Milky light

Dreamy light to spend a bit of your life with.

Just a note.

4 months and the oil painting is finished.

Enjoy,

Painter

July 10 post continued

Well the painting continues. Please refer to the July 10,2010 post for earlier stages.

At this point the the underpainting is finished and the initial shadow glazes and build-up of opaque paint has started.
The figure is coming along with the face being developed the most. As the focal point, I want to make sure the face works before spending effort refining the background. Three views are posted for those of you interested in the details. Each image is clickable for a larger size.
Specific questions about any aspect of this work will be answered.

Beauty is truth. -Painter

What's on my easel?

Here are the initial stages of an oil painting that was begin July 2010.
A CONCEPT
Here is an idea I started playing with several years ago and then put away. It's about a high light coming through a window and a situation that yet is to be resolved.
THE CARTOON
The next stage is a full size cartoon that works out the piece. This stage done on tracing paper and works out details. For example the figure is in a setting and there are some difficult perspective issues that have to be worked out.
THE TRANSFER
The cartoon is transferred to a prepared canvas. (I use 2 coats of acrylic gesso and sand each coat). I transfer by rubbing charcoal over the back of the thin tracing paper and taping it into position on the canvas. I often use a larger canvas than the initial idea in case the painting goes where I hadn't planned. I then use a 5H pencil and a stylus and go over the figure etc on the cartoon. This roughly transfers the design to the canvas.
THE DRAWING ON CANVAS.
This is where I am at this point. I redraw very carefully the figure an other major elements. I use prismacolor with a very sharp points. This drawing is done to establish tones and lines (not color). I use prsimacolor because it doesn't bleed through the oil paint like graphite pencil does. (Never use graphite pencil as an underdrawing on an oil). I don't use charcoal because I like a tighter line than most charcoal provides.
After this drawing is done I'll fix it and move to an isolating varnish step--more on that in later posts.
IMPORTANT: click on images to enlarge.

Pensacola Museum of Art

Here is a shot of one of my paintings in a museum setting. I always think art no matter how wonderful or dreadful takes on a different and less approachable feeling in an art museum.