Charcoal Sketches on Toned Paper

I haven't been painting much that is blog-worthy lately, as life has been a bit on the busy side. However, I still draw when I can. Here are two recent charcoal sketches on Strathmore's new toned paper. Love the paper colors but don't know if I like the surface for charcoal.

Learning Faces

We start examining faces from the time we open our eyes as babies. By the time you reach middle age, you would expect we would know everything there is to know about faces. But it's not true. There is still more to learn.  I think that's why I'm still having so much fun painting them. I don't think I'll be tired anytime soon.

Redhead

Oils on Canvas

16"x20"

Mugshot Monday #4

Have you ever done an image search using the words "Florida" and "mugshot"? Next time you need a laugh, try it.  This is one of the mugshots I found. Will work on getting a better photo next time I am home when the sun is up.

Red Sweater

The Red Sweater

Oils on Canvas, 11x14"

Mugshot Monday #3, I am the Walrus

This is the guy who has been stalking me. Really. He has. A few weeks ago, I did a Google search on "mugshots", and ever since, this guy has popped up everywhere, advertising arrest record search services. I go to Amazon, he's there. I go to Yahoo, he's there.  GoComics, he's there. I am losing patience with targeted advertising!  I hoped that by painting him, I could make him go away.  I'll let you know how that works out. Meanwhile, it gave me some practice in painting chubby faces with unique facial hair.

Mugshot Monday #2

I thought the fun part of this painting would be painting his dreads. But no, the fun part actually turned out to be that little scar in his right eyebrow. Never would have guessed that....

Mugshot Monday

Still playing with faces. I am taking a cue from the uber-talented Karen Jurick and painting mugshots. Real ones.  Check out her Bust-ed blog here.  She teaches this in her classes too, so you'll see painters all over the internet painting mugshots of the arrested and not-so-arrested in mugshot poses.

Why mugshots?  Well, for me, it's hard to find models to sit when I have a few spare moments. Of course, the web is full of people photos, but 98% of them are smiling, so they aren't good subjects for formal portrait painting practice.  People do tend to be serious during the arrest process.  And face it -- mugshots are a resource we won't run out of anytime soon.  Some of them have hilarious expressions.  Some mugshot photographers have a very artistic sense of lighting. Overall, mugshots are great for practicing painting the human face. So, a new semi-regular series is born -- Mugshot Mondays. 

Mugshot Monday #1

Oils on canvas, 8x10"

Tall, Dark, and Handsome

Well, I'm just guessing at the "tall" part.....

Graphite on bristol, not the greatest scan.

Headscarf, with Girl

Graphite on bristol board, 9"x12"

Head studies

I spent the year-end holidays doing head studies and making flesh tone color charts. It was much more fun than it sounds.  There are definite problems with each of these studies, but I learned so much. Plus I was painting and having fun. What more can you ask?

Angry lady, 8x10:

Zombie girl, 11x14. I did this after watching Chris Saper's video on monochrome portraits. For some reason, her painting didn't have this zombie look.

Mr. Big (Nose), 8x10. Definite anatomy issues, but there's something about it I liked anyway.

2012 Painting Stats

I admit it's silly to count the number of paintings I've done. However, I work full-time and often feel guilty (?)/ stressed (?)/ sad (?) that I can't paint more than I do. So it helps me to review what I've done over the year.  So, drum-roll please.....

Number of paintings painted: 85  (that's 7.08 per month, sizes ranging from 6x6" to 18x24")
Number of finished graphite or ink drawings:  17
Number of workshops:  2
Number of pieces accepted into shows: 1 (a first for me)

I was rather surprised at the breakdown of subjects painted or drawn:

Landscape: 18
Still Life:  32  (I was on a painting from life kick all summer)
Floral:  17
Portraits: 17
Dogs:  9
Abstract: 9

I have to admit that they were not all blog-worthy paintings.  But these are the ones that I at least took a photograph of, just for the record. Not all of them were photo-worthy.  I completed a number of the still life paintings and drawings in my car during lunch breaks.  That helped to increase my overall numbers, as well as to save my sanity during our company's hostile takeover.

Picking a favorite painting of the year was, of course, like asking a mother to pick a favorite child. But I'd have to say it's this 8"x10" oil of a north Georgia waterfall:

I liked the color combinations, the thick brushstrokes, and the fact that it sold to one of my favorite people ever (thanks, E!).

Thanks for following along, even with my sparse postings through the year.  Here's to 2013. May all my paintings be blog-worthy, regardless of subject....

Bah Humbug

I adore Christmas, not least because I have to use all my vacation days by the end of the year. I usually have a few, so I have an extended period of time to spend with family -- and PAINT. I'm on a portrait streak, and this curmudgeonly fellow doesn't appear to be quite as happy about Christmas vacation as I am.  But he was still a lot of fun to paint.

Yogi and BooBoo

AKA "the Golden Girls". They are just sweet, typically goofy, smiley Goldens, and it was a joy to paint them. These paintings are gifts to the wonderful staff of Pampered Pet Care of Atlanta, who rescued Yogi and BooBoo and fostered them through the summer for Adopt a Golden Atlanta.  You can read their story here. 

Pencil Portraits

I haven't had much time for painting lately, but have been trying to take more advantage of short periods of down time to do some pencil portraits.

The following was a gift for a friend, who only gave me this photo to work from.