Portrait: Debbie-Lee, First for 2012

Whats the point of painting portraits if you don't paint your favorite model every now and then.  I put this one together the other night, and I kind of like the result.... I though I would do a quick post to share

Pete

More experimentation

What is this flurry of activity....I must have found my mojo.

I thought I would try something different so I played with some technique.  In this case I blobbed colors onto the canvas, then smoothed them (and blended) with a cotton cloth, used like a sponge.  This wiped off the excess paint, smoothed out the brush marks, blended the colors, and created an interesting texture.

This is the result

 

Hope you like

Pete

A burst of activity... something new.

Around this time of year, when I am usually a little more relaxed after the obligatory Christmas break, I usually start "mucking around".  This is the time when half finished painting that just didn't quite work start littering the studio floor.  Usually because I have tried some new technique that is outside my usual comfort zone... This is the time of year where I tend to stretch myself.

This January was no different, although this time I had a penchant for portraits.. I won't post all the disasters (there were a few), but I thought I would post some of the more interesting paintings to come from this time of experimentation.

Firstly, I was reading a book on watercolor portraits by Alex Powers.  I like his technique and thought I would try and reproduce in Oils.  To make oils behave like watercolors you have two main problems.  Firstly, you have to emulate the wet in wet technique common with watercolors, and secondly, you are pretty much restricted to transparent colors and there aren't too many in a normal oil painters palette.  To solve the first problem I used a medium of 50/50 gum turpentine and Damar varnish.. It had the added benefit of drying quickly, and being able to be reworked using pure gum turps.

This is the result... I hope you like it.

The second painting using this technique didn't work out near as well, but was OK all the same... Compare the difference

I think the main difference was my use of whitespace.. In the second painting I slipped back to my usual style a little too much.

Have a great day
Pete

A new source of inspiration.

As many of you may know, I paddle around (as opposed to surfing... I was born in the bush, so any kind of surfing just seems unnatural to me) on Deviantart to post my work, and see what others in the global art world ar up to.  Anyway.... paddling around one day and I found Greta Tuckute, a photographer that does beautiful portraits.. Greta's portrait photography is amazing, but what is really amazing id that Greta is only 17 years old..

She has also consented to let me use her work as reference materials for portraits, so today I took one of her photographs and painted a portrait from it.

Here is her original work;

and here is Greta on Deviantart... gretatu.deviantart.com., and her website http://www.gretatu.com/
now for my rendition....

hope you like it
all the best
Pete

Happy New Year.... 2012

Hello folks,

Well its been a while.. unfortunately my real life job has a habit of taking over and I don't get to do any art stuff.  Well I have just had 2 weeks of over the Christmas break and managed to lift a brush on a couple of occasions.

I am still going through my portrait phase.,  I just love doing portraits.  Debbie-Lee says I should paint directly out of my head because I have a vivid imagination, but I can't seem to get past this desire to paint the perfect portrait, and I'm damned if I give up until I do... smart huh!!!! Not.

What I did do was finish the portrait of Rocky Elsom.  His mom saw it and seemed OK with it so it must look something like Rocky.. here is the finished article.  Pardon the crappy iPhone photo.. I plan to redo it tomorrow in the sunshine with a decent camera

Working on some other portraits.. will blog them later

cheers for now

Pete

Portrait: Inspired by the RWC

Hi,

Lately I have spending as much time as possible in front of the tele watching rugby games.. Go the Wallabies.  For those that don't know, the Rugby World Cup is being played out in New Zealand as I type.  We have finished the pools and Australia are through to the quarter finals where they will meet the mighty Springboks.. It will be quite a challenge to beat them and progress to the semis where we would probaly meet the All Blacks..It will be a tough road to the final, but hey, nothing great comes easy does it.

So the RWC has inspired me to paint some more.. I have decide to do a series on "champions" and decided to start with our very own Rocky Elsom, past captain of the Wallabies, who just happens to be the brother of my next door neighbour Sam.

Seeing Rocky is in New Zealand with the squad, I didn't have access to a live sit, so I have had to do this one from a photo... Fortunately there are plenty of photos of Rocky on the web to choose from so not so difficult after all.

I also decided to take as many photos "in progress" as I could.  I might post them on my website, but I will definately post them here...

Firstly, I decided on a limited pallete of Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Red Deep, Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue... From these I should be able to mix any color I like (black is equal proportions of Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue for those who want to try it... It makes a really warm black.. You can cool it down by just adding some more blue.)

Here is my pallette

I just take a mixing knife and spread some colour to match possible skin tones into a pool in the middle. The dark blob on the right is my made up black.

OK... sketch him in using some raw umber (thats the little blob between the red and the sienna. I just use this for the sketch and the backbround, not Rocky himself.

Step 1:

Start with the darks and work up to the highlights... I won't add commentary unless there is something special I want to say about the step.

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:



 Step 6:

That right eye looks a bit wonky.. I'll have to fix that.. and the arms look a bit wrong, so i'll have to have a look at them as well.... But thats it for today.. running out of time, so I'll work on it this week.

Take care

Pete

P.S.  comments always welcome.





 

Portrait: John

I posted the WIP for this a few weeks ago, but managed to finish another portrait in between (see Pete below).  Well on the weekend I got around to finishing this one of my Dad.  Its his 80th Birthday this Friday, and we are going up for the weekend.  I am hoping to get a frame for this so I can give it to him on the weekend.

Hope you like it... comments are welcome

Have a great Week
Pete

Portrait: Pete

I finally got round to picking up a brush again.. not for lack of desire mind you, its just that byt the time I get home at night from my day job, help Deb out round the house, bathe the little one and put her to bed, I'm buggered, so I just collapse in front of the tele.

I have had this on the easel for about a week or two (along with the one of my dad, which I hope to finish either toinight or tomorrow (wait.. tomorrow is the beginning of the Rugby World Cup, so there goes my painting for the next six weeks - go the Wallabies).

I decided to finish this one as its been around a while.  I am really beginning to like the way I am painting, slapping paint around, and getting away from some of the really tight works I have done before.  My palette knife work has done that.. made me realise you don't need to draw a line for the viewer to see a line..

Hope you like it... Its a painting of my brother in law of a photo I took last Christmas.
Pete

Whats on the Easel - August 20th, 2011

Getting a bit of painting done lately, after maybe 3 monbths of not even looking at an easel.. Still doing portraits though, coz in the spare room I only have so much space to work with.  These are nearly all on A3 size, and on Cansen Acrylic and Oil paper.  Its easier to store than canvases, and I am running out of room :(

Anyway.. finished the portrait of Matt.. here it is;

I hope he likes it....

I also started a new portrait of Dad.  Here is a little WIP and where I am up to so far.  I hope to finish this weekend but we'll see how I go.  I still need to work on the eyes, mouth and nose!

First I sketch in with a paint brush and some thinned down paint.

Then I work on the first pass... Its about as far as I can go until some of the paint dries a little

Pete

Whats on the easel.. August 2011

Last night I had the urge.. a long time coming, so I started to paint a portrait of my son in law, Matt.  I decided to use a fairly limited palette.. Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, and Lemon Yellow.. and to be a bit loose with the painting.. This is the result so far.. I am pretty happy with it, although it does need some fine tuning (around the mouth and eyes mainly) before I add it to the gallery..

Comments always welcome.