Digital Prep

Mandarins in simple lighting with glass... this value study was fun to do. Getting the values right is even more important than drawing accuracy!

Mandarin Bowl_Digital File_2020Feb

Frames

When I had a pastel professionally framed (pastels present special difficulties, such as the surface cannot touch the inside glass) the result was beautiful and elevated the artwork wonderfully.
   I want to see some of my smallest panels framed, as there are a few I'm fond of and I can add more photos to the ones selling on Etsy, showing how it looks on the wall. That being said, I'm sure the framing charge would be half as much, given that the panels require no glass. I decided however to make some from scratch.
   Building a simple floating frame for small panels proved tricky in terms of measure - because of miter. The math escapes me - I custom fit the first frame and saved the measurements as follows :
16 cm inside measure- this part is hidden behind the panel
24.4 cm outside measure- the part that shows.
20.8 is the width at the bezel- I left a gap of about an inch around the panel- see spacers below.

spacers against bezel

This will leave a little wiggle room around the panel and create a nice shadow for the floating effect.

I glue 2 1/4 in  and half inch square strips together before cutting the lengths. 

About three frames will come from the 5 ft lengths, and these are for 8 in panels.

Can you see the difference?

Three Mandarin paintings are now complete! The first is on paper, the next two are in birch panel. One is in Acrylic, the other is Acrylic Finished in Oil Paint. These still look rough but I think I like the effect.

Mandarin_Series2_It Takes Three_Acrylic on Birch Panel_8x8in_Jan2020

Mandarin_Series3_It Takes Three_Acrylic and Oil on Birch Panel_8x8in_Jan2020

Mandarins are a symbol of abundance and good fortune in the Chinese New Year. The colour orange is said to be Joyous and uplifting. They are so tasty this time of year!

Little drawing issues

I want to work on several mandarin paintings and I’m off to a good start. The little drawing and proportion difficulties are bugging me. I decided to trace and overlay from the photo to check my first painting.

Set Up

Source Photo

The first painting is by eye, using a grid.

Check out this video about procrastination and the benefits of reworking an idea or image.   https://youtu.be/M6NsEDwHHiE

Mandarins1

Sketch

 Unfinished Mandarins 2

There are changes to proportion, but my mistakes aren’t as glaring as I had supposed while doing the work.

New Still Life, moving paintings along...

So many projects! I know it’s good to have several on the go, so things can dry and I gain some distance, but this is ridiculous!
Yesterday An acrylic I’ve been planning to redo for a along time came together. The 2018 original from years ago was on paper. I always liked it despite its roughness, and may do several more.

New Bookmark

Happy to do these as a simple way to develop iPad skills. I forget how to do thing if I don’t practice regularly. After printing a set of four bookmarks I found two of them needed tweaking, as print reveals flaws not seen on screen.
This one is a weird combination of morning and high noon light.

Continuing the Quest for Likeness

“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us. To see oursels as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, An' foolish notion.” Robert Burns

Mind you... I'd like to test the free money theory. 
Ileen and I were practicing at her house with our easels set up in the living room. Lighting was weaker than I would have liked, as is the case with most of my photos intended for the purpose. All Prima forces economy because the time is limited. An hour or two and you are finished, although adjustments could be made later if desired. The portrait takes on a likeness that is imperfect but has a life of its own. I seldom adjust them later. However, I am not satisfied with the result either! The source photo was posed for me to take, feigning the activity, and was not the same expression. There are too many harsh dark cheek and brow values on the right, because they were reserved underpainting. As to the drawing, this is what I saw. The handling of paint in a loose fashion is how I want to work, but it's unrefined at this point and not flattering enough. The portrait of me is though.