This was the portrait I did today! My model was Sarah. The entire project was done in the dark since everyone was complaining about how hot it was in the room and how the lights just couldn't stay on. So obviously, I just said screw it, and decided to paint a portrait in the dark. So what, right? 

I also only looked at Sarah for the portrait sketch; she was busy once I started painting, so I made up the rest of her face based on memory.

I think this came out okay, considering that I did all of this in complete darkness.

 

Head shot

I painted my first real live portrait of someone today. My lovely model was Austin Katz. He had nothing to do, so I plucked him off his butt and made him my model.

This time last year, I couldn't have imagined that I'd be painting portraits. They have always terrified me with the amount of skill required to paint a human face. I have really noticed the amount of progress I've made within the past year, and it makes me excited. It can only go uphill from here!

I was enjoying whatever little painting that I did today and so naturally, I went to go show Luke. He said that the painting needed an opinion, so he stepped in and threw a few quick, decisive strokes. At first, it stung a tad bit because I had like what I produced (because it was the first time I felt somewhat adequate painting a portrait), but then I felt really thankful that Luke intervened. It reminded me that it's important to be okay with ruining a painting. It's okay to dive head first and take risks, to cast away my fears for the sake of improving and learning.

After that reminder, I just did whatever I felt like, knowing that it didn't REALLY matter. All I was going to do in the end was wash the paint off the canvas and start again. Now, I'm not saying that this will become a reason not to put effort ito my work- it simply becomes a reason not to get too attached to it and let the painting become whatever it wants to become, for better or worse.

Speed Racer

I didn't have much to do today, so I asked Luke for some suggestions, and he said how about a speed painting. 

My first speed painting I did was last year, and I was satisfied with how quick I could produce it. The painting had energy and most of all, it was FUN. 

Since my main focus is portraiture, I decided to paint a woman in a scarf, looking rather distressed. I am pleased with how it came out. I focused on "activating" the paint and painting in such a way that if I were to "grab" it, the strokes of the brush would follow in that direction. Took me around 1 1/2 hours from sketch to finish. Done with oil paints.

Picnic

I started a watercolor! I don't have much experience with watercolors, but I absolutely adore how they look. Many people underestimate how difficult it is to actually paint with them! 

The actual size of this is pretty small, and it's also a WIP. 

I'm afraid I just blue myself

Today was the day that the infamous Bluth's frozen banana stand came to New York and OF COURSE, LIKE ALL GOOD THINGS IN LIFE, it just HAD to be while I was in school. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Anyway, as an act of my sorrow, I decided to paint a portrait of Tobias Funke after he blue himself. Pun intended. 

It's still a WIP, but it's getting somewhere. He's also missing his glasses. Oops.

EDIT****

Here's an update on this painting. I'm probably going to add more to the background and tweak things here and there, but I'm done for the most part. 

Whale, whale, whale..what do we have here.

Recently, I feel like I've been in an artistic rut. I'm not very inspired to do anything- nothing BIG has come to me. But who knows...great ideas are developed, not thought of. I talked to Luke about this and he said something that made me feel a bit better- that I'm working in a lab, not a factory. 

I've been jumping all over the place, but I haven't completed anything solid yet. To combat the boredom, on Friday I decided to play around with some charcoal plus a huge roll of paper, and this is what I got out of it: a whale...air balloon? I don't know. But what I do know is that I like it- it looks like it could be found in a children's book of some sort. Least now I know the anatomy of a whale.

*EDIT*

I expanded on this and made it into an oil painting. It's a WIP.

Triad

I'm not as comfortable with the naked body yet, so I did some practice.

Sometimes I get a frustrated because I'm already so bored of where I am.
I want to get out and travel. I want adventure. I want to explore regions of the earth I've never set foot upon. I'm sick of living in suburbia, where it's impossible to get anywhere if you don't have a car. I'm over high school. I'm already mentally beyond the experiences that high school entails.

Will this ever end?!

Line work

Just doing some practice with some lines. I think that my previous drawing (the man) tremendously helped my abilities in terms of drawing human faces. I've made lots of progress. 

Bison Skull

This is currently a WIP! It's made out of mesh, wire and mod podge as of right now.

Some thoughts I'm having about this piece is possible creating a full skeleton and suspending it in mid air with fish wire, or something if the sort. Then, illuminating it some how.

My hands are terribly cut up, but I knew that this was going to happen going into this project. It's practically inevitable. Now lets just hope I don't get tetanus.