Return to Soha

SO I did the series of Soha posts earlier. A life sketch improved in the studio from a iPhone snap. The result was a burnt sienna under painter that was okay for painting over. The problem was that in fifty year of painting I'd never done that before. Oh well. So I printed the photon canvas from my epson printer. Put it un a drawer and forgot about it. I had a complex painting ready to go on the easel . I didn't want to be hung up for a week so I started putzing around an d found the print.. I taped it to a board and painted it. It's not done but I'm gonna sit on for  couple of days to see if I can find any more boo boos. I like it but I have to give most of the credit to the model Soha.

A little of me

I thought I'd try my hand at smalls a while ago. At 4 x 6 this is about as small as I can get with this type of image. Back when I was doing a lot of illustrations for text book in Boston I did a lot of teeny tiny heads in pen and ink. Some with just a few pen scratches. The most important thing I had to represent was the ethnicity of the pen scratches. I used MGraham walnut oil based paints on this and good sized brushes. Not giant not small. Good size. It went quickly got pinned on the wall and forgotten. Here it is no longer forgotten.

A guy name Denis

I've finished the portrait. I took about a week and a few false finishes but it's done!

Bill Oil on linen 11 x 14

It was done for the now annual portrait swap challenge on the DMP forum. A group of realist painters and want to be painters. Beginning painters to very accomplished painters from around the globe. This is Denis who is from Australia. He will be painting a portrait of me. When they are dried and safe to ship we will swap the painting by mail. It's a novel but not uncommon thing. Last year I did a portrait of Bill. A woodcarver from Las Vegas.

It's a funny thing to do a painting of someone you don't know and to get a painting back from them. All of a sudden you know them, 

Soha

This is a first at least since the 60s and art school. This is a brush drawing in burnt sienna oil paint. Oil and solvent. It was done starting last Sunday at Johan's Sunday 3 hour one pose drawing session. The model is an Egyptian art student spending some time here in the Catskills. I had an sketch after that and was going to let it lay. I had taken a shot with my phone just in case I might want to finish it in the studio. On Tuesday things were slow and I printed out a biggish print and continued with the sketch. I've spent about another hour and a half over 2 days and I'm happy with it overall. 

I don't know where I was going with this when I started. It was a completely different approach for me. My initial sketch was pretty accurate in proportions so it didn't take a lot to 'finish' it. It it's real finished.

Once it drys hard i might quickly paint over it in color. But not before I get a good scan of it.

the initial sketch

'ole Folkie Jim

This is my friend Jim Higgins. Known in folk music circles as 'ole Folkie Jim. We've known each other for years.  

I like this portrait because it grabs the essential Higgins. Intense and complex always with some humor underneath. I was a challenge painting this from an iPhone image with no mid tones. I did a little cosmetic surgery removing a few wrinkles. I think I captured the real him and his ever present Hawaiian shirt. 

It has to dry for a while with some thickish whites in the shirt. Then I have to oil it out to revive any sunken areas then away it goes. 

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Jim Higgins

Oil on Linen 11 x 14