Asteria WIP

I've been working on this painting and forgetting to post any work in progress shots. So here is the nearly completed painting, I still need some small adjustments and to re-paint the background. I also need to get a better photograph of it.

Old Rasputin

Negra Modelo

Another weekend, another bottle.

Bottle Sketches

Here are some sketches of bottles that I have been working on lately. I will be doing about six or seven more, and will probably try and redo the Old Speckled Hen painting. Anyway. I hope you like them.

Start of a new Painting

Here is the first couple of days work on my new painting. I have yet to decide a name for it. If anyone out there has any suggestions be sure to post a comment.

For this painting I am spending a great deal more time on the underpainting with the hope that I might do some glazing over the top of it to get the right colors. I am purposely making the face much lighter than it will be in the final work so that the lightness will shine through the glazing making the skin more luminescent.

In this stage I am only using White and Black paint. I primed the canvas with Burnt Umber.

Bing Xun Final

I finally finished this painting. There was a great deal of sinking in in some parts of the background and the sweater. Of course I'll re-post a varnished version of this painting when I get around to varnishing it 6 to 12 months from now.

Keith Moon

I painted a commission for some friends as a Christmas Present. It is of their favorite drummer, Keith Moon. If you don't know, he was the lead drummer for The Who.

This was painted with Titanium white and Van Dyke Brown. I like the VD Brown instead of Ivory black because it has a more neutral tint to it. In fact I often use more VD Brown than Ivory Black in my paintings.

Bing Xun WIP3

Nearly finished. I have a few adjustments to make on the eyes and lips, and possibly in other places.

The oil has sunken in of course, and I couldn't find a good angle to avoid that terrible reflection on the right side of his arm.

Bing Xun WIP2

I'm having all kinds of trouble photographing this big painting, which is why I am posting so infrequently. The colors are a little off and I can't seem to fix them, even in Photoshop. Particularly the large green looking patch around his mouth. I swear I'll have it photographed by someone who knows what they are doing in the final version.

I'm almost done with the face. There is something oddly round in the lips area. I know that Sargent always says that a portrait is a picture of someone where something is wrong with the mouth, but these lips seem too wrong to let it slide.