"Whole Piece #64"

"Whole Piece #64"
6" by 6"
Oils on Panel

Blue Toned Surface &
Basic Under-sketch

Cool Skin

When I decided to paint from this reference photo I was in love with the palette of color for the painting I could imagine evolving from the colors in the photo. One aspect of the photo that struck me as an opportunity was the overall cool cast to the light. Since I knew I wanted to play up skin-admiring cool colors I decided to start the painting off with an overall blue toned surface. With blue as the color which the initial layer of paint was up against I was better able to see the warmth in the relatively cool colors I would lay-in on top of the blue to start building skin tone. With a cool blue starting point I was able to find my way to portraying blonde hair with blue-greens in the shadows and a skin surface with muted greens and blues.

First Layer of Painting 

Color Abundance

For the Whole Piece Series I am striving for much variety in palette from painting to painting while maintaining visual cohesion between all the paintings when they are displayed together. A good contrast to this painting's cool palette is in my last post. Look particularly at the relatively cool highlights on the nose in "Whole Piece #36," that color would appear warm on this cheek.

P.S. I want offer a hearty thanks to the Grossmont College student who let me take this picture for reference!

The 7 Day Painting Sprint

"Whole Piece #44"
4" by 4"
Oils on Panel

The Painting Rampage: To those wishing to try this themselves I issue a warning. All the sitting and concentrating intently on painting may strain your back. :-P

I aimed very high. I aimed to get 10 paintings done in just 7 days. I guessed I wouldn't make it if anything else in my life that week didn't go as planned. No surprise, everything did not go as planned. BUT, because I had aimed to get more than one painting done a day I managed to get 9 paintings done in just 7 days, despite the fact I couldn't paint one of those days and only had a bit of time one of the other days! AND I completed #50 the very next day!

I'll be catching up on sharing the paintings as I organize the photos. Here is just a couple to wet your appetite.

"Whole Piece #49"
4" by 4"
Oils on Panel

Next

More Whole Piece Series paintings from photos I took at Grossmont College, perhaps a chance to share an in progress landscape, and prepping my Whole Piece Project proposal for a competition application (That proposal means a photo of all the dry paintings together!).



P.S. A bit of your face can be a part of the Whole Piece Series too. Read about that here.

"Whole Piece #33"

"Whole Piece #32"
5" by 7"
Oils on Panel

A Beard!

My wish came true! A most generous soul allowed me to paint his beard for the Whole Piece Series. (Actually I may even have another beard or two to paint...) Now, I do have a couple of other paintings where a beard surrounds the focal feature, but in this piece I was able to share a beard as a feature on its own.

What power to have at your disposal to be male and add a whole element to your face, to shape it, to imagine how it will remind others of a certain kind of person: a hipster, an animated character, a distinguished person, a mountain man, this list flows on in my head. We do this in every way we present ourselves, but I believe the act of growing a beard holds a special boldness. Yes, women alter their appearance with makeup, sometimes dramatically, but they do not add a feature wholly and sculpt it as they desire it. (Perhaps I should include all facial hair to this particularly special place. Oh, I would be very pleased to meet someone with Mutton chops... and if they were generous enough to share a photo... oh that would be lovely.)

(Join in, especially if you have mutton chops.)

"Whole Piece 10," Daily Painting # 45

"Whole Piece 10," Available (click here)

4" by 4"

Oils on Panel

If your interested in knowing more about this series visit here. Find out how you can get your facial feature painted here.)