Waiting for Varnish

Waiting for Varnish

I have completed another three portraits in the last couple of days. 

I have taken them upstairs for them to dry sufficiently to varnish them. I am using Exhibition Varnish. They can have their permanent coat of varnish after six months on top of the exhibition varnish.

The photo shows the portraits upside down, because I painted the bottoms last and the paint may come off on the shelf. I know that is obvious, but when I was studying at University I was told that if you don’t write the obvious things you lose marks. 

When it is safe to put them in my scanner I will take quality scans of them. 

Meanwhile I have two more portraits that are very nearly finished. In fact I meant to finish the lady in sunglasses today but I was working on her rather late last night and when I saw what I had done, I scraped it off! I had given her a dirty face. 

I am not going to make the mistake of working on any faces tonight but I think it will be safe for me to paint some sky backgrounds. 

360 degree Rotating Canvas Attachment.

360 degree Rotating Canvas Attachment

I have bought a 360 degree rotating attachment for my easel which you can see above. It took me a while to work out how to attach my reference photos close to the portrait. I was looking in all those places that one puts one’s household bits and pieces for hooks and things, and I found some Command Strips for hanging pictures. That inspired me to use them to hold a piece of plywood in place. I can clip my reference photos to it. You can see it works well. 

I think Jet wanted to get into the photo. He likes sitting on my painting table. The challenge is to keep his tail out of the wet paint. 

I knew for some time about this attachment for an easel so a canvas can be rotated. But I didn’t know if it would fit my easel. I have a rotating drawing board cum table easel that I have set up in my bedroom and I have been using it for years for drawing and painting in acrylics. However it won’t hold a canvas and there’s nowhere to set it up downstairs. 

Once my exhibition is over I have an acrylic portrait of a dog to finish. It is particularly useful to have a rotating easel for painting an animal’s fur because of hair being linear. It will be nice to paint Bentley downstairs. 

Brighteyes is nearly finished. His clothes look blotchy because it is the undercoat, and I concentrated on covering the canvas quickly. Now he is going back onto the picture shelves to dry. I have a dehumidifier working to speed it up. 

Girl in Profile Update

Girl in Profile Update 

The Girl in Profile is waiting for another tube of red paint that I have ordered today. 

I went over her hair again today but I think I will want to improve it tomorrow. I am still trying to match the subtle colours in her hair. It changes with the light. 

It is very difficult to be satisfied with a portrait. It reminds me of Maurice Quentin de la Tour, who was a very popular portrait painter at the French Court back in the Eighteenth Century. He worked in pastel and he was my inspiration when I first started painting portraits. 

He would deliver the painting then he would take it back to improve it. That sounds dangerous. It is so easy to overwork pastel.

I used to work in pastel but my latest paintings are oil on canvas. The canvas can be worked over without tearing holes in it. It is nice not having to be afraid of mistakes. 

Pretty Smile

Pretty Smile 

You will have noticed that I rarely give the name of my subjects. I am calling this girl Pretty Smile to protect her privacy and because she reminds me of my daughter-in-law who also has a beautiful smile. 

I was stuck on Pretty Smile’s hairstyle until I asked my hairdresser for help. I promised to give an acknowledgement of Sue’s help. I don’t know what the hairstyle is called but it is plaited right round her head and then tied in a big bow behind.

I have been struggling to match the colour of her hair. There are so many shades of brown. I decided on burnt umber. Now I must get the lighting right, and then I can glaze the light areas with thin strokes of the dark colour until it has the right texture. 

Her face is still monochrome brown ochre (Rembrandt oil paint) and I will add a pink blush over her lips and cheeks soon.

Now while the paint dries on this one, I am going to paint a bit more of Walter.