Mexican Woman, 9x12"

Hello Friends:

This week I've been thinking a lot about the artists that I admire. Today, I decided to try to paint a woman in the style of Jeffrey Watts. Bold, simple strokes with loads of paint are what sets him apart from many portrait painters. I had to stop myself from going back in and putting in more detail many times-- it goes against my nature, but I'll put my brushes down now and let it be.

To bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman Mexican Woman.

Portrait Sketch, 24x20"

Hello Friends:I am starting a new commission of three little girls, ages 20 months to 5 years old. As you can imagine, a painting of three children in one portrait will be the same amount of work for me as three individual portraits would be. In some ways, it's even tougher, because the relationships between them need to be kept in mind, along with the sizing of the heads, bodies, and hands, as well as the lighting.

A project of this magnitude needs to be well planned from the beginning. I like to paint a preliminary oil "sketch" of the portrait, in order to get agreement from my client regarding the final layout and size of the painting, the positioning of the children and the overall "feel" and colors to be used. In this case, the client was very happy with the positioning of the girls and the feel of the painting, but we were in agreement that the painting needed to be made a bit wider to give more space on the sides. After a bit of debate, it was agreed between us that the painting size will be 28x20".

I'll go back to the drawing board and start a brand new canvas. This sketch took two painting sessions of about 4 hours each, so I haven't spent too much time on it. I would much rather start again now and have a painting the client will be thrilled with than to produce one that's the wrong size and have a so-so reaction. And since I know that the colors and layout are correct, I'll use it as my guide in painting the final portrait.

And while I'm at it, I may change the position of the arm on the left side to bend toward her little sister. I don't like the way that it's pulling us out of the scene. I don't know that I would have seen that if I hadn't done my sketch!

Richard the Second

Hello Friends: Well, I'm glad I spent the second sitting with Richard to really go in there and finish off some details in his face. When I look back on where I was with his portrait after the first sitting, it's nowhere near where it is now. I like the color saturation so much more now.

I've gotten into the habit of trying to finish a portrait completely in one sitting, and sometimes it's a really good idea to slow down and concentrate on the details. Thanks, Frankie, for pointing this out to me-- I owe you one!

Self Portrait

Hello Friends: Yes, I know that this portrait doesn't look a whole lot like me-- I'm serious and I've got my mouth closed (!), but as you can see, it's what I would call "experimental". I can do this with a self portrait, because I know that the client won't mind. I used a loaded palette knife to apply the paint, so the likeness got away from me a bit. But I'm happy with the push that I gave myself in a new direction, so I won't sweat the details.

And Now For A Teachable Moment:Several of my portrait students have asked that I jot down some of my teachable thoughts on my blog, and I have a couple of them today. In class, I stress the importance of finding the light and shadowed areas on the head, face, and neck and sticking to those areas throughout the painting process. In this portrait, after I found the light and shadow areas, I was free to apply any color I wanted, as long as I stayed true to my original "map". Notice the huge green area on the shoulder. Since it's in the right value, it reads right. This allows me to push my colors into completely new and unexpected areas. Having a plan is actually very freeing!

And now a thought on using the palette knife. Applying paint with a palette knife is a lot like riding a wild horse with really loose reins-- you're not really in control and unexpected things happen at every turn! I maintain just a bit of control by having very large mixtures of paint on my palette in light, middle, and dark values, and I "average" the color in each puddle to what I see in the large areas of my portrait. As long as my values are kept separate, I can add colors and apply them liberally without as much fear as I normally would have. Let's look at that shoulder area again. I started with a very light mixture of paint for the skin in the light, then added light green and light blue to my mixture with the knife. These colors didn't blend entirely on the palette, so tiny streaks show up in the painting. I love this effect. Every time I reloaded my knife, I picked up a bit more color from somewhere on my palette and put it into my mix. This keeps the area alive and gives a feeling of movement.

So stick to your plan, and push your color! You might find new experimental horizons of your own!

Richard

Hello Friends:

This is a portrait that I painted today of Richard, a model who came in to sit for us at Mainstreet. Even though he'll be back next week for another sitting, I'm tempted to leave well enough alone on this one and not overwork it.

Inna, 10x14

Hello Friends:

I started this portrait of Inna at Mainstreet the other day and finished it up at home. The lighting was actually pretty complicated, coming straight down on her forehead and touching each of her cheekbones. I covered my first thin wash of paint with generous dollops of paint on my palette knife to force the darks even darker and to give the painting a more impressionistic look.

For the background, I laid down a wash of bright orange paint, then layered white, blue, and green on top with my palette knife. This technique of layering complementary colors over a bright wash allows the background to "sit behind" the sitter, which is always a good thing!

Sargent at the MFA

Hello Friends:

This last weekend I had the great fortune to visit my daughter AND John Singer Sargent in Boston. To see so many of the paintings that I have admired and studied over the years in one place gave me the same physical reaction as seeing a celebrity in person-- weak knees, sweaty palms, general giddiness...

To experience and be moved by genius is a privilege. Do computer programmers get weak knees when they see code that is written eloquently? Do salespeople get misty eyed when they hear a pitch that is right on the money? I feel so lucky to be an artist, and to be moved when I recognize the real, true thing.

A Sunny Day, 6x6"

Hello Friends:

This is a tiny portrait of a little girl in the sunlight. I entered it into this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge. I tried to keep my brush strokes very loose, and details to a minimum. I hope you like this impressionistic style.

To view the challenge, please click on DPW Challenge.

Julie

Hello Friends:

This is a portrait of Julie. a student at Mainstreet who came in to sit for us last Friday. I got the "bones" of the portrait started in about 2 hours while she sat for us, then put in another hour or so this morning to put in the details. I challenged myself to get the wonderful twinkle in her eye that is just so "Julie"!

