Tuesday, January 21, 2014

No. 370 The Japanese Doll


The Japanese Doll
Oil on Linen Panel
7" x 5"


Such a lovely doll, such a difficult subject to paint. I'm going to put this in my "good for you for pushing yourself" category. Then I won't feel so bad for it not turning out the way I wanted it to. :)

Starting your own daily painting practice - Step 5 What to Paint
This is the fun part! As a fine artist, the world is your oyster. A good place to start is something you are passionately interested in outside of art. That may be animals, boating, flowers, construction equipment, cars, you name it. Then create a collection of those items in photos or real life (construction equipment might be best collected in photos). Pack a lunch and head out on a field trip with your camera or visit a thrift store or antique shop. Collecting painting reference is my favorite new hobby and an excellent excuse to go shopping! I used to turn my nose up at thrift stores. Now they are treasure troves . :)

If you have a day where nothing appeals to you, that's okay. Paint something anyway. There is still a lot of value to putting that brush to canvas, getting the mileage in and establishing a painting habit even if this particular subject isn't very exciting. Sometimes just starting is the hard part. Many times the longer I look at something the more interesting it becomes. What was once unappealing becomes appealing.

Hope this helps! 

2 comments:

  1. Yes, good for you for pushing yourself! I've been trying to do the same. And the good news is that since I have no idea how you wanted this to look, I can tell you that to ME, it looks wonderful! You captured so much in that face! There is great softness in her hair and lovely dimensionality in her costume. I say go you!

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    1. Gosh Ann! What a wonderful comment! I'm feeling empowered. Thank you!

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