Whitaker: sketchbook and Reverie workshop

[wilkerson]

Very nice work. What do you think is the best way to learn how to paint drapery?

[MattGamer]

i have been inspired by your insightful words all day whilst looking through this sketchbook. such inspiration, such skill, and such passion for what you do spreads like a wildfire into my heart. i regret not watching you work more at REVERIE. though, i did get to see you speak on several topics and it was rewarding.

keep up the brilliant work of inspiring thousands! i am off to purchase several Trekell brushes and going to play around with them for an portrait in oils workshop i am currently participating in! :]

[jaredsalmond]

wow, you really capture the people in your paintings! I'm very impressed!

[William Whitaker]

I thank all of you for taking the trouble to write. And I especially thank you for saying nice things. By showing our works, all of us wear our hearts on our sleeves and bad remarks will send me to bed with my electric blanket turned up to nine!

SodAP,
Museum guards would be nicer to you if you were an old guy like me. Failing that, when you visit the museum, I suggest you dress your best. Then introduce yourself to the guards and tell them you're a serious student. Make friends. Ask them what they like. Some of my best visits have been with museum guards who can often be very helpful.

My sniffer isn't what is once was. I love the smell of balsams and resins. I love the smell of real turpentine. However, I can no longer smell the "studio smells" in my own studio. I've also evolved to where my only paint medium is pure linseed oil and that is a pretty boring neutral un-sexy smell.

Marian Rowling. At last! A name I can pronounce.
I'm attaching the underpainting - the near-grisaille. The hair and dark shadows were painted with burnt sienna and the flesh was painted with a mix of raw umber, terre verte and white lead. The roses were painted with burnt sienna and white. After everything was dry, I dusted the surface off with extremely fine sandpaper to remove any lint. I then laid on the color. It's a useful technique some of the time, but I don't do it very often.

Copper was (and is) used by some who want a very smooth painting surface. Old paintings on copper are in much better shape than old paintings on wood or canvas. I love a smooth surface and I do most of my work and carefully sanded sheets of ABS plastic. That sounds awful, but it's actually wonderful and very archival.

[William Whitaker]

Dear Christine Lim,
I'd be honored to have you copy anything I've done that sparks your interest. I'd be happy to send you a larger version of something too -- if I could find it.

wilkerson,
The best way to learn to paint drapery is to work from the real thing. Arrange a white piece of cloth and have it lit from only one light source for the best results. Then put in the hours!

MattGamer,
I wish you great success at that portrait workshop. If you find yourself falling a bit short, remember that human faces are the hardest things to paint.

Once again, I thank all of your for your nice words.

[prsnsweeney]

amazing thank you for the insperation

[prsnsweeney]

i am working on a drawing of a human face right now and i see how amazing your work is and if you had time would love a little guidance or critique i hope one day to be able to come close to the same level of skill you have

my Sb http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=183262

[Kamber Parrk]

WW,

Fantastic work!

Annoying questions I'm asking lots of people: what is your method of constructing the human head? And, how long does it take you to draw a decent head (in "dry media")?

[FUSHANDCHUPS]

Very nice work. I really like the delicacy of your blending.

[AphexTweak]

Thanks for continuing to share with us. Your work is always an inspiration.

[soros]

Outstanding quality! Thanks for sharing the drapery steps. I would dlove to see more pencil sketches with steps. Please!

[Marian Rowling]

Ha Ha William I think my age may account for my pronounceable name! Thank you so much for posting your beautiful underpainting. It is wonderfully fascinating as are you. It had never occurred to me that a fine artist would paint on surfaces such as copper and I'm even more surprised to think you are painting on ABS plastic (I had to Google it to see what it was). Plastic and paint, up until now, had been two things that I didn't think would work together. I'm guessing that it may be possible to paint on a wide range of surfaces if the surface is first keyed. I would love to learn more about painting surfaces and there preparation and I thank you for enlightening me thus far.

[Christine Lim]

Dear Mr Whitaker,
Thank you in advance.
All of your work are inspiring to me who wants to master drawing the human figure.
I can be reached at [email protected]
Have a great weekend!
Christine

Dear Christine Lim,
I'd be honored to have you copy anything I've done that sparks your interest. I'd be happy to send you a larger version of something too -- if I could find it.

Learn how to draw at Drawing Tutorials Online http://www.drawingtutorialsonline.com

[AChipps]

I know what you mean with working on smooth surfaces. I used an old painting I didn't like and scraped it with a raser blade to make it smooth, and it made the surface easier to do more details. I can see you have a lot of details in your work. I would think a painting would peal some on abs. I have seen people paint on something that looked like paper. I'm sure it is not really paper, because the linseed oil would soak in.

I don't do oil painting much anymore. When I was, they were presold and the materials were prepaid. The only thing that don't cost me in materials is the computer. I like the details, and it can be more than anyone will see, but I can draw all I want in photoshop. I hated art for a while, because the imagination is not as detailed as I thought for things I imagine. Do you always use some kind of reference, even if it is just a glance for a reminder. I don't find confort in my art like I use to. People told me I was burned out on art, but I will never give up. I think I have a need for it again for the same reason I started the very first time. To show people what I can only imagine.

[Magic Man]

Wow! As a person who aspires to eventually do great oil paintings, I have to look on this with nothing but the utmost respect and admiration! Beautiful work Mr. Whitaker!

If you had so much as two seconds, I would be honoured if you visited and left any ounce of feedback on any of my work, link is in my sig.

