Portrait Progress

I made decent progress today. 

Her complextion looks much more lively now.

I added glazes and blots of Vermillion Hue along with more Opera Rose in the cheeks.

Although it took much trial and error to get there.

And I worked on the hair more.

Just starting the wreath and happy to be on to something a little more in my comfort zone.

Not ready to call myself a portrait artist, not by a long shot, 

but feel better about how it's going.

I've included the last progress pic so you can see the difference.

Lots more to come but for now a long holiday weekend, yay!

A First Portrait in Watercolor

I have always loved this picture of my daughter, Christine, at about age 4.
(She's 27 now)  She had spent the day with her Grandmother while my husband and I were out.
My Mother-in-Law made this crown of dandelions and she looked so adorable I ran for my camera.
I have this photo framed in my house.
I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of them together that day.

Once the drawing is ready it's time to the flesh out the color.

Here I've started with Permanent Rose, Burnt Sienna, Naples Yellow and a tiny spot 

of Cerulean Blue for shadow areas.

I can see that my shadows are too brown 

and the face coloring does not have enough life in it.

Added more color in the cheeks but still need to pick up a little of the shadow coloring.

Just starting the hair and hope to progress to a more subtle blending of the strands.

I have done portraits in the past using acrylic.

I have to say that it was much easier in acrylic.

But I will keep going until I teach myself how to do this.

I have plans for an illustrated border framing out the portrait.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First I need to get this right!

YOUR VOTE EARNS A CHANCE AT A GIVE AWAY!

The past three months or so I have been working on four larger Still Lifes.

Now I would really appreciate your opinion.

Which one of the four is your favorite?

Enter your preference and a short reason why you like it.

And, hey, if you prefer to comment on the one you like least and tell me why, I can handle it!

You may write here on my blog on in the comment section of this post on my Facebook Studio Page.

At 12:00 noon EST this Friday, May 16th,  I will randomly pick someone from these comments

to win my first Give Away in over a year.

Scroll down to see the Give Away and the details!

Thank you, I appreciate your time on this so much!

"Autumn Suns",  Watercolor, 18" x 24"

"The Catch", Watercolor, 15" x  28"

"Rose Bounty", Watercolor, 18" x 28"

"Spring Sweets",  Watercolor,  18" x 24"

AND THE GIVEAWAY!

"Pansy", Watercolor, 8" x 8"

Comes archivally mounted on acid free foam board and 

with a 3" wide white, beveled mat

Overall size is 14" x 14"

Good Luck & Thanks again!

Composition, Color & Clarity

I have had a few questions messaged to me asking about putting together a still life like this.

So read on to see how I approach a complicated set such as this.

"Spring Sweets",  Watercolor,  18" x 24"

©Carmella Tuliszewski 2014

COMPOSITION

In Still Life composition is especially important.

I do all my composing through the viewfinder of my camera.  

Now that may not sound very creative to most who imagine artists wildly sketching off drawing after drawing to accomplish this.  But, for me, since I set up all my Still Lifes with found objects, 

that puts me in control as to how the objects relate to each other.

I often take many pictures from many points of view.

I then edit through iPhoto by cropping and angling until it just feels right.

The viewer may not even realize it but most artist will devise lead ins and focal points

to bring you into the picture and then keep you interested to look around.

In this piece, the rolls of fabric on the left bring you into the scene, 

following it like a road to the large jelly bean jar. 

You next are drawn to the red birdhouse following through to the brightly 

painted lolly pops.

At least that's the way I hope the viewer sees it :)

COLOR

I enjoy keeping my hues bright. 

I usually photograph set ups on sunny days because I love playing with the shadow coloring 

and the way they connect the objects to other elements in the scene.

I have made charts of all the paints I currently have, adding more as another purchase is made.

I rarely use color straight from the tube but knowing what I have as 

I work helps me make my choices for glazing and blending.

Watercolor dries lighter.  

So a beautiful, rich color when it's wet and first painted on the paper soon disappears as it dries. 

 I find this one of the most challenging aspects of working in watercolor.

This is where glazing comes in.  By laying in layers of the same color or building up with different colors in the same area, you will eventually reach that point of dark, richness you want.

Reds are particularly difficult.

I take a clue from artists like Van Gogh and other Impressionists and

 Post Impressionts for cast shadows.  

By using a comlpelemtary color to the object for its cast shadow mixed with maybe a Paynes Gray, your shadows will hold a connection to its object and ankor it to the scene.

This is also true for mixing shades.

I do use masking fluid, usually drawn in with a quill pen.

Although I am a pragmatist and will use spots of white paint when necessary,

It's always better to limit this to small accents or missed highlights.

CLARITY

Clarity, or the details, are possibly my favorite part of the process.

I am a realist painter because I really enjoy making it look as if you could imagine 

popping one of those jelly beans in your mouth.

But I still like it to look like a watercolor painting so I stop at some point to let washes show a bit.

The details are about what you see and understanding how to model and form an object.

Pay attention to light sources and reflected and core shadows. 

Again building up layers of "darkness" without going to far.

Good brushes make a world of difference when laying in details such as

the designs on the jars and cloth in this piece.

I work intuitively while handling all the above aspects of a painting.

But I also build these parts while using prior knowledge from years of study, 

teaching and just plain hard work and practice.

I am not always successful but each painting makes the next painting better.

Spring Sweets

I have been doing most of my posting on Facebook lately and, sadly, 

leaving my blog posts lagging behind.  

But here I am making amends!

My newest still life is from this years Easter table setting.

My pencil drawing ready to go.

I am not an "all over" painter.  I like to work on one object at a time as I move across the scene.
This scene is drenched in sunlight, leaving the objects in high key values and crisp, bold colors.

Laying in the first glazes on the cloth.
I found this antique piece in a flea market years ago.
Over the years I have used it many Easters to decorate my buffet table.

A shot from my work table as I progress.

I have always worked from butcher tray pallettes.

I prefer to squeeze out small amounts of paint as I work rather than the compartment 

trays where the paint remains with several paintings. 

 I find it difficult to keep the colors pure as I go back again and again to a color for mixing.

I have several of these trays that I often use at one time.

Some are over 30 years old.

And this is where I am now.

I hope to finish by the end of the week but I think those jelly beans may have other ideas!

I will try not to neglect my blog again, but if you ever wonder where the heck I am,

wander over to my Facebook page and join me. :)