Jeremy's King... 10"x 6" gouache

My son Jeremy's King salmon...or 

chinook

photo ref taken at night, obviously

and made for some intriguing color

and rendering...

If interested in seeing five stages
of development from start to 
finish in a three second interval
animation, take this link-
Jeremy's King...

Jason suggested I should show a
photo of myself holding a couple of
these smaller gouache pieces to
give more a visual on their size.

I guess they must be smaller than
I myself think of them, but I know
what he's saying...forgive the look,
but just lounging around the house
watching the last day of Olympics,
and you can tell by the eyes, in 
need of a bit more sleep...

Finished...Jason... 9"x 6" gouache

 

Fun piece...what can I say.  I know so many

very fine artists have painted my son, and

hope I did some justice here myself

Jason, is very well known in the illustration 

and high end caricature world...winner of 

numerous & deservingawards.  If you are 

not familiar with Jason'swork...you've got 

to vist his blog!!!  Follow this link-

Funny Because its True!!

Here is a closeup of the tattoos...and wow,

that was some work!!

 

Finished tonight...Tim & Connie...gouache, 8"x 8"

Might have a touch here and there as I look
at this, but tired..and need to get off to bed...
Done for now...

First attempt doing a portrait using gouache, friends Tim & Connie...8"x 8"

Gearing up to build an itinerary for some possible 

online teaching offerings & opportunity, and my son 

Jason advised I demonstrate my principles apply to 

painting in general, not just my preference for painting

the landscape or outdoor subject.  So, thought I'd do a 

few portraits perhaps.  Of course anyone familiar with

my blog knows my painting interest revolves around

a fascination for light...and thus many subjects, though

my sense of celebration when painting comes from

painting outdoors.

This is my first attempt using gouache to paint
portraits...which I think I'll find interesting.

Started this one tonight of our friends Tim and Connie
...8"x 8" in size.

Began with mixing up a grayish neutral using casein
then proceeding over the top of that.  So, a beginning
here.  You can see the block-in of Connie starts with
shadows and light revealing the planes of the face,
and this is how Tim began...as well, so you see
something of where it starts...and where it goes.

I did not begin with a drawing, but just squinted my
eyes and seeing shapes, values, color...and start
right in painting.

Here a closeup of Tim's face thus far-

...by the way, in case of curiosity...no black pigment
was used.  My dark here is mixed using Prussian blue,
Alizarin Crimson, and a touch of Ice blue...(all Holbein)

Study of Scraping back...oil of my grand daughter Isabeau

Playing a bit more with some techniques of the
masters, Manet, Cassatt, and Sargent...where
often sessions of painting the face were scraped
back, often frustrating the sitter for posing for
lengths of time seeing the artist literally scrape
the portrait off.

Thing is...each time scraped back, a ghost of a
film of paint is left from that session. The
result of several scrape backs...or more, is that
a particular quality is built up that more ideally
suited the representation of the flesh appearance
these master painters wanted. I'm playing with
this idea to see what that practice might lead to.

What will be most difficult for me is my ability
to paint quickly in an alla prima style, meaning
I would incline to some impatience waiting for
something I believe I have the skill to just paint'
right away. That is not to say I couldn't work on
other work while this one is going thru this
process. So, if you are following along on this
one, take up a seat.

This is my grand daughter, Isabeau, or whom we
affectionately call "Beau"...so cute, the older of
two little girls now that my son Jason and his
wife Kat have-

She is five now...this picture she was probably
four years of age...






















Mary Cassatt was a master of painting women and
children...and this one is a lovely example...























Here was my initial sketch placing a few gestural
charcoal vine stick marks to place the portrait-






















My son Jason and I were chatting a bit, his really
fine work and the fine work of many master painters
relying on drafting a good accurate drawing, or a
"mock" onto the canvas, panel...and then paint layers
built up into that. I certainly agree many masters
worked that way.

Many masters also as teachers taught that the danger
is painting up to the lines leaving a stiff image that
comes off feeling filled in. The secret being to paint
thru the lines, not up to them, blending into the
background.

