Mother in Zion

Here is the first layer of colors in oils. I applied the paint very loosely and tightened up a bit in the face. I will keep the areas surrounding the woman very loose and brushy with lots of texture. It is about 30% done at this point.

mother in Zion

O.K, this is a big leap of faith for me, but there is no sense in dawdling, so here goes: I decided to try and create a painting for my church's art competition. I've had this idea for it for five months and it won't leave me alone, so despite my obvious lack of skills, I am going to create this beast even if it doesn't turn out good enough to submit to the contest.

The subject is a modern day mother in Zion. She is carrying a torch and turning back towards the opposite direction to show the way for others to follow. She is sweaty, obviously been in a few battles, and carries a few scars and recent wounds. She is tired, confident and determined. She carries a sleeping infant on her back and a small child clings to her left side. She will have leather cuirrass (chest armour) and a spear in her right hand, symbolizing protection and weapons of the gospel. Lotsa symbolism going on in this one.

I have gotten my photo references and messed with sketches that keep turning out horribly and not at all what I envision in my head. But, when I did a color thumbnail (a very small color rough for values, line and composition about 3 x 4 inches) I felt more encouraged. I think I'm going in the right direction now. I'm going to forge ahead and paint the thing ala prima....which means no detailed sketch, no layers and layers of color. It will be very loose and painterly...my favorite way to apply paint. I will go for mood and emotion, not details. gulp!!!

Posting it here commits me to finish it. This blog is a good task master. Nothing like making things public to keep a person driven and honest! Wish me luck!

Desert Assassin finished again

Ok, I had to post the little change that I made to the desert assassin piece. My friend and cohort Kimberly Kincaid Garfield suggested I make her scarf a green patterned fabric. I should have figured this out, but alas, it eluded me. Of course green made the figure pop because it is the opposite of orange on the color wheel, and this piece is loaded with orange! So many things to remember!!! arg. Check out her wonderful site: http://www.thetwirlingdragon.blogspot.com/ and http://www.artbykimkincaid.com/

Desert Assassin finished

Here is the finished illustration. I'm content with the face. It isn't Genevieve exactly, but the character does have the expression I was striving for. I learned a lot about using models, color temperature and paint application on this one. I also discovered most of the colors I chose to use were too transparent and fought with me.

90 min sketch

Here is a short portrait I worked on while watching tv with Jim (gotta do SOMETHING while baseball is on. lol).

Desert Assassin second layer

Here is the next layer of paint. I've finished the sky and skyline and her face. I'm tweaking the hair later and now I will focus more on the skin tones and her clothing. The painting is 18 X 20 in size, and ment to reproduce down to a pocketbook novel size of 6 x 9 or so.

First layer of color

Here I have applied the first layer of oils to the underpainting. I've established lights and darks and a color temperature theme for everything but the figure. I've got to let it dry for a few days so I won't remove the glazes when I go back with thicker paint.

Now that I have a plan for the the surrounding area, I can create the skin tones that will reflect the colors around the figure.