Regards, Darren

[GunTrouver]

Your work is perfect and inspiring. I love the brushwork and texture in the paintings and it's always great to see updates here!

[Ketosis]

wow. i finally signed up.
i really wanted to tell you how inspired i am by your art. but i bet you haven't heard that the first time

i read all your helpful advice and it has already helped me getting better with flesh tones. before i thought it's almost impossible to get good tones, but now i know better.

i hope you'll continue posting. you're really good at explaining. i hope one day i'll be such a good teacher.

[MattGamer]

very beautiful painting of Marian Rowling. i love the way you achieved her dreamlike qualities.

as for the oils workshop, i am having a joy of a time learning how to use oils and the different ways to start a piece. there's limitless possibilities! it's a whole new world for me and quite fun.

when you started perusing art, how did you know it was something you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

[prsnsweeney]

hello sir thank you very much for the advice you gave me to take my time and go slow i used the advice on a portrait sketch and i have to say the results were very satisfying thank you for the help

my sb http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...=183262&page=2

[Sinto]

Mr.Whitaker, I can't believe I only found your sketchbook just now. Your painting skills are that of classic renaissance painters, yet you are able to masterfully fuse that classical skill into the modern imagery of people; something very fresh in my eyes. I seriously love your color choices, especially the ones you mix in with the gray backgrounds, they all work in harmony! That's something I gotta learn from you sir!

I hope it wouldn't trouble you, but it would be a great honor if you drop by my sketchbook and give a few crits here and there

[William Whitaker]

I thank all of your for your encouragement.
Those of you who've asked me to visit your sites, I'll try and do so.
And I'll try and answer those of you who had questions.

Kamber Parrk: I am getting slower, but I can do a decent head in fifteen minutes to an hour. If I don't have to go for likeness, then it's much quicker.

soros: I'll have to dig through my stuff and see if I have drawing steps.

Marian Rowling and AChipps: ABS is microscopically porous. Oil basically bonds with the surface. I don't prime it, just sand and paint. I sand all the shine off with very fine sandpaper (400-600 grit, sanding wet.)
I only use it for small works. You can get scraps of white ABS at a sign shop. Make sure it's ABS though. They have a lot of other plastics that I wouldn't trust.

MattGamer: I was discouraged from becoming an artist, but I eventually found I hated everything else. I have no regrets.

prsnsweeney:Good for you! We must slow our minds down so they can absorb what the eye is seeing.

[William Whitaker]

This painting measures 9x6 inches (22.86 x 15.24 cm) and is oil on ABS panel.
I did it for a portrait show, but then decided to keep it. Concept Art's EmilyG modeled for the hand. I painted this from a digital photo, but then I didn't like the hand. Fortunately, EmilyG lent her hers.

I have been experimenting with new approaches for the past six months or so.

I took this photo ourdoors in bright sunlight today, cleaned it up and cropped it on Photoshop.

[William Whitaker]

I took the photo in raking sunlight, the light coming from the left. The effect over accentuated the texture, however it helps to see my technique better. In reality, the texture is hardly noticeable.

I've been working to achieve very subtle value shifts in backgrounds. I think I'm getting close to my goal here.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is Franz Van Mieris. See a gorgeous 5" (12.7cm) high oil on copper half figure by him at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
http://http://www.getty.edu/art/gett...ils?artobj=822

[Craig D]

William,
as usual, thanks for the great works and information.
I was wondering though if you could tell me whether you need to treat copper in any way before using it as a substrate?

Thanks,

[DaStreets]

U have beautiful work, but u already kno that. My question is. I get discouraged from drawing anything from imagination because I feel it will look wrong or I cant imagine how to draw the pose I want. When I try to draw from life or pics, it never looks that great. So what the hell do I do?? lol. Comment back to my SB if possible, thanks ill subscribe and keep posting more art

[Teundeboer]

This is absolutely stunning, I just realised I hadn't posted in here before. Whilst I've been admiring your work since the day you first posted, and that's just not right.

I love your 'subtle value shifts' as you put it, they give calmth (is that a word?) to your work. That and your attention to detail make for a recipe for succes.
You are truly an inspiration and I hope to one day achieve the skills and knowledge you have developed.

That post was the definition of an asspat but you sir definately are deserving of one.

[squidmonk3j]

Thank you very much for sharing both beautiful art and beautiful knowledge

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Those last two paintings are just breathtaking! The portrait is just lovely, it's one of those rare paintings that make me feel like I can see into the sitter's soul, which isn't something I find much in contemporary portraits. I can't even imagine the effect it must have in life. And thanks so much for posting the grissaille, it's always helpful to student's like myself!

The edges in the last painting just blew me away. The softness all over seems almost impossible to achieve at that size to me, and for some reason I just love that sharp accent on the upper lip .

[William Whitaker]

And now for somthing new.

In our bones, every guy in the entire world has wanted a classic Colt sometime. My treasure dates from 1862 and has a Harper's Ferry inspector's stamp on the grip.

Guys like metal stuff the same way women like shoes.

This is a dark painting. I was going for mood. The background is dark slate grey. I color corrected it on my Mac Video Display and it was perfect, but it looked too dark and muddy on the PC monitor I use for emails. Therefore, I lightened it a bit which will throw it off for some of you I'm sure. The firearm is painted just a little less than actual size.

[William Whitaker]

Can you all say, "Wild Bill Hickok?"