The Young Artist Portrait

Young Artist 24x30 Oil on canvas

My daughter Clara loves to draw. I choose to paint her at the kitchen table with a marker in hand as I often find her. I began by taking a reference photo and then did a charcoal study drawing ( picture below.) I used an ultra smooth primed canvas. A smooth surface works better with the glazing techniques that I use. I painted a grisaille (under painting) in burnt sienna onto the canvas. I then used glazes followed by scumbling and some areas of wet on wet painting. My latest discovery that I will use on every painting hereafter is a modern Maroger medium! It is a glazing medium that adds a luminosity to the paint. I mixed a little bit in my thicker paint as well to create a paste so that the entire painting would have the same luminous appearance as the glazed areas.

reference photo and charcoal study - The final painting is slightly different. I removed some of the items on the wall and shortened Clara's hair to reflect a recent haircut.

the grisaille above was painted on the canvas in burnt sienna.

Painting Portraits

Larry Oil on canvas by Heather Dixon

The new year has begun and with it I have begun a new art class. I am taking my first portrait painting class. It is on Saturday at Water Street Art Gallery in Sapulpa and is taught by local artist Evelyn Petroski. We had our first class yesterday and painted from a live model. the image above is the resulting painting. I have a lot to learn on the subject of portraits and I hope that you will be able to see my progress as the class continues. The drawings below are ones I did this week of Avery and Clara this week. They are charcoal, white conte and sanguine drawings on tinted paper. I am considering using them as studies for oil paintings in the future. I will be doing a similar drawing of Oliver next using the same materials. Unlike the painting above these drawings were done from photos as reference rather then a live model. (I do not think I could get the kids to sit still for 30 minutes let alone 4 hours!)

Clara Charcoal, conte and sanguine on tinted pastel paper by Heather Dixon

Avery Charcoal, conte and sanguine on tinted pastel paper by Heather Dixon

Paper Doll Presents

Paper dolls are a stocking stuffer classic! In an attempt to give this retro gift a new spin I have made customized, magnetic paper dolls for my 5-year-old nieces, Maya and Peri. I drew dolls in their likeness and drew 4 different looks for them each to wear. They have a princess gown, a school look, a winter sports look and pajamas. I scanned the drawings into the computer, printed them onto printable magnetic sheets and cut them out. If you wish to make a custom paper doll but you do not wish to draw them you could use digital photos along with digital editing software. I purchased the printable magnetic sheets from www.dickblick.com but they may also be available at office supply stores.

Autumn & New Art Supplies!

Charcoal, sanguine and white conte on colored paper by Heather Dixon

Autumn is here and art class has begun! All the charms of fall combined with new art supplies makes me smile! This semester I am taking a drawing class at Water Street Art Gallery in Sapulpa. Artist, Gil Adams, is my instructor again. You can see his work at http://www.giladamspaintings.blogspot.com/.

Above is my first still life drawing from the new class. I used charcoal and conte crayons in white and sanguine on colored paper. I really enjoy working with these materials and I intend to "play with them" more throughout the class.