You'll never be able to paint better than you can draw

I heard that recently. Is it true? I'd like to THINK so. Learning to observe and draw well, is a necessary path. And while drawing can be an end in itself, through history it has served as "preparation" for painting. And not because it's simply a discipline, but because it teaches OBSERVATION, I think, and trains the hand; in other words, it develops the "artist's eye," which is so necessary in any real art. Drawing and painting are really the same thing: sensitive observation. Or so it seems to me. ...So, I'm working on a mural of a cheetah, and I'm THINKING about the cheetah. And so tonight, at work, I did a little sketching of a cheetah. Of course, I had to stop and draw a PERSON for MONEY, but I got some of the "cheetah study" done too. No big deal.

New Studio

I've rearranged everything. The utility room wasn't big enough to use a projector, nor to "step back," so I cleared-out my bedroom, laid down plastic and canvas atop the carpet, and moved my whole painting set-up and "mural practice wall" into the space. (I now sleep on a little cushion which rolls-up under the desk!) This is a real improvement for learning murals, and I finally got myself an overhead projector, so now I can actually practice the EXACT techniques I need for mural work. ....
And, YES, those are practice spheres, but I've never done 'em before. (They're in EVERY learn-to-paint book I buy.) And you know what? Spheres are actually excellent exercises. You must BLEND, and you must work from dark to light in different colors. If you can paint spheres in all the colors, you can paint any object, in a sense. I darkened each hue with its complement, basically, and tinted with white, for all the variation in value (and chroma). (I kinda rushed 'em, and didn't get the shadows right, but the shadows in the book were wrong, I noticed.).... And I've switched to professional Liquitex heavy body acrylics. They have a higher percentage of actual PIGMENT.
... Oh, and I did something I thought I'd never do: I bought a couple of books by Lee Hammond. If you've ever browsed the art technique section of a big bookstore (and who HASN'T!) you've probably noticed several books by Ms. Hammond, and you've probably noticed that some of her example artwork is, well, rather SIMPLE, if not SUSPECT. But, you know, I realized the other day that LEARNING acrylics REQUIRES simple work. (I've been getting frustrated.) So when I looked closer, I was intrigued. I mean, look at this limited palette: cad red medium, cad yellow medium, prussian blue, and then throw in alizarin crimson and burnt umber (and tit white and a black) and you're set. Nice and simple (and EDUCATIONAL). ...More to come.

Back to Acrylics

HOLIDAYS, BE GONE! Wow, I hate that stretch from Halloween to New Years. The days are getting short, darkness surrounds me, it's getting colder, I'm more and more broke, and I'm alone. Argh! Depressing, eh? Sorry. But it's over now, and I'm working on painting. ....
I've figured-out that I don't have the right airbrush for fine art, so, at the moment I'm returning to acrylic brush painting. My step-sister (in St. Cloud) wants some fairies painted on her daughter's bedroom walls, so I'm starting with a Tink-like design, just for practice's sake. And, yes, it's the same design I posted a while back when I was experimenting with airbrushing. It makes a good comparison. .....
Some of the drawing was traced from a Disney design online, but most was freehand, and, of course, I did all the acrylic painting, which was the point of the exercise (as opposed to drawing exercise: I get plenty of that already!) ...I'm figuring-out skin tones, blending, and whatnot, and, man, it's TOUGH, especially on drywall like this. I mean, getting all those details, and not having a PEN or something... Jees...
The figure in the photo is 9 1/2 inches tall. ...It didn't really take too long. I really like the IMMEDIACY of acrylics, actually, and the simplicity. Just a brush and paint, and you're set.
...Anyway, I see some problems with this painting, but overall I guess it's acceptable. The legs are too dark. The face is rather cartoony. The hair is BAD. You can't see her ear. Oh, well...