Project LV One – Day 127 – Learning Curve – The girl with the blue turban

Nude with Blue Turban 13

I think I might have taken this painting as far as my current skill levels will allow me to.  It has been a real love/hate relationship but I have learnt so much by the whole process.  I have already started to change my working practices and I think a period of reflection is in order to try and process my thoughts and plan a way forward.

ContactSheet-001 ContactSheet-002 ContactSheet-003

To help this reflective learning process I have decided to keep a log along side contact sheets of the paintings as they developed.  Great idea in principle – will I keep it up? I hope so.

This has taken three days of work at around 8 hours a day so that is another 24 hours towards my 10,000 – somehow I think that misses the point!

 

Well it’s alright

 

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Project LV One – Day 126 – 10,000 hours

Nude with Blue Turbin 08

I read somewhere once that to become an expert in something you need to have put in at least 10,000 hours.  Well I worked out this morning I have put less than 100 hours painting time or to put it another way – I am less than 1% of the way to becoming an expert painter.  Talent, of course, is another matter entirely and I’m not sure how that speed things up.

So whichever way I cut it I am only starting out on this whole painting journey.  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao-tzu.  However, if the internet is to be believed a better translation would be “The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”  Either way I’m in for an interesting trip.

 

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Project LV One – Day 125 – Learning the hard way

Leonardo da Vinci Sketch

After the other day’s complete fail when I came to life drawing it was with some trepidation I stated a life study painting.  After three hours work I feel drained but somewhat relieved.  It has been far from plain sailing but towards the end things were starting take something like a painting I would be interested.   I have an awful long way to go before I can say I am satisfied with what I have done but it is a start.

Nude with Blue Turban Combo 01

 

 

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Project LV One – Day 124 – Frustrations…a recurring theme

Daenerys Targaryen-2

I was once told a story about an artist who used his wife to pose for him.   He became quite sucessful in his artistic endeavours and started to sell his work.  His wife meanwhile became a very successful education administrator.   One day she was visiting a school when one of the teachers she was meeting pointed out that she had seen a painting of her.  Suddenly the powerful administrator seemed to be sitting there with no cloths on.  After that she refused to pose for her husband nude.

The reason why I retell this story is just make sure anyone who might come by this little blog that any nude females I might draw or paint are models or from photographs I might find.

Nude Combo Female Nude Standing - Combo

 

On the subject of nudes I have a had a very frustrating weekend.  Some of the sketches have worked out but when I tried to make a large scale drawing I failed.  The only positive I can take from this is that I know why the drawing failed – the only problem is that this is a recurring problem which I just don’t seem to have come with a solution.

For a couple of hours I sulked around the house and then I decided to go back to my comfort zone and made the Daenerys Targaryen ink drawing.  It calmed my furrowed brow somewhat.

I’ve been out before but this time it much safer in.

 

 

 

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Project LV One – Day 123 – Sketching and doodling with just a hint of yellow

Marylyn

In this proud land we grew up strong…

 

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Project LV One – Day 122 – Hardwick Hall

20140824-IMG_001637 20140824-IMG_001636 20140824-IMG_001638

Today was a recharge the batteries day.  Saturday had been a bit of a mope so I thought I needed to get out and give myself a good talking too – so off to the Hardwick Hall for us all.  It was great – even the walk up the bloody step hill.

20140824-IMG_001639 Gate - Hardwick Hall Old Hardwick Hall

Now I don’t know why this might be but I prefer the images I created using Kitcam rather than the native JPEG’s post produced in Lightroom and Photoshop.  I even found time to make a little sketch of the countryside – where will this all lead?

Derbyshire Landscape Sketch

 

 

 

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Project LV One – Day 121 – Lips and stuff

Young Woman 03

Having had a cup of tea and biscuit, scratched my bum and generally mooched about for a bit added a few more details.

Bring me to life

 

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Project LV One – Day 121 – Part 3 – Need to think about things…

Young Woman 02

I’ve taken things as far as I can today.  Now I need to think about the next step – perhaps the most creative thing you can do is set something aside and think about it – a cup of tea is an essential aid to the creative process (Other beverages are available).

 

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Project LV One – Day 121 – Part 2

Young Woman 01

What a wonderful morning this has been – I’ve finally started to use my new easel to make paintings.   The painting is far from complete but I just feel pumped with the results I have so far.  I suspect there will be many tears in the not too distant future so I will enjoy the moment before hubris sets in.

 

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Project LV – Day 121 – Variations

Ink Portrait - drawing - Combined

Another day at the sketch book –

 

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