Another day at the drawing table, and only 2 photos in progress. Watching this part is a little like watching paint dry, or watching grass grow.
Because of pruning back the shrubs on the left, I needed more photos to show what is behind them. The shrubs on the right are also being pruned in the drawing, so more photos of that side of the house will help fill in some blanks. The very tall valley oak tree on the right is a bit of a mystery too, as is the mass of confusing growth behind it. I can’t figure out the detail on the front door, and the shapes of the windows are confounding me.
A field trip is in order for more photos. Let’s go!
The front door is wider than it appears in my drawing and has more detail on the screen than I could see in my earlier photos.Nice detail on this window. I missed it entirely. It might not show in the angle of the house that I am drawing, but more photos than necessary are a better “problem” than not enough.Is this thing important? I’d better ask.Now I can see that the window over here is square and centered. (I saw the square part in real life – may not have been able to capture that in a photo without crawling into a shrub.)How many trees are over there??It splits into 2 massive parts but from a distance, appears to be 2 separate trees.Wait a minute. There are several trees over there, and one is a pine.
Good thing Jane isn’t in a big hurry for this drawing.
After finishing the 3 small custom pencil drawings of 3 small houses from 3 small photos, my confidence returned to begin the big custom drawing of the big old country house, working from about a dozen big photos, enlarged on my laptop screen in order to see the details clearly, drawing while looking under my big magnifying glass.
Big job. Good thing I love to draw.
These photos represent 2 days of working on the picture.
You can see in the last photo that I pruned the bushes back on the left in order to show more of the structure. It was a little tricky to figure out the size and placement of the window on that segment of newly exposed wall. Working from multiple photos is full of challenges, because I leave behind the security of being able to measure directly from a photo. Instead, I look at one that shows a particular item, put it in the drawing, and realize that I don’t know where it truly belongs in relation to the things that don’t appear in the photo where I got it.
See? Can’t even explain it simply. Guess you’d have to be there.
The goal is believability AND with a piece of custom art, recognizability.
Success breeds success. After finishing the two custom pencil drawings, it seemed easy to just finish the third.
Yeppers. Still procrastinating on the giant pencil commission of the big old country house. Productively procrastinating, because I really do like to finish things.
I started out taking photos so I could show you the steps, but then I got so involved that I forgot to stop and take more pictures.
It would have been easier if the tree in the foreground was pruned before the photographer took the shot, but alas, no one was thinking about the fact that someday, some pencil artist might want to know what was behind the branch. I decided it must have been hiding a dormer window.
There are quite a few erasing tools showing up in those 2 progress photos. I used to think that erasing meant I was just an incompetent artist; eventually I have learned to accept it as part of drawing.
Nothing left to procrastinate with, so it is time to become involved with the giant pencil drawing of the big old country house.
The custom pencil drawing of a big old country house was intimidating, so I quickly completed a smaller commissioned pencil drawing. It went so well that I was inspired, even eager*, to begin the second piece in the series of three.
That big window on the left (a sun room?), the shadow cast by the door overhang, the slightly opened window on the right, a hint of stepping stones leading from the drive to the front door, and of course the car in the carport are the details that add charm to this little house. The only change I made was to straighten out the sidewalk.
This was a very satisfying job. Two down, two to go.
*Have you noticed how many people use the word “anxious” when they mean eager?
Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that people can understand of places and things they love, for prices that won’t scare them.
A friend introduced me to his cousin. We became instant friends. Let’s call her Jane, because that is her name.
My friend and Jane’s shared grandparents had a wonderful home in the country south of Farmersville (Yes, that is the name of a town here in Tulare County. Wanna make something of it?) They both thought it would make a great drawing or painting, so I went there to take some photos.
I love the style of this house! I took many photos, from every angle possible.
Want to guess which one I liked best?
Want to guess which one Jane and her husband liked best? (They are my customers for the project.)
Want to guess which medium they chose?
“Medium” means the substance from which I will make the art – pencil or oil paint, in this case.
There is something new coming to Three Rivers, but I don’t yet know any details. Might be a simple retail shop where one can pick up local art, maybe some tchotchkes. This is why I wanted to get those little Three Rivers paintings looking better. This is also why I started a new river painting.
This is painting session #1. I want to do this in many thin layers, striving for perfection. But why?
It might be an overreaction to how I felt about the blurry Kaweah Post Office painting. It might also be some residual from having drawn this exact scene in pencil with a touch of colored pencil a handful of years ago, a commissioned piece. I want to see how close I can get to perfection with paintbrushes. I’ve already decided to leave out the tree on the left side, but like everything I do, more will be revealed in the fullness of time.
My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. TWO DAYS LEFT,Thursday, noon-5:30 and Friday, noon-5:00. I will be there on Friday, April 30, and will take away the unsold pieces at 5 p.m.(MB, I will be sending you your painting next week!)
You’ve heard me say (or read on my blog) for about a year now that:
I use pencils, oil paint and murals to make art you understand of places and things you love at prices that won’t scare you.
Today’s blog is just to show you a few of those custom oil paintings through the years. If you have been following my blog for a few years (or maybe many), these will be familiar to you.
Some go back as far as 11 years! I’ve been oil painting since March 8, 2006, so this should not come as a surprise. What still surprises me is that I feel like a beginner; maybe I need my head examined.
My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5:30 (5 on Friday). I will be there on Friday, April 30, the last day; the work will be removed at 5 p.m.
After a period of severe procrastination, which involved studying the photographs and the unfinished painting of Forrest’s Dream Cabin, along with a fair amount of weed pulling, I finally decided that I do know how to draw with my paintbrush.
My thought was that at the very least, I could detail that cabin to the nth degree, and then maybe I could see what to do with the rest of the painting.
Okay, let’s dive inI’ve added the ramp so the cabin doesn’t require wading to get to, along with more details to the windows and the siding.Here’s a bit more. Hard to tell the difference, but there must be some difference, because I took another photograph.And, now the cabin is finished, with smoke coming out of the stovepipe.
But will Forrest think the painting is finished? I sent him this photo, taking inside the painting workshop at the end of the day. Wow, did that ever distort the colors!
Next, I carried it outside in hopes that the color would photograph more accurately. By that time, it was upside down on the easel because the bottom edge was wet.
This color isn’t exactly right either. When it is dry, I will paint the top edge, sign it, and take it to Forrest for his approval in person.
The fat lady hasn’t yet sung (but she might be practicing a few scales.)
My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5:30. The last day to see my work there is Friday, April 30.
These are custom oil paintings, commissioned pieces, from a whole lotta* years. Each one was done with a whole lotta* discussion with the customer (customer—custom art—get it?) to be sure to achieve what the customer desires.
This customer provided photos, but I went there myself and looked it over further, taking a few more pictures to be sure to get things accurate.
Yes, I am fully aware that Homer’s Nose does not appear above the Oak Grove Bridge in real life. However, the customer requested this, and my dad taught me, “You kisses their fanny and takes their money”. (No, no fanny kissing took place – it is simply a figure of speech that means you do what the customer requests whether or not it makes sense to you.)
This one was painted for someone who is color-blind, so I focused on contrast for him.
I use pencil, oil paint, and murals to make art that you can understand of places and things you love for prices that won’t scare you.
