Seated Nude Painting Self
 

This is a self-portrait from life. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Very nicely done. (That's how we should all dress when we paint, too. Beats getting paint on our clothes.)

I agree. The painterly strokes are great, and I love the colors of the light. How big is it--30" x 24"? I'm guessing from the painting in the painting.

Alex

Thanks Michele. Yeah, it certainly helps keep paint off the clothes but I've discovered it's not that easy to get paint off the skin when I notice it the next morning.

Thanks Alex. The strokes are hard to see in these images. I'm finding it hard to get a good photo of this but the detail shots help a bit. The canvas is 20"x24". It might look closer to me than it is since it's position in perspective isn't all that clear.

Dave, have you ever tried working in natural light? If daylight is not available at the time and place you normally paint try these incredible bulbs: They're truly color balanced to 6500 Kelvin (daylight) and fit in a normal light bulb fixture (no need for a fluorescent fixture).

The bulbs are made by TCP and are product number 2894265K, available by special order at Home Depot, online at various places, or in Canada probably through Canadian Tire. (Thanks to Chris Saper last year for the recommendation. I've been using these bulbs in my studio ever since and they are incredible.)

Nice color and design!
 

Dave,

I love how you have created an interesting integrated compositional affinity between your seated self-figure and the angularity of your studio furnishings, both structurally and by color. The commendable surrounding design compliments your body imagery well, in your boldly executed self-portrait. How much time did you need on this? I really like the spontaneous appearance.

Garth

Well done, David! I imagine it'd be hard to hold that pose long enough to paint it . . . (hope you gave yourself lots of breaks :))

(Michele-- Thanks for the info on the bulbs... Can't seem to find them on-line, but will run down to Home Depot this weekend and see about special ordering them!)

Hi Michele,

Thanks for the info. I did a bit of searching around but couldn't find this particular product. How is it different from the blue-filter bulbs? I've been using Reveal bulbs which is certainly better than regular incandescent ones although if I can get something closer to 6500K that is reasonably bright that would be ideal. I went to Home Depot and picked up a Philips daylight bulb to see what this type is like.

Dave

I like this very much, David, but (since this is in critiques) I'm wondering if you could lose the roll of paper towels on the left side.

Have you tried working in daylight, or does your daily schedule not permit it?* I really believe that skin looks best in diffuse indoor daylight from a single high light source. Of course you might not believe in the concept of putting yourself in the best possible lighting condition, but when I paint a self portrait I sure give myself all the help I can get.
:)

Edit: I see Michelle has already asked you this question, sorry, I guess I missed it.

Thanks Garth. The integration of surroundings and self is a key part of what I'm trying to do with this one. My initial sitting with this was several weeks ago and, in that session I blocked, in the overall composition fairly quickly and spontaneously. After that, things slowed down quite a bit. Although it might look like it was done fast, I've probably put in at least 24 hours on this and I'm still not done.

Dave

Thanks, Terri. I don't pose like a model. I frequently change positions and I try to construct the painting based on rough estimates of the mass rather than in more sight-size approach. In the end, my last pose wins over what came before. The leg over knee hurts after a while but, at that point, I rest my leg and focus on things that don't require that part of the pose.

Dave

Thanks Linda,

So the towels distract? I wasn't sure about that element, myself. I was thinking it helped block an exit from the canvas but perhaps it's pulling eyes away from the subject. In my next session, they will likely have moved anyway, so I'd consider killing it.

For this painting, I'm not really after naturalistic skin tones - I'm more interested in being faithful to the lightling environment I happen to paint in, however flawed that might be. For other work, I would love to paint in daylight but I'm at work on weekdays, while evenings and weekends I'm usually preoccupied with the kids. My chance for painting is confined to late at night.

Dave

Hi -

Nice work! I noticed the warm tones too, and just have to put my two cents in about a good daylight type flourescent light bulb,

Go to: http://www.1000bulbs.com/

The product no. is FC42/S65

It's really made a difference for me (thanks, Kim Dow, for recommending the site!).

