Oil Portrait Fun!

Oil Portraits on 5x7" panels that were painted during my Zoom Portrait Sessions. It's just been great! Usually there are about 23 of us artists meeting every week and posing for each other on Zoom. The poses are about 20 minutes each. I prep my panels with gesso and a green wash, then I mix a few colours before the session starts. 

The first one, I was suddenly motivate to block in the whole room as loose as I could, and kept the portrait small. Somethin' different...

an understanding

 

click button to buy - 

$80 - 5x7"original watercolour painting in 8x10"acid-free mat.

My 'in conversation' series continues. This is number 20! I love the body language that can happen between two people listening only to each other. I managed to capture him 'thinking'. 

Toronto East Rotary Arts & Crafts Show

Another fantastic year at the Toronto East Rotary Arts and Crafts Show! I had cards and crochet birds bookending my table of oil paintings. ; ) I'm very happy to say that many items have gone to new homes. 

See ya'll there next year!

twinkle

$80 - 6x8" original gouache on archival grey paper

I'm very happy with this piece - I caught her lovely twinkle. : )

thoughtful

  $60 - 5x7"gouache painting

Another small colourful painting to warm up the nooks and crannies of your home.  It's actually quite difficult to title portrait paintings. I had to give this one a lot of thought... which lead me to 'thoughtful'. ; ) 

a couple of portraits

Two 11x14" watercolour pieces (with a couple of details) from my last life painting session. : )

a good read

$60 - 5x7"original watercolour painting with 8x10"mat

It was so nice to see someone reading a book at a local cafe this morning. Instead of having their nose in their phone. When I first started drawing I captured people reading all the time. Now, it's a rare treat.

honorarium

I'm very proud that my painting titled "criss cross" just received an honorarium at this year's Heliconian Drawing Show. Yippee! 

winter friend

$80 - original 8x10"watercolour painting

This red fox is showing off his distinctive dark pointy ears and lovely long profile. : )

the bus home

8x10" original watercolour

This is a work in progress. I kinda like the white left in the background but I haven't decided if the piece is balanced. This isn't a painting of me, but it feels like me, as a university student heading home for the holidays.

portrait study of a friendly face

11x14" original watercolour painting

It's been a very busy summer so, I haven't been painting as much as I'd like. However, on Sunday, I managed to make it over to the Don Valley Art Club for the portrait session. I was happy to capture this 25 minute study of a fellow artist, and a friendly face. : )

quiet morning

$60 - 6x8" original watercolour painting with 8x10"mat.

The Toronto Music Garden is an awesome place to paint. It was designed by the famous cellist Yo Yo Ma! The Don Valley Art Club Plein-Air Painters spent Saturday there. We couldn't go wrong with the boats to paint, the benches to sit on, the shade of the many trees, and the near by Starbucks loo.  ; )

Here is a pic of my paintbox set up. When I got home, I decided to close off the corner of the painting by adding the tree in the top right.

 

afternoon shadows

$60 - 5x7"original watercolour painting with 8x10"mat

Friends and I, from the Toronto Plein-Air Group, headed out to paint at Riverdale Farm yesterday. It's fun there however, after lunch we decided to wander across the street to Toronto's historic Necropolis Cemetery. It opened in 1850 and is full of old interesting gravestones as well as huge gorgeous trees. Such a beautiful and peaceful place. 

Below is a pic of my work in progress. I drew it with charcoal pencil then used lots of variations of green!

portrait with braids

11x14" original watercolour painting

Last nights portrait session at the awesome Don Valley Art Club was with this lovely model, wearing braids and dressed in orange. Such an expressive wonderful model. It was nice to have a full session to work on it and really see it through, as opposed to short poses and sketching. ; )
Here's the work while in progress -

I heart opera pink

$60 - 6x8"original watercolour painting with 8x10"mat. 

'Splish splash paint fast' was my philosophy when painting this one. : )

shazam t-shirt

 I finally remembered to take photos of my watercolour process. I drew him with a 6B pencil, which allows for a dark and light contrasty line. I drew him as quickly as I could while still watching for accuracy.

 I always start the drawing and the painting with the face. It seems I need to get that down first before the rest can follow.

 I like emphasizing shadows on the floor to really ground the figure. Without them, the person can look like they're 'floating'.

12x16" - original watercolour painting

Here's the finished product. I did his portrait first (last post) then, realizing how cute his t-shirt was and how interesting his seated body language was, I decided to do this much looser full figure.
And finally, here is a close up of it.

criss cross

$60 - 5x7"original watercolour painting with 8x10"mat.

I'm finding my way during figure painting classes lately with a rose and olive watercolour palette. Since the poses are quick and I'm working 'on the fly', I find deciding on the paper size and the colours I'm going to use, before the class starts, gives me the opportunity to just concentrate on getting an interesting line then putting in select values.

true to your word

$150 - 11x14" original watercolour painting

I almost named this piece 'red sweater' since that is what first jumped out at me when the model sat under the spotlight. But in the end, it was her expression that I liked. In fact, I'm very happy that I stopped painting the sweater when I did, since any more of it could have dominated the whole piece.

some sketches

Here are a few recent sketches. Two are drawn with 6B pencil and the middle one is a watercolour with no drawing first. Just went for it with pink and green paint, which is very rare for me. I don't normally use much green in faces, but after doing that piece, I've added green to my palette.

N.B. I am away for a short vacation. : ) All purchased paintings will be shipped on Tuesday April 25th. Thanks for your patience.