I'm trying another new thing this semester. The goal is to get up at 5 am. Yep, 5. It's definitely not easy. I don't like it very much. It is nice to get in the studio before anyone else is there yet, but that's about the only benefit. I wonder how long this will last. I imagine it will be short-lived, but at least I can say that I tried it.
On a different note I'm starting a 2' x 3' oil painting. I'm so excited! I took some reference photos on Friday, and here are a couple I'm probably going to use. I'm definitely going to change the color of her dress to a more burgundy-like color, but I love the colors in my still life objects. I can't wait to get started!
This semester I'm doing a self-directed project of a series of still lives in various lighting situations from life in order to study the effects of different kinds of light. My first one is a study of natural light. I don't think I've ever painted something lit by the actual sun, so this is a surprisingly singular experience for me. It is difficult working with the constraints of daylight, but this light is kind of nice. It's so soft and luscious that I can't believe I've never tried it before. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to finish before my fruits wither and change color, but I'm going to try my best. Here's the one I started this weekend.
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| Here's my setup. It took about 30 min of nudging and rearranging before I was satisfied. |
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| This is my underpainting. It took about 2 hours to get this far. |
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| Here's two more hours of work. Slow but steady! |
I'm taking Figure Drawing again this semester. Yes, I know this is the fifth time I've taken this particular class, but there's always more to learn. The techniques/skills/information gleaned in life drawing are transferrable to so many other activities that I consider this class essential to success.
Wow, I sure sound like the figure drawing poster child! I guess I'll embrace that. Here are my 3 min gestures from the first class of the semester. They're kind of rusty, but they have a certain conviction to them that I like.
So, once upon a time I promised to upload my painting of Tabitha. Here it is. The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced that it's not really done. I'll post what I have nonetheless. If I work on it more, I'll post an update.
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| There, I do keep my promises—eventually! |
