She found an old-fashioned velvet flower in the attic… and put it in her hair.
For Throwback Thursday, I am posting one of the first portraits I painted for Let’s Face It, an online portrait class with American artist, Kara Bullock.
The portrait isn’t perfect, but then, as so many artists have said, the process is more important than the end result. Salvador Dali went one step further: “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.”
I continue to paint portraits but my portfolio now includes pet portraits, and whimsical fantasy paintings. This summer, I am working on realistic and semi-abstract flowers, and landscapes. I might as well just put it out there – I love any kind of art.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell
I am quite happy with my life right now and wouldn’t change anything except maybe to slow time a little. What’s not to love?
No more leaving a warm bed at six o’clock in the morning, no more gulping down hot coffee while getting ready for work, no more rushing out the door with butterflies in my stomach to make it on time for the first bell.
I could go on but you get the picture. I have no daily routine to speak of, and that precious commodity, time, is mine at long last, to spend as I want.
And most days, painting is all I have wanted to do. Strange things have been happening.
My past acrylic paintings always morphed into a muddy mess.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the skin on this young girl to turn out really beautifully after I got past “the ugly stage”. I found out that the secret was in limited colours, blending all the layers, and being patient.
Once I had her eyes painted, she seemed to be telling me that I could coax the rest of her out of hiding if only I came back to her the next day. All my other interests were neglected while I focused my efforts on this painting.
Here are a few images to show the progression from initial sketch, to undercoat, to shading (better known as the ugly stage), to blending, to adjusting, to defining important features. The old-fashioned velvet flower was painted last before the background was added.
Do I want to change my life? No.
Would I like more success in my art? Most definitely.
And so the secret to success perhaps does lie in changing my daily routine to include a chunk of time devoted exclusively to art.
Tu réussis tout ce que tu touches, Louise. Tu es une persévérante. Avant tout, tu aimes ce que tu fais !!
Bravo pour cette jolie dame si bien réalisée, c’est impressionnant de voir toutes les étapes, surtout pour une personne comme moi qui ne connaît pas du tout les techniques ! Heureuse de voir que tu réalises ton rêve !
Amitiés,
Marie
Merci bien Marie. On se parle sous peu…tu me laisses savoir par courriel quand Je pourrais te téléphoner…