Beginning of a portrait painting

Hi everyone sorry for the long delay I have been so busy trying to figure out this video uploading deal.  I'm getting closer on getting it but for everyone who has signed up for the online course just have a little more patience.  I'm figuring out how to send all you guys the best video in the best quality that I can.  This video shows the beginning stage of a portrait painting I'm doing of my friends daughter.  I'm using no mediums just a bit of raw umber on the brush to establish the drawing stage, towards the end of the video I start painting a bit.  Let me know what you think of the video, thanks again everyone for your patience!

"Crab Apples 2"

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"Crab Apples 2"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to thank everyone who has signed up for my first online course, I'm overwhelmed on the amount of people that have signed up! The class is still open for registration if anybody is interested, just leave a comment with your information or email me directly.   I'll be offering courses on how to paint these alla prima studies in one session.  We will go step by step in each lesson and make sure you understand my process on each level.  I will offer a critique through out the whole process till the end result.  The first lesson entails of the whole process of the painting, my video demo that I will send to each student explaining my process in thorough, critiques through out the painting, and one on one help at any time to help the student via email.  I'm really excited to offer this course to everyone and develop it further, thanks again!

I started with my usual approach of no mediums just raw umber on the brush for the drawing stage.  I covered the background first using titanium white, cerulean blue, naples yellow, and cad. red.

I started on the first apples after the background was finished using ivory black, cad. red,  and cad. red deep.   I started with the darker values first to have the full range of darks and lights first, I use the white of the canvas to judge my lightest value.  Then I state the middle values by using cad. red, cad. red light, cad. orange, yellow ochre pale.  I've also filled in the stem area.  At this stage when I get to the lighter values I'm constantly aware of the form turning and how much paint I'm applying to get the certain look I want.

I state the lighter values by just adding titanium white to the middle value mixture and build my paints to the desired thickness.  After finishing the first apple I start on the second apple with the same process and  palette as I did with the previous.  

In these steps you can see that I'm careful in each stage, as far as paint application and value shifts.  One has to be aware of how much paint is applied in order to control the look of the oils and control within the layers.

I started on the third apple with the same process and palette as I did with the first apple.

Then I started on the base just using ivory black, cad. red light, and cad. orange.

This is the finished picture I added the lighter values of the base by using burnt sienna, cerulean blue, and titanium white.  The approach in painting these apples was neat to do, the skin texture kind of reminded me of painting human flesh.  The amount of colors are in the human skin kind of resembled the  flesh of the apple.  Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed!

"Crab Apples"

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"Crab Apples"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I was walking through the fruit isle and saw these little crab apples.  I'm intrigued with there shapes some are really tiny and some are somewhat big.  I enjoyed playing with the composition of this one, I automatically thought of making this painting when I saw the apples lined up.  

I also wanted to thank everyone who signed up for my first online lesson.  There is still time to sign up just email me if your interested or leave a comment and I will put you on the list.  I will be offering online courses on how to paint these alla prima studies in one session.  We will go step by step in each lesson and make sure you understand my process on each level.  I will offer a critique through out the whole process till the end result.  There is a discounted price since this is my first lesson.  The first lesson entails of the whole process of the painting, my video demo that I will send to each student explaining my process in thorough, critiques through out the painting, and one on one help at any time to help the student via email.  I'm really excited to offer this course to everyone and develop it further, thanks again!

I started with the traditional approach of no mediums just raw umber on the brush for the draw in stage.  I added the background first before starting on the apples because I wanted to have more control of the edges.  I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, cad. red, and titanium white.

Then I started on the darkest value of the apple first using ivory black, ultramarine blue, cad. red, and cad. orange.  Then I started on the lighter values and tied in the darker values with the middle and lighter values always thinking of modeling the bigger forms.  I used cad. yellow, cad, red light, and titanium white.

Then I started on the second apple after the first one was completed and used the same mixture as the first apple.  I am applying the paints pretty thin just enough to cover what I need and if need more then I apply a tad bit more.  This allows me to keep control through out the painting and also it gives me a look that I like.

These stages I added the middle and lighter values.  Then I started on the darker values of the third apple repeating the process of the previous two apples.  I am also using the same mixtures as the other apples.  At this stage I also added the cast shadows and darker values to the base.  I used ivory black, burnt sienna, and yellow ochre pale.

Then I added the middle values and went back to the darker values to see if I need to make some adjustment to make it work as a whole.  I added the lighter values and took it to a finish.

Then I added the base middle and lighter values using titanium white, cerulean blue, and burnt sienna.  I enjoyed painting these three characters, I was testing out my technique in different manners and really liked the look I was able to achieve with this one.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed!

