Oil was sketch

Oil was sketch
Oil on canvas covered board
22 cm x 31 cm

Ever week a bunch of us get together to paint a lovely lady in the nude (well she's nude not us!)
Figure study is very intimidating, there so much stress involved - the painting has to look like the model and it needs to make her look good - it's the least I can do in return for the privilege I have of her posing for me!

This little painting was done during a once off session and was done as a sketch using paint and a paint brush instead of traditional drawing medium.
The effect is very much like that of one of those old sepia photos.

I find that this is a very hard way to sketch/paint because it is almost impossible to make a correction - if there is an incorrect line trying to erase it will only smudge the paint and it will never be restored to its original white!

Here's another beautiful example of this method - Oil wash sketch

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Greek Body art

I recently discovered this blog - I can't understand a word there, it's all literally Greek to be, but the body paintings are incredible: body art

Reclining nude – Red hair and creamy skin

Red hair - reclining nude
Oil on Board
21 cm x 25cm

This painting was done in the same style as the Nude on a Persian carpet – there are a few similarities – both girls have red hair, both were reclining (laying down) and both have a lovely peaches and cream skin tone.

This model has long curly hair, while our Persian carpet girl has a short, almost boyish cut.

The pose started with the intention of being as a short one session pose, but by tea time it was decided - we wanted a second session. The painting was therefore done over two sessions (about 4 hours).

Our studio is in an old school that has been converted into a community centre, so in the background we have the old school blackboard. It’s the first time I’ve painted it – usually we have a coloured backdrop hanging over the chalk board.

Mind you, I'm sure this posting would have got a lot more hits if the title was "sexy nude school teacher" - I'm sure it's someone's fetish :)


At some point during the evening one of my fellow artists looked at my painting and commented “Look, she’s floating on a cloud!” I’ve since added more detail to the sheet… I hope it looks less like a cloud….

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Seated nude - Composition sketch (pen on paper)

Seated nude - pen study on paper

This was a quick study in lights and darks, the idea behind the sketch is not to be a final work of art, but rather to be a template to work from.
Unfortunately I never did a painting of this pose from this angle, it was done in the last 5 minutes of a session and the model was unable to make the next session.

Pen sketch - composition drawing

Before starting a painting I will always do a sketch, often in pencil or charcoal. The idea behind the sketch is to test the tonality and the composition of the picture... it gives me a chance to solve the problems and complexities of the task at hand.

Once the sketch is done I'll often draw all over it as a choose which part of it I'll use as a painting and for measuring the drawing while transferring it to the canvas.

This sketch survived me - I spent more time on this drawing than I should have, but I loved doing it!

Sleeping Nude - pen sketch

Sleeping Nude
Pen sketch on paper

This is one of my favorite models, she's lovely, has a beautiful figure and sits like an angel. This was a quick pen sketch during one of the painting sessions.
The pose is lovely, I wish I had chosen this position to do a painting from!

Nude in the sunlight - a painting in progress

This is another small painting that's on the easel in the studio. I spend a few minutes each painting session working on it. It should be finished within the next week.

Seated Nude - Second Painting

Seated Nude - second session
(secondary Painting)
Oil on Board

I'm fond of having a second painting on the easel as a secondary painting, this keeps me from overworking the main painting and also serves as a testing ground for colour and tone for the main painting.

Sometimes the secondary painting, as in this case, is as nice or better than the main painting. The last pose with this model is next week, hopefully I'll get them both finished in the final two hours.

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Seated Nude - Main Painting

Seated Nude - Primary painting
Oil on Board

This is the second last session on with this model, next week we race towards completion and I'm feeling the pressure. Both this painting and the secondary painting are small works, but they have consumed many hours so far!

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Seated nude - incomplete

Seated nude - Oil on board

I seem to be specializing in incomplete paintings at the moment... my day job has been keeping me from painting. I've been on deadlines and had an extra work load; but that's all over (for now).

Last week we erected a wooden 'cottage' in the back yard which will be my studio, so far it's a shell with all my art stuff crammed into it and it's going to take another week before I'm up and running there.

Hopefully I'll move some of these 'incompletes' to FIN.