Nicely done Dave! I think the entire composition is clever.

I do agree with Linda about the paper towels.

Julie, I have virtually no memory - if I recommended that site I have forgotten. But I am glad you posted it since I need some bulbs - Im going to go check it out right now!

These are the same ones I use -- they're excellent and are much closer to natural daylight color than anything else I've seen.

Dave-

I just saw your piece and I want to tell you I love the concept, design and construction of the painting. The marriage of your form into your surroundings brings to my mind the intimate relationship between the artist and his/her surroundings or studio.

I agree with the idea of removing the paper towels, they seem to distract at the present. However, when I imgine the composition with nothing I feel that the easel will fall off the left side. I believe you are correct in placing a stabilizing element here but maybe not so obvious. I hope to see it when you are done.

As for bulbs, if you can use fluorescent I recommend Lumichrome 1XX 6500k CRI 98 Full Spectrum Lamps. You can locate them at www.lumiram.com/fluorescent.html. I use the 40 watt and they surpass anything else I have tried. (I like the multiple light source in your painting)

Thanks for the link, Julie. I've bookmarked that site so I can investigate later. How many of these bulbs does it take to give you bright enough environment? I wonder how the different types of daylight bulbs compare to one another.

Dave

Thanks, Kimberly. It's taken me a couple days to fully realise how distracting those towels are. I'll make sure I correct that when I'm back at it.

Dave

I''m happy that I've managed to communicate this relationship to you. That's where I feel I've been successful with this one and it's a step forward for me. I've found that I can do well composing this on-the-fly by simply emphasizing those relationships that I see working. I'm not sure how I'll replace the towels but I have faith that I'll discover something I can do this with.

Thanks for the lighting link!

Dave

DAve -

RE: your question of how many lights to use - I don't know how many of these bulbs for sure, but one of these along with a shoplight with two "daylight" flourescent tubes and some ambient light works pretty well for me. It's a strong light - I would think two, even in a dark room, would be sufficient. I used it by itself yesterday in a room with minimal daylight to give sufficient light at 100 ISO.


Kim - my goof! It's been awhile since I looked up the post - it was Chris Saper. Sorry, Chris! Here's the link: http://forum.portraitartist.com/show....1000bulbs.com

Julie

Dave, I like this painting. I have a lot of 'technical' critique, but that does not seems important here. I like it because you are not trying to make 'a nice picture' here. It is raw and pure and powerful. And in my view the paper towels can stay. They add to the whole of connotations that people can make seeing this painting.
Regards
Jan

Keep 'em
 

I agree with Jan's praise. Dave, absolutely keep the towel roll!

Garth

Hi Julie. Thanks for getting back to me on these lights. I ended up buying a few of the philiips 15W daylight lights and a sort-of octopus lamp so that I can plug in multiple bulbs. These lights are the coolest I've seen but I wouldn't have a problem warming up my environment if needed. I've tried one round of painting a study under stictly daylilght bulbs and I think it is an improvement since I find the colours on my canvas look stronger and more consistent in different lighting conditions.

Dave

Hi Jan. Great to see you on this site! Yeah, my goal in painting is all about being as raw and pure as I can be. To me, that's what makes a painting stronger than a skillfully rendered image in a more refined, reproducable medium. That being said, I always appreciate technical critiques since I'm always trying to improve on that. The towels initially struck me as simply an abstract compositional problem but I guess I should expect people to interpret beyond the artists intentions.

Dave

Thanks Garth. I haven't touched this painting since I posted the image here. Lately I've had a system where there's at least two paintings in progress. The painting that is in worse shape always gets the attention. I managed to really destroy another painting the other day. Since then, I'm not certain I'm going to mess with this one..at least no time soon. Although there are a lot of things that I could improve, I'm quite satisfied with the things that are right.

Dave