"The Duel"

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"The Duel"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This pear painting was to much fun to not do, I love the clash of these two fruits with the composition, the reds and yellows.  They say so much with so little, now the question is who won?  I must say I'm getting little with drawls from not painting desserts and delicious pastries.  I went to the bakery isle and could not find anything, its okay though as stated before my waist size was expanding.  I think its safe to paint more fruits rather than delicious desserts and pastries.

I also wanted everyone to know that my girlfriend's recovery from the surgery is going better than expected, she felt some pain on the fourth day and was scared something was wrong.  After going back to the dentist to have the check up he said everything was healing perfect and the pain she was feeling was normal for the time period after the surgery.  Thank you everyone for your kind words I really appreciate it.

I also wanted to thank everyone who signed up for my first online lesson.  There is still time to sign up just email me if your interested or leave a comment and I will put you on the list.  I will be offering online courses on how to paint these alla prima studies in one session.  We will go step by step in each lesson and make sure you understand my process on each level.  I will offer a critique through out the whole process till the end result.  There is a discounted price since this is my first lesson I will be offering online, it will be $50 for the first lesson.  The first lesson entails of the whole process of the painting, my video demo that I will send to each student explaining my process in thorough, critiques through out the painting, and one on one help at any time to help the student via email.  I'm really excited to offer this course to everyone and develop it further, thanks again! 

I started with the no medium and just raw umber on the brush, I like using this method it allows me to draw with a faint line and get my drawing to my liking.  Then I started on the red pear stating local colors first and modeling the bigger form first.  I used cad. red, cad. deep red, ultramarine blue, and ivory black.

Then I went into the darks and took it to a finish, I didn't move from this area until it was taken to a complete finish.  Then I moved to the lights and also took it to a finish by adding smaller forms or details that worked with the bigger forms.  You can also see that I added the stem to the pear, I just added the big form modeling first and stated the darks as well.  When I add the big form modeling stage I usually use thin paints so I can manage the paints when I go thicker on top of it, it allows me to keep control through out the painting.

Then I added the lighter values to the stem, I also added the second stem when I finished the first stem and did the same process.  I started on the second pear doing the same procedure with the first pear, state the local colors first then big form modeling.  I used cad. yellow, naples yellow, cad. orange, raw umber, ivory black, viridian, and titanium white.

I worked on the darks after modeling the bigger forms, I added the subtle indents on the pear and also reinstated the dark to turn the edges more.  After the darker values where taken to a finish, I worked on the lighter values and again just stating the smaller forms.  When stating the smaller forms one has to be aware that it conforms with the larger form.  The subtle tones are working within the form, in this stage you have to take your time and really concentrate to get it right.

Then I added the top of the base by using cerulean blue, burnt sienna, ivory black, and titanium white.  I also added the dark of the base by using ivory black, cad. red light, and cad. orange.

I added the background when the base was done by using cerulean blue, naples yellow, cad. red, and titanium white.  At this stage I made sure to soften the edges of the base and really push it back with the background.  This is the finished result thanks for stopping by and viewing, I hope you enjoyed this one! 

"Pears"

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"Pears"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I decided to go back to some fruit paintings after painting so many delicious desserts, I kind of had to due to my waist size expanding.  I don't know how long I can keep from not going back to the pastry isle and picking up more things to paint and eat but I will try.  

I also wanted to thank everyone who signed up for my first online lesson.  There is still time to sign up just email me if your interested or leave a comment and I will put you on the list.  I will be offering online courses on how to paint these alla prima studies in one session.  We will go step by step in each lesson and make sure you understand my process on each level.  I will offer a critique through out the whole process till the end result.  There is a discounted price since this is my first lesson I will be offering online, it will be $50 for the first lesson.  The first lesson entails of the whole process of the painting, my video demo that I will send to each student explaining my process in thorough, critiques through out the painting, and one on one help at any time to help the student via email.  I'm really excited to offer this course to everyone and develop it further, thanks again!

I started with no mediums just a dry brush approach with a little of raw umber on the brush.  Then I started on the darkest values of the red pear, I used ivory black, ultramarine blue, cad. red, and cad. red light.  In this stage I'm just concentrating on taking everything to a close finish and also modeling the darks to turn.

Then I add the middle and lighter values, I'm just worried about turning the form not so much adding the smaller forms or details just yet.  I'm using cad. red, cad. red light, titanium white, and ultramarine blue.

Then I add the stem when I've taken the pear to a finish, I used ivory black, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, cad. orange, and titanium white.  I then start on the second pear using cad. yellow, naples yellow, yellow ochre, titanium white, raw umber, cad. orange, and ultramarine blue.  At this stage I'm just stating the local colors and turning the big form.

After the bigger form was turning I went back into the darker value section of the pear and took it to a finish.  I also went to the lighter value section of the pear after the darker section was completed and took that area to a finish as well.

