Winged Victory of Samothrace

Winged Victory of Samothrace
circa 220-185 BC

Oil Painting Notes, A Woman's Hands

Oil Painting Notes, The Hand Side View

Oil Painting Notes, The Hand as a Block Form

Anatomy Notes on the Hands

Anatomy is something a figure artist should study with a vengeance. There’s just no way around it, unless your an abstract figure artist. In that case I don’t know if it really matters much but in my case I can tell I have to put my nose back into an anatomy book. I think life figure drawing classes start up again in January so I’ll be sure to sign up for them as well. For now I want to post some anatomy notes as this will help me with my studies. I think I’ll start with the hands.

A visit to the Louvre Museum

With each painting I always learn something new

Vogue Series 11

With each painting I always learn something new. Today I’m learning that with the face, you don’t have to be off by a mile for it to look like your off by a mile. And the curves of a woman’s body are so subtle that great care must be taken during the observation process and aligning reference points is something I have to practice through out the whole process. I’ve worked on this one for a few hours this morning but I think its time to stop. I fixed a few things but I need to look at it later with fresh eyes.

Vogue Series Oil Painting, Dry Brush

I wanted to keep this painting simple, just a girl in jeans and a white shirt.

So my only technique here is dry brush. I started with big hogs hair brushes and put down the ugly parts, after that dried I came back and tightened it up a little.

I’ll let it sit for a while and think about my next move on it.

Painting Wet into Wet.

Vogue Series 10

The strange look and pose of the model along with the color composition of this picture caught my eye.


Painting over a badly done self portrait I’m trying a different approach this time, so I loaded up the canvas with Yellow Ochre oil paint and painted wet into wet. I’m looking for thick ,lush ,sloppy brush strokes.

After blocking in the general colors I started to tighten up the painting a little.

 I’ve taken it as far as I want to go with it for now so I’ll let it dry and think about my next move. I’ll come back with fresh eyes and fix a few things I’m not happy with.

                                                          

Oil Painting Notes, Complementary Colors

Oil Painting ,Vogue Series 9 in Progress

Vogue Series 9

I’ve been working on this painting for a while now and I think its time to just put it aside and think about where I want to go with it. Its starting to get a flat animated cartoon / robotic feel . Probably because I’m not reading the information from the photo correctly. I’m not getting the depth and dimension I’m looking for. So I‘ll put it aside and move to something else, too much procrastination is no good.

Oil Painting , Mixing Blacks

Vogue Series 9

There is a lot of black in this painting. I stopped using tube black a while ago because it didn’t give me the color harmony I was looking for, so now I mix all my blacks.

I found that Burnt Sienna and Pathalo Blue will produce a cool ,very dark black while Pathalo Green ,Napthol Red with a little Brunt Sienna will produce a warm black.

Oil Painting Notes on Composition

The Windmill Principle

The four conditions of tone in relation to surroundings. At (1) is light against light, at (2) light against dark; at (3) dark against dark; and at (4) dark against light. Note too that the subordinate edges at (1) and (3) are blurred a little more.

The resulting effect marries the subject to the background in a way that both separates it and embeds it.

Oil Painting Notes on the Shadow Edges of the Face

Oil Painting Notes on the Nose

Oil Painting Notes, The Nose

It’s a never ending process ,Oil Painting Notes

I know there are many artists today that use projectors or trace the image to get it onto the canvas accurately. And that’s fine for them who am I to judge if it’s right or wrong.

But I believe today’s generation is suffering from a loss of things truly man made. The human element has been taken out of just about everything we purchase. And its unlikely that this generation realizes it or even cares long enough to break free from there cell phones and video games.

Just ask someone in there twenties or thirties today where can I buy an oil painting. After a strange look you just might get a reply “they have nice paintings at Target or Wall Mart”.

Stamped out by the millions, sure they may look pretty but they have no contact with human hands and as far as I’m concerned there cheap, lifeless and disposable.

Mans obsession with perfection ,instant gratification and profit has left most homes with cheap copied machine made art. And that’s kind of sad considering the millions of talented artists that never get the chance to sell there work.

In my struggles to become a better artist. I’m constantly reading and learning how to do things the right way. It’s a never ending process and I know I have a long way to go. But the long journey will be worth every back breaking minute at the easel the day my work can stand side by side with the work of talented and established artists not Wall Mart.

So your probably wondering why all the notes lately, well.....I’m still on a big learning curve and I need these notes to stay on track as I’m sure many other aspiring artists do as well.

So if my notes can help anyone on there journey to become a better artist, then help yourself, because the world can only be a better place with more human beings creating art and not Wall Mart.

Oil Painting Notes, Proportions of the Head

The head is divided into proportional increments of one half, one-third, and two-thirds.

Oil Painting Notes, Scale and Proportions of the Figure

Oil Painting Notes, Defining the Features

Oil Painting Notes, The Basic Planes of the Head

VOGUE OIL PAINTING SERIES

Vogue Series 8

I’ve been working on this painting for a few hours now trying to capture the gesture, I’ll let it dry now and move on to something else. I don’t want to over work it too soon.

Oil Painting Notes, Painting the Negative Space

VOGUE SERIES 8

I started Vogue Model number 8 tonight, again no detail at the early stage just blocking in color with big hogs hair brushes.

I’d like to mention some good advice a friend of mine gave me when I was having difficulty in class capturing the likeness of an assignment.

She said to "try painting the negative space" (Thanks Pat ! )

This little bit of advice has turned out to be a big help.

The negative space is that empty space between the arms , legs ,contours in fabric, the space between the figure and the end of the canvas ect.

When you stop to look there’s negative space all over and it’s a great guild to use in keeping your drawing on track.

Now that I’m mindful about sizing up the negative space, I wonder how I ever got through a painting or drawing without using it.

Painting the light, in oil paint

Vogue Series 5


I focused on painting the strong sun light on her hair and the shadows on her face hidden deep inside all the hair.

I still haven’t touched the hand yet, but I’ll try to work the light into that as well.

Time flies when your painting

Vogue Series 6

While working on this one I started to get the feeling that it was late, but I didn’t think it was after midnight !

Time flies when your painting ....now I got to clean up and get my 4 and half hours sleep.