here is a gift i finished for a friend. i had a lot of trouble with creating an unfinished, but good look, especially with the hands. the original pose of the upper body was nothing like this, and the struggle to find what i was looking for came through in that stiffness

as far as personal crit goes, if i dedicate myself more to a loose-looking pose and design, i should put it through much the wringer much more before i develop a final. ie. this had maybe 2 phases of design in it, where 5-6 are needed for a better piece

(the dark grey is dead space to get the image to fit better on screen)

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as for the 21DC, im doing my final color masterstudy in acryllic, and i'll probably be getting general critique from the mirror and my bf will upload like wednesday

@whymrwho thank you!!!!!

I've finished the 21 days! every morning i painted an hour. the last study i was working on has ended up being very difficult (below) and i will probably push on it until i at least get the canvas covered, maybe at 5 hours

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this shows how far i got each day, with the bottom being the last day!

Hey all ! figured i'd update.

After I finished the challenged I prepared to do a second 21 days of more studies of things i wanted to learn and keep a ball like that rolling. It didn't work out, after the 2nd day, i realized i wasn't learning or studying, just 'doing' which wasn't getting me anywhere

I decided to step back and adjust what I felt i needed. I'm currently studying still an hour each morning (at least) but its much more loose and realative to current projects. this approach has given me much more reserve and fuel to keep at it

I'm currently doing a master study related to a figure-central painting im finishing off. the figure has a similar pose and similar lighting to what i'm looking for.

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its a bourguereau (i think thats how its spelled XD)

i'll post more about the piece im working on later this week and probably past that. the piece is something from an idea ive had sitting since 2015, and i want to create a big observation on it on how style and creativity change over time.

@brohawx thanks + thanks for the ref! having a close up will be helpful
i had no idea he did these in a week each! they seem so delicate and precise. i'll have to try and visit the museum they are hosted at someday!

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starting to lay down basic colors and finish the underdrawing. im seeing that i consistenly like working with tight underdrawings; but, i really hope that doesn't steer me away from this studies' focus! ill have to write down the core for this study and put it on the wall or something! lol

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this is the pose im going to be using in combination with the ambient lighting style and composition as bourguereau's.

i will probably be putting up design thumbs for critique soon!

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progress on this. don't have much to say other than its tough. i've been very begrudging with it, but im pushing to stay determined

@cedricgo thanks so much for your comment. As good as studying has been going, its still tough now and then to get up and push everyday. Reading this helped me out with that!

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The render is going strong so far! I'm having a gnarly time trying to lay down the shapes of the tummy. I've been recently working with the philosophy that problems, no matter the complexity, can have simple solutions. I'm trying to lay down the critical, simple brushstrokes of the stomach.

Otherwise, the only thing I see is my colors muddying up from rendering. I could filter it of course, but where's the fun in that!

Finished the study! I did not go for the full render; but, I feel I did stop at a solid place. I will let this sit for now

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Also beginning the illustration I studied in the first place for!

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To break this down:

• Piece is about anxiety and fear pulling the life out of the body and manifesting it into a physical mass.
• S curved composition, I used tall grasses to counter the weight of the cloth/goop leaning left
• I'm using toned reds/oranges/blue so far

I have the piece at a branch. I was thinking of using classical cloth for the "dark mass" but 1) not great at rendering cloth and 2) Its not very striking. I have a second option to use a flowing, goopy mass which conveys the idea better. I'm leaning towards goop; but, I'm hoping to get a second opinion

(Goop is the right)

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menacing orb snuck into my study! i really like drawing creepy dripping orbs in my spare time

this is some work im doing to accompany artschool's perspective 2. i like to push the lessons and find my personal weak points. the study itself is done, but i may render it in my spare time and see how my values are looking!

@shia thanks so much! i try to be out of the box as much as possible

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update on this, I've pushed it a bit more. I really like the vibe and composition, so I may render it enough to label a piece, or portfolio item

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Major update on this piece! It has been going really well as of late. I've had a tough time with the right palette and tones, but I think I have something good down. Most importantly, I can feel the depth of the body, something I was really pushing for!

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Also began an assignment for Terrm 2 Perspective. Its going well. I'm looking to add giant pillars and detail. I based my design off of the ancient ruins at/of Karnak :))))))))

Wow! Can't believe its been since august since uploading. I evacuated from my city for Hurricane Florence, and have been away from my beautiful painting supplies for 2 weeks! O the pain!

Just before leaving, I did however finish this

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I'm quite happy with it. It well exasperates my current skill (fresh meat to pry apart and learn from lol) Most of what I'm missing is depth, probably through color and space.