Latest effort: Venus Arisen

[painterx@hotmail.com]

I started this as I was working on another painting. whenever I was waiting for the first painting to dry, I was working on this one.

"Venus Arisen" oils, 18x24

I've been thinking about a "birth of Venus" type painting for a while. Like most others I sketched out various ideas from the frontal perspective. Which meant mine was just a variation on all the others, which are numerous. I decided to use sea creatures as metaphors for the humans that are supposed to be there at her birth, allowing me to add my own take on the scene.

Here are the progress photos I have been taking.

I just did a simple outline of the objects. Usually I do a fully rendered drawing, but decided not to do that with this painting, do to it's relative simplicity.

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Then decided to just do an underpainting for the image as her skin tones are the central to the image.

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Blocking in colors and tones for the rest of the painting.

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where it currently stands this evening (3/19). About 50% complete.

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[CarlOwen]

Interesting. I see the same mistake I make from time to time. As I draw out the figure I depend on the shapes I have already drawn. That tends to lengthen the form towards the end of the drawing, which in your case was the top of the buttocks crack. Nice elongated muscle definition in the lower back just before buttocks. But it cost you. It is about a half a head to long creating a disproportional buttocks and back of the thigh length. The problem gets compounded by making the calf area look short while it is not. Take a measuring tool and measure it to see what I am saying.

[painterx@hotmail.com]

Well, you had me wondering.

So on the left is the beginning of the painting where you can see the lines I drew in from the transfer.

In the Middle is the model cropped out from the reference photo

On the right is my overlay of the cutout model onto the beginning painting.

Looks like I was mostly off with the left arm, right shoulder, left side of the head and the torso is a smidgen wide.

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Not all bodies are built the same. I have an artist friend who did pin-up, he had a model with a longer than normal torso. Actually worked out quite well.

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[CarlOwen]

Thanks for going the extra mile with your demonstration. Understood. I had considered that I might be critiquing the model and not the painting but went for it anyway as it just strikes me as disproportionate. However, looking forward to seeing this one finished.

[painterx@hotmail.com]

Well, as I said, you had me wondering. I always welcome input that's constructive, informed and well meaning. It's the only way you learn and the learning never stops.

[CarlOwen]

Tis true, tis true.