Home » Archives » April 2006 » Sometimes you have to fret the little stuff, or, why I hate painting eyes and hands

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04/21/2006: "Sometimes you have to fret the little stuff, or, why I hate painting eyes and hands"

I'm at that phase where I'm doing a lot of little touch ups, fixing primarily hands and eyes, two areas I tend to really gloss over the first time around because they're hard to get right. I have all these paintings with lots of details and then sort of claw looking hands. I realized that in the past I had a tendancy to paint women with their eyes closed and their hands behind their backs!

Anyway, last night Rob and Pagan stopped by to invite me out for a beer at the Island Pub which is right near my house. I don't have blinds on my upstairs windows, which is where my studio is, so when the door bell rings my first instinct is to dive onto the floor so no one can see me! How lame is that...but once I knew who it was I decided to go out and I had a really fun time...plus, taking breaks like that is healthy.

For example, I was so up close working on the woman with the lilac background that i didn't notice how much larger one of the eyes had become compared to the other. It's funny, once I started measuring I noticed I'd gotten a lot of her features wrong, the length and placement of the ears, the position of the mouth...sometimes making minor adjustments like that can make all the difference. (to see how it looked before I fixed it, see the version in my in progress gallery...note the ears!

Anyway, I'm really pleased with how these two are coming along...

Replies: 7 Comments

on Friday, April 21st, marja-leena said

These are looking great, Elise!

Came by wondering why things have been quiet, and was surprised to find three new entries here, that haven't shown up in the RSS! Not that you want to know this right now - sorry! Just carry on painting. You seem to be more than ready for your show, just those last little details!

on Friday, April 21st, Elise said

I've almost given up on the RSS, it seems either it posts a new entry everytime someone comments, or else it quits working altogether. But you're right, it will have to wait until after the show, I have too much painting to do.
:)

on Friday, April 21st, ann said

I'm wondering if the rss problems have to do with the new way comments are showing up. Now comments are on a page by themselves, as opposed to at the bottom of your posts. About the time that change was made was when the multiple rss notifications came out.

Oh, and I like the paintings :)

on Friday, April 21st, Elise said

Ah bummer, I hadn't noticed that. My blog technology is really dated, I'm just waiting for it to blow up any day now (the zombie fan in my just loves the name of the software though....greymatter!)
:confused:

on Friday, April 21st, Jackie said

E: the paintings are looking great! I see what you mean about the top one in your "In Progress" gallery. She looked kinda like a manly woman - obviously not a transvestite, since she's not clothed. Anyway - looks much better now! The face of the bottom one looks suspiciously like you! I'm so glad to see you keeping busy and jazzed about getting ready for your show!

I rested all week - have been feeling a bid crappy this week. Now I'm feeling frantic that I have less than a month left! Aaahhh where does the time go? :crazy:

on Friday, April 21st, Elise said

Thanks Jackie,
the eyes on the top woman still aren't exactly right, but I have to wait for them to dry before I muck with them anymore.

As for feeling frantic, I just realized that I only have 2 weekends (this and next) left to get everything finished and next weekend I have to work all day Saturday (at my other job)....so....I know how you feel. Though if I were you I wouldn't be worried at all because your work looks fantastic already!

on Saturday, April 22nd, greg said

IMO Hands and eyes are not mere "little stuff" to fret over. With the feet, they are nearly the *most* important elements of the nude, and exalt over form when added and given expression. I'm a little bit saddened to hear you say this again ... it looks like you're making a renewed effort, and getting over the avoidance, and this is good for you to progress.

I have a decent "buttpainting" I did of a live reclining model from the back - it has a nice gentle curve to it. The digital photo of it looks horrible, but the model actually offered to buy it. "It would look so good over the cabin fireplace, and no one will know it's me!" :laugh:

I wouldn't want you stuck on "buttpaintings" for your career! Keep up those efforts! :)

Breathe in ... eyyyes, breathe out ... haaaaannndsssss!