Sepia Toned Paintings

I've been using a lot of brown paint lately...mostly burnt sienna (although I will warn you - it could be raw sienna.  I'm having one of those moments where I just can't remember which is which!)

I just shipped out this adorable portrait based on a 1950's photo of a couple on the beach.  The client commissioned it just before the birth of her first child, who is named for his Great Grandpa in the photo.

The original photo was in black and white, and showed some age.  I decided to stick with a warm palette, and painted this on a prepared birch panel.  In many places, there is just a stain of brown paint, allowing the wood grain to show through.

During our figure drawing group last night I used just burnt sienna and thinner as I blocked in this long lounging pose on a 12" x 24" canvas.

As I tell my students - keep it soft, work on the whole image at once.  At first I had the figure about an inch lower, but I wanted more of the drapery (which is patterned and will be painted in eventually) and less negative space above her body.  So I raised the entire figure.

I used a little bit of dark brown mixed into the sepia to define more of the folds and cast shadows on her body.

I'll have to take a better photo, but this does show the value range I locked in towards the end of our time with the model (a total of about 80 minutes from the live model)  Towards the end, maybe about 10 minutes left, I took a few steps back from my work and realized her head was too small, and painted it in again.  

The model was gracious enough to allow a reference photo, so I am looking forward to finishing up this painting.

Kristopher Meadows Portrait Painting Demo

Last Friday evening I was lucky enough to host a very talented local artist, Kristopher Meadows, at my studio for a portrait painting demonstration.  Kristopher has just published his first instructional DVD - The SVEC Method - Painting the Female Portrait in Oil.    We had a great crowd, lots of food, and learned a lot about Kristopher's approach to painting.

I highly recommend attending as many live painting demos as you can - even if you don't particularly connect with the artist's style or technique.  Everyone walked away from the demo with some new information, and a desire to go and PAINT - which is a high compliment to any teacher.

Portrait Information and A Painting Update

This has been a very exciting couple of days.  I was truly humbled and honored to be featured on Heather Armstong's Blog last Thursday.  Her kind words about my work meant so much to me.  (To be honest, my goal is to make every client go "Holy Crap!" ...much better than "Eh, it's OK")

Within minutes of her post going live I had thousands of visitors to my blog and my Etsy Shop.  The response has been overwhelming, and in such a great way.  The positive words, the genuine kindness about my work, and enthusiasm for my style has been amazing.

Heather took a big chance on me, and I am only now beginning to comprehend what that means.  By sharing that painting, she basically has said "I believe in Kristina's work".  Believes in my work.  It is hard to put into words how that makes me feel.

I am not taking this opportunity lightly!  I hope that I treat every new visitor and client with respect and fairness.  I look forward to creating many more beautiful pieces, and I am so excited that so many clients are drawn to my colorful and eclectic style.  I have several portrait commissions lined up, and if I can take on yours, I will do so, depending on the schedule.

Here is a little more information on my Custom Portrait Process.

In the meantime...as I order new supplies and get ready to start on new orders...I really want to finish up the model in the red skirt and striped vest!

This media is awesome to work with.   A primed panel, I spread a thin layer of a modeling paste/gesso/paint mix that gave it a textured layer similar to venetian plaster.  Glazing and painting several layers on top of that, I am building up a lot of color and interest on the surface.

So I better finish this one VERY SOON!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog and my work. Cheers!

A new painting on my easel...

I have been in the new studio (yay!) for a couple weeks now and as soon as I moved in I knew I wanted to work on a large painting.  I had taken some photos about a month ago of one of our gorgeous models in a red tutu, a little striped vest, and a black cap, keeping with the ballerinas and the stripes and the dancer motif I have been exploring!

Yesterday I started on a 30" x 40" primed panel, first sketching out the figure in charcoal.  Then, I added a layer of primer - a mix of gesso, modeling paste and paint to seal in the sketch, put some color down, and build up some texture on the surface.

Next I drew on top of that with some blue paint, working out scale and position of model.

I wanted to start with blue because I thought the red of the skirt, which is a really true red with cool undertones, would work best on top of blue rather than an olive green or brown.

Today, back in the studio, I worked with very thin layers of paint to block in the larger areas of color - the background wall, the cast shadow, the skin tones, the red skirt.  I love the texture from the modeling paste! 

I love this stage of the painting, where everything is loose and bright.  My goal is to build up several layers of color, maybe sanding back to the blue primer in some areas, or rubbing in some dark glazes in the textures.  It's hard to predict where I will go...but I always enjoy the ride!

My Top 3 Tips to Better Paintings

Over the years I have had the opportunity to teach artists of all ages and skill levels.  Young 4 and 5 year olds just learning the color wheel, to 80 year olds who wanted to learn portrait painting.  Just last week I was approached by an artist for some advice on a painting she was working on.  I have been thinking about the tips I gave to her, and felt that they were probably 3 of the most important tips I have consistently given over the years to all of my students.

