portraits a plenty

I’ve been fascinated by portraits…still. I can’t seem to get enough of them. I used to draw sketches of women from Vogue magazines when I was very young, and now, decades later, I still enjoy the art of the portrait. The only difference is now I have graduated to painting them… but it is still such a learning process. In my attempts to get looser in my painting, I played around with some gouache paint and colored pencils.

The result were little paintings that remind me of the ladies of Italian frescos…

Vittoria

Valentina

Elena

Arianna

I LOVE how the background reminds me of layers of peeling paint. Notice the Italian names I gave them all? These are all 4 x 6 inch mixed media paintings on heavyweight textured paper.

I played around with gouache again…but this time, painting on flat canvas sheets. This is Emmeline, she is a petite 4 x 6 inch painting.

I snuck in a more modern looking lady here…a raven-haired beauty, named…Raven, of course! 

And lastly, I tried something new…painting acrylic on a new surface. It’s called Multimedia ArtBoard and I love this surface to paint on! It is thicker than paper, but thinner than canvas board. It has a light texture on it, and acrylic paint seems to love it. I am very impressed so far. This is “A Portrait of Alice” on 11 x 14 inch multimedia art board. 

These are all currently available in my little online art shop…ArtcyLucy on Etsy!

 

Je T’aime

It all started with an idea…a present for a milestone anniversary…

I put my ideas to paper, using my own memories of this beautiful place, as well as vintage posters and postcards of Paris as my inspiration.

I decided on this view…a romantic scene, for a young couple in love.

I wanted to make it a little grander…so I pulled out a 12 x 24 inch stretched canvas, just waiting for a story to be told on it. I painted the whole thing, front and sides, with black gesso. Twice. And then I painted in the area around the tower with acrylic paint. I left the black areas, for the most part, untouched. And for the background, I wanted a bit of the black to show through.

I added a few more romantic details, a light wax finish on top, and called it FINI!

“Je T’aime” – a special painting for a special couple, my niece and her husband. Their 10th anniversary will be spent at the Eiffel Tower, much like our 20th was. They will stand at the base of it, in awe…yes, much like we did.

I wish them a beautiful and romantic time, in one of the most beautiful cities on earth.  Happy Anniversary, to you both!

 

gouache + fashionable ladies = painted portraits

I am still enjoying the art of Kees Van Dongen and his fashionable beauties inspire me to create my own! I’ve been doing a lot of research on early 1900s fashion, and advertising…because I love the frills of the day…especially THE HATS!

I am enjoying my gouache paints too. All of these little beauties are on 4 x 6 inch watercolor paper.

Tess and her fancy hat *** SOLD!***Thank you!

the colorful Violette

the lovely Gretchen and her heart necklace

and the very French inspired portrait of Lisette

I love creating these little portraits. I love how they evolve from a small idea, and turn into a tiny original work of art. The storyteller in me, wants to make up adventurous and romantic stories for each of these ladies!

All four are now available online, in my Etsy shop.

I’ve had quite a few projects going on in the last few weeks, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

 

Dear Bella

I thought I would show you a little glimpse into the art room…

…this is where I worked on my newest painting. It’s a bit on the messy side, but I love having my own art, art I have purchased from others, and art supplies all around me. It really inspires me to create!  See the new Liquitex paints on the desk? I love that new jar of Cobalt Blue paint. It’s my first time using that color…I think I’m hooked!

I’ve been researching vintage fashion, art,  and advertising from the early 1900s. I just love the way women wore their hair then…and those hats! They were probably a pain to wear, but I LOVE to paint them!  

“Dear Bella” is an 11 x 14 inch acrylic painting on heavyweight smooth Bristol paper. She is now available in my Etsy shop.

 

Studies In Pink

I’ve been painting portraits again. Sometimes I don’t plan out the group of portraits, or even the colors. Sometimes I just start pulling out the primary colors onto my deli paper palette, get my brushes, jar of water, paper or canvas, and get to painting.

This particular day, the palette got VERY pink!

Christina

Carissa

Constance

Sometimes it’s good to get away from a usual color combination and try something a little different. After all, variety IS the spice of life!

All three studies in pink, can be found in my Etsy shop.…each comes with its own mat.

 

three gouache ladies

I’m back at it again, playing around with my gouache paints, and loving it!

I set up the little gouache paint set, on the kitchen table, next to a big window. 

I am enjoying this relatively new medium (to me, anyway!) and learning how to blend and layer. 

