Tangled

Reference by Richard Robinson. Painting the portrait of a tree has been on my list and this one with so much character was just perfect. I layered on really thick paint to get some textural contrast in the snow. This was a first and I like the effect! I want to experiment with thin darks with a bit of canvas peeking through the next time around. 

Value Planes II

Landscapes value sketches are difficult! especially when you have to indicate two colors of the same value. I might go over this one with some color to see how it turns out. 

Hay bales

The way the myriad of colors play off of the complex shapes in the landscape is very beautiful. Makes simplification and color harmony that much more difficult to achieve! 

 

 

Benediction

Let's just say this is in honor of the character so well reprised! Took me two days and multiple attempts to wrap my head around the tiny details that were going totally amiss. Happy to have completed this simple sketch; I think I've managed to achieve a fair amount of likeness, which was the whole point to say the very least! With such a distinct face, the mistakes seemed elusive but were really quite 'elementary, my dear'! 

Red Rock Country

Diving straight into color without a plan did not work and I had to redo from the start. Have to do more of these to get comfortable with making the light pattern on the mountains read right and refine them to a better finish.

By the pitcher

From the Phil Starke program; the quintessential still life setup. Took a while to bring it to a level of finish. I reached for some much loved comfort food as soon as I was done! 

  

 

Value Planes

Working on indicating the sky, the flat, the slanted and the vertical planes using values. Gets a little tricky because the lightest value in the darkest plane has got to be darker than the lightest plane itself! A bit of a mind bender, but fun nonetheless! 

Enlightened

I decided it was time to tackle the formidable to-paint list I have had for a long time now. I started with the Zorn palette on what was to be a self-portrait, but it turned out to be a complete wiper! I know what did not work though and I plan to be more mindful of it the next time around. After this experiment, I am feeling more confident about painting familiar faces where the likeness becomes more important than just the aesthetics. Btw this being the 50th post, its a mini milestone met! :)

Back Again

An early in the day effort, all while trying to keep myself from biting my nails off during the immense excitement from some amazing tennis this morning! Though most of the work only went in after it ended. I am not very fond of classical realism but it is great for practicing drawing and the subtle value shifts. I changed my hold on the brush a few times and had more control than I had thought was possible. And starting with a black canvas is not something I might repeat. The colors seemed off, was difficult to get a handle on the darks and I couldn't achieve the 'cast' look with the same palette as the one I had used for 'Lady in Grey'.

Lady in Grey

The reference is from the Watts Atelier Program. I kept in mind to break the painting down into and filling in the shadow and light areas before modelling the form with mid-tones and highlights. Taking color out of the equation helps to focus on the values! Though I did use a hint of terra rosa in the reflected lights to add some interest.

Marooned

From a private sojourn at a small secluded beach on a Langkawi island, where we had stopped to have lunch. The dense greenery in the background took most of the work. I massed in the darks and worked upwards, dabbing in the shapes with the more saturated colors and added a few hints of red flowers to break the monotony and to add balance.

A progress pic with a perspective!

Used the bigger brush for the foliage and the smaller one to punch in the dark holes. 

Tried to stay true to the reference and put the brushes away before I overworked it. 

Landscaped

The tendency to keep all things systematic and symmetrical works against my need to be more spontaneous and instinctive especially when working on landscapes; because really the charm lies in the irregularities. Got to let go and get loose.

Star Gazer

For the love of starry skies and in honor of the interstellar predictions for tonight.

The last time I lay gazing up at the sky on a cold meteor shower night, I counted more than seventy shooting across the sky, each one accompanied by excited gasps and smiles from everyone. It was quite breathtaking! Hope to catch at least a few today. Painted this one black and blue; the experiment with a black ground turned out to be perfect for my very own simple version of the starry night! Most paintings look nicer in person and the twinkling stars in this one most certainly do! And oh, I just had to paint the Leo up there :)

Cast Away

 

Painting is really drawing with paint. I had to train to hold the pencil the way I should a paint brush and use the whole arm instead of using just the wrist. Sketching is tedious and intense. I have been painting more and drawing less; I should retrace a bit and sketch more often. Hmm. 

The City

San Francisco - the quirkiest city I have seen. I wasn't very fond of it until I spent a full five days last year, roaming the streets, clicking pictures and eating a lot of great food. There is always something that is unique to every city; the steep and crooked streets are a fun drive especially for new visitors. One of them actually alluded to Disneyland - now, how is that for a new perspective! I enjoy strolling through the numerous art stores and galleries, I like the cuteness of Sausalito and the city skyline at night is very pretty indeed :)

  

Icy Pinks

Cancelled plans to visit LA last weekend, lead instead to drive to Pacific Grove; and the stunning views made up for it. A change of subject was in order and I couldn't have picked a better scene. I was quite tempted to go back this weekend with my gear for plein air painting! This one is special; was done with some directions from dad and comments from mom :)
Landscape to me is a tough subject to paint. Getting the colors to be muted yet chromatic in a realistic way is quite the challenge. What I have here is a little more than a lay-in. Hopefully with some more work, I would have done justice to the juxtaposition of the icy pinks and the bright blue hues! 

