Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

[SquarePeg44 5]

Love that! Very Disney Princess with the big eyes and blue sparkle to her hair. She looks like she’s getting ready to make some good trouble.

Thanks for your encouragement.

 

[terri42 13]

Love that! Very Disney Princess with the big eyes and blue sparkle to her hair. She looks like she’s getting ready to make some good trouble.

Thanks for your encouragement.

You're very welcome! It's great to watch you go, and hear about your classes.

 

[SquarePeg44 5]

Working on a portrait of Harlie. It’s a WIP but is pretty close to being finished. Need to work on the head tilt and get the eyes shaped a bit better and the mouth looks off!

Here’s the reference photo.

 

[snowbear123 54]

In the sketch, it looks like the mouth is tilted morethan the rest of the head, but not a real issue. Looks good.

 

[terri42 13]

Working on a portrait of Harlie. It’s a WIP but is pretty close to being finished. Need to work on the head tilt and get the eyes shaped a bit better and the mouth looks off!
View attachment 297287

View attachment 297288

Here’s the reference photo.
View attachment 297289

Nice! She's tough to capture with so much white. But pretty good for a first time!

My issue is the catch lights. I see you're going strictly by the way the light is hitting her in the ref pic - but I'd be tempted to fake it and even them up.

You got her likeness pretty well here!

 

[SquarePeg44 5]

In the sketch, it looks like the mouth is tilted morethan the rest of the head, but not a real issue. Looks good.

Yes the head tilt kept throwing me off. I still need to fix the top of the head and the mouth in the painting. Thanks for the feedback!

Nice! She's tough to capture with so much white. But pretty good for a first time!

My issue is the catch lights. I see you're going strictly by the way the light is hitting her in the ref pic - but I'd be tempted to fake it and even them up.

You got her likeness pretty well here!

Thanks for your advice. The catchlights really bother me too. I was trying to be true to the photo but I’m going to fix them next week in class and see if that looks better. That room has windows on 3 sides and light was coming from several angles.

 

[terri42 13]

Yes the head tilt kept throwing me off. I still need to fix the top of the head and the mouth in the painting. Thanks for the feedback!


Thanks for your advice. The catchlights really bother me too. I was trying to be true to the photo but I’m going to fix them next week in class and see if that looks better. That room has windows on 3 sides and light was coming from several angles.

Exactly. The light that works in photos doesn't always transfer well to a painting. We tend to just stay true to our reference then wonder what seems off (ask me how I know).

I'm sure it's fixable!

 

[SquarePeg44 5]

Haven’t painted since the portrait class ended so I signed up for a weekend class at the MFA to get me going again. Did two paintings. This one’s a keeper but the other one is not finished yet. This sunflower farm was lossely based on a scene from one of my photos of Musterfield Farm in NH. Acrylic on 16x20 canvas. Except for the sky, which was brushed, this was done with a couple of palette knives.

 

[snowbear123 54]

Awesome! The only thing I've done with knives was some sgraffito.
I haven't touched a brush for a while.

 

[terri42 13]

Haven’t painted since the portrait class ended so I signed up for a weekend class at the MFA to get me going again. Did two paintings. This one’s a keeper but the other one is not finished yet. This sunflower farm was lossely based on a scene from one of my photos of Musterfield Farm in NH. Acrylic on 16x20 canvas. Except for the sky, which was brushed, this was done with a couple of palette knives.
View attachment 299501

Love it! How'd you like working with the knives? Your palette here is really lovely.

This kind of texture makes me want to pick up the oil pastels again. I've been busy outside for the last few months - not much time for art or photography!

 

[SquarePeg44 5]

Awesome! The only thing I've done with knives was some sgraffito.
I haven't touched a brush for a while.

Thanks. I hadn’t either and it was getting to be too long. Taking the quick 2 day class was forced motivation!

Love it! How'd you like working with the knives? Your palette here is really lovely.

This kind of texture makes me want to pick up the oil pastels again. I've been busy outside for the last few months - not much time for art or photography!

Thanks. I like using the knives but have only used them for fully abstract pieces before this one. They definitely helped keep the painting loose. I’ll be trying to find more opportunities to use them.

I’ve been lost in my garden since May so I totally get it. Haven’t even downloaded all my pics from the California trip in April. I kept saying I was going to save it for the hot days of summer when I wanted to be inside with the ac but on those days I ended up reading or doing some house projects.

 

[terri42 13]

Thanks. I hadn’t either and it was getting to be too long. Taking the quick 2 day class was forced motivation!

Thanks. I like using the knives but have only used them for fully abstract pieces before this one. They definitely helped keep the painting loose. I’ll be trying to find more opportunities to use them.

I’ve been lost in my garden since May so I totally get it. Haven’t even downloaded all my pics from the California trip in April. I kept saying I was going to save it for the hot days of summer when I wanted to be inside with the ac but on those days I ended up reading or doing some house projects.

You sound like me! Meh, it'll be cold soon enough for those kinds of things. The gardens need our attention now!

I do want to see the California trip pictures eventually!

 

[snowbear123 54]

I finally got around to a couple of quick sketches which will be incorporated into the larger painting. One is a view of the pond from Martin's Point park, down the road, with the original shot. The other is a common loon with chick I found on the web. These are basically practice. I've printed to look and will tape it to the easel when I start painting.

I'll try to start the backround on the canvases tomorrow. I have a couple panoramas to give me the general shape of the landscape.

I also need to decide if I want to start with a colored ground, or leave the canvas white.

 

[terri42 13]

I finally got around to a couple of quick sketches which will be incorporated into the larger painting. One is a view of the pond from Martin's Point park, down the road, with the original shot. The other is a common loon with chick I found on the web. These are basically practice. I've printed to look and will tape it to the easel when I start painting.

I'll try to start the backround on the canvases tomorrow. I have a couple panoramas to give me the general shape of the landscape.

I also need to decide if I want to start with a colored ground, or leave the canvas white.

View attachment 300863

View attachment 300867


View attachment 300864

This is exciting! These sketches look great and should get you going.

For awhile I was coating my paper with a cheap burnt sienna (or similar) oil pastel so I could then dissolve it with Turpenoid, for a quick and easy underpaint color. It was usually better than leaving the paper alone and getting annoyed with the white peeking through.

But that's with OP's on heavy paper. Will you be painting with acrylics?

 

[snowbear123 54]

No, I'm going with oils, after many years not touching them. I bought a set back in the early spring and have been waiting for a chance to use them.

I got tied up with trimming a tree branch, pulling something out of the back of the garage, and making a flagpole for the truck. I'll paint tomorrow. I'll leave the canvas white; maybe try tinting it the next go-around.