Tuesday, November 11, 2008

When the model is right... the rest will follow

This is both an exciting day and a sad day. Remembrance Day
always makes me think of and miss my father, long dead now.

The exciting part -- I began my painting The Promise tonight.
My model and I reviewed the 9 possible choices to select the right dress,
narrowed it down to three, and finally picked one.
After that I worked in two 10 minute poses before it was
time for her to leave.



The Promise

Step One, blocking the light

In the first pose I started blocking in the lights. In the
second I began refining the image by drawing it in
charcoal. I also decided at the end to whip in some
colour for a dark to define the right side of the image.
I like the layout of the piece so far.



The Promise Step 2
Drawing and staring colour

My biggest problem in painting big, is that I could always
paint bigger. So I still have to try and make the model
fit on the 3' x 4' canvas. I've been painting a lot of small
works lately, and this canvas is huge. I began work with
the largest brush I could comfortably draw with (2"), and then
used a slightly smaller brush to get more of a precise feel.

So that's it for today.

Have a memory-filled day.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi Barbara,

Thank you so for how you share your process about painting. I find it fascinating. I have a painting sketched out and am soon to begin to place paint on canvas and your discourse is most helpful.

Also, your ongoing discussion of day to day life continues to be delightful.

cheers,
mic

Liza Hirst said...

I like the composition! And it's great to see how loosly you sketched the figure right on!

Barbara Muir said...

Thanks Mic,

I'm glad you like seeing the process.
Painting in acrylic is less demanding than oil or watercolour. If something isn't just right, you can change it.
That's true right up to ten minutes before you put it in the car to take it to a show. No great for people like me, because I do keep
going.

Take care,

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Liza,

Thanks so much. There's a feeling
of liberty with a great big canvas.

Take care,

Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!