I am one comfortable with many years of drawing as
a foundation, tending to feel that drawing is drawing
with a whole other tactile feel, and that painting is
painting. The idea being to see in terms of spatial
relationships, masses...value and color. Its not that one
way is right over the other, but suits different
personalities and working methods one develops.

Publish Post

You see that I did begin with some charcoal vine marks
above, other times I simply use turps and a hog bristle
round and sketch a few gestural marks. Still, using the
midvalue flesh tone block-in that Sargent demonstrated
you see that any drafting of a drawing is consumed by
the paint-






















Tomorrow back in my art room, I'll scrape this paint
block-in down...then repaint, and work darker and
lighter values in. I'll plan on scraping that back
as well, and we'll just see how this one progresses.

Should be interesting and instructive for myself as
well as anyone else.

Framed...Tim's Monster Whitetail

Wow...that was fast, my frame arrived shipped today,
and this should give some idea just how much a frame
can add to the look of a painting. Frames and putting
them on paintings is a bit like experiencing Christmas
for an artist! How fun...

Think I'm Close...er, Got it!

With the reference photo I have, I believe I have
improved the painting from the original, and am
closer. I don't know if its my nature to not be
110% satisfied, or believing I could yet do better.

I remember John Singer Sargent summing up portraiture
as "A painting where something is wrong with the
mouth!"

Sargent was a master portraitist during the time of
the Impressionists and friends with many of them.
When he was at the top of his game and had become
financially independent from portraiture, he walked
away from it to paint landscapes and watercolors...

It was a challenge I think, and I believe I was
faithful to live up to the challenge, scraping and
repainting the face twice. The trick with painting
painterly, is you can smooth and blend your way into
a lot of detail and refined rendering with oils, but
where you aim to let a brushstroke suggest detail
there can be no frivolous meaningless brushstrokes.
Each one is critical to the believability of the
painting.

Here are some closeups to my rebuilding this face
from the scraped off board, and actually what is
interesting is that scraping leaves a stain of what
you originally painted, and becomes something like a
template to follow or adjust.


I begin working the right side, or Tim's left eye,
squinting my eyes and determining the plane of the
face receiving a higher key light, plus areas of the
midrange values, some darks for the eye...























Having established the right side, I have my levels and
target to work in the other eye-






















All that is left is refining the perimeters of the face,
ear, hat...and repaint the sky behind to anchor everything
back into place..






















As usual...clicking on images themselves brings up a much
larger nicer view to study..

Sometimes it hurts...but,

Well...I've never been completely fully happy
with my likeness of Tim. Pretty close considering
my reference was a 72dpi pixelated image from an
online site. I am very happy I was able to get
a couple decent photos from Tim's younger
daughter Micheala...and scanned it in at 600dpi...

I know Sargent was known frequently to be dissatisfied
with the progress of his painted faces, and would
routinely scrape them off.

Being that this is oil...I cannot really make the
changes with paint layered and yet in somewhat a
wet state, so...scrape it off I did. I'll post what
I paint to fix this..

Nipped 'er in the Bud tonight...not long to a finish!

Well...deepening values, textures, grasses and
background, the deer...well, all over. Really got
a bite out of what's left on this one tonight I
think...

More and more like Tim each session...

Not a lot of time to spend on this painting
tonight...but its gett'n better and more like
Tim now...






















...its a challenge, as my reference is an online 72dpi
image, and quite pixelated.

Bit more work...Tim's face & buck's head...

Cold and snowy outside, perfect day for slackin' off
and painting in-studio.

Brought the face a bit further now, and it is a
challenge since the reference image I'm using is a
meger 72dpi online image...but, its fun to call up
the years of experience, cut yourself little slack and
say "how 'bout it, huh?"

Bottom line...I'm having fun!


Here a closeup...

















Click on the image, especially the closeup..and see how
I treat the face like I paint a landscape. I purpose to
forget the idea that this is an eye, this a nose, this a
mouth. I believe the artist is free from such by the
ability to recognize shapes, color, texture, line and so
forth.

