New art update...

Some new artwork underway since the last time I posted!  Let me show you!!

This first one is called "Burning Bridges" and i finished it in the fall.  It's based on a picture I took of the sunset while going over a bridge near Newport, RI.  Don't worry...I wasn't driving! I love the vibrancy that came of the colors I used.  I always start very vibrant with my underpaintings.  I do have a step by step picture series to show how this painting came to life and will be posting that soon! It's NuPastel on 9x12 Colourfix paper.

This is my latest creation.  I'm not sure if it's completely done yet.  I love the color and the way the rocks came to life.  It's based on a picture from a couple summers ago of a beach in Clinton, CT.  I really liked the way the landscape framed the umbrella and decided to remove the inhabitants.  I'm not sure if I need to do anything to the far water underneath the trees... it looks a little pale to me, but I don't want to lose the depth of the painting. I don't have a name picked out for this one...but I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of "Summer Soldier".  Please tell me what you think...I'd appreciate any feedback! This is NuPastel on 9x12 Colourfix paper.

Step by Step Pastel Painting

Here is the step by step painting of a stethoscope I have worked on between work and school :)  Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!

First I added all of the colors I saw in the photo in an underpainting.  I love beginning bright and vibrantly, and I think that when the painting is finished, those colors really help the painting pop!

Then I began adding some lighter colors that reflect closer to the colors of the skin and shirt in the reference photo I was using.

 Then I began blending and working on the shadows in the skin cast by the shirt and by the anatomy.  I also was trying to set the stage for the stethoscope to be added by putting in the shadow of it before I added it.

I was also working on the colors in the shirt and trying to get the light to cast correctly while keeping some of the vibrant colors.

 Now the moment of truth! Adding in the stethoscope.  I was nervous about this part because if I didn't do it right, correcting the underpating would be hard and it would lose the fluidity.

 I decided the stethoscope needed to be bigger that I had made it base on the rest of the scale.  But I was able to do it without muddying up the background.  I enjoyed adding lots of color to the head of the stethoscope to reflect its shape.

 Finally I added shading on the shirt and in the stethoscope to make it more rounded. And it is done :) I thoroughly enjoyed completing it!  Also below is my new piece that I have just started on!! The underpainting is in progress!

New Piece: Just Started

Started a sunset picture which I took while I was in FL a few years ago.  I haven't done a whole lot of water pieces so it should be interesting how this comes out.  I've been working mostly on the sky and just putting my base colors on the sand and water.

This is Nupastel on 9x12 Colourfix pastel paper.

Current Work in Progress

Started working on another picture in my motion series.  Its another bubble picture and I like where it's going.  This was done in a couple hours, working on and off.  Total work time was probably about an hour.  It is Nupastel on Colourfix paper.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon. :)

Outside My Window

Completed another Daily Paintworks Challenge involving taking a black and white photo and creating a colored work.  It was fun and something I have never done.  I learned a lot from this exercise and am happy with what I've created.  Let me know what you think!  Check out the website, very fun place for artists to network and receive constructive criticism.

It's Almost There!!

Another update of the portrait I'm working on.  I got a second wind tonight and decided to work some more.  I also chose not to do the red and white hawaiian print.  There were so many folds in the shirt, between that and the print itself, I was too scared haha.  So I made up a color mixing pinks, purples, maroons, and blues.  I still have the hands to finish and some other things to touch up but it's almost done!!

The vibrancy of the shirt may be taking away from the person...I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet....hmm... ideas?

Mini Paintings

Just wanted to post some updates of things I've been working on.  I took one of my 12x16 Pastel Papers and cut it into four 6x8 pieces to do some work on a smaller scale.  I've got about 30 minutes worth of work on both of these pictures done but I'll be putting on more layers and working on the background of the scallions piece.  The pictures aren't the greatest because they're off of my phone, but I found that my phone takes better pictures without the flash if I don't have indirect daylight to take it with my camera.  One is scallion flowers, and the other is just looking down the opening of a wooded area.

The scallions were harder than I anticipated as I wasn't mentally prepared with all of the little petals, but I like it none the less.  The harder part is the background which is an out of focus garden (all green) and a hosta (spelling) that is light in value because of the transparency factor.  But I really like how the woods are going.  I would like to work on leaf detail in the trees more.  The woods picture is more out of focus than I thought it was when I took it... so I apologize.  With more work on them I'll take better pictures of both.

After watching a documentary about Van Gogh, based on letters to his brother, it was reported that he created over 900 paintings in 9 years, averaging a painting a day.  Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what my average production was.  Knowing it wouldn't be nearly as much between just starting pastels a year ago, working two jobs, and attending two colleges the past six month, including finish my Master's and thesis.  I have created 54 pastel paintings in the past year, averaging to one a week.  Posted here are numbers 55 and 56.  I'm going to take this opportunity to challenge myself and my production rate.  Let's see what happens! :)