A Figure Sketch

Occasionally I paint figure sketches at a drawing group. Here's a recent gouache sketch using the Zorn palette. 9x12 inches, gouache on Crescent board.

Mother and Daughter

A commissioned painting of a mother and daughter, which I did back in early April, based upon a photo reference.  12x9 inches, oil on linen panel.

Figure In Gouache

 A recent figure painting. 15x10 inches, gouache on crescent illustration board.

FWIW

For what it's worth, I do an occasional figure study, which is usually a humbling experience. This is after two 20 minute sessions with the Zorn palette. 12x16 inches, oil on linen.

Figure Sketch

 A recent figure oil sketch.  12x16 inches, oil on linen.

Figure Sketches

 Two figure sketches, one in charcoal pencil, and one in oil.  Both 9x12 inches.

What I Did Today

What I did today at home.  12x9 oil on panel.

Whose That?

Still working on this one.  The English painter Bernard Dustan commented in his book Starting To Paint Portraits, "Remember that very few self-portraits are good likenesses, so you mustn't mind too much when you show the result to someone who says 'Whose that a portrait of?'"

Mr. Potato Head

First, I did a drawing.  I looked like Mr. Potato Head, but then I settled down and did this painting.  Now I just look old and tired.  11x14 inches, oil on panel.

A Portrait Of The Composer

A portrait of the composer Stephen Dankner, who kindly sat for the painting.  16x12 oil on panel.

Posing With A Smart Phone

A quick oil sketch of the model from the last figure painting/drawing session, proving once and for all, that one can look at a smart phone even without clothes.  16x12 oil on panel.

Figure Painting

A recent figure painting. 16x12 oil on linen panel.

A Week Apart

Here are two very recent figure paintings, done a week apart.  Same model, same pose, but differing vantage points. Both 16x12 oil on panel.

A Different Light

This time I kept the same position but put the lamp behind me for a different light source.   8x6 oil on panel.

What Next

Every now and then, when I'm not sure what to do next, I'll do a self-portrait.  This guy certainly looks like he doesn't know what's coming next.  I've often wondered about the self-portraits of Cezanne and Rembrandt.  It's not like they were doing them because there was a demand, unless the demand was a personal thing.  I can just imagine Madame Cezanne's reaction to seeing him working on a self-portrait.  8x6 oil on panel.

Mirror Image

A figure painting from one of last year's drawing sessions.  I use these sessions to paint instead of drawing (or I draw with paint).  I took advantage of the mirror, which wasn't always there, since the space is used mainly for other activities.  The painting is a 16x12 oil on panel.

Affinities

This painting I did earlier this year.  It's 12x16 oil on panel.  It's not a landscape, obviously, but a reclining figure has affinities to a landscape.

Still Practicing

Though I usually paint landscapes, I like the opportunity to paint from the figure.  This is a 16x12 oil on panel done earlier this week.

The poet John Keats wrote in a letter dated October 9, 1818: "That which is creative must create itself."  What I think he meant is that one can only learn by doing.  To get better at painting, one has to paint a lot.  Ken Howard quotes the painter Carel Weight: "Painting is rather like playing the piano, you've got to practice every day."

Another Angle

Believe it or not, but he told me that he's smiling.  Actually, he didn't tell me any such thing.  He just wanted to pose from a different angle.

Face Paint

You're probably getting tired of seeing this guy by now, and it's only been three portraits.  He keeps pestering me now to paint his portrait.  I have to admit that there are so many variations possible for a portrait.  So I can't say what will happen next.