Charcoal Demo of Jenny

Hello Friends:

It's portrait season again! I'm teaching a brand new class at Mainstreet entitled "The Nuts and Bolts of Portraiture", and we've had two sessions so far. We began our class with the basics of how to measure the proportions of the head and find the major shadow areas. When the correct measurements and light/shadow areas are in place, it's relatively easy to drop in the final details of the features (eyes, nose, mouth).

I was so happy with the progress of my class! I think people are surprised at how straightforward a portrait can be if they take the time in the beginning to map it out correctly.

Mary

Hello Friends:
A month ago, I was invited to give a portrait demonstration for Del Webb's art club in Huntley. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. So many talented artists with wonderful questions and insights made for a lively discussion. Since I was with them for only a couple of hours, I showed them how I would measure and draw the head and shoulders, and then we talked about color mixing. I took Mary's portrait home with me to put on the final touches. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them in November, when I'll be going back to put on a portrait workshop there.

If you've noticed that my portrait posts have been tapering off a bit, it's because I've started to paint more still lifes and landscapes, and I'm posting them on my other website. Please visit! And be sure to leave your email in the subscription box to receive my non-portrait work. Thank you! Click here to visit my Ann Feldman blog.

Marianna

Hello Friends:

Sadly, our last open studio of the year was last Wednesday. Happily, Marianna was our beautiful model. I won't have so many opportunities to paint from life over the summer, but will look forward to getting back to it in the fall. In the meantime, I have a few formal portraits that I'm working on, and will post them as I finish them!

Mari

Hello Friends:

Mari came to pose for us in portrait class a couple of weeks ago. She was the perfect model-- always right on her mark. I kept this one loose and impressionistic. I hope you like this effect!

Daniella, 9x12"

Hello Friends:

Daniella is a young student at Mainstreet Art Centre who posed for our Open Studio session last night. I tried to keep her face and features very soft, then punched things up a bit with the palette knife at the very end.

Please be sure to visit my new blog of daily paintings: click here

The Student, 8"x10"

Hello Friends:

Theodora is a student with Greek heritage, which made her a joy to paint. I used a loaded palette knife for this piece, only touching up the features with a brush when needed. I tried to show restraint on this painting, allowing it to have an impressionistic feel. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the American Red Cross for earthquake relief.

Homegrown Beauty, 8" x 8" SOLD

Hello Friends:

What does "Home" mean to you? With all the images and stories coming to us from Japan, we can't help but think about how shattering it would be to lose one's home and sense of well being. Japan seems so far away, and yet at times seems so much closer to us in this turbulent time.

I painted this small painting this morning, thinking about Japan and my Japanese friends. I have put it up for auction at the Daily Paint Works website, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross for Japan relief.

Theodora

Hello Friends:

Theodora is a fourteen year old girl who came to model for us in open studio last week. I saved the palette knife for her scarf, using brushwork in the rest of the portrait. Sometimes a more delicate approach is desirable, especially with very young models.

DeLawn, Once Again

Hello Friends:

This portrait of DeLawn is the final of three coats of oil paint. The original I covered with a palette knife and wet paint. I let that dry, then glazed on another thin coat of paint to soften it a bit. It looks like him now, and I'm happy with the bits of vivid color that still show through on this final version.

Maria

Hello Friends:

Last night, I wasn't sure that I would make it to Open Studio to paint at all. Rain, sleet and snow conspired against me all evening, but I didn't let them beat me. I ran into the studio half an hour late, breathless and caked in icicles. All the troubles of the evening melted away with the ice in my hair when I was rewarded with the sight of one of the most lovely models I've ever had the pleasure of painting. In art, as in life, the most pleasant surprises happen when you just make the effort to show up.

Laura

Hello Friends:

A portrait painted while the model is sitting in front of the artist gives an entirely different "feel" than one that is painted from a photograph, and that is why I'm continually returning to this setup. I don't think I'll ever be to a point where I say that I've painted enough paintings from life. Every single time I face a new model, I learn something new, and I never want to stop this learning process. In Laura's case, her face has the beautiful youthful quality that is so difficult to replicate. I struggled in the studio and finished the painting later at home after I had a chance to slow down and take my time with it.

You may notice that I've painted the portrait on top of a very textured background. My artist friends may be interested to know that this background was achieved by spreading gesso very thickly with a knife on top of a canvas panel. I let the ridges dry and proceeded with the painting as I normally do. It gives the painting an aged look that I find appealing.

Monochrome of DeLawn

Hello Friends:

I realize that DeLawn keeps popping up in many of my paintings and studies. He is a fantastic model-- his bone structure, skin tone, and that waist-long hair make him a joy to paint, so why not?

This painting is a departure for me. I started by applying very thick gesso on top of a canvas with a palette knife. I let this dry completely so that all those ridges would give the painting a nice texture when the paint was applied on top of it. For the painting itself, I used only two colors, Burnt Sienna and Black. For the lighter areas I lifted the paint off with a rag or a brush, so white was never used. I'd be very interested to know how you like this technique. I'm very tempted to paint other paintings on top of this type of texture in the future.

Oil Sketch of Eli and Harper

Hello Friends:

Before I launch into a complicated portrait, I like to have "buy in" from the clients to make sure that I'm on the right track. Are we on the same page as far as the composition and feeling of the portrait are concerned? When the portrait has two or more people in it, the painting becomes more about the relationship between the people in it than about the individuals. Positioning and expression become very important.

This is an oil sketch on a board that I did as a preliminary piece to show the clients before I start on the final portrait. I hope that they like it, but if they don't, I won't have wasted time developing a painting that won't be appreciated! With their input, I would develop a new sketch to work from. Portrait painters can't be inflexible in their thinking, I've come to learn.