Emily

Grace

Charlotte

It wasn’t until I was photographing them, that I noticed that all three had a pink rose.

All three ladies are small 4 x 6 inch paintings. And they are now available in my Etsy shop.

 

a day with gouache

The morning started with a ring of the doorbell. Outside, there was something waiting for me…I love when the word “Amazon” is emblazoned on the side of the box. I knew what was inside.

I opened the box, knowing how I would spend the rest of the day…

playing with my new set of Sennelier gouache paints.

I haven’t spent a lot of time with gouache, but I knew I wanted to try out a different brand, that was highly recommended. I really enjoyed visiting Ralph Parker’s blog. He’s been painting with gouache for many years.

Gouache is a type of opaque watercolor. Working with it, is challenging and fun. It dries very quickly, but it can also be reworked by adding a little water, even after it has dried.   As you can see, I set up a little “gouache station” on a TV tray, with brushes, paint, water, and watercolor paper…and went to work. I used several portraits by Kees Van Dongen as my inspiration for my portraits, though I didn’t want exact replicas. I love his fashionable portraits of ladies, and wanted to see how I could make some little fashionable portraits with gouache. The two small portraits are 2 1/ x 3 1/2 inches (ATC, or Artist Trading Card size) and the larger is postcard size (4 x 6 inches).

I started with this little one first…using a graphite pencil to lightly sketch out the features of the face. I left details to a minimum, but at the last minute, decided to put a pink rose in her hair. I like that pop of color against the blue.

This was my second painting of the day. I loosened up a bit, and decided to try a bit of blending. She reminds me of an old fresco you would find on the peeling walls in Pompeii.

****SOLD****Thank you!

Once the two little ones were done, I decided to try a little larger painting. I loved the pose of one of Van Dongen’s models, in this black and white lithograph from 1925…the turn of her head, her long neck, and that strand of pearls. 

It was a beautiful day of getting lost in images of the past, while playing with my very new art supplies. I will be revisiting gouache again, very soon!

********

Have you worked with gouache? I would love to hear your comments, on how you use it, what brand you like, and what you enjoy painting with it. 

 

moments like these…

I didn’t have much in mind when I started this painting…I just knew that I wanted to paint a portrait, and I wanted to work on loose brushstrokes. I recently took a free online workshop at Strathmore Papers, with artist Robert Joyner. He is VERY loose with his brushstrokes! I am still struggling with the details, and tight painting. So, this was my attempt to just paint…no photo reference, no colors in mind, just a free flowing portrait. Sometimes, I just like to see where it is all going to lead. I wasn’t disappointed.

“Moments Like These…”  an 11 x 14 inch mixed media painting on heavyweight smooth Bristol paper.

To get myself to start off loosely, I used a pencil to draw a fairly rough sketch. Then I used Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water soluble pastels loosely drawn on top of that. Then a bit of pastel pencil, and a brush with water to soften it all. I came in with a limited palette of acrylic paints to add those thick brushstrokes. To finish it all off, I added a thin layer of Dorland’s Wax to the painting once it had dried. It buffs out nicely, to even out all the matte or glossy looks of the acrylics, into a nice semi-gloss sheen. 

I am not quite sure what she might be feeling or contemplating. I thought I might leave that up to the viewer. But the start of a sentence came to my mind…”Moments like these…” With a start like that, you could conjure up just about any story you would like. I like that about portrait paintings…each viewer has their own emotions about the art piece, and can write their own story.

“Moments Like These…” is now available in my online Etsy shop.

 

characters sometimes come to life

When I started drawing a fashionable lady onto my smooth white Bristol paper…I had no idea just how she would come to life with paint. It’s always a surprise, from drawing to finish.

I have to admit, it was really no surprise she was going to have on a hat. But it did really surprise me…

how fluffy that feather hat became! But I LOVE it!

“Lady Avril” is an acrylic painting on 11 x 14 inch heavyweight Bristol paper. She is available for travel to your home, at any time. She promises to bring the hat!

 

an unguarded moment

I am back to painting again, after a short break. I love creating paintings of days gone by, days of grace and femininity.  

This one is my new favorite.

“An Unguarded Moment” is an 11 x 14 inch acrylic painting on Mixed Media paper. This is my first painting on this heavyweight paper, and I have to say, it does very well with all the layering and scrubbing that I tend to do. It is 140 lb paper, so it is strong.  I am practicing profile portraits…and enjoying the challenge of it!

She is now available on Daily Paintworks, through their art auction.