Project 2 : Painting 3 B

Now, I don't know if I am about to do any better than where I got to with my previous posting but I felt I had to try.

What was bothering me was that my two dancers were a bit thin and spindley, and lacking the force and presence of Paintings 1 & 2. So I go back to the sketchbook and give some thought to the overall proportions and how the figures should occupy the space:



I have a feeling that what I need is the figures to fill the space better, and touch the edges. Each window, blue, red and gold, considers various degrees of cropping to determine what is the best format to say what I want about this image.
I decide that something narrower than the full square format is better and start working this up as a Neocolour sketch:



Everytime I do this it reinforces the idea in my head building up a knowledge and feeling that will express itself when the (final) time is right (I hope).

The figures are much chunkier now and more satisfying, but I need to do some more work on an area of difficulty. In the previous attempt I repeatedly came a cropper with the ballerina's head, scraping it off and starting again, and again. This time I make a series of studies solely on this element till I work out how best to tackle it before starting the painting for real. In this way I take the painting of it into myself, like a musician practising his scales before the final performance:



Now I'm ready to get started properly. But my confidence is still a bit low. What I came up against in the previous attempt was in trying to paint directly (as per first two paintings) the lack of established guidance was in fact a hindrence. I didn't instinctively draw/paint the figures correctly and, since I don't want to fall into that trap again, I draw the figures freehand this time in oil pastel before painting:



I am fortunate that my drawing capability doesn't let me down and the figures are just as I want them...more robust and having presence.

With this drawing in place I set about the painting in much the same manner as before with paint-laden brushes blocking-in the dancers (this time with the knowledge in my head) and then cutting in with the background:



This time I am pleased with the outcome, though perhaps not as excited as my previous two paintings. And rather than a scene from The Sleeping Beauty it looks more like Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo with a big muscular ballerina!
I still like it as a painting, however, and won't make any more changes.

Painting is a bit of a roller-coaster, and it doesn' work out exacly as one would want every time, but on the whole I am satisfied with the outcome of this painting project and ready to move on to my final painting in this series.

Project 2 : Painting 3a

This Painting project will be covered in two parts, today and tomorrow, principally due to the 5 image upload limitation, but also because of my dis-satisfaction with where I got to with my first attempt, and my need to try to improve it.

Again, in my pursuit of consistency, I will be describing the same process as before starting by re-drawing the initial sketch to a larger scale and also giving some thought to composition:


Pencil on paper, A4 sketchpad.
I am ambitious to widen the scope of these studies by including more figures but decide to restrain myself and keep it to just two for the present. It's hard enough without trying to do too much for a project designed as a simple introduction to the main fare.

Next stage is to consider values:



Small thumbnails in an A4 pad using felt pen, to which I add some acrylics black, white and grey, and also rollerball pen, both trying to best place the figures.

The idea is formed and this is the design I am going to pursue, so I start thinking here about colour:



Felt pens and Neocolour II on paper, A4 sketchpad.

I hope you understand just how difficult it is for me to remain focussed and not stray away from the Grand Plan in my head!

Here I wander off in a new direction thinking about changing the colouring to warmer mauves and purples which I think will be more "Regal" for Little Miss Sleepy-Head:


Neocolours on paper, A3 sketchpad.

In this study I manage to convince myself that even though there is an awful lot of wide-open space around the figures it is OK since a painting needs quiet areas to offset the busy areas, doesn't it?

At this point I just want to get painting. I think I have done enough studies which, after all, are just continuations of what I did for the first two paintings.

Now, I don't mind showing some of my disasters for all our edification but there is a limit. Suffice to say that the first attempt with the mauves and purples was dreadful! Either my mixing was simply not good enough or when I actually saw it in reality it didn't look right. In any case I decided that if and when these paintings were to be seen together (as at the Assessment for instance) then it would be much better if they looked like a uniform series.

All the paint was scraped off and I started afresh again without any pre-drawing I launch straight in by painting the ballerina with loaded brushes, and then her supporting male dancer, and then cutting in around the figures with the background:


Oils on board, 61x61cm.


All was going swimmingly well and I was definitely enjoying the painting experience, but when I stepped back and looked with a critical eye I knew something was not quite right...something I didn't like.

For the answer to that you will need to come back tomorrow.

ttfn!