Started a new project this week. Missing San Francisco lately, a second home of sorts, so pulled out some of the photos from one of the summer trips for inspiration. This one is going to be a composition about contrasts, not just in values on the houses from an intensely bright summer sun, but also between the crisp, clean orderly lines of the buildings as the backdrop for a cherry blossom in full bloom explosion. Hoping to work in some fabulous thick paint for the tree, but we’ll see how that goes. Gonna need some help from my painting teacher before this one is done.

Reference photo

Session 1

Thanks to my drawing teacher, I learned how to do the eyes today! The picture isn’t great – will try to get a better photo tomorrow and update this post – but was too excited with the results to delay the post. Also worked on the values to start getting the complicated patterns laid in.

Been spending more time this past week on drawing and practice sketches for future painting projects.

The puppy face, Zip, got some more work. Most of the texture is in place, so next update will mostly be values, which should get it most of the way there. Warning – the eyes will remain a white void of creepiness until I have some time to practice.

This is a view of the Golden Gate bridge with San Francisco in the background. Was reminded that I should draw from the back forward, i.e. started with the bridge on this one and made the perspective and proportions much more difficult on myself. But the sketch came out looking good and I have a feel for the basic block-in when I’m ready to do the painting. This may end up being a large piece, or a diptych with two 16″x20″ panels laid horizontally, with the separation near the center of the bridge.

Managed to work in another short session tonight, a Tuesday! Good progress on details and some changes. Really getting the hang of some of the subtleties within individual petals. Might take a whack at the vase later this week b/c I’m pretty happy – finally – with the roses themselves.

Thought I was getting close last time I posted, but decided to rework some of the palette after some guidance from one of my art instructors. Learning patience with this, but now I’m to the point where it’s enjoyable every session because it keeps moving in the right direction. No more predictions as to when it will be done, but rest assured it won’t take this long next time! Progress photo below, although may need to update the picture in this post b/c the lighting looks off. Granted, I moved the palette to more orange and yellow, but it’s not this saturated.

More progress, albeit slow, on the white roses. Used more value contrast, incorporating raw umber, ultramarine blue, and darker and lighter variations of yellows. This updated photo reflects more progress on the rose in the center bottom, center top (in profile), and far left lower.

The plan (perhaps I should call it ambition) is to finish this project over the weekend, forcing myself to not get lost in the details. Mentioning it on this post to embarrass myself if I don’t get it done.

Breaking down what really needs to be done:

• finish another pass at the roses with the right value contrasts (using more violet and purple combinations – a helpful suggestion from one of my art instructors).
• test drive some scumbling in the center of the roses to give the impression of fine detail.
• paint the glass vase – this step may get tricky, but I know what to do; question is can I pull it off.
• probably going to keep the background the nondescript blue – no table, folded cloth, random fruit – but if time allows I may try to improve this very centered composition by doing a better job of moving the viewer around the painting rather than “blam! look at these roses, dammit!”

Stay tuned… getting close on this one.

Spent a couple more hours on the roses today. Progress can be subtle, which is what happened today. I had been working towards variations of yellow, but realized the right color was closer to orange. Still having trouble figuring out the right technique to get realistic rose petals, but the practice has been moving things along. I’m happy with the palette, though, so the painting will at least look good from a distance no matter how the detail work progresses. Ha! 

Next session will focus on adding more petals, the vase, and updates to the roses in the middle back row. 

New quick project before the return to Giverny wipe-out. Haven’t painted roses before, so it could get ugly, but so far so good. Inspirational roses, 

Started with a quick sketch of the main rose focal point, which came surprisingly fast. Guess the sketching lessons/practice are helping. 

Next step, basic turpsy sketch on the panel. Again, got lucky on first try and it’s ready for some paint.

About an hour later the first layer was down. Decent start, but looking at this as the basic layer from which to build.