Two From A Series and More Progress

Finally, an update featuring actual Abstract Paintings!

Here are the two paintings from the series of four that I am working on right now. The one on the left is based off of this sketch:
And the other is based off this image from a previous blog post. The colors on both ended up being modified quite a bit. It's getting a little frustrating to keep everything parallel and squared. I have two more paintings to do and our professor is shooting for a deadline in two weeks, so I've quite a bit of work to do yet.


In other news, here's the latest progress on my self-portrait. We only have one more session to work. Again, I have a lot of stuff to do: Thicken the wrist, finish painting the hand, paint the apron, highlight the hair, add facial hair...those are the basics. It's really tough to paint a hand while posing...

Other classes are going well. Life Drawing is getting better, Photography is interesting, and Intro to Toy Design is a lot of work. I'm also taking a Mayan Art course, which is really interesting. I'll post some work from my other classes sometime soon. Time is running short-the Toy Design home tests are due March 6th!

CRUNCH TIME!

I'm So Vain...

...I probably think this painting is about me.

Sorry, couldn't resist. It isn't about me, it is of me!

So, here is a series of progress pics taken over the past two painting sessions. In Figurative (Figureative? We're painting the figure, but I don't know if we're painting figuratively...I'll stick to "painting" for now) Painting, we're doing self-portraits from observation (using a mirror).

Yes, a lot of things look "off" about it, but I think it's coming together alright. It's tough to paint yourself using a mirror and with one hand pulling an eyelid up partway...I move around a lot, to say the least. But I'm having a lot of fun painting it. I wish it were a more comical, exaggerated face.

I've also picked up a fan brush, which has been interesting to use. I have always been fascinated by their shape and when the local art store had a big sale, I couldn't resist picking one up. So far, I've only really used it for blending, which it excels at. This is both a good and bad thing; It makes beautiful transitions, but it moves me away from more expressive color placement and brush stroke. But I'm okay with that because I don't do expression very well, unless it involves a punching bag.

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As for my other classes...well, I'll upload some pics of my other work whenever I remember to take pictures >_<. But so far, the semester has been going fairly well. I've been preoccupied with my Toy Design home test, which is chugging along slowly. I'll post all about that when I'm finished with it.

'till next time,
-J

Abstract Sketches

So for Abstract Painting last semester, we had to make around...3 or 4 sketches a week to develop ideas for our next painting. I'm actually glad that Professor Jeff Way made us do these sketches for a grade because I think it's a habit that should really be developed. This tradition is carrying through to this semester (though not quite so formally, I'm not sure if we're being graded) for our first project:

Make a series of 4 paintings based off of a painting you did last semester.

I really loved this one, so I decided to develop it further.

Here is a sketch of the next painting in the series.
Horizontal format, 30" x 50"

As for the other three...well, I'll get to those later. There are a billion different ways this series could play out, so be sure to stay tuned! Here are a few scans of watercolor sketches from last semester, some of which you should recognize.

Abstracted ukulele!

The organic one...

This last idea wasn't realized, but I do like the thought of a spiral and I might work that into another painting.

In other news, I have a smaller blank canvas hanging out at my apartment for me to do something of my own on. Maybe I'll do another self-portrait, but I'd rather paint a pretty lady's face. Any takers?

'Till next time,
-J

Self portrait re-re-re-re-MIX!

So here is a very bad cell phone photo of out first Figurative Painting project: A larger-than-life self portrait. This is on a 3' x 5' canvas. The very same canvas that was the star of my last post, in fact! It's pretty close to the first self-portrait I did last year. Almost a bit too similar, but the inclusion of my hand tosses something new to the mix. My middle finger is pushing my eyebrow and eyelid up, which is why that side of the face looks funny. Actually, a lot of things look funny in the drawing...but this is just underpainting. Once everything gets colored in, I'm sure it'll look better.

Just to be safe, I'm going to start using a mirror that I don't have to hold. It's hard to paint a hand when it's holding something!

I'll keep you guys posted on progress.

-J