The Anatomy of a Painting

I've been quiet for a while. The show at Voltage over the summer was one of the best experiences ever, and being in Flux Boston's Elsewhere exhibition was awesome. Over the fall, I participated in Open Studios at my new live/work space in the Distillery, and some of my Tree Dudes found their way to two shows in Brooklyn at new gallery Calico. So while I've been terrible at blogging, I've had a few things going on here and there.

My newest adventure is my bi-annual attempt at "Making A Painting". Every other year or so, I bust out a panel, roll up my sleeves, and attempt to get serious. It inevitably always fails, because like I've said, painting is not like riding the proverbial bicycle. This year, I'm convinced it will be different as I've discovered Flashe paint. I've long searched for the large-scale equivalent of gouache and have never found anything that works until now. Flashe is a vinyl-based, matte, opaque paint that functions like gouache when wet, but is indelible when dry. It's not quite as dense as my preferred Windsor & Newton gouache, but it layers beautifully without the rubbery texture of regular acrylics. 

Here are some images from the studio from my first "Big Kid Painting" in a while. Click for larger images.

Getting Started. I did the initial sketch with walnut ink, and then started blocking out colors.

Fixed some of the proportions by bringing the eyes down lower, shortening the nose and elongating the forehead.

 Adding in some reflective color- blues and greens

And some hair.

And some more hair.

Who are some of your favorite portraitists? What's good, internets?