Hello from France
 

Hi everyone,

I finally plucked up the courage to send in my application to join the forum about three weeks ago and waited nervously for the answer. Just submitting my work for this was a trial! I was ecstatic when I was accepted and then what happened - the forum closed! I was devastated. So now I am going to make my first post and introduce myself before anything else happens. My name is Carolyn but everyone knows me as Lyn. I was born in the UK but I am currently living in Brittany, France. I have always enjoyed anything that involved artistic creativity but alas I have not had the opportunity to draw or paint since school, just a short gap of 25 years or so.

A short time ago, about 3 months, at a very trying time in my life, I decided to try drawing to 'calm the nerves', so to speak. I found a small box of children's chalks, i can't call them pastels they were so hard and gritty, and tried a quick self portrait. For half an hour or so all my cares faded away and I was hooked. Since then I have completed several more pieces but I am on a very steep learning curve having never used pastels before, for instance I thought everyone painted with a palette of at the most a dozen colours :) I have also just discovered sanded paper, what a revelation!

I think I have read nearly everything on the forum and although I think my style is somewhat different to the majority of the work on here, I prefer to catch people unaware, I have found a vast amount of helpful information, I am so glad it is up and running again!

All of this means that I should now post a sample of my work, so here goes, trial number two. The first is the little sketch of myself, which incidentally my mum doesn't like because she says I look too sad, and the second is a later one. It's on Canson using a set of 12 conte portrait colours. The image is approx. 52x43 cm (20x17 ins)

Any constructive criticism appreciated, and before anyone says it, yes I am busily buying more pastels!! :)

Oops, I didn't realize it would be so small so I have added a closeup, but now they are in the wrong order. I'll try to do better next time!

Welcome
 

Welcome, Lyn -

I had a gap of 25 years too.....I really like your couple painting.
If this is your first start after your being away , you're way ahead of me!

Welcome to the Forum, Lyn! (I like anyone who says "my mum".) I also especially like your portrait of the couple. I think couples are the hardest of all portrait groupings and that yours is an interesting take on this.

Hi Carolyn,

It seems we have much more in common than just our names. I too am a transplant to France, but originally from the U.S. Haven't been to your area yet. I live in Nice. I too like too catch people in their natural state unaware of the camera and just enjoying their life. And I also have just recently started using pastels. They're so much fun, hope you add to your collection soon! Really looking forward to your posts here. This really is such an incredible site!

~Carolyn

Hi Lyn, Welcome. Be careful, before long those 12 colors will turn into 1200! Those pastels become very addicting :) .

Thank you.
 

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome, yet another plus for this wonderful site. I have posted in other places where nobody ever speaks to each other :( can't see the point myself.

A special bonjour to my namesake Carolyn, hope you are enjoying France, but do you find it difficult to find the materials you need and framing is so expensive, but I am in deepest, darkest, rural Brittany ;)

Hi Carolyn,

Actually not really, there are a couple of pretty decent size art stores here in Nice. They're a good walk from my house but it's nice to walk in Nice, so I dont mind the trek. I am sure framing is expensive here too. Think I will check out the flea markets for frames and just refinish them. I am really enjoying Nice, hope you are doing the same in Brittany! :)

Carolyn, welcome!

I hope this forum will be as useful for you as it was for me.Some of the comments made when I posted my works here were of great help also for future pieces.

Constructive criticism
 

Ilaria,

Thank you for taking the time to make your comments, (they seem to have disappeared though?), I agree with everything you said and since joining this forum I am starting to see my mistakes.

I like the look of vignettes but didn't think it through as to where the colour was to end and consequently ended up with a shape that bears no relation to the subject. I'm half way through my first painting since joining and am going for a vignette but hope i'm not making the same mistake again.
http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...8383#post48383

No, I don't think you were being mean :sunnysmil

Carolyn.

Carolyn, my comments were rightly edited by Michele, as they actually belonged more in the critique section.

Recently I was in a life drawing task. The theme of the day was to use the edges actively, the starting point was Schiele (cannot post, too indecent).

He was a real master at doing so. If you look at his paintings you will see...oops, I think I'd better go on with this under your painting

I.