Bryan’s 100 Day Challenge: Figure Drawing in Oil Pastels

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 80. I had another very busy day, so all I could do was test out colors a little more with the art set app. 

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Ian. I get what you are saying about making clear distinctions between light and shadow shapes before attempting to start the painting. I’ll try to accomplish that 🙂 I really appreciate the advice.

[Debbie H]

Great pose, great painting! Looking forward to seeing how you bring this into your oil painting 🙂

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Deborah 🙂 Hopefully all this practice digital  painting will help.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 81. More experiments today with the art set app. I have been very busy recently, but hopefully I will have some time to physically paint this weekend. 

[iamjakeroo]

you have some cool paintings

i especially like the color choices you made on day 80

keep it up’

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you iamjakeroo🙂

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 82. Painted the hair and beard today. 

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 83. I’m trying out doing an underpainting. This is all I could do today because it is so hot out. 

[erikdennes]

Hi Bryan,

Nice work on the painting.  You might want to take a look at Bill Perkin’s Value Boot Camp videos.  They are really fantastic at getting portraiture down.  He shows you a few examples of value block-ins and has you do a bunch of them taking no more than 30 minutes for each one.  I know it was extremely helpful for me.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Erik, I will check them out. I’m having a lot of  trouble differentiating between colors that are fairly close in value, as far as which one is darker and lighter.

[Debbie H]

It is tricky when your reference has low contrast. In Steve Huston’s beginning head drawing lessons, he uses examples from Hans Holbein and Norman Rockwell which have very subtle and understated contrast, so it can be done. That’s one style, but what you’ve done so far has a good contrast and that’s effective too.  To help the light/shadow sides read clearly, even if it’s not obvious on the reference, I’d consider putting shadow under your left (viewer’s right) brow and tone down the highlights on eye and lip. The highlights trick me into questioning which side is which. Also, check the position of the right (viewer’s left) ear – I know your head is tilted, but it looks a little too low. You keep getting better and better – this is looking great 🙂!

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thanks Deborah 🙂 I’ll work on those changes. The good thing about painting is I can just wait for it to dry and paint over it.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 84. I am traveling for a few days, so this is what I was able to accomplish today at a hotel. It is a quick master study of “Claude Dupouch” by Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1739). 

[Debbie H]

Happy travelling! Don’t you love having an iPad – you can take your studio along with you! I love the colours you use when you paint digitally. Not sure I’d be brave enough, but you pull it off really well 🙂

[Author]

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