Mostly oil sketches from life.

**mattlinz** · September 14th, 2009, 06:32 PM

Hi everyone. I'm new to CA and just thought I'd start showing some of the oil paintings I've been doing at my local artist groups. Most of the paintings as you can tell were done quickly.

I hope you all like it.

**Oruhito** · September 14th, 2009, 08:40 PM

Pretty sweet paintings. Thanks for sharing! The first one of the woman with the red hair is fantastically modeled. Very Nelson Shanks-esque! one piece of advice... SLOW DOWNNNNN

you sometimes have too many colour relationships to make sense of. i can tell that you were excited to see the colours within the colours within the colours, and you clearly want to show us that (which is great) but try slowing down and making sense of it. You can be showy and complex with your colours, but have some type of simplified hierarchy.

**Maxine Schacker** · September 14th, 2009, 09:01 PM

How long have you been painting? I think these are terrific! Quick studies are not easy. You show an awareness of structure and the use of color to express form...and, most important, I can feel you, your sensibility and your eye behind the work.

Please keep painting- and keep posting!

**mattlinz** · September 14th, 2009, 09:10 PM

Oruhito- Thanks for the nice comment on the work. I'll try to be more conscious of the color relationships.

**mattlinz** · September 14th, 2009, 09:18 PM

Maxine Schacker- Thanks for the kind words. I painted with acrylic for about 10 years, and than made the switch to oils about 2 years ago. I've been mostly focused on doing these quick sketches from life. I'm trying to develop as an artist and I find painting from life is the best way to do that. Thanks again.

***ViRuS*** · September 14th, 2009, 10:38 PM

fun stuff =)
keep it up, would love to see more.

**OmenSpirits** · September 14th, 2009, 10:40 PM

Excellent!

**Hendrix Coyote** · September 15th, 2009, 07:02 AM

nice ...
I'd love to see more and just a little bit less quick

**mattlinz** · September 15th, 2009, 08:43 AM

Agostinuke- Thanks. The art groups that I paint and draw at only have short poses. Most of the poses are between an hour to an hour and a half long. That's part of the reason I have to try and get what I am seeing down so quickly. Hopefully some day I will be able to work on a long pose and get something a bit more finished. But for now I'm enjoying the quick sketches. Thanks for the comment.

**mattlinz** · September 15th, 2009, 09:58 AM

This is a copy of a Fechin painting from my sketchbook. It's done in gouache.

**mattlinz** · September 15th, 2009, 11:26 AM

ViRuS- Thanks! I'll try.

OmenSpirits-Thanks!

**kevinwueste** · September 15th, 2009, 08:31 PM

Matt - some really nice head studies for sure!!!! the oils seem to agree with you! I've been painting for about 1.5 years now so I have a long way to go but am working hard at it myself.. - you can't go wrong with fechin master copies!!!

keep up the great work man!!

kevin

**mattlinz** · September 15th, 2009, 10:54 PM

Kevin- I'm glad to hear you like the sketches! I'm amazed you only have 1.5 years of painting under your belt. You have a great foundation started! I too feel like I have a long way to go with my art. But I'm enjoying the journey!

Thanks again for the kind words!

**mattlinz** · September 16th, 2009, 10:15 AM

A 1 hour head study.

**mattlinz** · September 17th, 2009, 11:10 AM

Two more head sketches. About 1.5 hours of painting for the girl. And 45 minutes for the guy.

**cdejong** · September 18th, 2009, 10:44 AM

Really really cool! Wow you're a fast painter... please keep posting.

**mattlinz** · September 18th, 2009, 01:48 PM

cdejong- Thanks for the comment! I'm glad to hear you like the sketches. I looked at your SP's and it looks like your making some nice progress.

Keep up the good work!

**Art_Addict** · September 18th, 2009, 02:56 PM

Some nice work in here!

When describing human form it could be useful to be a little more careful not to make straight marks with your brush. Usually our forms are curved to a degree and a brush mark that is put down as a straightness flattens out the form somewhat. Usually it might only need a small adjustment after the initial stroke is put down.

Keep up the good work.

**mattlinz** · September 18th, 2009, 03:57 PM

Art_Addict- Thanks For the comment on the paintings. And thanks for the suggestion on the marks I'm making. I'll try to be more conscious of my paint strokes. I also took a look at your work and you have some really nice things going on. Thanks again for the comment.

**mattlinz** · September 21st, 2009, 12:51 PM

This first painting is from my sketchbook. It's done in gouache and is the view from outside one of the artist groups I draw at. The other painting is another gouache painting from my sketchbook. It's amazing how much the color of an object changes at night. During the day time this house was tan in color.

**rusko-berger** · September 21st, 2009, 02:42 PM

Hiya, mattlinz!

Wonderful, wonderful paintings! These are all about decision-making: decision making done authoritatively, and, um...decisively!

I was going to be 100% iconoclastic and against-the-grain in terms of all the previous crits...but...Oh, noes!

(Seriously, now.) At second glance, I see something to beat you up about regarding your color. (Oops, there goes the Serious.) You are a colorist waiting to happen!

You know you want it--yeah you do...you totally want those yummy warm-to-cool relationships while keeping the underlying value structure--and you're hitting it at 80%.

But I see you stopping at the edge and going cool gray (blue or green)--and you're stifling that Interior Colorist who really just wants to paint a modulated, but purer color.

