Portrait of Jackson, underpainting - almost finished!

So, it's not that I haven't been working on paintings, but my digital camera broke and I had to replace the batteries. So, here's the latest with little Jackson. I whited out the hair so I can try it again. And while I was waiting for the white to dry, I did the clothing and the neck. Now it's just on to the hair and ear. (read in a whisper): I'm so scared! I'm sure it will all work out in the end though. Enjoy!

When good paintings go bad...

So, I kinda majorly messed up the hair, as you can see - the poor little guy totally looks like he's rocking a comb-over. But don't worry - I will fix it! I debated not posting it, because it's pretty, well, awful. But, then I told myself, it's all part of the process...so...enjoy!?

Portrait of Jackson, underpainting, day 4

Last night I made an important realization - that I am going to completely paint over the underpainting anyway, so I should probably pick up the pace. So, I did. I grabbed bigger brushes and tried to worry less about the quality of the brush strokes. And look how far I got!

Portrait of Jackson, underpainting, day 3

Bit by bit...

Portrait of Jackson, underpainting, day 2

Yeah, I know, it doesn't look like I got very far. Sadly, I spent over two hours working on this 2 inch square section of face. Slow and steady wins the race. I keep telling myself that...

Portrait of Jackson, underpainting, day 1

Here is the beginning of the underpainting. The underpainting is done using just oil paint and solvent, no medium, so it ends up looking a little washy, like a water color. Once I am done with the underpainting, I will go back and repaint the entire painting with oil paint and medium. The underpainting is like a dress rehearsal for the actual painting. It gives me a chance to practice the underlying roundness of the forms.

Portrait of Jackson - preliminary drawing

This is a portrait I am working on. I have transferred the drawing to a wood panel and started painting it. I will post that tomorrow. Yeah, I know, I still suck at taking photos. Oh well...I guess that's why I am a painter, and not a photographer...