Back to Working on Color Relationships

"John"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

Meet John, a regular visitor to our street. Can't you just picture the girls going crazy over him in a few years?

About this painting: I have been working so hard on the various challenges of portrait painting that I almost forgot my original intent to work on color relationships. Here I tried to show a value change with a distinct color change.

The Effects of Glare on Color

"Riley - A Second Look"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

    

I've painted this little boy before, but then he's one of my favorites. He's such a boy, interested in trucks and other full-time boy pursuits, practically from birth. He follows in his dad's footsteps, who is quite an athlete himself.

I miss him.

I think this is my best joy to date of painting hair.

I apologize about the glare on the right side of the painting. Look at how it even changes the color of his top, not to mention the right side of his face.

Painting After a Break

"Megan"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq.,  c. Catherine Vines

   

I had no idea when I selected Megan to paint it would be such a challenging pose.

Part of the challenge was getting back to painting after a break for computer repair and bronchitis (mine, not the computer's!).  

Things I normally take for granted just wouldn't work. Not easily, at least.

But it is Megan, and her beautiful eyes show through.

Blogging from My IPad

The short news is, "I can't."
I finally conquered the Error Message delema, but I still can't post pictures from the IPad for some reason
And since my computer is getting a new battery case, it will be 7-10 days before I can post a painting again.
Hopefully I will have a bunch of new paintings ready to post.
Until then.

The Learning Curve

"Painting Gavin" - In Progress

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

Sometimes it seems as if with every painting, I have to learn all over again. Perhaps that helps keep me from taking the process for granted, but it sure slows me down. In today's post I couldn't seem to get my darks dark enough.

I am working on something new here: the fabric in his pullover. I would like to improve on painting different fabrics in case I expand my focus to include more of the upper body.

Blogger is crazy today. I can't seem to add labels without an error message. Until tomorrow.

Current Palette for Painting Faces in Oil

"Current Palette for Painting Faces"

c. Catherine Vines

  

If you look closely, you will see that the back half of the palette is cools and the front half warms. (Just ignore that bit of Cobalt Blue in the lower left hand corner; sometimes I run out of room. )

For the warms, I am using Cad Red Med (in this case, Gambil) plus Yellow Ochre Light, valued out by  a combination of Titanium White and Zinc White. 

What is different about the last painting I did (see yesterday's post) was the addition of the Yellow Ochre and white - without the red. This helped the problem I have sometimes with unwanted ruddiness.

For the cools, I used Utretch's Alizarin Crimison plus Yellow Ochre Light, with varying amounts of the whites. The left rear corner shows cools plus the Cobalt Blue, which is not as purplish as the Ultramarine.

Sorry about that arrow in the middle. Apparently I have learned how to make a video from my IPad!

The More You See, the More You See

"A Modern-Day Peter Pan"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

The more I looked at the photo reference for this painting, the more I saw. And the more there was to paint. I think this is progress.
As much as I love this portrait, it is not the direction I expected when I started these small portraits. I always thought they would be more abstract. Still, this is where I am. Today.
But as Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Slowly I Paint

"Granddad Vines"

Acrylic on Masonite, Detail, c. Catherine Vines

   

I'm still dealing with the effects of this new vegan lifestyle, so for today I'm posting an old painting. 

This portrait was done in acrylics, entirely with a palette knife. 

You may recognize similarities between this and the self-portrait I use as a logo; both were taken from the same large painting.

Today I'm headachy, lethargic, and again with the poor concentration. I flit life a butterfly between things and just may starve to death; but I am painting!

A Photo Day

"Peter Pan" - Source Photo

This is another view of the little boy I am currently painting. While the painting itself is going well, I am having a hard time concentrating, and a harder time finishing.

I credit it to the vegan diet I am experimenting with - for all of two days!

I am used to painting until I feel fatigued, but this is a new experience. I need more focus (or meat).

Peter Pan

'Peter Pan" - In Progress

Oil on Panel, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

  

 You already get a feel for this little boy, don't you? Except for that thing on top of his head - I know you're wondering. All I can say it, "Tune in tomorrow!"

At this stage, I'm laying in the basic shapes, asking myself the question, "It is cooler? Warmer? Darker? Lighter?" I can't wait to continue working.

Learning New Skills

"Oscar"

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

I have an an IPad. I have an an IPad. Yea! But I just can't leave it alone. It's so much better to paint from and it takes great photos.

However, I can't seem to get Blogger to post from it.  More research.

As to the painting:  The initial underpainting was so red that adding yellow only took it to orange. Duh. Finally I used my Alizarin Crimson for the lights and that helped some. And it's definitely him.