Then I added the stem to the pear using the same mixture as I did with the previous pear.  After completing both pears I started on the wooden base and I apologize for not taking photos show step by step on how I painted the base.  I got into the zone and completely forgot to take photos of that section.  Essentially I approached it the same way as I did with the pears, going from the darkest values and working to my lightest values.  After those two are working I added the details afterwords to tie in the whole base together, I used ivory black, burnt sienna, cad. orange, cerulean blue, and titanium white.

Then I added the background when I was done with the base, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.  This was a good change than painting all those delicious desserts, these fruits are healthier to eat afterwards ;)  Thanks for stopping by and viewing, I hope you enjoyed this one!

"Strawberry Cheesecake"

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"Strawberry Cheesecake"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I have an announcement, I will be offering online courses on how to paint in an alla prima manner.  It will be several courses starting with a simple subject to paint introducing the student to my approach to painting, then the course after that will be more challenging than the last one and so on.  I will also be doing a demo to each lesson plan so the student can see my method from beginning to end, this will not be live it will be pre-recorded and I will send it to each student through email.  With each lesson I will help the student via email and offer critiques through the process and the finished painting.  Each lesson plan duration of time would 2 to 3 weeks long or if needed longer.   

This course is in its infant stage but I am extremely excited to be offering this opportunity to anyone who's interested.  Since this is a test trail I will be charging $50 for the first lesson plan including a demo to go along with it, one on one help and critique from beginning to end.  The price includes all lessons for the first painting.   Please email me or leave comments on my blog if your interested in this opportunity!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums just a bit of raw umber on the brush.  Then I start from the darkest values of the strawberry using ivory black, cadmium red, and cerulean blue.  At this point I'm just concentrating on the modeling the form from darks to middle value and also keeping the paints fairly thin.

Then I start to go into the lights still modeling the bigger forms, I used titanium white, cad. red light, and cerulean blue.  This section of the strawberry was extremely difficult to paint, the textures of a strawberry is so intricate in each area.  I thought this fruit would not have been so difficult but I was completely wrong and really challenged me in many levels.

Once I completed the strawberry I moved onto the leaves, I used ivory black, cerulean blue, yellow ochre pale, viridian, and cad. yellow.  When that was taken to a finish I started on the red glaze on the cheesecake, I first stated the local color in a thin application of paint.  I also model the lights on the form again just using thin paints so I can build on top of that layer and still have control.

After stating the local color I work on darker values and model them to the bigger form.  Then I added the lighter values doing the same making sure they are working with the form and also making sure the edges are making sense.

Then I start on the body of the cheesecake, again just stating the local color and modeling the big form.  I used raw umber, ultramarine blue, cad. yellow light, and titanium white.  After the big form was modeled I start adding the smaller forms or details and model them to work with the bigger form.

The bottom of the layer as you can see I approached in the same manner as stated above, I used raw umber, burnt sienna, ivory black, and titanium white.

Then I added the base using ivory black, cerulean blue, yellow ochre pale, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and titanium white.

Then I added the background color using cerulean blue, naples yellow, titanium white and a bit of cad. red.  As stated before this painting was just tougher than I expected and again I learned so much from it, you never know what to expect with each painting.  Thank you again for viewing my work and hope you enjoyed this one, bon appetite!

"Strawberry"

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"Strawberry"

5 x 7 in 

Oil on Canvas Panel

Thank you everyone for your nice comments in regards to my girlfriends recovery.  She is doing well today which is great, they say the second day is the worst and so far she's doing really well.  Again with her blessings I was able to paint today and also take care of her.  It's nice having her home when I paint I can take mini breaks and attend to her, truthfully she's doing really well and has been able to sit on the couch and watch me paint!  Lets hope day three goes just as well.

Today I'm painting the dipped strawberry again but this time its all in one piece.  I went back to the bakery and got another of these delicious chocolate covered strawberry, it was really hard not biting into it but I did well not doing so.  The designs on the outside was also a challenge for me to paint, this was an area I was not looking forward to paint.  Like they say though you cannot get content when you paint, one has to push and challenge themselves constantly.  I also wanted to let everyone know this is my 100th alla prima study!  I'm excited and cannot believe i've done this much, i'm thrilled to do many many more!

I started with just the usual dry brush approach raw umber and no medium.  After the drawing was complete I stated the background first, reason I did so I can deal with my edges from the get go and also not worry about it in the end.  I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.

Then I added the base using yellow ochre, raw umber, cerulean blue, and titanium white.  After the background and base was completed I started on the body of the chocolate covered strawberry, I used ivory black, cerulean blue, and burnt sienna.  At this stage I'm just stating the big form and not worrying about the details in this stage.

Then I added the lighter values using titanium white, and cerulean blue.  I'm also stating at this point the frosted area of the white chocolate or the top portion of the strawberry.  Again I'm just doing the big form modeling now and statin the local colors first.  I used cerulean blue, ivory black, titanium white, and yellow ochre.

