Before Self-isolation

This is from the last "long pose" before the big shutdown and I picked it to be on my April newsletter - but it had to be cropped to fit the space so here is the full head and shoulders pose....mixed media. As I said in my newsletter, some artists like to get a very smooth effect with pastels by I like to retain the feel of the chalk strokes. Sometimes I think I'm a frustrated portrait painter - I'd love to be able to just paint and draw people all the time. The trouble is, I don't seem to be in the right marketplace for that. I think would be possible to draw at a 2 meter distance as that is about where I was from this model.- but, right now, the art centre is closed and everyone is self-isolating anyway... will just have to hope we can return to it all in the future...

Betty Boop

I  just sent out my newsletter for July and I chose this as the illustration- one of our last Friday Long Poses of this session. Shelley posed as "Betty Boop" the 1930's cartoon character. Betty was based on a caricature of the singer Helen Kaine, who, in turn, mimicked the style of the black singer Baby Esther Jones. She was the first rather sexy cartoon character and, as such, created quite a stir. She as supposed to be sixteen years old and was depicted with a curvaceous body topped with a larger head with big eyes and gorgeous eyelashes. She was sometimes threatened by villains but always maintained her virtue - her boop-boop-a-doop. Shelley did a great job with hair style and make-up as well as projecting the personality so this made it a fun session. I used the mixed-media pastel method I have been using for these sessions. I like the way I can get different background effects rather than be limited with a set colour of pastel paper. I won't go into all the detail again here as I have described it in earlier postings--watercolour paper, acrylic colours, acrylic gel for pastels, pastels. But no more Long Poses until the fall now.

Rosie the Riveter

For Long Pose, two weeks ago, we had Shelley being "Rosie the Riveter" . I didn't do the full figure. but rather more a portrait. Shelley did a great job with her hair up in a net and make-up like WWII period. This is my mixed media approach with drawing in charcoal on watercolour paper ( 140 lbs), then a wash with yellow, blue and red acrylic, blow-dry, apply acrylic ground for pastels, blow-dry, finish in pastels. Then, a few days later, the real Rosie the Riveter - the woman who inspired the original art work, died- so she was in the news again. She was 90-something when she passed away.The timing was a strange coincidence.

Long Pose Fun

Here's one that is unlikely to sell - but it was fun to do. Last Friday we had a "long pose" session and had Ginny dress up as a bag lady. In fact, I think I'll call my piece "It's in the Bag"! I was working again with mixed media. On watercolour paper, I drew in black conte' crayon and then did a wash - using red, yellow and blue - Pyrole Red, Hansa Yellow and Ultramarine Blue, to be precise. Then I used a blow-dryer to dry it (we keep one in out cupboard at the art centre)  and then I  put acrylic gel for pastels over it. This is a gritty gel that dries to a surface that will hold the pastels. Then, after another session with the blow-dryer,  I worked in pastels to finish it. I think Ginny was a bit amused by the various results of her pose. We've told her that next time we should have her come as a society lady for an opposite effect. At any rate, it made for a fun session.