Yesterday, I was in the mood for experimentation and spent the afternoon practicing the portrait in oil using only 4 colors - titanium white, light oxide red, cadmium yellow light and ivory black. It's almost magic how many colors you can mix from just those 4. That part went well, however, as it was just a practice piece, I flipped over an old piece of canvas to use the back entirely ignoring the fact that the canvas on the back is unprimed. Now I know why artists use primed canvas. The raw canvas just sucked up the paint no matter how thickly I tried to apply it - and the paint grabbed the surface so firmly that it was impossible to push the paint around. I continued with it as I was really happy with my likeness of this model but after struggling for about 3 hours, I finally gave up. Oh, well. Live and learn and tomorrow is another day!
What you call struggles are what other artists would call perfection. Your work continues to amaze and delight me.
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind, Julie. I can only hope I am learning as I am struggling!
DeleteBonjour ma chère Susan,
ReplyDeleteTes dessins au crayon ne sont peut-être pas à la hauteur de tes espérances, toutefois j'aime moi particulièrement celui de cette très jolie jeune femme en entier. C'est ta griffe, ton empreinte qui ressort!
Le portrait à la peinture de ce jeune garçon t'a peut-être fait souffrir, mais je l'adore.
La fougue qu'il a dans le regard et ses mèches de cheveux rebelles sont autant de choses qui ne pouvaient naître autrement après cette lutte acharnée pour que la peinture adhère sur ce support hostile...
Tu aurais peint de "gentilles petites fleurs" cela n'aurait pas pu être possible !... autrement elles se seraient transformées en de gros chardons piquants!
Je suis également subjuguée par les très nombreuses nuances de couleurs obtenues avec tes 4 tubes...
Une publication qui me ravit comme à chaque fois. Bravo l'artiste !
Gros bisous à toi.
I always look forward to you comments, MartineAlison, and appreciate them greatly. You are so thoughtful and generous and I thank you! :)
DeleteBecause we do not see the model, we are left to see the wonderful drawings. I have never once in my life got exactly what I was trying to draw - and latterly paint - I'm not sure I ever will, so I know only too well the frustration. I'm going to experiment in oils/portraits soon using black, white and burnt umber.
ReplyDeleteI'm back in circulation btw :0)
It's all a question of whether or not we are coming closer to what we envision. I have never yet achieved what I set out to do - like chasing the horizon, its constantly elusive!
DeleteWell despite the fact that you're not happy with the likeness, none of us know what she looked like any way so we just see the beautiful pencil work! They are fabulous drawings! And the painting is also amazing - how frustrating for you though! :0)
ReplyDeleteLOL - I guess this drawing will have to do and will work to make me try harder next time!
DeleteLikeness or not it is a great work of art!
ReplyDeleteLove everything about this one Susan!
You are so very talented. I am sure the likeness will come when it is ready.
This one is a gem!
Art on!
Michael
I greatly appreciate your encouraging words, Michael. I shall keep at it until I am satisfied (if that ever happens)!
DeleteOngelooflijk wat je met slechts 4 kleuren kan doen !
ReplyDeletegroetjes,
Simonne
:) - many thanks, Simmone!
DeleteHappy accidents:)beautyful sketches, you can only learn and going better leaving your comfort zone. (Sorry for my bad language)
ReplyDeleteYes, its all a learning process and hopefully will pay off over the long run!
DeleteHi Susan.
ReplyDeleteAll sketches are great, especially the second and third one`s. I also like your portrait, brilliant. I went to an evening of sketching from the live model last Monday, and I found it very hard to get something decent. But it was a fantastic experience. I shale be going every time that we have a model now. All the best Susan.
Vic.
Looking forward to seeing your sketches, Vic - I must admit life drawing is addicting!
Deleteno worries, sometimes we don't see until we take a second look. great sketches and the painting is amazing, captured an emotion, a feeling, a look...perfect!!!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your kind words, Suzanne.
DeleteI like the portrait on the flip side of the canvas. I think you handled the roughness of the canvas really well and it's hard to believe that you could get all of that out of those 4 colors. Nice!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a challenge, Wanda. The variety of color amazed me too - but I won't use unprimed canvas again any time soon!
DeleteI give you so much credit, Susan. I went to a few live model classes and I can't believe how bad I did.. it looked like stick figures. LOL...however these are "excellent" sketches and you should be very pleased...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilda - I would like to loosen up a bit with these pencil sketches!
DeleteIt's such a nice portrait maybe it doesn't matter that it didn't go exactly how you wanted.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, one of the other artists said much the same thing to me. She said, "as a drawing it stands on its own merits", but I am still disappointed at not achieving a likeness. I will keep trying!
DeleteSusan, I love the piece on the unprimed canvas. It has a beautiful ruggedness to it.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is rough! Thank you, Kathryn :)!
Delete