Sometimes I can't figure myself out. I was making great progress on the face and feeling really good about it. But it has taken all my will power to get myself back to the canvas. Perhaps I was afraid I would mess it up. I don't know. But man, I have been fighting myself today. I finally did it though, and I think he looks quite handsome. I'm checking in with "Dad" to get his opinion before I go any further on it. But for now, I think he's looking pretty handsome.
Painting Private Ryan
It will become obvious as I paint the uniform that Ryan is not a Private. He is, however, a pretty private person. His dad, who commissioned the piece, is also a quiet and unassuming person. It's an honor to be asked to create an heirloom for their family. When I finished this session I didn't feel like I'd made much progress, but when I came back to it, I could see Ryan beginning to emerge. I have to say that I really enjoy what I do.
Mud On His Face
After applying the color to the various areas blended and softened them. This is the beginning of the layering process. It's a little tricky because if I leave it for too long and the paint dries, then I basically have to repaint everything. If I can get back to the canvas soon enough, however, the paint will still be wet and I can add more colors and layers and move the paint around and manipulate it. He's not looking so great today, but at least he's got a face, right?
Hat's Off
Well, I'm off and running with the hat at least. It still needs more work, but I'll need to find a better reference before I can finish it. His face is finding it's shape as well. It's slow going, but at least there's progress. It's amazing how being emotionally attached to the subject can make it so difficult to be objective about something even so detached as painting the figure. It's simply hard to look at what is really there. The human being is such an emotional creature. Our feelings, experiences and perceptions effect everything we do and every decision we make. It's not always for the best, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Time is Ticking
My art show is two weeks away and I'm stressing! I suppose that's not too out of the ordinary. I had hoped to finish both Safe and Tender, but at this rate I'll be lucky to get this one done. She is looking better today though. I think tomorrow I'll move back to her hair and see what that does to her face before I finish her up. Where is the snooze button on life?
Let's Face It
Sometimes we're faced with truths that are hard to accept. Other times, we realize something that is actually pleasant. I've been pushing myself to get this series done in a short amount of time because I've been invited to show my work at the Bay City Arts Center in December and I wanted a body of new work. It's amazing how exhausting it is to be creative under a deadline. At the same time, when things shape up nicely like her face did today, it is also amazing to realize how much I love it.
Soft Sleeper
She's getting close. Lots of layering. She seems to be sleeping peacefully, but there are areas that need some more work. This is the stage that can go either way. I have had painting sessions where there is just one little thing that needs to be done and I can't get it to save me. Other times I feel like there is so much to do and it comes together so quickly that I can't believe it. So we'll let her get some rest and see what tomorrow brings...
Paint By Number
I had a friend ask what my process looks like. I was thinking that I was sharing that since I post at each stopping point along the way. But today I realized that I've only been sharing the stopping points, and not the points in between. So here is what I call the paint-by-number stage. I spent years watching Bob Ross paint happy little trees that just magically appeared on the canvas. When I started painting I thought it would be like that. While I still have fond memories of watching those happy little trees, there is a big disservice to the art business in those shows. It just doesn't happen like that. I could spend an entire post explain all the reasons why, but I'll move on. Every artist has their own approach. For me, I find the lights and the darks and lay them in all around the figure. Sometimes it's only in a single area, like the lips. Other times it's a bigger area like here, the entire face. And then I blend it to a soft stage like this...
And then I do it again and again. I call this layering. Each time I repeat the process I see lights I didn't see before. I see darks that are darker. I see shapes that are not quite right. So I paint by number again and soften again until suddenly, there she is. So tune in again tomorrow and we'll see if we got there!
Sleeping Softly
I didn't have nearly as much time to paint today as I'd hoped. But I did get some good flesh tones started and I feel like the placement is right. She may or may not wake up before the painting is through, but for now, she is sleeping softly and waiting for more definition tomorrow. I have to say this painting makes me so sleepy!
Facing the Facts
I loved how her face looked when I blocked in the under layer. I didn't want to mess that up, but I also knew I needed more detail. It's definitely not finished, but her face is developing. As I watched each of my children grow I noticed how their cute little chubby faces had to go through a transitional stage during their pre-teens before it got to the older, handsomer, and prettier stage. I'm sure we've all seen those "awkward years" photos. How embarrassing! It seems that life is like that. When we first enter into a relationship, or a job, or a hobby, or an activity, it goes so smoothly at first. Everything is cute and fun and exciting. Then there's an awkward stage when you wonder what happened to all that cuteness and you wonder if it's worth it. And finally, if you see it through, you come out mature, well sculpted, and even more beautiful that when you began. Here's hoping we make it through that awkward stage.
Getting Your Feet Wet
My little beach boy finally got his feet wet. This was a fun day of painting. I love how the shorts came out. I love painting fabric. It was as amazing this time as the first time I painted fabric. It took just three strokes of bright red and he had folds in his shorts that defined what his legs were doing. Crazy how that happens. When I learned that painting flesh was just like painting fabric, I was on my way to figure painting. Flesh is simply live fabric that lays over muscle and bone. It reacts the same way as fabric over a solid structure. So cool. I love my work!