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DAY 12
Rendering folds is difficult! But I’m getting a little better at it. Proud of the vest and the the sleeve on the right. In particular about the vest, I did feel like I was able to show the folds using just values. I normally use too many lines to try and get the same ideas across, but it turned out well this time. A bit too heavy a use of black on certain outlines, but I’m definitely finding larger shapes and simplifying my values more.
DAY 11
Progress! I changed my approach by working with a higher opacity setting right from the start. I had been been trying to slowly build up values by applying thin layers, but working at a higher opacity meant i had to map out some key parts of the piece and then try to unify in a way that felt natural. It really helped to get alleviate some of that sketchy/muddy/marker quality in the work.
The face itself is also noteworthy! This was such an interesting face and I really wanted to capture that expression. I think I did it some justice. Definitely a piece I could see myself working on a bit more in the future.
DAY 10
I figured out the word to describe the issue in my paintings – muddy! It’s a common problem, which is kind of good because theres lots of different ways to try and fix it. I am simplifying my approach a bit more and more, and trying to be a bit more conscious of how I’m blending values. Again, I naturally spent more time on the face, and the posture is awkward but sometimes you only get 1% better. 90 days to go!
DAY 9
Trying out some more fashionable figures as a way of studying drapery. Some nice variety of fabrics in this piece. Still figuring out the best way to render all the folds and small crinkles in the material. I feel like the sleeve on the left turned out pretty well! Still, I should be simplifying my approach a bit more.
DAY 8
I feel like I’m improving my rendering skills. The drawing underneath the painting could definitely be better, but I feel like I was able to make the “painting” have less of a streaky look, especially around the torso. Values could still be blended together more smoothly. I might end up doing some sphere and box studies sometime next week.
DAY 7
A full figure today! I ended up spending more time on the face because I think I just naturally care about it more than other parts of the figure, and because I’ve done so many portraits. This was tough to get into something cohesive, but generally speaking, I think the proportions are alright. I will definitely be doing more figure work in the near future – I want to be a character designer!
DAY 6
I think my weaknesses are more apparent as I work on these everyday. I feel like I always make the bottom half of the face/the lower jaw much larger than necessary. Everyone ends up with a square looking jaw. I do feel like I was able to make the jawline a bit softer and more natural in this portrait, but I can still tell the discrepancy between the eyes and the mouth. Still, I had to work on this one a bit faster than I normally would have liked, but I think there are still some strong ideas in this piece. I’m starting to see why I have to simplify things more. And doing a small write up on every upload is helping too!
DAY 5
Pretty successful portrait! The likeness is a bit sharper than in my other portraits. Tried to spend a bit more time on the eyes and mouth. Trying to make a point of seeing things as more basic shapes instead of capturing all the details. I’m always a little annoyed when the sketch from underneath is still visible, but its something I’ll adjust as I keep going.
DAY 4
My first landscape painting of the challenge. This proved pretty difficult! I used Isaac Levitan’s “Alps, Snow” (1897) as reference. You can see it here:
https://www.atlasofplaces.com/painting/mood-landscape/#figure-6
I’m fairly new to landscape paintings as I generally favour figurative work, but Levitan truly captures the powerful dynamics found in nature. He makes it look easy! I had been using rounder, softer brushes initially and felt I needed a harder edge to capture the sharper angles in the picture. I’ll have to change my approach on the next landscape; try out some textured brushes.
DAY 3
My underlying sketch was a little too messy. I seem to give faces too much of a roundness (as if their features are resting on a sphere, instead of being carved into them). Still, I managed to make some smart decisions in the last hour and brought in a stronger likeness and some better harmony between values.
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