I'm getting the hang of the background green now... The secret I found was to mix ivory black and yellow ochre pale first to get the right balance of green, and then apply white to lighten it. I kept burnt umber and raw umber out of it (for now). Next, I'll apply one value for the contained shadows.

Making Green

I finished the dry brush drawing on Saturday and laid down the first background colour. The plan is to put down the background wall, then the cast shadow, the table (all sides) and the the contained shadows (one colour -- using the mid-tone value under the neck, not the eye).

What makes green -- ivory black, yellow ochre pale, burnt umber, a bit of raw umber, and white. My result came out one value too dark and also too grey -- not enough yellow ochre to give it the green needed... Oh well, this is a first coat only.















Things to remember for next time: bring a fan brush to smooth out the background strokes (mine is gone!)... the line of the mouth is too long (especially the corner).

Hermes -- First Painting Continues

I'm still working on the "first painting" stage, concentrating now mostly in the shadows on the right side of the head... The head looks too large at the moment and not angled correctly -- this should be fixed by: correcting the line of the left cheek, defining the the hair line/ear better, and by articulating the rivulets in the hair and on the contour.

My camera distorts -- the canvas is brighter than it seems here, although I haven't added my yellow ochre to the whites yet so it does seem on the white side... I'll try using a tripod next time. My easel is also a foot closer to the camera than the statue, which adds further distortion I find.

Patroclus Copy in Progress

Jacques Louis David created this life painting while a 15 year old student! I've made a copy as a drawing, and have since transferred it to watercolour paper for a quick study (below). The values are hard to replicate in watercolour paints. I will eventually do a full study of this painting in oils on linen, starting in a couple of weeks.

Second Cast Painting -- Dry Brush Stage

Two years ago, I drew a cartoon of this cast for a charcoal cast drawing (bottom of photo). I've returned to it for a second cast painting. I transferred the drawing to linen that had already been given a ground of gesso. The easel used to be on the left, but now it's on the right. This has created some changes in shadows and shapes, even though the light is similar and the statue at the same level and position as before. So I find myself redrawing the image in dry brush, taking longer than I'd hoped.

The source of the sculpture is unclear. I've heard it called both Moses and the Gaul (from l'arc de triomphe in Paris)...

DONE: Belvedere Torso in Red Chalk

While on vacation two weeks ago, during a long spell of lousy north Ontario weather, I finally sat down and finished the Belvedere Torso I started last Christmas and worked on in Mexico. Red chalk is a pleasure to work in. I quickly rendered the neck and base in a day. The photo doesn't pick up the red and orange tinting of the watercolour paper, for some reason...

More works nearing completion will be illustrated here by the end of the summer!

A new layout for the Hermes painting

I've draped a maroon clothe around the side and base of the Hermes caste to provide more balance with the cast shadow, a deeper contrast along the lit side of the face, and some diagonals... Below is the new design, cropped in the exact ratio width/height of my canvas. I'm still applying local colour to the new background and will upload an image of the Hermes painting soon.

Juliano is finished 20080628

The monochrome of Juliano is now complete and drying in my studio. In six months time, I'll learn the art of varnishing!

Silverpoint: Da Vinci's study for Lena

I've started a silverpoint copy of Da Vinci's Lena drawing. The original has bad watermarks that obscure the woman's cheek, making it difficult for me to see how the form turns. I'm slowly building up the values and hope to achieve a better sense of turning. Still very faint at the moment.

Second and first painting of Juliano

I'm working hard to finish Juliano by the end of June. At this time, I have only applied a "second painting" layer to the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, and both sides of the face. This week, I've been concentrating on "edges", and going back to "first painting" (direct pigment, no oil) in different places where second painting would not work. I softened the edges of the hair so they disappear into the background, making the foreground curls jump forward.