Autumn Landscape...process

I actually finished this piece before Christmas, I just didn't get round to posting it on the blog. It began as a class demo, but as is my way, if I'm into it, I'll finish it off in my own time. I'm pretty happy with the depth I've managed to convey, which is something that remained elusive to me for a long time. It ended up being my mothers Christmas present in the end.

Still Life with Skull...process

I finished this still life study recently, which began as a demonstration for my oil class students. As I've said before, I don't always finish these, but it feels good to have done so. I didn't do an underlying pencil sketch to start this off, instead I oultined the basic shapes/forms with Raw Umber thinned down with mineral spirit. However, every painting I do, whether personal or for a demo, starts out as a thumbnail drawing in my sketchbook. I've included those sketches as well to give an insight into the advent of the process. This is oil on paper.

Waterfall study process...

Last semester I did a demo of me painting a waterfall in oil, here is the method I followed. I was very careful to include each stage of the process for my students; initial thumbnail sketches to figure out composition, design, values, etc. These drawings are probably the most important stage of the whole process, not to sound hyperbolic. After that I like to do a couple of colour studies to establish the basic colour world of my image before I dive in (which is what I used to do with my work in university, much to the distress of my tutors). After those steps, I feel better prepared for the main event, and have more confidence in general about how I'm going to go about it all. Now, I tone my surface with a neutral like Raw Umber or Burnt Sienna. You can tone your 'ground' with whatever you like, but make sure it makes sense for the specific painting you're working on (for example, I wouldn't use bright red for something like a naturalistic waterfall). Then it's time to paint, outlining my basic shapes first, then blocking in my most obvious values, from dark to light usually...

Portrait study process part III...and portrait of a girl

These are the last of the student portrait demo's I did during the last semester. I wanted to see how I'd tackle a beard, but also try and get some sense of form and depth in the wrinkles. The portrait of the girl is another study where I limited my palette. It isn't quite the Zorn palette, as I did use Ultramarine, but it's the next closest thing. My aim was to capture some atmosphere and mystery with that one.

Portrait study process part II...

This is another portrait that began life as a class demo. Once again I felt compelled to take it to finish. I simply used Ivory Black and Titanium White for this one. It seems to be painted a little looser than usual, which can only be a good thing for me...

Portrait study process...

I've been doing a lot of portrait demonstrations recently for my students, which I don't always take to finish. The last few in particular though have absorbed me so I've taken them as far as is logical for a study. Always good practice, even though they are inspired by photos and not from life....