I'm in Barcelona for the next month! I'm hoping to keep up plein air painting, here is one of a plaza nearby. I started with a pencil sketch and then came back the next day to add the watercolors. I hoped to share the peaceful late fall, late afternoon atmosphere.
Making progress on the Liberty Bell painting this week. It's hard to see the detail in the above shot, so I've included a close-up of the middle and left archways. These are still in progress. The middle archway view (above) depicts several historically significant buildings: Philosophical Library, Drexel Building, Second Bank of the US, Carpenters' Hall, First Bank of the US, Merchant Exchange Building. I've included some Philadelphians hanging clothes to dry, taking a morning stroll, and calling to an escaped cat on a roof. Imagining people going about their lives 150 years ago is amazing. The left view (above) contains one historical building, Christ Church, in the distance on the left.
Click read more below to see the many sources that enabled me to make these drawings. Above is the finished version of the card project I posted about last Wednesday. This is the 12th card I've made for this family. All of these cards are in the gallery below in chronological order. The first one is from 1998 (I missed a year here and there)! The girls (and I) grow up over the course of these cards. Back to the most recent card, for those curious about the process behind it. Since the last post I made a few changes: Flipped the drawing horizontally. Moved the baby's hand closer to the mother's face. Printed the whole thing out, painted in the colors 'in real life,' scanned this painted version and did several hours of photoshop trickery to integrate the painted elements and hair detail into the digital image. See the process in the slideshow below. If you are interested in commissioning a project, I would love to hear from you. I am currently open to commissions beginning in March 2015. Don't get stuck on a waiting list! Email me at [email protected].
I've been making custom holiday greeting cards annually for the same family for twelve years now. Two sisters have always been the main characters of these cards. Several years ago a dog joined the family. This year their family has grown by one more, a baby boy. Above is the drawing before coloring. You can see the almost final product and the drafts leading up to it in the slideshow below. I started by making three drafts on tracing paper, the last of which I scanned and then redrew in photoshop. For the final draft, I will redraw and add color in real life so it doesn't look so... photoshoppy. Check back next Wednesday for the finished project and pictures of all the other cards I've done over the years. Another week of work on the Liberty Bell painting. Here's a 1.5"x3" area of detail that I'm working on right now. This painting is off to a much slower start than I anticipated as I decided to make quite a few improvements upon my draft. But I'll definitely be uploading a full view of the painting within the next few weeks. I'll be away from my studio for most of the next week.
Work on the Liberty Bell painting is going..slowly. I recently erased the background city views I had drawn and started over. I found new sources and wanted to make the view more accurate. Of course it's a little disheartening at first to go back to square one on something I had spent days on. I can't dwell on that. Instead, I remind myself that my leading principle is to make the best painting that I can envision. If I think of improvements I could make, I make them.
For now, here is a 3"x5" section of the painting, The building depicted is the American Philosophical Society/Library Hall. See some historical images and the original draft below. Here's what the full size (3'x5') liberty bell painting looks like right now, after about 2 weeks of work. I'm using acrylic to block out the big shapes. For now, simplified geometric forms stand in for shapes that will later become organic (IE The bell looks like an upside-down flower pot at the moment). This is the backbone of the painting. I've been taking regular pictures while I'm working so I can upload a timelapse video of the entire process when it's done. Compare the current painting with draft using the slideshow below. You'll notice a few changes so far. As I said in the last post, I am currently working on two commissions for Beneficial Bank. Both are to be 3'x5' oil paintings of historical scenes. I have just completed final drafts for each painting. There were many false starts and dead ends along the way, some of which I'll describe below (click images to view larger). This painting will highlight the intriguing history of Beneficial Bank, which was founded in 1853. Beneficial Bank’s foundation was inspired by Saint John Neumann's vision of providing a secure place for Philadelphia's working class to deposit their savings. For those interested a slightly less abridged history, click "Read More" at the bottom of this post.
ST. NEUMANN AT THE DOCKS
Tried out a few different color changes in photoshop and settled on this for the final draft. Next Wednesday: I've begun working on one of the 3'x5' panels, check back next week to see the beginning of the actual painting! There will be a new post each Wednesday by 7:00 PM. For the curious, click "Read More" below for a little more about the history behind this painting.
I am currently working on two commissions for Beneficial Bank. Both are to be 3'x5' oil paintings. One will depict the Liberty Bell, the other will depict a dock scene. To begin, I need to make a fully resolved drawing which will then serve as the foundation for the painting. I redesign and redraw until I am completely happy with every aspect. In my experience, this phase takes just as much time (if not more) than the painting itself! I've already worked through tons of drafts for each piece, some of which I'll describe below (click on images to view larger). The liberty Bell
At last, I arrived at a final draft, and eagerly moved on to color. I decided to set the scene at sunrise given the opportune eastern view. I also added the bell's inscription. Before beginning a final painting, I would still need to do one last study of the bell and the figure to clarify the details in my mind. I will also be including a kite in the distance and candle as nods to Ben Franklin, though the positioning of these are still to be determined.
In my next post, which should be up sometime next week, I will go over the drafting process behind the other painting. I've been playing with some of my sketches in photoshop...there are so many possibilities.
Above is a slideshow of snapshots documenting the course of a recent landscape drawing. There is a big jump between the 2nd & 3rd image. This is partially because I slacked in the documentation after one drawing session, but it also suggests a change in pursuit that I did not recognize at the time, but in hindsight seems to warrant further investigation. Sometimes the most "finished" state just seems more complicated, rather than necessarily better than earlier states. To view larger images, click read more and open the thumbnails below.
Of the paintings/drawings I did this weekend this one is currently looking the best--done in my sketchbook on a train ride back to Philly.
I was meditating on the way in which the view out the window appeared distorted due to the motion of the train: nearby objects were blurred and fragmented while those closer to the horizon were more distinct. Thank you for stopping by. “Once the object has been constructed, I have a tendency to discover in it, transformed & displaced, images, impressions, facts which have deeply moved me” – Alberto Giacometti I did a drawing from a studio set up in Scott Noel's class this morning. I was enjoying the beautiful morning light, and tried to approach the drawing as a record of visual attention alternatively skimming and bearing down through the space. {Play slideshow below to see how the drawing progressed over time.} Classes at PAFA started a little less than 2 weeks ago. So far, it's been great. I have Bruce Samuelson, Neysa Grassi, and Joel Fisher as 'critics' (I meet with each of them ~once a month to critique my work). I also have two weekly classes, drawing with Bruce Samuelson, and a contemporary art discussion led by Kate Moran. I will update with more personal work soon, but for now here are a few drawings from class. These are from 10-15 minute poses, using Nupastel or pencil on newsprint.
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