It's done...I think?

Once I got started painting on this project, it seemed like I couldn't put down the brush. I did 2.5 hours the first afternoon and then had to get out of the chair, stretch, and move around a bit; but after dinner and a couple hours of TV, I found myself distracted from what I was watching, and thinking about what I would do next on the painting. So I went and did two more hours before bed! Same story the day after, and this morning I got up and put in the bulk of the background.

It's not exactly what I was planning...but I think it works. I put in a wall-like structure to anchor the bottom without being too specific, and the rest of it feels to me like an out-of-focus rolling moor in the background. I had fun fuzzing out their hair so that it felt like it moved into the background a tiny bit, and invading her arm with some faintly foliage-like shapes.

Ironically, the thing I was least worried about—capturing their likenesses—came out the best. I was going for a light-and-shadow sort of abstract effect, but they still look like themselves, I think.

Here is a colorized version of the black-and-white photo:

I started out making his shirt dark green, but quickly realized that it would be way too much green if I was going to mimic the background foliage in any way, so it became shades of raw umber instead. I love how umber mixes with other colors to give you various shades, from mushroom to rust.

I knew I wanted her dress to be pale blue, but I wanted to give it a little pizzazz, so it has some turquoise in the mix with the cobalt and white, and although her belt didn't look this white in the b&w version, I liked it as another counterpoint to pick up the light, along with their faces and arms.

I kind of wanted to paint those feet in the bobby socks, but the "client" specified a three-quarter view rather than the whole length of the figures, so that's what I did. I do wish I had started a little lower on the canvas so there was some air above his head; and their heads feel a little big for their bodies, too. But over all, I'm pretty happy with my first foray into full-figure, double-figure, and in acrylic!

These are "George and Aunt Johnny," pencil and acrylics on canvas, 18x24 inches.    

We'll see what Aunt Johnny's niece has to say about it. My friend Phoebe likes it, and that's more than enough for me!

Getting my nerve up

Today I finally went back to my first real "canvas" painting, which is also my first with full figure, and actually with two of them. I ended up imposing a grid over the photo and then duplicating it on the canvas so as to locate everything properly, although the proportions were not identical and I fear that the vertical boxes on the painting will be a bit elongated. But since I am not going for an entirely literal portrait but rather doing a more abstract study of light and shadow, I don't think there will be any harm done.

So far, I have put in the preliminary drawing, which has already gone through multiple changes and I'm sure will evolve further as I get out the paintbrushes. In fact, just the act of photographing it and looking at the photo shows me where I need to make adjustments—funny how different things look once they're in a still shot.

I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but it's also exciting to try something new. I'm taking a lunch break and then breaking out the paints.

Oh, and as a bonus...a rare photo of the uncooperative model Gidget, in her perch on the patio in front of my prolific lemon tree.