Drawing, Painting, Experimenting, Learning, Sharing

It's mid-June, 2020. Since my last post, I've been drawing, painting, experimenting, learning, studying the work and philosophy of other artists — from Leonardo da Vinci to Milton Avery (and beyond) — working with various media including Procreate on my iPad, sharing work on Facebook and Instagram, teaching workshops and private classes. 

To quote Cheng-Khee Chee, "I am a perennial student."

In 2019, we moved into a new house, me into a new studio. I resolved to draw and/or paint in watercolor every day. I did, with few exceptions. I can't say every painting was a keeper but each was a learning experience. 

It would be challenging to go back and describe all that I've learned, experimented with. I will start with what is going on 

today. 

One of my most recent paintings (above) is titled I Will Sing My Song For You.

Jimmy (Finnish Boy in Overalls) • Work in Progress

Jimmy (Finnish Boy in Overalls) • Work in Progress

Drawing and painting people is irresistible to me. All the faces I see tell a story. This painting (in progress) was inspired by an old black and white photograph of a young boy named Jimmy sitting on the tailgate of his grandfather's car. His dog parked in front of him, ready for whatever might happen next.

I was drawn to this photo.

My first drawings were modified blind sketches in ink (one shown). I made adjustments of shape, size, direction, and detail along the way by re-drawing rather than erasing. I added color with Berol Prismacolor pencils. 

I pulled out an eighth sheet of 140 lb. cold press paper, soaked it, towel-rolled it, and drew shapes of this boy with a #8 round brush using Stephen Quiller's watercolor in Cobalt Blue. Then I proceeded to paint with SQ's paint, mixing skin tone along the way. I will paint this young boy again by re-drawing with the brush on paper. 

We artists have been told by other artists before us ("those with finer minds," as Ed Whitney would often say) to "paint what you feel; paint with love; and to paint the apple you must be the apple." For me, it is truly wonderful to draw and paint a subject I love — people. 

As many of your know, I relish painting birch trees too — because they are like figures and family; also apple, basswood, and other blossoms because their petals remind me of a baby's cheek.

Sweet Baby James (Fifth Work in the "Seven Paintings in Seven (or more) Days Challenge"

"Sweet Baby James" is the fifth work—a color sketch—in the "Seven Paintings in Seven Days (or more) Challenge." Referring to a pencil sketch, I drew this little man's face and features on the watercolor paper and began painting. His sweet looks and nature were evident in the pencil sketch. Translating what a I saw in the drawing and in my memory onto the watercolor paper was a challenge.

Sweet Baby James

Babies' faces (from birth to about 2 years) are very smooth and round. Only the iris of the eye is fully developed, giving eyes a buttony appearance. A baby's cranium is large in proportion to the face; features—chin to eyebrows occupy only (about) one-fourth of the whole head. Proportions change rapidly as a baby/child grows. Because babies and children move around a lot, it helps to work from photos and/or magazine clippings.

The Process: Referring to the sketch, I used a 6B pencil to draw (lightly) directly onto the watercolor paper—placing the eyes, nose, mouth, head/face, ears, and hair. My paper was 100 lb. weight, an inexpensive wood pulp variety with a smooth finish (not recommended). I worked wet (paint) on dry (paper). Colors—not a typical triad this time—included cadmium red, cadmium yellow, orange, and various greens, among them Veridian. I took a deep breath, picked up a large, soft brush, mixed a light flesh tone wash from the yellow, orange, red, and green, and applied it, watching what happened, and continued on from there. As the face and features took form, I tried to be mindful of balancing the warms and cools (having one dominant); and lights, mid-tones, and darks.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Paint Seven Paintings in Seven Days • Day #2 • Painting #2

Meet Henri. Meet Henri is my second painting in the challenge: Paint Seven Paintings in Seven Days. Along with painting portraits in watercolor, I set a few more objectives for myself: Paint seven new paintings; Draw and paint people of different ages;  Explore seven different painting procedures; Enjoy the process.

Meet Henri • Watercolor

Edgar Whitney, former instructor at Pratt University (my first professional watercolor workshop instructor and one of my favorites) said the two-fold problem in painting a watercolor portrait is (1) likeness and (2) a fresh sparkling watercolor. To gain a likeness, he painted five or six paintings of the subject. To achieve freshness, flatly refusing "to beat the life out of [his] portraits," he made them in twenty to thirty minutes (each).

The process: Meet Henri was painted using Edgar Whitney's "Dry Method A." Referring to a sketch, I made a charcoal line drawing of Henri's face and features directly onto the watercolor paper. I went over the line with a brush and plain water (to fix the charcoal). I used a 1-1/2 inch flat brush to paint a warm, light-value wash over the entire paper (covering his eyes too). Colors: yellow ochre, cadmium red light, and cobalt blue. While the first wash was wet, I defined larger masses using various combinations of the triad plus burnt sienna. As the paper began to dry, I painted the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, shirt, background.

Did I meet my goals? (1) It's the second painting on Day 2 of the challenge, (2) It's a new painting, (3) I painted a little boy (for a change), (4) I used a different painting procedure, and (5) I enjoyed the process. I loved seeing this little guy's impish face develop on the paper.