Tip 1 - Have good reference material.
            One of the first things I noticed when the artist presented her painting and her reference photo to me was that her photo was blurry and a little faded.  The pose, of a ballerina, was lovely, but a lot of detail was lost because it was out of focus.  It's difficult for any artist to invent the small subtleties in a person's profile, or the quirks in the folds of fabric, or the specific shape of the cast shadow of a foot on the floor.
            Start out with a GOOD, large, sharp, reference photo.  5" x 7" or larger works best.  This is a lesson I learned as I began my Custom Portrait business.  No matter how cute a wallet sized photo is, there is just not enough information to blow it up to a 2 foot by 3 foot painting.   For this pastel portrait of my son, I used an 8" x 10" photo that was taken outdoors.
        

Tip 2 - Use A Variety of Brushes
            Looking at her paint application, I asked the artist "How many brushes did you use for this painting?" and she showed me 3 - all flat, all pretty close in size.  The reason I asked was the flowing fabric of the ballerina costume, her warm skin, and the hardwood floor were all approached with the same size and style of brushwork.  This gave the painting an over all sense of flatness.
           One of my favorite artists, Joan Mitchell, had a particular dislike for what she called "one brush paintings".  I'm not saying it can't be done (a beautiful painting with one brush that is) for in Art, if no where else, there are no Absolutes.  But I encouraged the artist to work with a variety of brushes and to use a broader painting language.

           And you may be thinking "what does an abstract painting have to do with a painting of a ballerina?" The truth is at the end of the day it's all paint on a canvas.  It's how we use that paint that's important.

Tip 3 - Learn from the Masters
          This is not earth-shattering information to most of you...almost every book or teacher will tell you to "study the Masters".  But do you know WHY they are telling you this?  Because even with a natural ability and instinct for drawing and painting, you still don't know it all.  (I thought I did but have been repeatedly told otherwise.)
            Buy some good Art magazines, go to the bookstore and grab a few books, and have them with you when you are creating.  I am not saying COPY their work - but look for how they solved problems.  How do you make a wood floor recede into space?  How do you depict folds of fabric?  What color should I use to show the reflection of daylight on her shoulder?  It's incredible how having books, pages from magazines, even my fellow Artists paintings around me infuses my work with different ways of seeing and problem solving.  They are a never ending source of information and inspiration.



        

Female Figure Seated in a Chair with Orange Drapery. New Acrylic Painting from the Live Model

I've been working with acrylics the last few weeks while completing a portrait painting commission, so last night I grabbed the paints that were handy my brushes and a 9" x 12" panel to take to our weekly figure drawing group.

For our long pose, the model perched on a chair and footrest that were draped with black fabric.  This was a great contrast for her pale skin tone.

I blocked in the large shapes first, trying to cover the white surface before establishing her skin tones.  I could already tell that there was going to be too much black in the piece, dominating the figure.  So when we took a break, I added in a piece of patterned orange drapery.

I continued to block in color, and also changed the position of her leg on our left.  It was actually stretched out, with the foot coming right at me, which seemed really awkward.  I haven't resolved it completely yet.  There may be some added drapery down by her foot.

This is as far as I got last night, a total of about 90 minutes of painting from the model.  I think proportions are good, and there is a good feeling of her weight leaning on her elbow.  I'd like to work more on her profile, add the rest of the pattern in the orange drapery, and finalize her right foot.

Working quickly with acrylics can have it's plusses - the layers dry quickly during breaks, easy to clean up.  But last night they were drying very quickly, and I was mixing more than painting.  I recommend small surfaces if you are painting with Acrylic from the Live model.

New Paintings Started. The Lounging Figure, the Copper Tree

A couple new paintings started this week.  Wednesday evening during figure drawing group I began a 9" x 12" panel of the female nude, perched upon black and teal drapery.  I started by under painting in shades of blue and a little brown, manipulating the limbs and fabric until I was happy with the placement.

Working on a small scale, it's important to get everything blocked in proportion before thinking about detail.

For the next hour I worked on getting the local color and minor adjustments to the figure.

Since our session came to an end, the kind model permitted me to take a reference photo so that I can finish.  I am especially interested in painting the pattern in the drapery.

Much like this painting from a couple weeks ago, I think the pattern will really add interest to the piece.

Also started this week...I am working on a painting for a client's dining/living area.  The walls are copper colored, and they are especially drawn to trees.  I found a really small (1" x 2") snapshot of a cherry tree branch in bloom in a magazine, so I am basing this painting off of that tiny picture.  I'm glad it's tiny, though...I want to look at the general shape, not minute details.

I started with a wash of cadmium orange, then glazed over that with a mix of turquoise and white.  Then I added about a hundred little squares of copper foil (THAT was fun!) and glazed again with a mixture of red and sap green.  (two panels, 30" x 30" each)

I'm just starting to add some lines with conte' crayon.

I have worked in this style before, and it creates a surface with a lot of depth and texture.  The birds in this painting were created the same way. 

And I love using copper leaf, you can control it to some extent, but sometimes it will tear and rip, creating accidental shapes as it did in this painting of the figure.

I will still add several more layers, and maybe even use a little modeling paste in a few areas.  I also like to sand away spots that become over-developed, revealing some buried moments.

I'm excited about finishing both of these paintings...soon I hope!