weekend News

Medium: Recycled Materials- Newspaper, Cardboard, Glittery Modge Podge

Size: approx 8in x 24in 

Inspiration: You could also call this "Pretty Trash". I joined a collage group on devaintART.com and wanted to do something so submit.  It was lightly inspired by this.  I may do another one like this maybe of just head lines...

On A Roll

Title: Bearded Man

Medium: oil on canvas

Size: 16 x 20

Inspiration: For my figure painting class.  My first oil portrait.  I am so so proud of this one.  When I do things like this I dont know where they come from.  Here is a work in progress shot:

I was totally on a roll today and also cranked out two more portraits for my Heads and Hands class.

Title: self 

Medium: Charcoal on paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: For Heads and Hand to practice drawing the differences between men and women.  My reference image was a self portrait photo I took for my digital photography class. 

Title: Mr. Hunky 

Medium: Sanguine on paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: For Heads and Hand to practice drawing the differences between men and women. Reference from Katanaz-Stock 

Facial Features

 

Title: Facial Features 

Medium: oil on canvas board

Size: 11 x 14 (4)

Inspiration: Practice for figure painting.  These were pretty fun to do.  I think they all turned out well.  I am excited to use what I have learned on a full portrait. 

Heads and Hands

Title: Lady

Medium: Sanguine pencil on paper

Size: 12 x 18

Inspiration: I have also been taking a Heads and Hands drawing class this semester but I haven't been proud of anything enough to post it.  I like this one.  I tried something different with this one.  Instead of beginning with lines I just started blocking in the forms.  It seems this technique works well for me.  

Painting I Want To Do

- Complete the PCH series: Sunrise and Sunset
     View this post for more info on this series 
- Complete the Cherries painting I began 3 years ago and do the companion painting Life's the Pits
     I have had this idea for a few years now.  It is based off of a photo taken on my wedding day of a bowl of cherries.  It is of large size.  I want to do a smaller painting of cherry pits 
- Complete the Peacock painting
     I just want to get this one finished.  To see where it is now click here. 
- Paint my kitty Indigo
     I have a bunch of great reference photos of my kitty and I really really want to turn one of them into a painting
- Paint the Winter Doves
     Around Christmas I took a cool picture of two doves sitting on a branch at my mom's house and I would like to paint them. 
- Paint the still life Hydrangeas and Coasters
     I was going through my husband's camera the other day and found some really cool reference photos I took awhile ago and I want to paint one of them like large scale. 


So much to paint so little time! 

More Figure Paintings

Title: Modern Day Thinking Man

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size:18 x 24

Inspitarion: For my figure painting class.  First clothed figure painting.  I think it looks pretty good.  I still have issues painting itty bitty faces.  This week we start portraits so those should be fun

Title: Man

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size:18 x 24

Inspitarion: For my figure painting class.  I actually really like this piece.  It really easily flowed.  I didnt have to fight with it to make it look good.  I wanted to do a really interesting background but I didnt want to mess it up.    

Master Copy Completed and NEW Website!

Title: The Source Ingres Master Copy

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size:16 x 20

Inspitarion: For my figure painting class we have to do a figurative master copy using a limited color palette. This is the finished product.  The face was the most difficult part and I really dont like it so I think I will be repainting it after I get some feedback from the instructor.  

In other news, my new website is now up and running www.heartmelinda.com !!! Some areas are still under construction but overall I am pretty proud of it.  I have my own domain name now and everything1

Copying a Master

For my figure painting class we have to do a figurative master copy using a limited color palette.   I chose The Source by Ingres.  

Here are my works in progress for this piece.

Week 1

Week 2

Butterface

I like every part of this painting but her face.  

Title: Female Figure on an Office Chair

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 16x20

Inspiration: Exercise done for my Figure Painting class.  We had to begin this figure by breaking it down into 5 values and then we had to blend those values together.  This was a odd way to paint but I like the outcome. Below is the 5 value breakdown that I did.  Kind of like a paint by number.  Kind of. 

 

And We Are Back 2 School!

Back to school= less personal projects and lots more school assignments.  

This week I am doing 3 figure paintings, and a planar head drawing.  

Below is the first assignment I completed.  

Title: Male Figure Lights and Darks

Medium: Oil on Canvas Board

Size: 16x20
Inspiration: Exercise done for my Figure Painting class. 


And here is the second assignment I completed.

Title: Female Figure Seated 

Medium: Oil on Canvas Board

Size: 16x20

Inspiration: Exercise done for my Figure Painting class. 


And here is the third.

Title: Female Figure Standing

Medium: Oil on Canvas Board

Size: 16x20

Inspiration: Exercise done for my Figure Painting class. 

It has been quite a productive painting day for me :)