I’m doing a 50 Canvas Project this year. My project is to paint on 8×10 canvas boards. I give myself one or two days for each canvas, then go on to the next one. I’m chronicling this adventure here on my Klamath Design blog.
Day #1
During this project I hope to make improvements in my ability to paint people! I’m looking for shading, proportion, everything. I’m using Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks.
Day #2
I’ve named this painting “Stepping Out.” Imagine a Muslim woman going outside without her burqa, wearing just a scarf on her head instead. She’s trying something new and is a bit apprehensive, especially for the moment when her husband sees what she’s doing. She looks determined to be brave and do this new thing… similar to how I feel about doing the 50 Canvas Project!
For tomorrow: a new painting. I give each painting two days.
Day #3
This is day one of a painting I’ll call “Ciara Meets a Fairy.” It is an illustration for my children’s story, “Ciara and the Fairies,” which I wrote about twenty years ago before I became a Christian. I don’t know how most Christians feel about fairies, but this book has them. Ciara is a Christian girl. Funny how I created Christian characters even before I knew I was going to be a Christian later in life.
Anyhow, the strategy with this painting on 8×10 canvas board is to do this background using Noodler’s ink. Tomorrow I’ll add detail using Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink and india ink and I don’t know what else, but I’m not holding back on the mixed media aspect of my work for this one. Everything is experimental at this point.
Day#4
This is not the Ciara I was looking for, and I felt unmotivated to try very hard at finishing it. This was a stress filled day.
Day#5
I needed a day off after all the stress of yesterday, so I just played with ink on canvas. Tomorrow I’ll fill in the blanks.
Day#6
This turned into a subterranean dwelling for a family of four and their dog. I’m calling it “Subterranean Daydream.” I added pearl acrylic to the stalactites. It could probably use more work but since it was really just a “mental day off” for me, I’ll leave that for some other day, or never.
Day#7
I was very busy most of the day either working outside, or working on a “Portrait Challenge” vision board for my Christian art mentoring program. I didn’t have much time for today’s painting but did a sketch and painted the background with green Noodler’s ink. Hopefully I’ll be able to paint the girl tomorrow.
Day#8
I’m happy with what I did on this painting. It is okay for a two-day effort. I think I gauge my success on how much I learn while creating it. There’s a lot that could be improved here, but it will have to wait for another day.
Day#9
I sketched this from a recent selfie and will do the painting tomorrow. My intention is to work on shading issues… to learn to make better portraits. I will also have to fix the size of the eyes so they match!
Day#10
Here’s what I have at the end of the second day. I could do better with more time, but for now it is done as I must move on. This is practice, practice, practice, and finding myself as an artist. I want to study the portraits of very talented artists to see how they handle shading and details. Meanwhile, this was a fun but demanding process and I’m happy enough with the result. May I add: Thank you Holy Spirit for helping me out!
Day#11
Day eleven was so busy I didn’t get around to starting my next painting until right before bedtime. What I did today: I chose a photo to work from, and I sketched it on the canvas. I will paint tomorrow, God willing.
Day#12
She was singing at River Park! I’m happy with how this turned out.
Day#13
Sketching from a photograph.
Day#14
The painting could use a lot of improvement but for a 2 day effort, and really, not all day… it is okay. Another attempt at realism. It looks more like the subject of the photo than some of my other realism attempts. I might go back to this one and fill in details of the building – or better yet, repaint it completely later on.
I forgot I posted this photo late last night! On looking at the painting this morning I noticed I did a nice job on the clothing shading of the folds in the fabrics. The face isn’t quite long enough and doesn’t look like the man I was painting.
Day#15
This is a quick sketch of what I’ll be painting tomorrow. I noticed the size of the girl’s hand is a little too large; I can fix that before I paint. It is a little girl hugging a statue of a bear holding a fish.
Day#16
This turned out better than expected! I’m happy with the painting. As usual it wasn’t an exact copy of the photo and doesn’t look like the girl but wow, I’m really happy with the painting anyway.
Intermission
I had to take a break due to being too busy with other aspects of my life: making a new Booktube video, giving my travel trailer back to the Tribe I borrowed it from, cleaning the yard, and a potluck fellowship dinner with other church members. Anyhow, during this time I received this book I’d ordered and started reading it.
Day#17
I started reading the book on portrait painting and it recommended I use a grid to sketch the person in the picture. This picture is of my Great Great Grandmother Rosa Catherine Hargrove Miller who lived in Russell, Oklahoma. She seems stern, as if she’s had a very hard life. I know her husband died early, around age 34 in 1889, leaving her with children to raise on her own. The photo is possibly from around 1900 to 1915. Just a guess. She lived from 1861 to 1946.
Day#18
I think I could have done better, but this will do for now. In pencil Great Great Grandma Rosa looked softer and more loving, but in paint she again looks like her photo: a hardened pioneer woman whose husband died at age 34 leaving her alone with a lot of children to raise herself. She never remarried. Tough life.
Day#19
This is a drawing of my father as a young man – from a yearbook photo; I believe it was his first year of college. He looks very young!
Day#20
It is interesting seeing my father, young and in color. All the early photos of him were black and white!
