Monday, August 6, 2012

Day 79


Trevor, 6 x 6 inch oil on panel
© 2012 Kathleen Coy
NFS

I painted this from life in a little over two hours. Although I've painted a few people at my figure drawing group, I consider this to be my first alla prima portrait. I was concentrating mainly on the skin tones, and seeing as many different colors in the skin as I could. I like how you can see the strokes of color, yet the human eye blends them together as you look at it. 

I really like the loose brushwork that just suggests the hair and the shirt. I was going to get more detailed with the hair, but stopped when I realized how well it worked just as it was. This tall drink of water is my son, by the way. My only child. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the experience of painting him, and I think doing more work like this something I need to explore. 

Look at the difference between today's and my first "people painting" from my drawing group on day 23. While that one has it's charm (and was painted in only 40 minutes), you can see quite an advancement in the brushwork and skin tones of todays painting. It's actually a little mind-blowing to me to view them side by side.  



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