Graphite drawing by Jordan. Learning to draw is not as hard as some make it. You need a good teacher; someone who understands realism and wants to teach you foundation. I can’t express enough how important Foundation learning is. You must learn to understand form and how to create it with warm and cool tones in graphite. Starting to draw with a “Hill and Valley” concept { which I created in my teaching experience } is key to understand more complex skill sets.
I guarantee I can teach you!!!
Starting to add tones and set form with values.
I painted to this point. There are several areas if not all areas that need attention. At this point of realism I need to set the weight of the object or person, correct perspective, and form first before I fine tune the details. I like it so far. The think next I will paint the hands and letter in and then regroup, reevaluate and then details. The background will be damask in contrast eventually.
Oil painting is easy when you have knowledge about drawing forms. Realism in any medium is about layers and lighter layers of building forms. I will add more on this later, don’t have the time now, but stay tuned. This is titled, “The Un-sent Letter”. It is about a young woman sitting getting ready for her wedding day. She is holding a letter she never sent to an old love. It is about life decisions and “Letting Go” of the past’ heart wrenching. There will be several clues painted to add to the story, which line up with my recent photography. More to come.
I will add updates soon, Tom repainted a few areas!
Artist friend Tom’s artwork. It is important to carry color throughout the entire composition for the reason of balance and good flow. If you only have blue for example more in one region the composition can feel top heavy. Red is a strong color that needs to be balanced throughout the composition. The color red has a way to take center stage, so balance it well.
Here we go again…..second canvas ready for new painting. I am working on an oil already titled, “The Un-sent Letter”. It is about a young woman reading the letter she never mailed to an old boyfriend on her wedding day. Second thoughts about walking down the aisle? I can’t answer that, but she is beautiful. Sometimes life decisions are made not knowing the end results, love I guess? Anyway; I started this first oil with the intention of painting looser than realistic. Good luck with that! Why do I beat myself up about my painting, drawing style? I paint and draw realistically and that’s how I role as an artist.
Here are pictures of the beginning work and the mannequin that is freaking people out in my wedding dress in a still life I put together for the painting. It is better to work from a still life vs. a photograph. 
The face is nice in the first oil but I painted over it thinking I was going to approach this with an Impressionistic style. I ended up wiping the paint off and well, it didn’t come out so well.
Notice the material on the smaller mannequin, the gray, silver color of the dress. A shiny material can have Refracted light which causes a Reflection in the valleys or deep parts of the folds. These folds are darker in tonal values on cotton for example. Drawing shiny material are small stokes, tedious lines of smooth value ranges. So, shiny material is classified as 102 level.
I added a few mannequins to my studio to help me and artist friends with Life drawing, foreshortening views and so on. I want you to notice how the eyeball is a sphere in a socket! Drawing spheres well will help you later on with drawing ans shading portraits.
The header I currently have the pictures are not as clear as in shop? When I have more time to play I will work on it.
I have been busy working on my own portfolio as well as working with my artist friends when I could. Summer has flown by and here it is mid August already! Time for school and getting back to a regular routine schedule.
As far as my artwork goes I finished the large black and white watercolor shown in the center of the header, which I like. Plus, I do need to matte it yet. Now, I will start to put thought into action on the photography series that I was working on last spring semester. Not one hundred percent sure where this art series is going, but I have several ideas. I will know when I get there; plus in the duration producing some beautiful photography. Over all it has been a really great experience thus far.
In between the darkroom come Fall, studio time and family my hours will be filled; just the way I like it. I will make time though for my artist friends. I like to be productive and moving in the right direction.
In the past few days I have been able to work a bit more; fine tuning the details. I still want to recess the background some. 7/27/13.
This is how far I was able to paint. I really enjoy the lace and the material is moving. It’s pretty cool to see my growth as an artist since the first time I painted; better known as my first watercolor. Just the skill level alone……awwww right!
Learning to see the details around you; what a leaf or tree for example looks like when you are standing next to it versus how a tree or the detail of a leaf look in comparison farther away or distance. Take the time to look and notice color and how the color changes and the details or realistic details slightly become unfocused as they go back or a way from you in distance.
I advise you to start thinking about color or graphite in values [one to ten; light to darkest] for all colors as well as grays/blacks. Are they warm or cool in tone? Warm tones will come forward in space and cools will sink in space. The way God designed it, not an artist trick. Think about how color fades in distance and lack of detail in landscape.
Don’t worry so much about the name of the color printed on the tube of color, look to see if it is warm or cool in tone and where would you use it on form, shape etc.
Roxanne 