gp sketchbook

[garbagePillow]

Hi CA. I've set a goal of painting two hours every day. I'd like to improve my skills so any critiques are welcome.

[garbagePillow]

Painting sketch of the mirror on my wall.

[garbagePillow]

Just a still life on my desk. Thanks for looking

[garbagePillow]

Trying to improve my foliage painting using some photos of a place near my house.

[Blaise]

Off to a good start GP. Keep up the daily painting - it will be very beneficial.

[phizpietl]

Yeah keep it moving. Speedpaints can really teach you about what holds a picture together. Your still life paints look good. :]

Phil Lietz
www.phillietz.com
www.phillietz.blogspot.com

[garbagePillow]

Blaise, Phil Lietz: Thanks a lot for the encouragement. You guys are both disgustingly good. I certainly intend to keep up painting everyday, no matter how bad I feel I am doing.

Today I had a bit of trouble getting started. At first I tried to paint a tree that ended up looking like ass. So I switched over to painting this little statue. I was having trouble with it too, but found it easier once I sketched it out in a more 3d form.

[glaudarien]

I really like those speedpaints of yours, you have a good eye for colour and values. The only thing i'd say is that some of them feel a bit tooo loose, such as the foliage painting, its just a little hard to read in some areas like the bottom left, loose is good but try focus on making everything readable too. Other than that you've got a great start here, keep it up

[garbagePillow]

Glaudarien: Thanks a lot for the crit. I'd have to agree, I do paint too loosely and probably way too loosely around subjects and focal points. Some of it might be me needing to just paint slower and spend more time on pictures. Another reason might be that without a clear reference it feels more like I'm just making marks of value and color rather than painting a specific thing — it seems very hard to not be loose when you don't have a good sense of what you are painting. It is easier to have a tighter painting when I do the simpler still lifes.

Anyways, these are very loose, but I think for this it's okay. These are five minute (timed with an egg timer) thumbnail copies of masterworks from Hopper, Bouguereau, Sargent, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Turner.

[garbagePillow]

Couple environment scribbles.

[garbagePillow]

Another speedpaint, trying to capture the feel of all the snow melting outside.

[garbagePillow]

I've been working on a copy of Ivan Shishkin's painting "Brook in Birch Forest". There's still lots to do but here's a WIP.

[samborek]

Pretty nice studies there, in the last one i think you should add more shadows in leafs on front trees and other grassy areas
and make some anatomy studies sometimes to learn other stuff than envrios
or if you make it put smth here

[garbagePillow]

Samborek, thanks for the comment. I've added some shadows, lots more to do. I do want to do anatomy studies and characters as well, I've just been on this environment kick lately.

I tried to color correct this one because I'm viewing the original on right monitor while doing the copy on my left and my left monitor seems to be cooler than my right one.

[garbagePillow]

Couple more. I'm taking a break from the Shishkin copy.

[garbagePillow]

Worked on that last one a bit more.

[bLux]

Nice sketchbook. I'm liking the master copy. My only crit, for the sketchbook as a whole, is to do more studies from life and photos. It helps a lot, and fast. Try setting up a large canvas with multiple 350x350 spaces to paint in from reference. Doing them small allows you to work fast and focus on colors, rather than details and fancy brushwork. Keep it up, looking forward to seeing your progress

[garbagePillow]

xbrianx, thanks for the crit. I agree about doing more studies from life and photos. Here is a copy of a personal photo.

[Wilko]

Great work so far, really nice enviroment studies. Keep it up.

[garbagePillow]

Thanks for the kind words Wilko.

Frits Thaulow Water Mill copy:

[garbagePillow]

Another painting from a personal photo.

[garbagePillow]

Sargent copy and a scribble.

[phizpietl]

cool landscapes! very nice

Phil Lietz
www.phillietz.blogspot.com
www.phillietz.com