Thus...my manner similar to painting outdoors, is to squint
my eyes and observe the shape of a color note, its value
and then to mix it...put it down and leave it. The viewer
then has the burden to stand in an ideal distance, or at
least some distance away from the work where it all comes
together and mixes in the eye. To me, to pull that off is
most fun...

Here...let's pretend for a moment now that we have backed
up, and see this one from a bit farther back...




















After the second session, I am not yet where I want to
be on this one to have captured the likeness, but I am
confident of being much closer and as the paint tacks
up should nail it I think next time I work on the
portrait. Now...back to the deer!

Here's work on the buck's head today...

Tims Monster Whitetail... 18"x 24" oil painting session1

Started a new one tonight following my teaching day,
this one for a relation, and from the moment I saw the
photo it had "paint me!" all over it. I knew it would
be fun.

Here is the first session then...blocking in with my
typical limited palette...

A closeup of the buck's head...for brushwork in my
block-in process...all very quick...

















As a side note to my day teaching, I have a beginner's
high school painting class this quarter and every so
often I get a student that regardless of demos on my
own work are paralyzed with fear of starting.

As a rule, I prefer not to paint on student's work, but
by their own admission sometimes they learn more if they
can watch. When I do...they fear what is often the case
in that I'll wipe off everything I did!!!

Today...I had just one of those students. A plate full
of paint heading toward the sink by period's end if not
to be found on his board. I finally had one of those
moments and asked if he should like help? After telling
me of his fear to start...I ignored his brushes, used my
fingers and hand and began to smear the block in of this
old abandoned vehicle sitting in a grassy field...

Here's that painting...and what you see has no more than
about three minutes time...leaving his mouth and jaw
dropped, others stopped to come and watch...most in
disbelief and yet I could tell with some awe. My comment
over and over was..."NO FEAR!!! Its just paint...so, NO
FEAR!!!"



















Here was the young man's reference photo...



















Well...now he has a start to work on!!!

Take 'Em Boys! Finished...16"x 24" oil Bluebill waterfowling

Well...I believe after tonight's session I have completed
this one. I'll let it sit a few days or a week and see
how it rubs on me.

Funny after so many years of painting now, instead of a
feeling of relief a work gets finished, my feeling is like
"Aaahh...dang. Now what?" and I start getting the itch
right away to put another idea together for another work
to paint.

(Click on image to see much larger view)

More work on Mike tonight..."Take 'Em Boys!" bluebills

As the title says, spent a bit more time tonight
working on Mike's head, glove and sleeve and the
shotgun...and using the limited palette as I do
I think confidence comes to make most of what colors
you have on your palette. To paint bold, and I'm
learning I think more and more to add strokes of
color and watch them mix in the eye sitting as they
do on the painting. Here's progress and closeups,
and clicking on the images brings up larger views.

Mike and Tonio... waterfowling oil painting 14"x 18"

A bit more work to finish, but very close...from a photo
I took hunting with friends on the bay of Green Bay a couple
weekends ago. Mike here, with his chessy female, Tonio...
and what a pretty dog she is. A great companion we enjoyed
for the weekend.

My method was to first paint an underpainting in warms, which
I have allowed to show thru in various places of the near
finished work. This causes a nice harmony that pulls all the
color and busyness together to feel as a cohesive whole, and
assures that everything is not shouting.



















The fun was applying the alla prima process I use painting
outdoors, that is...a "brushstroke laid is a brushstroke
stayed"...and painting this from a reference, using my time and
experience outdoors painting to addlib the painting to feel
as I believe it would outdoors. Not like a copied photograph.

I'll share a couple closeups so you can see the laid brushwork
and color notes which paints the face for example, as if it
were a landscape itself with its unique and interesting planes.







































After the paint dries...I intend to do a few adjustments
on Mike's face, around the eyes and mouth. Ironically,
master artist John Singer Sargent used to refer to portraits
as paintings where something is wrong with the mouth! haaa

Note...clicking on images brings up much larger view for
closer inspection...

Jason in Ireland -oil painting...finished

Well...believe I solved the eye issue, and am pretty happy
with this piece now. Enough to call it done!

