This is a piece created after a Jodi Ohl 'Let's Face It' class. I began by drawing in the basic features using Payne's grey and a large brush. It took me right out of my comfort zone but taught me to give everything a go. Lots and lots of layers later I was pleased with the almost spectral effect. Quote from Peter Pan.

Life Book Week 2 with Micki Wilde

The exercise for this week was to create an Affirmation page using a grey background and neon acrylic. Lots of lifebookers felt uninspired by the colour choices but I'd worked with grey before in a Jodi Ohl class and felt unafraid. I love the moment when sunlight hits water and explodes into shimmering spangles. As we had to think up alternative job titles (and I could think of a few!) I decided on this as a metaphor for bottling up happiness and joy; to be kept for dark days. I so enjoyed using my white Posca pen which REALLY does write over everything, my glitter from Cathy which I keep stroking (30 shades YUM!) and perfect pearls paint. This was such fun!

And point your toes....

My mum.....

I began to think about how much my mum would have loved Life Book. I forget how arty she was and have very early memories of her sitting and painting with me or making toys and dolls clothes.
I decided to dig out an old photo and have a go at a portrait. I always seem to picture her getting ready for parties in floaty 60's trapeze dresses in peach or sugar pink. She had lots of hair pieces and always looked glamorous. And oh how she loved to dance. There was always music in our house....
I had to include 5,6,7,8 as she counted us in and her favourite groan 'point your toes!' I had all the grace of a baby elephant.

Life Book Week 1 Guardian Angel

During my meditation which I managed on the third attempt, (The silence was twice interrupted -once by the cat scratching to come in and once by the cough monster, but I found my fairy lights and a glass of Baileys) my word HOPE came very quickly. There are those close to me who are ill and I want them to get better more than anything.... I find it easy to visualize and the path lead to a hall with a vaulted ceiling painted with angels as in one of my favourite pictures, Night with her Train of Stars. This is a huge piece which I always look at when in Birmingham. It is simply beautiful.

My angel had an aura of irridescent jade like the sea in St Ives on a sunny day. Her eyes were closed in contemplation as she prayed and looked heavenward.
I can not begin to describe how much I loved drawing and painting her. I can see how much I've learnt since I started drawing faces again. Still masses to learn and refine but my confidence is growing.

Julie this one is literally for you. I could feel your inspiration as I painted it.

I am so excited to have joined Tamara Laporte's Lifebook 2014 this year and hope to chronicle my progress here. Thank you Tom and Cathy for such a wonderful Christmas gift. Alexander has purple paws already!
First exercise was a warm up using neocolours, acrylic and metallic oil pastels Yet again I was drawn to my palette of bubble colours..... I was pleased with the effect but disappointed that the shimmer of pearlescent  acrylics and my new glitter doesnt show up on the photograph.

Really need to work on my writing. I want it to look spidery and artistic but it still looks like teacher print!

One of the absolute joys of The Diary of Faces course is the art history opportunities to discover new artists. I am blown away by so much that I have found.... I have put into my Pinterest enough inspiration to keep me painting until I'm 200!
Grigorescu was prolific and I was interested to discover that like Chen, he studied in Paris and was a contemporary of Millet and Corot. Much of his work is quite dark and brooding but I found several that I wanted to attempt too.

My sketch

I left this one as a sketch as I liked the different tonal values.
The background on the painted version was very gloomy and the hair tended to get lost. I looked at some tips about moulding the hair around the head and took longer to layer my pencil strokes and can see a small improvement.
In the original she has an almost secret half smile and I think I've captured that?. The eyes are slightly different sizes in retrospect and the left one needs moving over a fraction.

Grigorescu Head of a Girl

My favourite painting is entitled 'A flower amongst flowers -Miss Millet. It is so pretty and light. I took a photo of the undersketch before I painted it. As I will be applying sheer paint layers to shade, it is really more of an outline,laying down, hopefully proportionately, the main features. I think in the original she is possibly lying down in a meadow and I found it difficult to give that impression.

My undersketch of Miss Millet

I was interested to discover that Grigorescu was in love with Millet's daughter but it 'didn't result in a happy conclusion'. I havent yet found out exactly why?

She's certainly gazing at him in adoring bliss....
Whilst I think I captured the delicacy of her features I like the soft focus feel of the original. I am puzzled as to why her forehead looks so white as it doesnt on the actual painting. A light trick?

Detail Miss Millet

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Nicolae Grigorescue

This was the week two focus for Sharon Tomlinson's lessons. Initially I wasn't especially inspired by the choice of portrait. It is extremely dark and difficult to work out the placement of the headscarf etc.I'm not keen on how the right eye is obscured and it is too impressionistic for my tastes.

Grigorescu Girl in Scarf

But I had a go....... I sketched it first and actually learnt alot from the process. The nose is relatively short , the face and lips full, giving it a youthful feel.
I used artistic licence with the headscarf and the eye! I drew a type of hajib I've seen some of my younger pupils wearing that is easy for them to put on. I think this portrait has good contrasting tones and was more pleased with it than I expected to be!

Grigorescu inspired sketch

I think she appears grumpy rather than pensive.....

I tried to stay with Sharon T's Acrylic version, making myself put away my other mediums as I need to develop my ability to apply glazes and work this way. I produced a
painting of which I was really proud, trying to make more of a scarf but failing miserably with cloth folds!
I liked the head tilt and the features and was pleased with the muted tones chosen, although not as dark and abstract as the original.

My girl in a headscarf