Rock Texture

In this session at my studio I concentrated on the rock value and texture. I added highlights as well as dark values. I wanted the dark values on the bottom of the rock to be similar to the dark values in the figure's hair. My aim is to lead the eye from the rock to the figure. I tried to simplify the values, but add complexity to the rock shapes and texture. So I incorporated many more small rock shapes.

Drawing Six Highlights Continued

After the initial blocking of the highlight, I began to erase and blend. I shaped the highlight areas and subtracted white charcoal from some of the edges. Then I used a blending stump to blend the white charcoal into the gray paper. I am happy with the highlight areas on the legs, not so much with the back. I will have to work on that area further. Maybe more shadows are needed in the back. We'll see.

Back in the Studio Again

I am back in the studio again! Between final exams, portfolio review, and then the start of the new quarter I did'ot get to my studio very much. That's life! I have started working on this standing figure putting in the highlights. This image shows the first step where I blocked in the large shapes. I have done very little blending at this point. Also, the highlights are extending into some areas where I do not want them.

Rocky Mountain Landscape almost Finished

The top photo shows the painting is almost complete. Looking from the bottom photo to the top you can see how I built up the shadows and textures on the fence in the foreground. I worked on adding the white tree trunks to the background treeline. Then, I added a lot of green to the field in front of the cabin. Also, the cabin became a shade darker with darker shadows. Between each of these steps I take a few days and look at the painting, living with it for a while to see what it needs next.

Rocky Mountian Landscape

Here is the painting after another session. The photo is too yellow, so everything looks warmer here than in the real painting. I have added the shadows to the cabin, worked on the green hills, added a lot of the grass and sage to the foreground. The fence has another layer now. I changed the open door quite a bit from the photo adding three windows which will be green in the end. I think this will add depth to the cabin.

The Rockie's

I am taking a break from the figure drawing for a while to work on a few other projects. This is a commission for my friend Bill Mess and his daughter. This is a log cabin church in the Grand Teton mountains. What a spectacular place. This is about 20 layers, so just the beginning of a watercolor painting. I have laid in the underlying colors for all areas of the paintings. The sky, far mountains, and green hills are almost complete. The church and foreground flowers are in the very early stages. The fence has only one layer of paint. More painting tomorrow!

Large Scale Paintings Together at Last

It took a while, but I finally got good photos of these three paintings. They are all so large that I do not have room to hang them in my studio. They are all completed on 300 lb paper, in acrylic paint, from live models, during one or two day sittings, using a ladder to reach the entire paper.