Particular of intrigue for me in finishing tweaks was
sparking strong accent marks such as the red in the ears,
the greens that align various shadows and so forth. Seen
up close you would think such might not work...but from a
few steps back they work to help really feel the light,
the energy light brings to color and the moment. The color
accents serve also in causing the viewing eye to move about
the face more.

This is the kind of thing that comes to bring the painter
a smile, perhaps even inspite of themselves, and something
I think John Sargent might have done and smiled about.

Here is a closeup...and, if you click on the image you'll
see a much larger view!

Jason in Ireland...continued

Well...worked a bit more on the face, not happy yet
being still some adjustments needed to get the eyes
just right, eyebrows and such...


Interestingly, the copal medium I use is tacking up
a bit quick this batch. I'm needing to add more to
keep the paint workable thru the painting sessions.
However...it was cause for me to ponder that perhaps
Rembrandt must have used a resin medium that tacked
up quick, for the brushwork I'm finding is having
that drag appearance in building up I observed in
his works. Not saying I'm a Rembrandt by any means,
ssheesh...one could only wish!

Here is a closeup,and if you click on the image you'll
see more of what I'm saying...















I'm just concerned that by the time I get the adjustments
I want, I'll have quite a build up, but then that too
might suggest somethings about Rembrandt's paint surface
when seen up close. Only, he sealed each paint session
layer that dried with a medium something like copal and
no doubt painted into it.

I just don't want an overworked result that loses the
spontaneity I aim for in my work. We'll see how it goes!

Jason in Ireland...second phase, starting color 12"x 24" oil

Some might wonder, okay...why go thru all the bother of
a monotonish Zorn palette painting, to then paint over?

Well...a photograph may work for reasons photographs are
recognized as fine photographs, but paintings work for
reasons paintings work, and paintings work because of an
environment the artist establishes that possesses color
harmonies, color rhythm or notation...and so forth.

The warmer undertone I knew would lay a foundation for
cooler color painted to strike color vibration or excite-
ment. Something Edgar Payne wrote and spoke often about
and insisted all good paintings must have.

Secondly...the undertone will come thru the painting,
even where hinted...and pull all the parts (background,
midground and foreground) together as one working co-hesive
whole. It serves to unify...

This painting is no where yet finished, but I got a big
jump on it today, and seemed to nearly paint itself with
over the underpainting.

Here is a closeup...
















Hope to finish it soon...

My Son, Jason...with Ireland Backdrop... 12"x 24" oil

Decided it might be fun to mess around with some ideas
using a Zorn palette block-in...painted from first
colorizing then blurring the original image...

This will then be the underpainting, then my regular
limited palette of color to paint over the top. The
warmer undertone should work to create some nice
working harmonies when the painting is finished.

So this is a bit of an experiment, as I believe the
majority of my paintings the past few years have been.

Here is my reference image to start, (borrowed from
Jason's blog) -















Here is my Zorn palette laid out, mixed from my
limited palette colors. Zorn's palette was black,
red, yellow-ocre and white-















Here is my effort today, painted actually with little
breaks here and there...and a bit following my teaching
day-













Closeup-
















and here is the reference I will use for the finishing
paint work-
















I wasn't majorly concerned at this stage for an exact
likeness...but basically the shapes, the values and color
that have formed a foundation for me to paint over.

Profile...Anishabe- Native American- Klondike Days... 10"x 8" oil

Experimented a bit this afternoon...wanting something
a bit more classic...or old school. In fact, this is probably
in keeping with earlier forms of oil sketch portraits and
I used a Zorn palette. I did it in two stages, and use of
Garrett's copal allowed me to go from the monochroma
stage into the final color...as the paint sets up quick, yet
all painted in about a two hour time frame...

I could have left it at the monochrome stage, and it
would have been lovely enough I think...

10"x 8" oil

























After finishing the monochroma stage, I mixed up some
flesh tones...again sticking with the Zorn palette...and
then painted these colors directly into the tacky yet
somewhat wet first stage. The aim to maintain control
and not over color...

























Enjoy a short step by step video of this painting start
to finish!




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