Dedication

Dedicating the post to Fongwei, it was his deft hands that guided me through this one. This certainly has more of his touches than mine. This is a piece from a while ago and is one of my favorites. I like the looseness, the fineness and the flair.

Morning Light

The striking contrast between the light and shadows drew me to the subject. I almost had to use pure white for the highlights! It took quite a bit of deliberate contemplation to work this one to completion. Its not often that I like what I paint, and this is one of those rare occasions :)

Glass beads

The reflected lights in the shadows and more importantly the highlights, to me, are the finishing touches that pull a painting together and make it read right. The highlight has been widely touted as the sweet treat that one eagerly waits for at the end of a multicourse meal. Being a dessert lover, I couldn't agree more - Je suis d'accord!

Sweet Musings

Mindless eating of mom's great creations, random ramblings with dad, sharing unspoken secrets with siblings, watching dreary cricket finals with cousins and a whole lot of nonstop merriment. Reliving the good old childhood days and recounting priceless memories; there isn't quite much to match the comforting familiarity of family. All I am right now is dreading the return to the other side of the country and weeping to be whizzed back to the present!

Silken Blues

Humble beginnings

This is throwback from a while ago; recalling how it all begins - with free-flowing guidelines, values to indicate light & shadow and a few dark notes to define the features. There's something about unfinished work that I find very appealing; and I love this cast for the endearing emotion it carries. I read this somewhere, and I think it true - Its not so much just the eyes but also the lips that hold the key to the expression.

I came across this sketch recently and I thought it would be apt for a post to commemorate the humble beginnings of this blog. I am pleased to note the 3000+ views!! Heartfelt gratitude to all the dutiful followers and to the new few who may have stumbled upon it by pure chance!

I Figure..

A full day of figure sketching at Randall Sexton's Studio. Worked on poses lasting from 20 min to an hour. I like the tiny bit of work that has gone into the drapery. It helps to suggest the form of the figure. The best part though, is figuring out the subtle temperature and color notes in the skin tones! It is quite an intensive exercise in observation. 

Inside Out

Another sketch in progress. Instead of working outwards in, the idea was to work from the inside out; focusing more on the details rather than the composition, and so spending more time on and exercising a greater value range.

The Golden Light

Julie and Jan taking a quick stroll out of the park to grab a mid-day meal during the weekend at Redwood City. The dry grass was reflecting the afternoon sun in bright golden hues - The light in the park was quite apt I would think for a workshop with Kim! This is done on an 8x16 canvas panel, a format that I am beginning to like and want to experiment more with. I think they would make interesting compositions. 

A Study in Green

A sketch from the day at the Gardens of Luxembourg. I mixed up a lot of different greens to have some variations in the foliage in the green dominated scene. The day was bright and since I was not painting under shade, the colors and the contrast seemed muted under indoor light. A lesson learnt for plein air outings! 

Vendu à Paris

I am back from the great escape - The Kim English workshop in Paris. The city is synonymous with art and never once failed to inspire! We explored a new location every day for our painting ventures. Each day started with a demo by Kim followed by our own attempts at getting at least two sketches done in a day. The emphasis was on being 'quick' to capture the essence, especially of the figures, without getting bogged down by the details.

The couple here made the first day a little more exciting by buying my painting of the Cafe at the very lively Mouffetard neighborhood! I had blocked in the figures, but people kept changing of course. And my painting was way different from what it had started out to be and also how I usually paint. I don't quite have a comfort zone as yet, but trying to paint en plein air a bustling cityscape was a huge departure. Paris, along with the fun crew, made the perfect backdrop for the trip; the beauty all around did a lot to soothe the nerves and the many failed attempts dint seem so bad after all!

Its all Relative

One of my first attempts at drawing the human face and one of those 'still in progress' works. I don't have the poster that was my reference anymore and so this will remain incomplete for now. I'd like to think that I managed to capture the essence of this person - I wonder if that is enough to make him recognizable?

Studio Solutions

I just got done with setting up my 'studio', as I'd like to call it. The rolling chest (Suggested by E) is really handy. All of the paints, spare panels and other accessories neatly fit into the drawers. At the other corner is the Art Box and Panel - Plein air easel by James Coulter. Its a light weight, portable system which I plan to use indoors as well to avoid the bulk of a floor easel. The window should provide the much needed ventilation. And my favorite part - the drying racks! I was able to install them using Balsa wood strips, L brackets, thumb pins and some push pins. It was quite simple and the best thing is that they be relocated very easily. Now I have no excuse to procrastinate. I hope this setup gets me to the easel more often. I want to get myself into a regular painting routine and enjoy this space while am at it.