April 24, 2010 - Day 257

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

I am too tired to write anything tonight but I also don't have much to say about today's painting of Bruce Willis.

April 23, 2010 - Day 256

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

Tried a different approach with today's painting of Drew Barrymore. I wanted to see if I could get a more "painterly" approach by using larger brush strokes with darker ink. Didn't really achieve what I was going for - guess I will go back to the more realistic style I have been doing.

April 22, 2010 - Day 255

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

I don't have much to say about today's painting of Cher. I could have done more with it but it was one of those days where painting wasn't my top priority.

April 21, 2010 - Day 254

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

Today I went searching on-line for information on how to capture a likeness in a portrait. I came across a great page that answered just that question. It shows how a likeness is not achieved by the placement of the features or the light and shadow but rather by the form of the face.

http://essenmitsosse.de/likeness-in-portrait

This really helped a lot because previously I had been drawing in the features and then attempting to match the values. For today's painting rather than look at the light and shadows I looked at the form of the features. I related it to painting an apple - I don't look only at the light and shadow but rather the curve of the apple and the roundness of it. I wasn't working in the 3rd dimension like that with my portraits and it showed.

April 20, 2010 - Day 253

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

Almost achieved a likeness of a young Sigourney Weaver tonight. With each new portrait I am learning to see just a little bit better what separates one person from the next. It is getting easier.

April 19, 2010 - Day 252

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

Tonight I attempted to paint Katherine Zeta-Jones twice and both times I failed to achieve the likeness. I used the same placement and shape of eyes, nostrils and mouth and the same basic face shape but still the shading was off.

The first painting I did I used my usual #5 round and I ended up with a young girl. The second painting I did I used a 00 liner and while I ended up with a mature woman it isn't Katherine Zeta-Jones. The liner brush did produce better results though and I think that I will continue to use it for the next little while on the portraits.

I have to admit that I am getting pissed off at my inability to paint a likeness - now I am just getting stubborn with it and I am not going to quit until I accomplish this goal! Grrrrrrr!

April 18, 2010 - Day 251

Ink on 250gsm Stonehenge 100% Cotton Vellum Finish Paper

Once again failed to create a likeness of the person I was trying to paint but to be honest I really wasn't in the mood to paint tonight. My mind wasn't in the game and I couldn't focus on what I was doing.

On the plus side if I decide to do figurative paintings I can take any picture I want and I won't have to worry about getting permissions because no one will be recognizable!