B&W&Red Self Portrait Tweaked

I decided I needed some darker values so I decided to darken my shirt. While I was at it I shortened and hopefully softened the neck. And I made a few tiny changes in the face that probably no one will notice. So I hope I made it look a little better. Same 16 x 16 oil on board as below. And I see what Vern was talking about... that upper right corner keeps photographing as ochre-y. But it's just the same warm red with a touch of black, Scout's honor, guys and gals!

B&W & Red Self-Portrait

Choosing one color for this self-portrait wasn't an easy decision, but those were the rules at Alice Thompson's new challenge site, Calypso Moon Artist Movement. Black and white plus only one other color. I almost used transparent oxide red which is a warm brown. I chose Rembrandt's Permanent Red Medium because it is a nice warm red (has some yellow in it), and I thought black plus white would be close enough to blue. Therefore I had something close to the three primaries to work with. It's funny I chose red because it used to be (decades ago) my least favorite color in the world. Now I have come to embrace red and I enjoy the punch of it. To me, red really delivers a nice zing with black, gray and white and I thought it would give good skin tones. I wish I could say I chose it for some deep, symbolic, intellectual reason. Nope!
Alice also wanted us to include some shoulder area. Next time I'll do a pose that is less frontal because I've got broad shoulders and this has sort of a Ten-HUT! feeling to it. But it was fun and I'm glad I participated. 16 x 16 oil on board.

Portrait of Karin Jurick

I joined 117 other artists to honor and thank Karin Jurick for all her work on the DSFDF website (the idea of artist Jill Polsby). I know that many, many other artists would have wanted to participate but this was done in secrecy in a brief time span and not everyone knew about it. Anyway I used the photo she submitted for the last portrait challenge, as did the others. So far I have not resorted to using a projected image as a guide for any artwork but I was tempted by this project. I'm still learning to wrap features around a turned head in a realistic way. Trying to capture her flawless, peachy skin was a challenge but I enjoyed the effort immensely. Hope you enjoy this 10 x 8 oil on canvas.

Also, thank you so much to Trish Siegel and Millie Nguyen for giving me the Sunshine Award for creativity and positivity in blogging. The other artists in whose company I find myself make me feel very humbled. Please visit their sites to see their wonderful work. Thank you again, Trish and Millie!

Michelle Burnett as a Baby

This is my latest entry on The Flying Moleskins site (link at right). Michelle Burnett requested a theme of snapshots or postcards from our lives, but I saw this photo of her as a toddler and couldn't resist it. The colors are more golden and less pale in person. I was attempting to get a "faded photograph" (like the song) antique snapshot feeling. This 5 x 16" piece is done in oil on the gessoed watercolor paper of Michelle's moleskin sketchbook. In about 6 months or so it should finally reach her after the other 11 artists sketch or paint their own work in it. (13 of us in all) Michelle, you were a joy to paint. And you must have been a beautiful baby, 'cause baby, look at you now!