This was the second session of a two-session pose. I didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped; there were a lot of distractions in the classroom today. But it’s still a decent likeness.
Geoff Watson, “Sheba,” oil on linen panel, 11” x 14,” 2019.
Sheba - Day 1
I started this painting in life class today; it was the first session of a two-session pose. Pretty good likeness already, but I need to refine everything, and I’ve hardly done any work on her torso. Still, a good start.
Geoff Watson, “Sheba (Day 1),” unfinished, oil on linen panel, 11” x 14,” 2019.
Life class resumes
After a three-month hiatus, my regular life class finally resumed today. I draw every day, but I still felt rusty! I did this oil sketch in about 90 minutes, using a limited palette of Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Viridian, Mars Black, and Titanium White. Given the long layoff, I wasn’t expecting too much of myself, but I thought this turned out reasonably well.
Geoff Watson, “Simply Sheba,” oil on panel, 11” x 14,” 2018.
Sheba looking right
Today was my last life session until September. I didn't finish this little oil sketch, but I made good progress on it.
Geoff Watson, "Sheba looking right," oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
Sheba (continued)
I arrived late at life class today, but I had a good excuse -- my daughter scored the winning goal in the homecoming field hockey game! I was worried I wouldn't get my "spot" in front of the model, but I managed to squeeze my way into more or less the right position. The lighting was different, especially on her hair, but I actually liked the new lighting scheme better.
I made some progress on the painting, but it's not really finished. The eyes and eyebrows need more work; I didn't finish glazing skin tones over her left cheek; I inadvertently created a bit of an outline near her chin; the ear is too big; and the drawing is better but still not a perfect likeness. Other than that, it's perfect!
These issues are all fixable, and Sheba models for us regularly, so I'm hoping I'll get another chance to improve this one. But I signed it anyway, just in case. This portrait was really fun to paint! I'm eager to do more portraits in watercolor.
Sheba (in progress)
This watercolor portrait of Sheba is still in progress, as this was the first of two sittings. The likeness is already pretty good, but her features all need adjustment, and I inadvertently chopped off a bit of her chin. (I drew it correctly with my pencil but then blithely ignored my pencil marks when doing my first washes of watercolor.) This first image is after about an hour:
Geoff Watson, "Sheba," work in progress, watercolor on paper, 12" x 16," 2017.
And here is the painting after two hours. I added some skin tone, which looks okay so far, and also added some cool greens for transitional colors -- but I overdid it with the green, heh. I'll dial it back next week. I still need to adjust her eyes, nose, lips and ear. But I'm already very pleased with the likeness and the overall feel of the picture.
Geoff Watson, "Sheba," work in progress, watercolor on paper, 12" x 16," 2017.