Head from a life drawing session.

[Debra Jones]

I think I am coming down with cold and was sort of excited about posting in this forum so I skipped the full nude pose this morning and only did the head.

My intent was to make a more sketchy, as in drawing with paint, look.

It is 14" x 20" on a highly gessoed piece of 1/4 inch masonite. Burnt umber, burnt sienna and a touch of black... Just for gimmic, I stuck the blue of the eyes in.

Different technique for me.

[Michael Georges]

Debra: I really like the effect. She looks very dimensional and it's different and fresh.

How long have you been doing these sessions for? You are so good at it.

Your comment about a heavily gessoed board raises a question about what people work on, which I will ask in a new topic.

[Debra Jones]

The gessoed board was trying to get a look of a sketch. I may try again with actual conte and varnish or fixative to get the feel then sort of glaze in oil when dry. Just an idea, not fully developed. Everyone tells me Richard Schmidt has examples of this sort in his work. Happy to see what others have done with the idea.

Here is a detail:

[Mike McCarty]

Debra,

When you say "highly gessoed" board, are you leaving the gesso impastoed? Is the texture that I see the gesso or the paint?

[Debra Jones]

Mike, I only used student grade Utrecht acrylic gesso, but it is old and thick and slopped it on with an old house painting brush to leave lots of strokes on the board. Most of the painting is with turpenoid-thinned paints and rubbed in and out with a rag to leave the texture in the gesso. I was trying for a sketchier look but did not use any pencils or sticks. I think I will try next time with conte over the texture and see how it looks. A bit wary that I will not be able to correct like I can using paint and turps.