Then I went back in and stated the smaller forms or details hinting subtle values for details.  Then I stated the stem of the strawberry just starting with the darkest values to middle values, I used ivory black, deep viridian, cerulean blue, and yellow ochre pale.  Then I added the lighter values using yellow ochre pale, cadmium yellow, and titanium white.  This painting I thought from the beginning would not be as difficult as it was, the intricate designs within the chocolate created some hurdles for me.  I learned a lot with this painting and also was glad to enjoy another delicious dessert for finishing the painting.  Thanks again for stopping by and viewing hope you enjoyed! Bon appetite!

"Dipped Strawberry"

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"Dipped Strawberry"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Today my girlfriend had three wisdom teeth pulled out and truthfully didn't think I would've had time to paint.  I went to the store and got her some yogurt and liquids and then ran into the pastry isle again!  I ended buying this strawberry dipped in chocolate with cream lining designed around it.  I was going to paint the chocolate itself but couldn't fight the urge and just bit into it, when doing so noticed the mess I created and really like the shape and design.  Before painting it I had to make sure my girlfriend was doing fine and be attentive to her while painting this delicious treat.  She encouraged me to paint because she was doing so well from the surgery so that gave me the green light to paint!    

I started with usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, I wanted to go over a little bit about this stage.  I usually get emails about this stage asking how I get the drawing right off the back.  I used to do sight to size method but now I just do comparative measuring, this allows me to measure shapes visually through angles and similar shapes.  The other thing to one has to just practice for a while to get the drawing aspect down, it's not easy getting the life of the painting down which is the drawing stage.  Drawing is the quintessential part of any painting, if a painter is lacking in draftsmanship it definitely shows.  One must always keep up there drawing abilities no matter how much you paint.  I started with the middle and darker values of the stem and leaves of the strawberries, I used ultramarine blue, yellow ochre pale, cerulean blue, and deep viridian.

Then I added the lighter values using the same palette including titanium white.  Then I did the big form modeling and also included the local colors in the strawberry.  I used cadmium red, cadmium red deep, cadmium red light, and ivory black.  In this stage I just concentrated on getting the overall light wrapping around the form or big form modeling.

Then I added the smaller forms or details to the strawberry, before adding the smaller forms I added lighter values to the form to enhance the turn.  After finishing the strawberry I added the chocolate and cream.  I essentially did the same procedure as I did with the strawberry, I modeled the big form and concentrated on the smaller forms for the finish.

Then I added the base and background using cerulean blue, titanium white, naples yellow, yellow ochre pale, and burnt sienna.  Then I added the pieces from the chocolate that fell off on the side to the painting.  This painting was quickly done and fun to do especially in the strawberry.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing hope you enjoyed!

"Raspberry Mascarpone"

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"Raspberry Mascarpone"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I've been gone for a little while without painting, there has been so much going on.  Went away up north with friends and had more friends visiting from out of the country, had to entertain for the most part.  Finally today everyone has left and I'm able to get back to painting.  I should've painted something simpler to get back to the groove, instead I dove in with something complicated.  The first painting back from a long hiatus is always the ice breaker, now to just keep the vibe going.

I started with the usual dry brush approach just getting the drawing down, after the drawing is done I started modeling all the raspberries from middle to darker values.  The reason I did this is to have an overall feel of the raspberries, I'm not straying away from the finishing each section at a time method.  I'm using ultramarine blue, alizarine permanent, cadmium red light and cadmium red deep.

Then I added the lighter middle values to make the overall forms turn, I just used cadmium red light for the lighter values.  Then I changed up the usual process and stated the background, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white.  I wanted to add the background this early in the painting to deal with edges better and have the background color bouncing off the raspberries.

At this point I start taking each section to a finish, going from one raspberry to another.  I'm using titanium white, cerulean blue and cadmium red light for the lighter values.  While I'm going lighter with the values I'm also stating the smaller forms and making sure they are working with the larger forms.  It gets tricky at this stage to understand and simplify your shapes so they can work with the overall picture.  One can get caught up with details and forget the simplicity of  modeling the form.

Rendering raspberries is a challenge to say the least, you have to understand its textures and its complexities.  I'm also rendering the chocolate lining going in and out of the raspberries which makes it even more challenging to model the smaller forms.

Then I start on the chocolate lining of the base thats holding the raspberries together.  I thought at first it was paper but learned it was just chocolate hmmmmmmmmmmmm!  I added local colors of the chocolate and worked on just turning big forms first before adding smaller forms.  Once the bigger form was turning I added the smaller forms, my palette for this section consisted of ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw umber, yellow ochre pale, and titanium white.

This is the finished picture, I added the base and used yellow ochre pale, ivory black, ultramarine blue, titanium white, naples yellow, and cerulean blue.  This painting was a challenge overall but loved every bit of it, especially eating it afterwards.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed!  Bon appetite!