“Figure it Out” 16×20, oil on canvas
Twenty down, eleven to go.
Today’s painting is my second round of yesterday’s. I used the same reference, but I was conscious to make the figure bigger on the canvas this time. I added stripes to the foreground and strokes of color to the background.
Painting the human form is so different than painting a bird– the proportions have to be more exact (something I’m still working on), and the color isn’t already there for me. I have to work at it a bit– bring out the purples, yellows, and greens that don’t just radiate from skin like they do from a bird’s feathers. I like when a couple strokes suggests a face without spelling it out. I love when the curve of an ankle forms perfectly with one swipe of paint. Figurative painting is still new to me. I’m not sure yet what I’m after or what I want the finished product to look like. I just know that the only way to figure it out (no pun intended) is to get in there and play around.