Capturing Paintings in Progress

In the past two years I find myself more interested in documenting the progress of my paintings, because I have begun to appreciate the process as a journey that it worth reflecting back on. To me the underpainting, or the work in progress, can often stand alone just as strong as the finished painting. Most recently, I started taking professional photos of the work in progress to sell as prints. There is an entirely different feel to the work in the first sessions in my work, often appearing more sketchy and illustrative than the finished image. Some people might actually prefer this style over the finished look.

So, why bother finishing the painting if it seems to be at a finished state already? Sometimes it is fun to do quick paintings that have a loose feel to them, but often times I enjoy spending time with my oils and really getting detailed in my conceptual portrait paintings. Usually I have a vision of how I want the final product to look and the work in progress is usually a pleasant surprise that I run into along the way. I’ll be honest, sometimes I want to just be done, but once I have spent time mixing up a colorful pallet of oils, the show must go on. In other words, I have to continue the painting because I have a strong desire to paint the figure and capture all of the colors in someone’s face. To me, the skin tones can be the most challenging but also the most rewarding. I like to emphasize the subtle colors in one’s face that we don’t always notice. For example, your shirt may be lightly reflecting onto your jaw line, so I might enhance those colors to create more relationships between the colors throughout the painting. So all in all, following through with the original plans of a painting is often the route I like to choose and documenting the process can also tell a story about how I got there.

Here is one example of some sessions I did on a commissioned painting for a couple:






This is my most recent documented work that I am just finishing up on. First i sketched out the boy on an old painting of mine that I didn't care for.

Interior Walls: Painting the Edges Freehanded

Someone recently asked me how I paint my edges so crisp where the wall meets the ceiling or trim. I thought I'd share with you all, since I think nearly anyone is capable of it. Since I have a lot of experience painting interior walls of homes, I figured out a technique where I no longer need to use a straight edge or tape. If the condition of a house isn't perfect and there are layers of old paint or sagging of old ceilings, a straight edge is useless and tape is just a pain. I also don't like that you can't see the end result right away when using tape. Here is my approach at painting the edges with brushes. I hope this is helpful.

First off, I have several brushes at hand. I posted links of images below that will help you understand what kind of brushes I use. For really old and rough edges, I often use a small square topped artist brush with soft bristles, about an inch in length (See the orange-ish colored square topped brushes in the photos to the following links).

Variety Pack Artist Brushes
More Variety Pack Artist Brushes

 Sometimes I have to use an even smaller size, all depending depends on what I am dealing with. I like to get a package of a variety of sizes like the package below(similar in size of what people use to paint in water color) and get them relatively cheep in the painting section at art stores like AC Moore. For a newer home in decent condition, I will probably use a brush from somewhere like Home Depot that is professionally cut and tapered at the edges (See the links below for samples). It is still good to get a package of those variety brushes for details.

Painters Brushes
More Painters Brushes

When dipping the paint, you only want to dip your brush in about an inch or less, scraping any excess paint off before putting it to the wall. Sometimes it helps to angle the brush so that the ends of the bristles press closely to where the wall and ceiling meet, like the way you hold a dust pan when you are trying to sweep the last bit of crumbs onto the pan. As for corners, I just get in there with one those little art brushes.

Okay so if you are really working with some rough edges or you are having trouble painting neat because your hand is shakey while holding the brush, and you are not seeing an even look when you step back, here's one more tip but you must be careful when doing it. This is particularly good for where the wall meets the ceiling. Take a small flat brush from the art brush package. You can use a rounded top brush if you'd like. Dip the brush with a thin layer of paint and just lay it right in on the edges where the ceiling and wall meet. Pull the brush along the edge and allow for a very small amount of paint to get on the ceiling edge as you pull the brush along. Yes, you are going to get paint on some of the ceiling, but I'm talking like a milimeter (about the width of a pennie) and no more than say 3 milimeters. The harder you press the brush the more you will get on the ceiling, so try to avoid that. This trick seems to hide a lot of the flaws in where the wall meets the ceiling.

Let me know if this was helpful. Thanks for tuning in!

~Angelique

Let Art be your new WAKE UP call

If you've found yourself uninspired, you probably haven't given your eyes a healthy treat lately. Your eyes need their daily nutrients, too! Viewing original and new art should do the trick. So be enlightened, and wake up to endless possibilities. Here is a taste your eyes will appreciate...

Here are a few links of artwork from top artists at Fine Art America, a social network and e-commerce marketplace for artists and anyone interested in the arts. This is a site that I use to sell my prints, share my art, and be inspired by other people's art. You can spend hours exploring this site...

***When you click on each link represented here, notice that my art work is presented on the third row of art on each link!


oil mixed media


fashion paintings