Portrait Practice 12 & 13

 

For portraits 12 & 13, I'm trying 

a bit more of a radical palette.

 

Mixing a nice rich red using Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Red Light,

I "washed" the back ground/underpainting and began

to put my very darks on the "canvas" 

(not actual canvas, it is Arches oil paper, in this case).

Lieutenant Seymour Frank

The underpainting for this one soaked so deeply into the paper,

when I just wanted to stain it, that I almost tossed it! 

It was a sample Winsor & Newton paint,

Pthalo Turquoise.

But I just left it and began putting lights on. 

It turned into a strange little portrait, specially with the way his expression turned out!

Lieutenant John J Hildebrandt

Ok, these were very interesting, and always a challenge.

Thank you for checking out this post! Let me know if you have any questions.

At the same time I have a painting going with a rather notable portrait ... 

I'm pretty sure you would recognize the person. I might will probably intersperse

this project with that one. It keeps me going.

Yours in art,

🎨🎨🎨

Portrait Practice 9, 10, 11

It is fun to paint mustaches, so I picked Lieutenant Murray

for my 9th portrait.

And ... I tried an underpainting of mostly Alizarin Crimson. Pretty wild.

Lieutenant Lewis G Murray

Lieutenant George W Ramey

The background for Lieutenant Ramey is composed mostly of Indian Yellow, 

a transparent, very strong synthetic pigment.

Here is a link with some cool info about Indian Yellow.

I love it with the pink shirt.

Lieutenant Mandal A Burcaw

Isn't that such an unusual name? 

The background here has a bit of Indian Yellow, but there is maybe something else mixed in. I really wanted to get the "chin up" pose for Lieutenant Burcaw, but it isn't lifted as much as I wanted. I also did not paint his neck

as long as it looked in his photo.

Thank you for reading! 

This project is interesting enough to be ongoing; 

I have painted 17 portraits from the yearbook, and there

are many more that I could do.

Stay tuned! I painted a nurse's portrait the other day!

It is interesting to do the portraits and not fuss too much

over them. I see so many things that are not quite

right, but "No Fiddling" will be my motto for

the project.

ps If you are new here,

Welcome! My website is:

Teri Robus Studio

You also have my permission to forward this post

to whomever you think may be interested.

Cheers!

🎨

Portrait Practice 6 - 8

 

This portrait project I have entered into

is affecting me in a surprising,

emotional way.

(See previous posts: Aug 23 Aug 24 & Sept 18)

When I am learning about, and painting, the faces of these 

young men (mostly men) - I wonder about their lives.

There are a few female nurses pictured - and I am excited to paint them. 

There were not yet female pilots in the Army Air Force 

(which changed to the Air Force in 1947).

At first I was just interested in trying to catch a likeness;

now I almost want to look them up. But, it would be improbable, if not impossible

to find all the people in this yearbook.

Here are my next three.

I didn't paint him with a shirt, then added it.

Major David B Borden

Sometimes there are not many progress shots.

Lieutenant Emil G Beaudry

to explain, the mouth was wrong

Somehow I got this one to have a black background.

 It was in "editing" - I think ... I don't even know how I did it. 

I just tried to find it again, to no avail. 

... anyone?

Lieutenant Robert D Long

Thank you for taking a look at this project!

I have had some good comments already, 

and since some of us reading this are baby-boomers, 

whose parents witnessed or took part in WWII (like my husband's Father), 

I find it fascinating, sad and sobering

 to think of the lives of the people who were issued this yearbook.

Just fyi, I have no idea what I will do with these portraits. They are

good practice and will look nice in a

collage format perhaps.

Stay observant and safe.

🎨

Please feel free to pop over to

TeriRobusStudio

 and follow me on my newsletter! 

And while at my website, you can always click on the Studio Journal (blog) menu item

to check any missed any posts.

NOTE: the difference between the blog (studio journal) and my newsletter

is that I won't usually show progress pics in the newsletter, 

and I am sending it out once per month or so; 

and there may be news about a new painting that only you can read about.

The blog, in contrast, will have the explanation and process photos

 ... is this as clear as mud?

😊

Thank you!

Portrait Practice 3 - 5

 

Posting a few at a time,

to bore you (& me) less, i hope.

 

Lt Colonel Amzi Barber

oil on canvas

8 x 6 inches

Colonel John McBlain

oil on canvas

8 x 6 inches

Colonel Burton Hovey, Jr

oil on canvas

8 x 6 inches

This is a good on-going project for me. 

The paintings are small, fairly quick and I learn something each time I do one!

I do think of these young men, in 1942, going off to the war. (WWII)

Wondering if they made it back and how their life turned out.

I will eventually paint ... I don't know 25 ... 75 of these? Maybe 100! It is a challenge for sure because these are black & white tiny photos. I have to make up the

skin tone and I did make up the pink shirt. My husband says the shirts were probably tan or something light. The jackets would maybe have been dark green.

Thank you for hanging in there!

I love reading your hello's and comments, even if they are in the email!

Stay safe and sane and healthy!

🎨

ps If you are interested in other paintings

that I make, many are here:

Teri's website link

and you can always email me

teri.robus@gmail.com