Mark (in progress)

Mark (in progress)

Slowly is the word with these paintings, but I am enjoying the results of every session. One of my new favorite things to do is toggle back and forth between old and new pictures. Sometimes, it is a little discouraging because the only difference is a slight change in the picture. But sometimes is is really dramatic, and the improvements really stand out. For example, I redid parts of the collar and shirt. The changes I made were not huge, but the effect is. Try scrolling up and down the page to compare the collars for yourself.

Mark (in progress)

Mark (in progress)

Mark (in progress)

Mark (in progress)

Mark (in progress)

I finished the second layer of the background. This layer is, I think, the most important in terms of shape. The third layer will be mostly detail and depth.
I love watching the shapes emerge row by row.

Mark (in progress)

I finally finished the whole 1st layer. It looks like a censored image but will gradually become more clear as I add layers.

Mark (in progress)

I had just finished painting the bottom three rows of skin tones when I realized that somehow I had lost a row. My image I was working from had 17 rows but my painting only has 16. This would not have been a big issue if I hadn't been using the top and bottom as reference points to locate the correct squares. Fortunately there wasn't an issue with composition so I was able to just crop a row off the bottom of my image, but it did make me panic for a while. I had to repaint a few squares to make the adjustment, but now I have the same dimensions as my reference image. Other than that relatively foolish mishap, I am excited about the progress of this painting. I only have three more rows of the bottom layer, then on to round 2- when the shapes really begin to come out.

Mark (In progress)

I apologize for the picture appearing warped. The canvas is not stretched and so you are actually seeing the curves and warps of the surface. These should go away when I do stretch it.
I am really excited as the shapes are beginning to emerge.

Mark (in progress)

I am working on a portrait of Mark after the style of Chuck Close. I did a self-portrait patterned after his work a few years ago and really liked it. I've had a few failures in my attempts since then. This attempt I am actually trying in oil paints instead of paper or acrylics. So far the drying time has been a noticeable difference. But I feel more comfortable with the colors and techniques using oil. So hopefully this one works better than the other attempts.
I will need to be really patient. My self-portrait took 4 months. I rushed my other attempts and that was a real detriment to their success. So I am going to try to not rush this one.