Busy with Portrait Commissions...

I haven't blogged recently as I have started working on a few portrait commissions. I did complete the pastel piece of Brian above just before starting on the commissions, and I really enjoy working in pastel - I find the process much more intuitive than working with pencils.

One of the portrait commissions is particularly interesting and challenging, as I am creating a color portrait based on several old black and white photos, and working with the client to get the coloring correct. I am posting all of the commissions to my online gallery, but only upon client delivery and approval.

Self Portrait with Tea Complete!

And here is the completed piece! Self Portrait with Tea is 28"x22", colored pencil on sanded paper. The image shown here is a professional scan, so the color is much truer than my previous snapshots. (I did resize the image though - the original TIF file was 255 MB!) I also posted to this to my online gallery.

Small Update to SP w/ Tea

This progress photo shows the teacup completed, and only the other hand and remainder of the curtain to finish. I will post a scanned image of the finished piece in the next day or two.

SP WIP6

Here's my update with the shirt is completed... next will be the teacup and other hand!

SP WIP5

And here is my hand (and my foot in a slipper in the bottom of the photo!) Next I'll tackle the teacup and other hand...

CPSA Explore This! Exhibition

The annual Colored Pencil Society of America "Explore This!" exhibition showcases artwork that is predominantly colored pencil, but also includes some other medium (marker, watercolor, pastel, etc.). My piece Botanical Lace, which was created using colored pencil and watercolor, has been juried into this year's exhibition. Look for the exhibition to open online at cpsa.org on February 1st, when the award winners will also be announced.

SP WIP4

Here's a small update to my self portrait - I've done more work on the blouse and the curtains, and I will tackle the hand next.

SP WIP3

Another update to my self portrait: here you can see the reference photo, which I am following more strictly than usual for the composition. However, you may also notice that I have changed some of the colors and shadows. For example, the shirt has a strange bluish tint in the photo, which is unlike real life. Also, the shadow on my face is very dark and flat in the photo, so I have added some color and contour.

SP WIP2

Here's a small update to my self-portrait. I'm going to be toning down that teapot in the bottom left corner once I get more of the figure done. (By the way, looking at the title of this blog I just realized that my acronym use has become just as bad as it was when I was working as an engineer!)

Self Portrait Work in Progress

I am continuing work on another self-portrait that I began before the Christmas break, but perhaps the background of this piece will motivate me to start a still life soon. This is 28" x 22", colored pencil on sanded paper.

Art in the New Year

Happy New Year! I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but the timing does seem right to consider some new directions for 2009. Last year was the first full year of my career as an artist, and I feel I made good progress experimenting with new surfaces and refining my style. For the coming year, I would like to experiment further with both new mediums and new subjects. I bought a pastel set a couple of months back, and recently I have been given a starter watercolor kit as well as some oil paints. I don’t plan on giving up colored pencil, but time will tell for sure. I have always enjoyed drawing faces and hands the most, and I foresee that my main focus will remain portraiture and figurative art, but I am beginning to have a desire to branch out and try still life or perhaps some landscapes as well.

I am looking forward to new experiences and challenges for 2009, and to sharing my experiences here!