Experiment No. 2592

I've been looking for a way to... streamline... my process. Lately I've done a full-scale drawing then transferred that drawing to the canvas. It's the kind of thing that takes the better part of a day or two before I can actually start painting. As one could imagine, that can serve not only as an annoyance, but a hindrance as well. Also, I'm fast running out of storage space in my studio. Paintings mounted on wood are heavy and cumbersome and stretched canvas has that tedious habit of being succeptible to puncture. And, while painting on loose canvas can solve both of those problems, it just won't stand up on its own.

So, borrowing a page from Donato Giancola's book I photocopied my original drawing and mounted it to a piece of thick illustration board. I've gotten away from painting on illustration board because I use stiff hog bristle brushes and it tends to react unfavorably and "slick". I just can't get the coverage I want with thinner applications of paint. (Hence my adoration of canvas.) So, where Donato uses matte medium ontop of his drawings - he also uses soft brushes - I decided to use clear gesso instead. Clear gesso has kind of a sandy grain quality to it that doesn't quite match the tooth of canvas, and it doesn't handle glazes in quite the same way, but it's close enough. Close enough for government work, as they say.

When I set about actually creating a painting, I had no plan. I kind of made it up as I went along and made (bad) decisions on the fly. First and foremost, I have no idea why thought it'd be a good idea to make her a Super Saiyan but I kind of like it. Other than that... well, it was more to prove the concept of the approach than to have a polished finish. The main failure of the experiment was the use of illustration board as the substrate. When I applied the wet drawing it had the funny, if not predictable, side effect of warping the board. And as I'm trying to get away from using planks of wood, it's an issue that will have to be resolved the next time around.

Overall, I'm pleased. I think I done some good.

11 x 14. Oil on paper.

Vikings. In space.

There was recently a "challenge" posted on a art forum I've been known to haunt and the prompt was simply to draw a viking. Unfortunately due to various circumstances beyond my control I missed the deadline, but I knew I was going to want to finish it at my earliest convenience. My plans all fell through on Friday, so I spent a few hours in my studio banging this number out. I didn't have any prep work on hand past a small thumbnail, which made painting feel a little like flying blind, but I think that made the experience a bit more reactionary and... fun.

I don't know what's been with me and my space kick lately, but I just had to have a viking in space. As the vikings of myth did, this viking would have a helmet (though to fend off asphyxiation more so than hostile projectiles) complete with horns. And naturally, as an explorer of outer space, they'd be fighting tentacled creatures instead of the Britons or other more "civilized" men.

Vikings were Nordic and by no means German, but I figured our hero here would be sporting dachshunds on his shield. I think they might have approved of these Germanic little badger hounds. I can think of one or two dachschunds that would have been helpful in an all out monster fight.

Oil on canvas. 12" x 24".

When experiments fail

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that my wife has given me a bunch of panels that she found left over from a past life. So, in continuing my head studies, here's another one of Katharine.

Originally I had set out to paint something else on the board but quickly realized that the 8x10 surface was no where near suitable for what I had set out to accomplish. So I turned the board one quarter turn clockwise and just started painting. I had to abandon it after about an hour because the darn thing was WAY to absorbent.

I learned that it's important not to trust panels given to someone that are then given to you. As near as I can tell the woman my wife got them from used absorbent ground instead of gesso to prime this batch, so everything I put down immediately seeped into the board. It was kind of like painting with the stuff glue sticks are made out of. I have since re-gessoed all of the remaining panels.

That being said, I'm pleased with the likeness and the overall handling of the paint (before I got too frustrated with the hair and summarily trashed it). I'd mark it as a stalemate. My wife says she looks intimidating, like she's going to try to eat your arm.

Oil on canvas board. 8x10

Zombie Nazis from Space!

Or is it Nazi Zombies? Either way, this is what I get for talking to my wife. I don't remember what we were talking about or how the words "Nazi zombie from space" could possibly have fallen out of my mouth, but they did.

And I just couldn't let it go.

So I came home and did a little drawing, which turned into a little painting.

Oil on board. 5 x 7

Self-Portrait

Once upon a time, back in the days of art school, a teacher tasked us with drawing 50 self portraits over the weekend. I suspect he wanted to force us to loosen up and not be so... academic in our approach to drawing. So, I sat down in front of a mirror and set about my task. Needless to say a lot of the drawings wound up as kindling (or would have if I had a fireplace) but there were a few I liked or was talked into keeping. This would have to be my favorite from that exercise, and as such I've had it pinned to my studio wall.

Recently I decided to pull it down and use it as a base for a painting. Sitting down in front of my trusty mirror again I set to the task of painting it out. Paying attention to the relationships between shapes was more important than getting the shapes accurate. I miss the fact that it looks like I'm on an oxygen tank in the initial pencil drawing. And I don't know why, but I like the look of the receding hairline in the drawing as well. Oh well, maybe next time.