The Wood Children
 

Normally I'd post these in critiques, but I've already delivered the paintings so there's nothing I can do as far as changes. Also, I don't want to take up people's critiquing time, so here you go....

I'd never painted dogs before (of course I didn't tell the client that!) and it was more fun than I expected.

The mom was delighted when I delivered these -- and best of all, she paid me a deposit to do another portrait of the two kids with herself and her husband next year!

The paintings are 30x40".

Very beautiful,Michele! It seems that you get better with each painting. Do you feel like you are?

Wow.

Of course she was thrilled! I especially enjoy the way you have designed the portratis to be compatible, but still very individual. Beautifully done work Michele.

Those are really beautiful. I like the dogs too!

I like the colourful background of the girl very much.

You have this hair thing down. The boy's hair is perfect, and I love the back lighting with the girl.

My Lord, Michele, these are abosolutely breathtaking!!! Very rich, expressive, sensitive, emotional. I love them. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Wonderful Michele. You seem to be doing plenty - have you been getting faster do you think? Not that it is important at all, but I remember you had mentioned it.

I have been getting faster, and though I don't know if every painting is better than the one before it, as Cynthia asked, I know my work has been getting better over time.

As an example, these two paintings took me about half the time I think they would have taken a year ago. It's mostly because I don't need to rework things as often, and because I plan more from the start.

This is so beautiful, Michelle. I learn a lot from each portrait you post. Thank you so much. The little girl's love for her puppy really comes through! Congratulations on capturing that emotion.

Denise

Glad you like it. The girl and the puppy is about as overly sentimental as you can get, but that's reality. She's completely in love with the little fluffball and hugs him all the time.

Hi Michele,

Overly sentimental in this case is delightful, she makes me smile. And he is all boy, in his attitude and relationship to his bud. I love it! But then I'm a sucker for animals.

Jean

Michele, these are so beautiful! I love these. You must have a secret for getting those edges so soft, what is it?

Michele, wow - everyone has said it above! I just hope you rubbed off on me just a bit in AZ!

Leaps 'n bounds! :thumbsup:

The soft edge-making technique I use is something I learned from Bill Whitaker. I have a drawer full of dead, fuzzy sable and synthetic brushes that I use as blending brushes, in all different sizes.

I blend one color into another and then grab another clean, dry blender brush for the next color areas. As Bill said, you need a lot of clean blenders each day, doing this (or you can clean them with fast drying acetone for the next colors you want to blend, but I don't use that). My good brushes get fuzzy so fast that the "blender" drawer fills up fast and I probably have fifty of them. This technique works especially well if you have to blend a wet area into a dry area. Then I go over everything I paint with a small fan brush and smooth things out even more.

Michelle, these are just gorgeous. I have to agree with Cynthia, you really are improving by leaps it seems with every painting. Do you care to share your secret with me? :)

Mary, you asked how I've been able to improve. Well, I paint for about five hours most days and have been doing that for almost three years now. People tease me for being so serious and intense about things when I get going, but that's how I am, I suppose (despite the airhead look I have in my photo over on the left).

I read and try to apply everything I learn on SOG each day, and read art books and art magazines when I'm eating my cereal. (See: serious and intense! I'm such a bore to be around, unless someone wants to hear about painting!)

With the last three portraits I've posted (Rachel by candlelight and these two) I've been really applying Tony Ryder's method, which I learned in his class in December and which you can read about in the demos on his site: www.tonyryder.com

Business-wise, I have production and financial goals that are very important to me each quarter and each year. Otherwise I might have to go and get a "real job" - heaven forbid! So basically I feel I have to succeed or face dire consequences.

And maybe the most important reason: I love painting so much that it's hard to put down the brush each day!

Michele, you have that most precious gift of all: the seriousness and intensity that you bring to your work. This craft of ours is really something that deserves our obsession. I'm sure I wouldn't find you a "bore." (Are you single...?)

And I've never seen a crewcut painted so masterfully.

David

Michele,
These are wonderful! Lovely, soft well modulated skintones, beautiful light. The best yet!

The boy and the dog seem to share the same happy expression, a great boy and his dog portrait.

Sincerely,

Both are incredible. Love the background in the second one, especially the treatment of the tree.

Michele,

I love these! The lighting on the subject is very nice. The dogs are very well done. It seems that everytime you post a recent painting I say to myself, "Now this is her best."
No exception this time either!

Michelle,

Once again I find myself wanting to go to my studio because of you.

Janel Maples

Ah, that's the best compliment of all!

Michele

I think your attitude is spot on, I just wish I could give up my day job and eat, sleep and work at it day in day out too.

If I had to choose between the two I would say the little girl and her puppy is my favourite. The hard work pays off when it is masterfully done. Case in point . :)

Kev.

Michele - These are inspiring!

I especially like how you handled the crew cut on the boy and the settings on both of them really add character to the subjects. (All of your paintings seem to have settings like this.)

Beautiful.

Michele I am super impressed, I love them!

I'm curious, did you do them with form painting, a combination of form and other style, or no form painting at all?

I have been using the fan brush the same way recently, as I like the way it softens and kills bristle glare.

Most of the skin areas were done with form painting (Tony Ryder's method, for those who are not familiar with the term). I was well along with these paintings before his class but I redid much of the skin areas afterwards. The places I think you can really see the effect of form painting is in the girl's face and hand.

Michele, you're too hard on yourself. These don't look like wood childern at all. They look very natural (groan, I couldn't resist that).

I like the way you moved the background to the feminine side for the girl, and masculine for the boy, without getting carried away. Subtle, but effective.

I'm going out to buy some paint!