“What, Me Worry?” (People Facebook Says I Should Know #7)

July 5, 2019 / / 2 Comments
"What, Me Worry?” (People Who Facebook Says I Should Know #7). Oil on Arches Oil Paper first covered with acrylic matte medium to reduce absorbency, 10.5 x 10.5 inches
“What, Me Worry?” (People Who Facebook Says I Should Know #7). Oil on Arches Oil Paper first covered with acrylic matte medium to reduce absorbency, 10.5 x 10.5 inches

It was fun to get back to this series of portraits of people who Facebook thinks I should know. I have no idea why Facebook suggested this nice, young British chap since we don’t seem to have any “friends” or interests in common. 

What Me Worry? Image of Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman
What Me Worry? Image of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman

The whole time I was painting I kept thinking of Alfred E. Neuman (“What, Me Worry?)” from Mad Magazine, which made me laugh. And now, comparing the photos (you can see reference photo on easel below), I can see this young man’s face should actually be rounder, more like Alfred’s. 

Sketch and value structure underpainting in burnt umber and beginning of adding paint
Sketch and value structure underpainting in burnt umber and beginning of adding paint

Above are some steps in the process from the initial sketch through the beginning of adding color. Below is the set up with the reference photo on my iPad on the easel and my paint mixed up and ready on the palette.

iPad with photo reference and palette and WIP including taming his ears
Photo reference, palette and work in progress including taming his ears

Cute Grandma and Baby: People Facebook Thinks I Should Know #5

April 30, 2019 / / No Comments
Cute Grandma and Baby: People Facebook Says I Should Know #5.” Gouache, 6.5 x 6.5 inches
Cute Grandma and Baby: People Facebook Says I Should Know #5.” Gouache, 6.5 x 6.5 inches

Unlike with oil paints, there’s a point with gouache where it just gets nasty if you try to add one more layer or brush stroke. The positive side to that is that it encourages me to try to get the color and value right as quickly as possible; to put a stroke down and leave it, not thinking “close enough, I’ll fix it later” like I tend to do in oils (a lazy, bad habit).

On this painting I passed the point of no return on the woman’s face and have to admit I did a wee bit of softening/smudging in Procreate before I posted this to fix the lumps too many layers of paint made on her nose. Even so I didn’t do justice to how cute both she and the baby actually are in their photo.

Guy with Giant Chicken: People Facebook Thinks I Should Know #4

April 29, 2019 / / No Comments
Guy with Giant Chicken: People Who Facebook Says I Should Know #4.” Gouache, 8x8 inches.
Guy with Giant Chicken: People Who Facebook Says I Should Know #4.” Gouache, 8×8 inches.

Another mystery photo! Is he an artist who builds giant chicken statues or perhaps a chicken rancher with his trademark chicken? 

I noticed that when I paint with gouache on cold press watercolor paper I end up with little white spots in dark areas so this time I tried a different gouache technique. I covered the whole sketch first with thin washes. It wasn’t that helpful. I learned that for that to work it’s necessary to get the values right in the underpainting, making darks really dark.

Below is the sketch and in progress photos.

Giant chicken guy sketch with first thinned gouache underpainting
Sketch with first thinned gouache underpainting
Giant chicken guy sketch with finished thinned gouache underpainting
Finished thinned gouache underpainting

Tattooed Guy on Painted Bull: People Facebook Thinks I Should Know #3

April 28, 2019 / / No Comments
Facebook "People You May Know #3", gouache, 10x8 inches
Facebook “People You May Know #3”, gouache, 10×8 inches

When I posted this painting on Instagram I mentioned that I’d love to know the story behind this picture of a burly guy riding a painted bull in a parking lot in a desert somewhere who Facebook in its wisdom recommends I get to know.

Shortly afterwards someone I know recognized him and told me that this lovely gentleman was her former sergeant and that he is a much loved retired law enforcement officer. Below is my pencil sketch before I painted it.

Pencil sketch before painting with gouache
Pencil sketch before painting with gouache

Guys with Hats: People Facebook Thinks I Should Know #1 and #2

April 27, 2019 / / 2 Comments
Facebook "People You May Know #1", Procreate digital painting
Facebook “People You May Know #1”, Procreate digital painting

Every time I open Facebook it shows me photos of random people it thinks I might want to know. Many of them are in curious settings or have interesting faces so I’ve started saving them to paint or draw. Above is the first one, done in Procreate on the iPad, where I tried to simulate an oil painting digitally.

Since I don’t have permission to use their photos I won’t post them here but it will be fun to see if anyone recognizes themselves or their friends, given the small world we live in now.

Facebook "People You May Know #2", watercolor, 7x7 inches
Facebook “People You May Know #2”, watercolor, 7×7 inches

I tried painting with watercolor (above) over the graphite sketch below in a Stonehenge square sketchbook. I discovered that I am very rusty with my watercolors and this sketchbook is apparently NOT watercolor paper, so this is kind of a mess. But an interesting mess.

Facebook "People You May Know #2", graphite, 7x7 inches
Facebook “People You May Know #2”, graphite, 7×7 inches

I realized I need lots more drawing practice, after trying to paint a life-size three-person portrait in oils over several months and failing again and again. I put the project and the four failed canvases in the closet to try again another day after I improve my portrait drawing skills.

Cool Portrait in Gouache

April 23, 2019 / / No Comments
Gouache sketch of "Ms. Red Rose" from Sktchy App
Gouache sketch from Sktchy photo of Ms. Red Rose, 10×8 inches

I had to make myself stop or I would have worked on this one forever because the colors and expression in the Sktchy photo were so fascinating (and challenging) and fun! I again tried to focus on painting the planes of the face using mostly cool colors with some warm colors to help create dimension. The lighting really helped show the underlying structure of her face.

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