Working on a painting coming out of the life drawing session. Several passes after putting down the underpainting with the model in the room. Evaluation and learning
- I didn’t measure or grid up. As a result, things moved around even in the first stages. Altering my position meant that sightlines got messed up. NOW isn’t this a good thing in some ways? Yes for an more imaginative and conceptual engagement but not so much with getting a likeness.
- Learning: get the observation done and then take a leap of imaginative flight…not the other way around.
- I found I kept going back and re painting rather than taking a structured approach to putting the paint on.
- Decide before starting IF this is impressionist/alla prima or blended rennaissance style (not falling between the two).
- Simplify to get planes working more structurally – a lesson learned after looking at Velasquez (who painted pretty much alla prima)
- Float the paint on the layers to get the planes of the face coming forward.
focus on face meant I stopped looking at the whole picture – face has grown as I ended up going for more of a sight-size approach with the ipad image – but now head bigger than the rest. Interesting in some ways – Paula Rego goes for that approach with her figures creating a sense of awkwardness; thinking also Helena Bonham Carter’s large-headed queen of arts in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland – dream distortion of perspective. Also half tones not being picked up by the camera…how to solve that? research needed. I quite like the ghosts of the books and the lack or resolution in the objects – can I make more of this and the large head? I am tempted not to resolve these problems and instead make more of them.
One pass additional planned for this painting. Turning to the thematic of folk horror more fully, addition ‘props’ required. A black egg either in 3D or on the page of the book she is reading and perhaps a vista to an imaginary landscape with the aim of creating an othered ‘off-space’. TBC.
Tanya Krzywinska Art Blog 