Wrapping Up "Being A Girl pt. 3"

I'm happy to say that my intention for this blog is playing out how I was hoping. I had really wanted it to hold me more accountable in my practice and encourage me to work harder. I have felt focused and have been enjoying each mark I make. I was having trouble enjoying the painting as a whole because of certain areas within the piece. Specifically, the girl's head and face needed addressing. By slowing down, I was able to come to a more developed point where things are connecting. My initial hope for this piece was for it to feel like a sort of dream-world that the girl is in. She is both on the beach and surrounded by her thoughts and dreams. I felt this was becoming clearer as I continued working.

I addressed the mountains behind her.

One of the first things I did when I came into the studio on this day was add a slightly different color to the blanket, but left space around each flower. The initial color was a bit too grey and didn't offer much information to me. I did a dusting of a lighter yellowy green which I think helped. Also, adding a lighter shade of blue using cobalt to the ocean waves filled in some space.. The mountains needed more density, and additional hills to make them really feel like a mountain range by the water. Making the sunlight on the water felt really fun to do. This is a really enjoyable part of the painting process for me where the initial design of shapes is down and I get to have fun building on that foundation with detail.

Giving color to the birds

I put this color down for the geese, and couldn't decide if the smaller birds should be blue or red. In the drawing, these birds were not given a color. But I didn't want them to remain white in the painting, so the little birds became pink :) Also, adding the yellow dots to the underside of the blanket was needed.

I kept struggling a lot with the head and face, trying to make it feel natural. Here is a point where it didn't feel right yet but I started working on the hair strands and added color to the hair. I knew forging forward was the only way to resolve the problem. I knew that continuously wiping down the face each time it felt wrong was not going to get me anywhere. But in this is the knowing that eventually, it will be right.

I kept going and added her individual strands of hair.

Drawing with a graphite pencil into wet oil paint feels great to do. There's a perfect in-between of it landing on the paint and also scraping it away to form these lovely grooves.

I feel pretty excited about where this is headed. I know its a simple picture and the shapes are mostly flat, but I enjoy the simplicity and feeling of it. When I see loose moments in other people's work, I really enjoy them. Moments that aren't overworked and have a lot of fun and freedom in them. I am always trying to balance the desire of painting loosely and creating definition in my own work. I wonder what stands out to the viewer.

A face is born

I tuned in, and had that beautiful, fleeting moment of 'flow' and got her face in. This feels like me, and I feel confident about where it landed. I was building slight form with different variations of pinks, then basically 'drew' in her features using a combination of burnt sienna, permanent rose, and a tiny bit of french ultramarine blue. This created a nice mid-range value that doesn't stand out to the eye as one specific color.

Here is where the image is landing. She was inside the form, just waiting to come out :) she is quiet, alone, serene and beautiful. She has herself wherever she is, while being surrounded by her mind's imagery. Her thoughts follow her and create a reality that will never leave. With life always changing, her dreams will never fail her. In her dreams, she can live through her heart.