After reviewing my limited options, which are much the same as everyone else’s limited options at the moment, I decided on a self portrait. I had taken some photos the same day wearing a carnival mask and posted it to … Continue reading Part 3, assignment 3 – portrait or self portrait
I was ready to paint this straight off; angry with the world for its negligence when it comes to wildlife and the consequences this has unleashed on us, this could be subtitled ‘the corona years 2020-2021’ because that is how long this will last for anyone in the older age bracket or with other vulnerabilities in the absence of a vaccine. I’ve used a limited palette of phthalo blue, titanium white, Payne’s grey, alizarin crimson, and dab of sap green on some A2 cartridge prepared with transparent gesso and a wash of Naples yellow/Payne’s grey mix. I applied the paint … Continue reading Part 3, project 2, exercise 1 – self portrait
Three submissions with links to preparatory work and reflection. Seated figure – line, A1 Reclining figure – tone, A1 Self portrait – any method, any size Continue reading Assignment 4, seated and reclining figure, self portrait – images only
The task is to draw a self portrait of any size in any medium and to find an interesting perspective, which means it’s the first time I’ve taken a selfie from below jaw level and discovered my nose has a central deviation to the right. It’s a wonder the rest of it is lined up as it should be. This is not the up-nostril shot, this is the warm-up, off-centre, eyeball-shift aspect. Biro to see if I can find some shapes that might work. Another quick sketch – white conte on black gesso. The aim, unlike the one above, is … Continue reading Assignment 4, self portrait
Flipping through the drawing course folder I came across the horrifying prospect of having to deliver a self portrait. I’ve never drawn anyone else before, other than the life models at art college over 50 years ago, so the idea of drawing myself turned me cold. At least I knew how to keep myself still – a photograph. But heck, that meant a selfie and I detest those too but it was going to have to happen. I decided to get some practice in so naturally I went for a large-ish canvas and slapped a layer of gesso on it. … Continue reading Self portrait
Whatever else, I may have found a better use for cling film than wrapping cucumbers. Here we go, what do you think? What’s the cling film thing all about then? In a selfie-obsessed world I hate them; possibly because however I hold the phone, I always look like a witch. I haven’t got round to applying filters though, instead I go old school and aim the camera at a mirror where at least I can keep a bit of distance between me and the eventual image. So I took a photo of a reflection and then made a painting of … Continue reading Self portrait – is this it?
Art is a lot like writing, an ongoing process of edits, revisions, and the murdering of darlings – who knew? This is where I left off a day or so ago, thinking that’s it, no more, it is what it is. But no; it sat there looking heavy and lacking while at the same time seeming to have some potential, even if of the sort that only its creator could love. I’ve gone for the ‘edit-by-gesso’ strategy under the dubious influence of BST jetlag (one hour forward and I might as well have flown to New York, I’m that discombobulated) … Continue reading Not quite ‘last’ – painting revisited
I may have killed it. On the other hand, it may have more life in it than before I decided on a background to make it ‘pop’ then began fiddling around with the figurative elements. This was yesterday, a fairly ordinary portrait with not much to recommend it. And here’s today’s version which, to my surprise, looks better on-screen than out there on the easel. There’s more gouache (also some white watercolour because I ran out of white gouache), oil crayon, conte and charcoal, a calligraphy pen for scratching out top layers to reveal lower ones, some paper towel dabbing, … Continue reading Follow that painting, day last
I’ve been picking over the detail and adding/removing parts of the background and figure elements to bring out the main features. This is where we were at close of play last time and that wrist was bothering me, along a bit of a Herman Munster forehead. So here we are after the application of some ‘pop’ colour (the orange) and an adjustment of the background with more gesso, half-dried then scrubbed with a grout brush to make texture. I think the wrist is better but now I can see that all that vigorous scratching has dislodged a patch of colour … Continue reading Follow that painting – day something-or-other
Strayfish Arts 