Jill - Oil Portrait Sketch

Friday I joined several other artists at Patris Studio and Gallery for a 3 hour "open studio" session.  Our model was Jill and she posed in a beautiful dress, but I decided I wanted to try a portrait.  I keep the canvas size small so I wouldn't get overwhelmed in the brief time we had.

The block in was done entirely with W&N Transparent Maroon with a bit of Rembrandt Ultramarine Deep added for darks.  The transparent colors like this one and Rembrandt Transparent Oxide Red are wonderful to work with and mix well with other colors.   They serve particularly well for laying in line and wash when you are establishing shapes and the light and dark areas of a painting.  Very forgiving, easy to paint over and easy to wipe off and redraw a passage when necessary.

My goal was to think "art" during this painting.   I tried consciously to think about each brushstroke: to resist the urge to paint on auto pilot.  I forced myself to step back often...to stop and look and consider for a few moments before continuing.  And in the end, when I found myself making the first 'blending' stroke, I put my brush down for the day.  It's surprising how good that felt after the initial anxiety!

"Jill"    Oil on Raymar Panel,   9" x 12"

"Jill"    Oil on 9" x 12" Canvas Panel 

 

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art