I brushed on a layer of linseed oil and dug into the details of Ali’s portrait.  I think it now needs one more loosening up pass… I sorta killed the live in the brush strokes of the previous version.

Started a painting of Al last night.  The idea here is to block in the colors rough and then try my hand a glazing once it dries to soften up the facial features.

week 7 and the f’d up left eye… I like the shawod colors in this one, but the drawing wasn’t there from the start. Below is a painting I started on monday… trying to use sean’s wood panel method.

I can’t say I’m all that happy with this week’s painting… The drawing was decent enough, but I killed it with a bit of overpainting in the lighter values.. way too many highlights.. confusing shadow shapes around the eyes.

First time I’ve ever done a portrait of a darker skin model in oils.  A bit more complicated than the lighter skinned folk,  The grey hair was a bit of a challenge as well.

Disney Feature has this fantastic perk John and Ed brought down from Pixar called eduhancement. It seems its one of those little googleish programs companies are trying out these days to better the skill sets of their staff members. It is Semi related Career training, money set aside for an artists creative benefit. I’m using it to take a little painting class under painter Sean Cheetham at LAAFA over in Van Nuys. The real work begins next week, this is sort of a before instruction exercise… hopefully we’ll see a bit of progress in the next few months and I can convince ali to sit again for an “after” piece. This particular painting was also sort of an exercise in emulating Sean’s style using his palette, (which is an adaptation of Michael Hussar’s palette).