Layers, Giggles, and Waiting. I hate waiting.

Here it's been a couple weeks and my lack of sleep just might be getting the best of me.  (I may have made a phone call from the calculator.)  I can't help it though, the creative bug has bitten me and I'm in full blown reaction.

Portrait of Paul.  Phase 1, Burnt Sienna and Ivory Black
underpainting. © 2013 Maranda Schemanski

Since I last updated, I have been busy with layers of paint creating form and volume in my experimental piece.

I started this one with a preliminary layer of Burnt Sienna and Ivory Black, then added his cell phone to the bottom right corner to give balance to the entire piece.  Without it, there was a little too much negative space down there and the eye easily trailed off the image.

I cannot begin to tell you the beauty of painting on a gessoed and sanded surface.  In all my time painting on canvas, I never felt the technique I was using (with the the washing and glazing with linseed oil) ever found the perfect consistency.  I always felt I struggled so much with the mechanics of the paint itself that sometimes the image I was creating lost some to the shortfalls in my medium.  Painting is not so with the hard board.  I could use a little to a lot of oil and still have no struggles with pooling, running, or clumping.

Pleased with this start, I stepped back and decided this was going to be awesome.

Then the hardest 3 days of my life happened.

I had to wait for the paint to dry.

Agony.

Fortunately, I have a few other art projects to keep me busy while I wait... and there's all the house work too.  Lucky me!

The second layer of paint found me working more detail into his face, more volume into his coat, and

another layer on the background, while finding the proper placement for eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.  I also added a layer of Yellow Ochre to the background and a layer of Ivory Black to his coat.  I have not yet added other colors.  I'm focused on finding my form.

My palette for the second layer of paint.  Was everyone who got married in the 80's given a blue Corell dish set, standard issue?  Thanks, mom, for the plate. :)

Some of my brushes.

Portrait of Paul.  Phase 2;  Second layering of paint.
 © 2013 Maranda Schemanski

Again, the agony of waiting for paint to dry..... killing me slowly.....

......

The third sitting brought in Titanium White and Payne's Grey.  The goal for the next few steps of layering will be a battle between bringing up the highlights and darkening she shadows.  This process will create an illusion of a three dimensional object sitting in front of the viewer, as opposed to the two dimensional board that is actually there.  I'm still using the Yellow Ochre/Cadmium Red combo as in the previous layer, adding the Payne's Grey to cool and dirty the shadows.  I'm being stingy on the Grey so far because I'm finding form at this point and not making the colors.

My Palette for Phase 2, flesh tones.

After a little discussion with my model, we settled on a blue toned background.  (Blue symbolizes strength.)  Of course, we decided this after a layer of Terra Verte Green went down.  But that's okay, easy to change the colors.

Portrait of Paul.  Phase 3,  Addition of Titanium White to draw out highlights and create volume.
 © 2013 Maranda Schemanski

And with that, you are all caught up.  

Do you think the paint is dry yet?