Does this make sense? Your values are dead-on, but since you're obviously paying more attention to the warm/cool relationships than a *strictly* value painter would--Hell!-- go for it! When that flesh goes into recess, flab, or shade...keep your value, but light that shit up with some stronger hue-intensity.

I'll prolly make no friends here--but *don't* slow down! *Don't* lose the angularity/linearity of your marks! (And, BTW: as we all know: the definition of a circle is basically a granularly infinite set of straight lines. Why shouldn't we sometimes define curves as a muscular--yet elegant--series of nice lines?)

I'm posting my absolutely favorite Vuillard painting as an illustration of how strong color can define value, form, and light--all at once--while maintaining overall pictorial cohesion AND color/value coherence.

Anyhow...great work, and thanks! Stay in touch--I can't wait to see more.

best,
Nick

**rusko-berger** · September 21st, 2009, 02:59 PM

Heya--a quick addendum:

Here's the Vuillard painting, b &w, to peep his value structure.

Not only does it make sense in terms of light value--you see how commandingly he plays with our eyes by pushing and pulling Areas of Importance via color intensity and temperature!

Nick

**mattlinz** · September 21st, 2009, 06:22 PM

Rusko-berger

Thanks for the great crit! Your right about the whole pushing the color in those shadow areas. I want to do what your saying but I usually chicken out and go the safe route. I gotta get away from thinking I'm going to screw it up. When really what's to be afraid of it's just a painting. Hopefully as I paint more I'll become fearless, and just go for it. Thanks for posting the Vuillard example. I get your point.

I have to say I totally agree with your remark about line making. I've been told by many teachers that we as artists tend to draw the human form with to many curved lines. And that the human form is really composed of more straight lines than curved ones. I guess it's all just personal preference.

Thanks again for the great comments!

Matt

**rusko-berger** · September 22nd, 2009, 01:19 AM

Hey Matt--

You're welcome--I love being useful! It's also good to have a "Line Brother".

On the subject of Lines: lately I've been gravitating towards drawing figures that contain a lot this "thing"...and I don't know exactly what to call it, but you'll know what I mean. It happens a lot with arms and legs (which *usually* exhibit their inherently graceful curves), but the pose and/or angle presents you with an almost straight line. But it's not really straight. But then again it's certainly not curved. All you're left to draw are these almost imperceptible tangents, and you hafta do it without making it look clunky. This is where it becomes all about little, deft angle-lines and real sensitivity to line weight.

Can you think of a quick name for that?

Nick

**mattlinz** · September 22nd, 2009, 08:58 AM

rusko-berger-

The only word that I can think of that kinda describes what your saying is the rhythm and the forcefulness of the line. I think many successful paintings and drawings have a great rhythm to them. And It's not always achieved by the quality of the line, but can also be achieved through color, light, value, and shape.

I don't know if that's close to what your talking about?

Matt

**mattlinz** · September 23rd, 2009, 06:09 PM

With this one I was trying to experiment with the most minimal paint application I could and still get what I was seeing across to the viewer.

Probably not the most successful painting. But it was fun pushing paint around anyhow.

I swear every time I paint I realize how much I don't know.

**Doug Fletcher** · September 23rd, 2009, 10:16 PM

Matt-

Nice Work! I especially like this last piece with the minimal paint. That's a great
exercise that everyone should do! It really teaches you about less is more
and letting the eye put things together.

Doug

**hitnrun** · September 23rd, 2009, 11:44 PM

Very nice! Lovin' the studies! I'd love to see some work that has more time invested, if your "sketches" look this good.

**Art_Addict** · September 24th, 2009, 04:15 AM

Originally Posted by rusko-berger

On the subject of Lines: lately I've been gravitating towards drawing figures that contain a lot this "thing"...and I don't know exactly what to call it, but you'll know what I mean. It happens a lot with arms and legs (which *usually* exhibit their inherently graceful curves), but the pose and/or angle presents you with an almost straight line. But it's not really straight. But then again it's certainly not curved. All you're left to draw are these almost imperceptible tangents, and you hafta do it without making it look clunky. This is where it becomes all about little, deft angle-lines and real sensitivity to line weight.

Maybe you're talking about gesture? I'm not sure.
But.... if a line is not straight then it is curved, by definition.

Maybe we're talking semantics here but I do wanted to comment on this a little more, Matt.
When you're objective is to describe human form as truthfully as possible, it's important to be aware of the absence of straight lines on the body. In fact one of the very hallmarks of human form is that it is always curved to a certain degree! And curved outwardly (convex) in stead of inwardly (concave). The body can be conceived as a whole, full of energy blossoming from the inside out, and therefore has a certain amplitude, a certain fullness, even on the most skinny models. A straight line is basically a human construct and useful for designing things that are not supposed to move. ( buildings, chairs, table's , ...etc.) The body is designed to move and be in constant action or motion, on the outside as well as on the inside.

Off course as a drawing tool, I use straight lines all the time for blocking-in. Because distances are easier to judge on a straight line then on a curve. But the block-in merely serves as a compositional tool and to establish proportions. The drawing develops itself inside of it and in the end hopefully all straightness's are gone.

My 2cents,
Tom

**Ghostbrush** · September 24th, 2009, 06:56 AM

wow, keep em coming, lots of energy in those brush strokes, seem to be capturing more than just a person those portraits, beginning to look like moods your capturing!

keep it up, i lurking

Alex

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