Inside the Skillet Restaurant

One of my favorite subjects... the skillet!

This image shows my studio setup. You can see the monitor to the right of me and I use that as my reference for the painting. I've come to prefer painting from the monitor as opposed to using a photograph or print out because the light is better in the photo on the monitor. I can also use Photoshop to "look" into shadows that would normally just go black in a photograph.

Should have the painting complete by next week to post. Check back to see it!

Happy drawing & painting!

Practice seeing

6"x8" oil on linen panel

Thought I'd have the "Late Sunday Morning" done by this week but remembered I have a "miniatures" show at a gallery in NC I need to create work for. I also decided I want to get out of the studio and paint those buildings on site for a day. Finishing that painting will have to wait until mid November.

So this week I worked on enlarging miniature things and in the process practiced really seeing....

When I draw or paint I discover things I've never seen before... I noticed alot of things in my travels during the day, but seeing, that's another matter. For the minitures show I thought is would be fun to find everyday items that I use and take for granted. A clothespin for example. Have you really seen a clothespin?

Alot of my work is painted from photographic reference. I certainly would never knock using photography as a tool. Thomas Eakins used photographs as a tool as did many other Masters. The problem happens when the artist hasn't had enough experience drawing or painting from life. You see things while drawing/painting from life you just don't see when working from a photograph.

If you use photographs as a tool try to find some things around the house to paint from life and really see what you might be missing.

Happy drawing & painting!