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Yes, this picture is coming along and while it is pretty complete there is still a lot of work to do.  I think many times I start to get anxious for the picture to be over at this point and stop at what I now realize is before completion.  However, to get a more finished end result there is still a long way to go just doing the small tweaks now.  One of the things that I am going to have to be sure is that I don't overwork the details here at the end.   While this picture tends more to the realistic side I still want to keep it looser. I went out and googled horse and buggies so I could find a better shot with a bit more details rather than just leave the dark blob that my photo shows.  I also googled Auberge du Tresor and got winter snow shots -- hmmm, might be another picture! I was watching a video by Will Kemp (one of my current favorites) and he talks about how at this stage of the painting he goes back and forth between working in color and thinking in...

Due to the circumstances I wasn't able to use the proportional dividers or a ruler and to be honest I really didn't spend a lot of time using the pencil to measure - I was pretty much just "eyeballing" it.  I started out just working on several nose positions and then decided I wanted to try to do a full face (get impatient I guess)  I started with just doing plane angles for the outside of the head dimensions.  Then rounded those out and when happy with the base drawing I started to shadow in the drawing.  This was started while waiting and finished while flying so it was a couple of hours work. For whatever reason I have to say that it was relatively easy to come together (even hubby, my biggest critic, thought I caught the likeness to the photo)  and I am going to check it with the proportional dividers, but am thinking that I pretty much got them in place.  I do think however, looking at this that her ear is pretty large as it merges into the shadow...

Still working with the proportional divider and measured, marked, drew, and measured again.  Decided to try to do the young man again and see if I could get a better likeness and think, yes, even though I had to modernize his hair style a bit I got him.  He is definitely older as he should be with the longer face, still graphite on gray paper.  So on to working through the book and then I will try again to see if I can improve on him. Thanks for stopping by.

Took a few days off and got to sit down a few minutes to work on another portrait.  Obviously this isn't a mug shot and this boy isn't any criminal.  He has a sweet expression.     This is the first portrait I have used the proportional dividers.  I think as I get into a better position to be sure I am in the same measuring spot each time it will improve.   This is graphite on gray paper.  I am going to mark this and then Work through Lee Hammond's book, Draw Real People, and see if I can get better at capturing the likeness.   Thanks for stopping by.

The work on this picture continues.  You can see that I did go freehand now on the windows, but boy it stresses me out and makes me nervous.  Just not my thing I guess. Anyway I have a lot more of the foreground in now and will pretty much for the main portions have just the horse and the carriage to go - but oh, let's don't be forgetting the next challenge is the wheels and those eclipse shapes.  Oh, can't forget there is going to be a lightly leafed tree in there as well and good for me, it should cover some of my windows.  Of course too I will have to put the name on the sign in gold leaf - it is only what should be expected. This is giving me enough confidence that I probably will try some more landscape/cityscape type of pictures.  I have another down in the Lower town of Quebec, a street scene that I always wanted to do.  Maybe I will have a Quebec series heh?  I don't know, I have always shied away from landscapes thinking they just didn't...

Ok so I am deviating from the mugshots for a few days, but got to keep me sane and keep it interesting.  Interesting it is and I am excited about this picture for several reasons. 1)  First I have painted mostly on paper,  not canvas, and felt it was time to make the change as it simplifies framing issues and you can work larger.  Well, I got some deals when I went to the Goodwill store.  I always check for frames with mats or large size frames, but this time I got a bunch of decent sized canvases, 12x15" or larger for $1.91 apiece.  Yes, as you might recall I am cheap, cheap, cheap.  But I am just learning so recycled canvases seem ok to me.  What I did was sand this one down and then recoated with several coats of gesso with the last one being tinted with burnt sienna.  Yellow ochre, burnt umber and white and raw sienna and white are normally used depending on what is going on top.  I have also heard of people using red beneath as ...

                                                           Mugshot 16   4"x4" Not sure how many more of these mugshots I will get done this month as I am now moving into the busy part of the month where I will have limited time and uploading issues.  So I am happy to say that I feel I am leaving on a higher note than when I began.  Of course, that is the object of doing these challenges, to focus and hope to see some improvement.  I have to admit it made me feel a bit weird using these folks given their situations, but I think I will continue to do them just to stay in practice.  You just can't imagine the unlimited expressions,  shapes, variety of hair colors/dos that you can find all in one place.  I think too once I get more comfortable I can throw caution to the winds and really have some fun wit...