At the Crossroad of My Conviction

This is a second sketch of a series I am exploring called "Master/Student".

Changed Perspective

My original sketch contained to many elements so I did away with it. My objective  in this study is to represent a "visual" message. That upon viewing the painting the "viewer" will be able to see themselves as either the "giver" or "receiver" within the painting. The visual message of this painting is to represent the "viewer" as "Christ-like" touching someone in need. Or the "viewer" on the steps "in-need" being touched by Christ Jesus.

The application of acrylic paints in this step was created using layers of acrylics to define the background. The first layer was to paint the wall. The wall is the first primary level. After the application of acrylics I used a matte finish just over the entire drawing. By applying the matte finish this prevents any further application of paint to blend into the paper.


The second level of perception is the trashcan. Applying acrylics to achieve a realistic appearance and again applying the matte finish to the trashcan and overall painting. This will allow for further applications of paint to stand out giving a 3 dimensional appearance.


The third level of perception are the steps and the trash within the can. Applying acrylics to achieve the effect I am aiming for and again applying the matte finish over all. The appearance of the stairs was like that of watercolor with a grainy texture. I feel that I have achieved the appearance and feel I was hoping for so now it's time to move on to the hands and feet.

Ah! Flesh tones. That's a tough one. There are so many things to take into account when drawing or painting the anatomy. I am not using any books for reference. I am simply using what I have available. My own hands and feet. My objective here at this point is to create both hands and feet to be as real as I possibly can. There are the dark tones, mid tones, and light tones to indicate the bone structure and small furrows which result when the hand is postured in this fashion. Yesterday was day one on the hand. It seemed with each stroke of the brush I had to stand back to see if that stroke was significant in color and placement. There was a point where I almost tossed the entire thing in the trash-but thank Him for the Divine Holy Spirit which told me to keep going. I'm glad I am continuing, persevering with this project. 

If we quit prematurely then we won't know what it could become. 

I hope you'll follow along to see the end result. I am not quitting and I hope you won't either. Thank you for following along. 

Update for Today: August 24th, 2011

To begin I gave it a wash of matte finish. Allowing this to dry I applied acrylics to the trash closest to the hand. To give this the appearance as it is crumpled trash overflowing the can. Next I applied the darkest shades on the inside thigh areas. Then I began working on the leg closest to the hand. Here is the shot for today. 

Tomorrow I will begin the opposite leg and then the last level of perception will be the hand. Hope you will stay plugged in and follow along. Are you beginning to feel it?

Update: August 27, 2011

And three days later......I was able to complete the second leg as close as I could get it to appearing life-like.

As it appears now, the hand and legs seem to be on the same plane. I applied some matte finish to the trash in the can and lightly glazed over it with white gesso, black, and burnt sienna. I want to bring this piece of refuse out onto the same plane as the legs. Touching up a bit with the shaded areas around the legs and feet. Allowing to dry and then applying one more coat over the entire painting with matte finish. The final stage will be the hand. A side note: This painting is being created using prepared watercolor paper. 140lb coldpress paper with 6 coats of gesso on both sides. This makes the paper strong enough to withstand the application of acrylics which can be a bit heavier. 

I hope you'll stick around for the final phase. 

Update: September 03,2011

I have been working the past few days on refining the hand located on the lower left of the paper.

hand study

Thus far I have repositioned the middle finger from the original drawing, shortened the pinky finger. To compliment a more natural feeling of the hand. On the thumb area I shaved off some of the joint area as it protruded to far out. Applying bone and veins to the top surface. My son was watching as I was restructuring the fingers. He seemed perplexed in my thought process. I felt it was necessary to reposition the middle finger to know where to place the bone on the back of the hand. I have a tendency to apply detail before having the overall structure in place. It is necessary for me to take a slow methodical approach. Blogging this project has proven very beneficial in painting this study. It helps to serve as a guide in building.

I needed to see some contrast with the application of paint. I began applying the shadowing on the fingers. Applying extreme dark to extreme light along with placing the nail beds. It's not finished yet but almost. Stay tuned.