Bodyscape of redhead

"Bodyscape of redhead" by Hilary J. England, Goauche on watercolor board, 30" X 40"

This took two sessions. I decided to stir the pot and work in water medium (Goauche), something I rarely do. I must say, it was pretty agitating for me, since my usual approach of laying down paint in oils certainly did not work in water medium...I had to take everything I am used to, and flip it on its head. Water medium is a little too dainty for me, and even as such, I still brutalized that paint and and got a certain amount of enjoyment out of it at that. In the end, I am not unpleased with the results. Not over the moon, but not displeased either. Guardedly optimistic, and I feel this painting does work and was a success, despite my awkwardness with the materials, including an Arches board that started warping almost immediately, much to my frustration. I was able to pin it down and will protect and compress the painting before mounting and framing, which should easily solve that issue.

So, I will do a second painting to match this one, also in Goauche. I will not do that painting until I get the model lined up for two sessions....maybe the same one, maybe a different one. Still planning....

Study of male nude torso in mixed media

"Study of male nude torso in mixed media" by Hilary J. England,

 Goauche and Conte on paper, 14" X 18"

I always like to try and mix thing up and use materials I don't use to often, so when I came across a box of gouaches tucked away in my studio, and decided to try and use them for a quick figure study.  I was really rusty with using the gouache, because it is a unique medium on it's own -- with the utility somewhere smack in the middle between watercolor and acrylics.  Just an interesting medium to use.

So, I did this hour figure study of a very lean and tanned young man, and I'm glad I tried something a little out of the box for myself.  Keeps things from getting too routine :-)

~Enjoy!

Hillside wildflowers

 

"Hillside wildflowers" by Hilary J. England, oil on canvas, 8" X 10"

It was a hot one today, really hot. The sun was bright and somewhat punishing, only because there was a slight haze to the day. The Blue mountain was extra blue, and the wildflowers were so lush and beautiful, like a majestic carpet of color.

I love being able to be out and about, in the quiet solitude of the heat, that no one else wants to brave. It is always nice to be close to a water source, but the creek was behind me a while, so I had no recourse but to sweat and sizzle, and drink in the scenery.

-Enjoy.

Study of young male nude

"Study of young male nude musculature" by Hilary J. England
Brown Conte on paper, 14" x 18"

 

Today is Independence Day -- the Fourth of July.  Usually, people get drunk and blow up the neighborhood (and sometimes themselves) at family barbeques, but I decided on a more reflective path today -- to think of the beauty of everything, and thank God for His blessings, including being able to paint outdoors.  This was not what I painted outdoors -- this was actually from a few days ago, but I didn't post it because I was a little lazy over the last two days.

I enjoyed doing these figure studies, because I always enjoy the strange angles these models can contort into just to find something new and interesting for us to explore.  This model was no exception, and he was in his early 20s, and very youthful and athletic and lean.  That always makes for a nice drawing.

I watched the Stanley Kubrick marathon last night, and I have the music from "Barry Lyndon" stuck in my head, and now with the rain that's about to begin, I feel sleepy and relaxed.  I look out at my garden, and see the robins playing in the grass, and the butterflies flitting from one sweet pea flower to another, to the cucumbers and the squash, and I feel like drifting off to dreamland...and so, maybe I will!

~Enjoy :-)

Study of male back/torso

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"Study of male torso/back in 3/4 rotation" by Hilary J. England, brown Conte on paper, 8" X 14"

Here is today's work. I was finally able to hook in with a male model, and do a few solid studies. This is the first one -- it took about an hour. I was in a slightly odd position of seeing him in a rotation, so although it was a challenge, it made for an interesting study.

I stuck with working strictly in brown Conte, with no other implementation of white or other color.  Simple and straightforward for this one 😊. Enjoy!