February Challenge

Thank you Judy for your support!

I like the composition - the way it fills the space and good eye for the ear Judy

Thank you Dale! I'll really be checking and reachecking the ears on the next one I do of a person. Funny thing is I did place it rite in the drawing because I do remember lining up with the eyebrow and tip of the nose but when I did the hair I somehow wiped out the top of the ear with the hair and just eyeballed the size forgetting to align it with the features on the face.

Looking at the painting again, I notice that you left the dark area above the ear which is pretty much exactly where you probably planned to originally place it from your sketch. Oh well, It still amazes me that you do this in one sitting.

Judy

I think this is finished. I have to look at it a few days before I'm sure.

Wow Judy the colors and form are amazing! I love it!

Judy - That is drop-dead gorgeous! I love it!

I took that photo a few years ago, and I've wanted to paint it, but found the amount of detail overwhelming. I know it would be easy for me to turn this into an overworked cartoon.
Your painting has (for me) has the perfect amount of detail - it doesn't look like it's trying to be a photograph. I'm so glad I got to see this one from the beginning!

beautifulJudy. These are exquisite

Finally made a start on something. I'm going to try the beach picture:



Just a rough acrylic sketch so far - This is a 10 x 10 inch stretched raw linen. I put 2 layers of clear gesso on it because I didn't want to cover up the linen color. I'm going to try to leave some of the raw linen color showing through in the finished painting (it's perfect for sand!).

Thanks for all the great comments. I'm going to try to get a better picture of it tonight or tomorrow. The lighting last night didn't do it justice, but I wanted to get it posed. I'll post a better one in Completed Paintings.

Callie, I'm glad you liked it. It was a great photo. I think having sketched with the colored pastel pencils helped me focus and keep organized without adding too much detail.

Callie your rough sketch is great, I can feel the waves slapping against the shore all ready. I can't wait to see how you develop it.

I once did a lighthouse with the waves all going out away from the rocky shore. Every once in a while I would comment that the waves were all backwards. One day someone who had retired from the navy told me they weren't backwards; they were rip tides so my painting was perfectly all right. Maybe I'll post it in completed paintings.

Judy

Janet - I think it's great that you are going for one shot deals - working quickly like that gets you used to choosing what is really important and leaving out unnecessary detail. It is a really nice and loose rendering - well done.

Judy - the flowers look lovely - not too studied and the colours are great.

Callie - nice start - well balanced composition. I love working on linen canvas. Enjoy!

Thank you Sofie!

Callie, Such a great start! Great idea to use the linen color as your ground.

I think the linen texture is going to look beautiful. The clear gesso is really nice to work on. Judy

I worked some more on the beach scene, just enough to make it awful So today I had a tsunami take out all the buildings in the background. If I "re-build", it will be on a much smaller scale to keep the sense of distance.
The orange thing in the foreground is going to be a woman and child (I hope!).

The sea is so dramatic, I don't think I would put in any buildings. The woman and child would probably be enough and add to it.

Judy

I was thinking it looks more like a N. Carolina beach than a California one. Maybe I'll scruff up the land and leave out the buildings and palm trees - just move the whole thing over to the east coast!
I could use the lighthouse photo (from the RIL) to add a little interest. Anyone think that's a good idea?

I like the east coast idea, but I don't think the lighthouse would add to it. The two people on the beach would be just enough to enhance the effect of the surf.

Judy

Good deal - less to fuss with

Wow Callie your painting is looking wonderful!