Challenge # 17 - March 2012

A Gal Named Sam wrote

on 15 Mar 2012 6:59 AM

Marsha, Your crocus painting is beautiful.  I love the use of warm and cool colors throughout.  The warm magenta with the cool purple and the warm yellow with the cool green.  The drawing is excellent and it looks very 3-D.  I love the bg colors and textures.  Very well done painting.

I suspect that you used wc pencils on wc paper.

I have not felt up to painting.  After this weekend birthday celebration, I plan to start the portrait of Nancy.  I may post the different stages of development. 

J.V.Schaffer wrote

on 15 Mar 2012 10:17 AM

Marsha really nice I was going to say oil pastel then colored pencils now back to oil pastels and I know Sam is probobly right            James

A Gal Named Sam wrote

on 15 Mar 2012 11:05 AM

Marsha, I meant to tell you that I like the framing of the crocus painting.  Also, I like that you used a straight edge for the bg and brought some of the leaves and one crocus over that edge.  Very nice and artistic

A Gal Named Sam wrote

on 21 Mar 2012 10:50 AM

Here is the first step I take in doing a portrait.  This quick, unrefined sketch has been done on tracing paper.  I put the lines across the face after determining the amount of space between each facial feature because the head is tilted and I wanted to be sure to maintain the same angle for all the features.  I draw the image on tracing paper because it can take a lot of erasing which I don't want to do on the final paper.

Now I've transferred the drawing to illustration board.  I'm using a heavy weight (100) so that I won't need to use foamboard when framing.

Using a Prismacolor Verithin Terra Cotta pencil, I worked on this until I felt I had her likeness.  I wasn't going for values of anything else - just her likeness.  I didn't fuss with the hair except to see the shape of her face on the left.  I use Verithins because they are easy to erase with a kneaded erasure.  Once I'm satisfied with the likeness, I will use any brands of colored pencil on top of the Verthin to complete the painting.  If you see any discrepancies in her image, please let me know.  I know the teeth don't look good and I will focus strongly on them.  I will be tweaking this up until it's completion.

Grizzlypainter wrote

on 22 Mar 2012 3:34 PM

Hi all, never enough time, but I'll ty a do a catch up:

Holly: I love the color of the crocus. They have a rich royal feel to it. Very comforting.

Marsha: The car and gas pump. Great job on what is a tricky perspective...lot of angles happening but the colors bring it together. The crocus painting...I love the presentation, the extended leaves makes it very lively...

Sandi: Love the baby robins. The oil one is subtle, like it's early morning, the pastel one is more dancing in the afternoon sun, bright and colorful. good work.

Sammy: Like I said, I'm not even going to attempt comments om portraits. I like the way you're showing the steps, that's real helpful. One of these days I'll venture further into the portrait world, just not today :)

Ok, Here is something I'm working on that fits the spring feel. foreground will be ferns illuminated by bright sun. This was first session, so I have a ways to go till done. But it's a start:

Work in Progress:   Oil 24x30 Canvas (I've been encouraged by the folks at art association to work bigger)

sandichot wrote

on 22 Mar 2012 4:15 PM

Wow! Dave,  You go bigger and I've gone smaller to miniature work.

This is very realistic. I love the tree branches that show depth, light to dark to light and more dark. Looking like a 3-D picture. It's a very good start. Are you painting Plein Air or from a photo?

sandichot wrote

on 22 Mar 2012 4:19 PM

Sammy- Thanks for posting steps for a portrait and giving tips on the how-to. We need to learn them. This is promising to be a beautiful piece. Can't wait for the finished work.

wetpaperfan wrote

on 22 Mar 2012 5:47 PM

Hi All, 

Holly - I am loving your step by step for your daughters portrait.  I look forward to seeing more.

Everyone - I accidentally posted the crocus information on the Chatter Thread.  I was colored pencil on Yupo paper (slick stuff) and I used Turpinoid and did it like a painting.

Dave - love your spring trees in oil,   I feel I can walk into the woods from here. 

thank yo for your compliments on my Car.   I have spent a lot of time in the Mountains and grew up on Mt Diablo in California.  I think that is where I love that type of perspective,  I looked at it every day growing up....

Below is my rendition of One of the things I used to love doing in Spring.   This is from my memory of living on Mt Diablo,  the California poppies in the fields and huge Oak trees dotting the hills,  there was an abandoned house and we loved to hang out around it.  I always hung out with the boys and we put together our own kites we got from the dime store, put our 5 cent ball of string on sticks and away we would go on our bikes to the old house and hill.  I'm not good with faces without seeing a picture.   this is my attempt at clouds as well. 9x12 cp on Stonehenge white paper  ( on the middle right there was a small pond where we used to catch frogs and blow on cattails.(in the fall) )

A Gal Named Sam wrote

on 22 Mar 2012 7:33 PM

Dave, you have a good start on the spring painting.  The bright, fresh greens are certainly springlike.  You have good depth due to the wide range of values.  I'm looking forward to the completion of this one.

Marsha, ain't we got fun?  The body proportions of the girl are right on.  The second boy is full of motion and deep in the poppies.  I love the California poppies.  Very nice building and trees below.  Interesting wind-blown clouds.  I bet this was fun for you to paint since it brings back such good memories.  You'll have to do frogs and cattails in the fall.  Another great painting.

Jen, thanks for the tips on the teeth.

J.V.Schaffer wrote

on 23 Mar 2012 7:56 AM

Marsha I can feel the pull of the kite strings , my two youngest  sons  loved kites we would build and fly every spring very nice

Dave your spring landscape looks pretty good already nicely done                   James

A Gal Named Sam wrote

on 31 Mar 2012 3:25 PM

Today is the last day for Challenge #17.  It was fun to host the Challenge this month.  You great artist posted some very lovely work.

I was hoping to have my daughter's portrait finished by now but there were a lot of distractions this month.  I'm posting the WIP now and will post the finished portrait whenever it gets there.  I haven't worked below or between the eyes yet.

Again, this is 14"x10" on Crescent Illustration board using various brands of colored pencil.

sandichot wrote

on 31 Mar 2012 8:41 PM

Marsha- Love your Spring painting. Playing kite is a fun thing to do when the weather is nice and there are soft breezes, and there are green grass and flowers in the meadows. These brings back good memory when my son was little and we all went out to fly kite. It was Father and son thing. Mom just watched and be happy.

Sammy- Your portrait has the likeness of your daughter already and it's only half done. Love the darker shade on her forehead suggesting it was in the shadow. Can't wait to see it finished.

Jen- I am fine. Read the Chatter, I explained my absence there.