Sketching

at the coffee shop as usual...

Rachel with Process Photos!

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

(click to zoom)

I've gotten several requests to show my painting process on these portraits. Now, I don't have a great camera, but took a few shots during the model breaks of this portrait. It's a three hour session, during which this model took two breaks, so here is a picture of where I was at each break. The first is only a little more than a drawing in oil, the second has most of the planes of the face blocked in. Other painters tell me I tend to "pull it all together at the last moment", so in the final (above) you can see I've put in all the final details and highlights.

Nude

I got another chance at a 3 hour nude pose not too long ago, it's nice to paint a little more of the figure. This fall the portrait group is planning to do these once a month, so hopefully there will be more to come.

Oil, 20 x 16 inches

Coffee Shop Sketches

I haven't posted many of these for a while. Just some drawings from the local coffee shop...

Tangled Thoughts

I just keep playing around with this one. First it was a sketch (bottom right), just an experiment in design. I liked it, so I did a digital color version of the sketch (bottom left). Well, I was still curious what it would look like as an oil painting, so here it is. If I can come up with more designs like it I may do more.

Tangled Thoughts, Oil, 11 x 24 inches

Kevin

You may remember him from other paintings such as... this one.

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

OPA Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition

I've posted this one before, but I just received notice that it has been accepted by the Oil Painters of America to this years Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition! The exhibition will feature accepted artists from the eastern half of the United States and will take place from October 15th - November 13th, 2010 at the Walls Fine Art Gallery in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Nightcap Chickadee, Oil, 16 x 20 inches

India Point Park

For something a little different, I went and painted this little scene "en plein air" a little earlier this summer. It was a beautiful day, but a little windy right on the river. One of the extra things to keep in mind while painting outside is that everything must either be held on to or taped down.

Oil, 10 x 8 inches

Hedi

Oil, 8 x 10 inches

Aaron

Another small one...

Oil, 8 x 10 inches

Julie

A little one, I prepare my own boards for painting on, and this week I had run out of the 16 x 20 inch boards that I usually take to portrait painting. All I had ready to go was this 9 x 12, but it's always good to mix things up when they become too routine. I like the ratio of brush stroke detail to the outer dimensions, so I should do some more little ones.

Oil, 9 x 12 inches

Francisco

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

Coffee Shop Sketches

Saba

Oil, 20 x 16 inches

Interesting to compare to the first time I painted Saba very nearly one year prior. I got a much better likeness this time. She was wearing the same earrings, but I don't think she was actually wearing purple either time, yet something made me choose purple in both.

Osmary

I debated whether or not to fill in her arm in the bottom right corner. Now that I see it on screen, I think I probably should have.

Oil, 16 x 20 inches