Painting progress as of today

[gloriana]

Feel free to skip if you don't want to see things in mid paint :) :)

So the Vermeer has moved to the next stage, and the Caravaggio has been begun. It's the first time I'm using full Renaissance technique, so - as much to aid my failing memory as anything - details and further pics under the cut.

Comments

[green_key]

Very interesting about the contour lines. I always hated doing those (probably because I wasn't very good at it).

Your wip on the bottom -- I'm blown away by the detail in the skirt and the way the folds and wrinkles in the hood are coming together. Fabulous job!

[gloriana]

Contours were never my favourite thing either :( Breaking the shadow into a few major groups, yeah - but the detail I preferred to work into with the pencil as I went along. Interesting that it does all tie together, though - I have no idea as to whether other painters use contours for this sort of painting prep, but I just found myself doing it as the way to get that level of info into the preliminary drawing.

And thanks for the compliment :) :) The hood - omg, Vermeer's subtleties!!! So that I really have tried to get exact to what he did. The skirt, though, was much looser and more..."interpretive" :), since the idea is to carry it down into the Caravaggio as background there, which means altering it from the Vermeer a bit anyway.

[sneezer222]

I am really liking these. The light on her hood is just so lovely.

[gloriana]

Isn't it just - Vermeer really could make things glow! It will go a little darker by the end, because that was all gold with just a bit of white, but it's fun to have the higher contrast to begin with.

[leyna55]

The light in the Vermeer one - so pretty! The process is cool - particularly making your own gessod panel.

[gloriana]

OMG we had to use a staple gun!!! (which is terrifying when you're actually holding the bits of wood and stapling near your hands with inch long nails!) We did that for making our own canvas last semester, and I said to hell with that, and made sure I got clamps to hold it with my hands nowhere near this time. But we also get to use a huge mechanical mitre saw - wheeeee :)

[leyna55]

Sounds fun AND potentially dangerous to the clumsy among us *g* Using the clamps sounds like a very sensible compromise.

[lferion]

I adore seeing process -- go you!

And I will get to see you before July, because I am coming to Escapade this year :-)

[gloriana]

Oh, excellent :) :) Are you driving or flying this time?

[lferion]

I will be driving -- I am actually coming out the previous weekend for the Dr Who convention (Gallifrey) and staying. It makes me wish you still lived in Seal Beach! I haven't worked out the details of the days in the middle yet, though I will just get a room somewhere reasonable if need be. I will need good internet, because I'll be working, though I plan to have some fun too.

When are you coming down? I'll be checking into the Escapade hotel on Thurs.

[gloriana]

I'm driving down with Elayna, and should be there sometime in the afternoon. The rest of the peninsula crowd are either flying or driving after work on Thursday, but I wanted to be in a bit earlier than that.

[gloriana]

I lucked into this one - he's quite a demanding teacher, but I sure am learning a lot. I've had one hopeless class in the past, and this is so different. You can never tell, though, except if you know gossip from the other students, which is difficult when you don't know people in the local art community :(

[gloriana]

Hhhmmm, I have no idea whether this is feasible for you, but one of the colleges I go to has online classes, and the portrait teacher is supposed to be quite good. I much prefer real life classes myself, since the being there is what makes me work; but I'm considering her for next semester. Obviously your fees would be higher, not being a California resident :( Say.... $600 range, at a rough guess? I assume that's more than you would pay locally, but thought I would mention it anyway. If it turns up on the schedule for next semester, I'll mail you the details.