Mallina is one of my favorite models: she holds a pose perfectly! This portrait doesn’t do her justice, but I hope it captures some of her spirit.
Geoff Watson, “Portrait study of Mallina,” oil on panel, 11” x 14,” 2019.
Back study
I’ve been slowed down by back pain the past week or so, but I managed to drag myself to life class today. Wouldn’t you know it, I wound up sitting with a view of the model’s … back. When I got back (heh) home, I watched hockey fans shout “back to back” while cheering on the Washington Capitals, who are trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. And I watched men twist their backs violently while playing golf at the Masters. All in all, it was a back of a day.
Geoff Watson, “Back study,” oil on panel, 11” x 14” (2019).
Woman with a silver earring
This painting was really fun. I had originally planned a light background on the left and darker background on the right, to set up contrast with the light and shadow sides of the model’s face. But I had second thoughts when I noticed the awesome earring the model was wearing, which would’ve disappeared had I painted it against a light background. So I sorta reversed course — darker on the left, lighter on the right. I wimped out a bit; I think a darker background on the left would’ve looked cool. But it worked out pretty well, and I think the earring looks pretty neat.
Geoff Watson, “Woman with a silver earring,” oil on panel, 11” x 14,” 2019.
Mallina at the wall
Life class finally resumed today, after a too-long layoff, and I was definitely rusty. But it was great to work on figure and portrait drawing and painting again. I did this quick study in about 90 minutes. The model posed right against a white wall, which made for interesting shadows.
Geoff Watson, “Mallina at the wall,” oil on panel, about 8” x 14,” 2018.
Mallina looking left
Mallina is a lovely model with olive skin, and I really wanted to emphasize her skin tone -- and her cheerful expression. I also wanted to experiment with composition, so I moved her to the right of the picture. (Usually I have the model gazing across empty space.) I struggled with the shape of her shoulders; I probably should have blurred them more than I did here. Also, the likeness is close but not quite there. I needed another couple hours of tweaking to get it right. Still and all, I'm pretty happy with this picture. It captures her good cheer.
When I first started painting, I had little interest in doing portraits. Now I love to do them! If you're interested in sitting for a portrait, please let me know. I'll supply munchies, television, music, or anything else to keep you entertained while I paint you. :)
Geoff Watson, "Mallina looking left," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Mallina
In today’s life class, our instructor asked us to mass in the form without drawing contour lines. She suggested amoeba-like soft edges, allowing us to push and pull things to refine the drawing. I like this approach. It took some of the pressure off the initial lay-in, and it promoted soft edges. We had only two hours, so it’s still rough, but I still feel I made a statement.
I only wish I’d painted this on a panel! All I had handy was a canvas pad. Maybe some future art historian will cut it out, put it on stretcher bars, frame it, and donate it to the Met. :-)
Geoff Watson, “Mallina,” oil on canvas pad, 12” x 16,” 2018.