Rolling with the Punches

So now that summer's running full steam ahead, I'm out there in the open with no classes to attend,  no studio sessions to go to, no official super long projects to complete, no models to draw, no models to draw and no models to draw (I know I mentioned it three times!)... I can lose sight of my navigation at times especially when the year has ended. But life will always be filled with surprises, and all it takes is a little adaptation to turn regular everyday mundane situation and turn it into opportunity.  

European Boxing Union welterweight reigning champion Leonard Bundu is training in town because his coach and mentor, Boncinelli, lives here in Florence.  The match will be in London come August 1st.  This reminds me of two things: Chlorine and the Rocky movie series we used to watch at Tae-Kwon-Do camps!! (Wait! Why do I hear John Cafferty's Hearts on Fire? )

It's great seeing people passionate about their thing in life! But enough of reminiscing the past, here are the short poses that I did. You only live once.  Make it awesome!  To Leonard... in boca al lupo!! 

Coach Boncinelli (right) and Leonard before the training begins

 It took a while before I got used to the speed 

Short poses #1 (graphite, full pad)

 Short poses #2 (graphite, full pad)

 Short poses #3 (graphite, full pad)

Short poses #4 (graphite, full pad)

Can't Hurry Curry

I completed my first full still life piece recently in Martinho's Workshop and titled it Can't Hurry Curry. I named it so because making a good curry paste, like painting, takes a while to do. And you sure can't rush through the process! Having said that, I had about 10 days to bring this piece to fruition (a far cry from the Academy's 7 to 10-week duration for the first still life project) - from creating the shadow box to prepping up the individual ingredients, to tracing the drawing onto canvas and finally painting it. Setting up took a little more time then expected as it wasn't as straight forward as I thought it would be.  I had over 10 ingredients on my list (see image A), but had to cut down on the number of items so as to avoid clutter.  I spent the time arranging the items so that the turmeric would be the centre piece enclosed in a triangle so it keeps the eye moving around the canvas. 

The most fun part of it all was painting the mortar and pushing it, so even though it's a solid object, the reflections of the surrounding ingredients look like it's going into deep space. The next thing I enjoyed working on were the red hot chilli peppers (I just had to say that). 

I added a brightly coloured and highly decorated cloth as the background to hold the entire image together. But its other purpose is to also showcase the Peranakan culture and their cuisine that is very unique to South East Asia. 

Who's hungry now? 

image A

close-up of the chillies

behind the scenes

38cm x 50cm

Oil on Canvas

Still Life

The summer workshops have begun!! So I guess it's officially SUMMER!! And this time around, I'm assisting Martinho for Still Life.

These are really addictive to do.  Once you know the technique, it's paint, paint, paint all the way. While working on a large 40cm x 50cm piece, here are some small studies for your viewing pleasure that I did during this past week. In the meantime, you can try to guess what the final piece is.  Hint: These images posted here will give you an idea of what I might be working on ;)

 

(My first ever still-life!!) 

Pomodoro e Aglio
10cm x 15cm, oil on canvas board

The Dragonfruit
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

Mooncakes
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

 Sticky Rice Dumplings/ Zongzi
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

Salmon Sushi
10cm x 15cm, oil on canvas board

Dawn Progression

It's the last day of school before the summer begins.

Here's a step by step on Michelangelo's Dawn (Aurora) colour cast that I have been working on.  These images span approximately 11 weeks.  Yes, it may seem long to be working on this cast, but the slowness allows the technique to seep into the very fibre of my being.  I'll be continuing with this when the Fall term begins, so you'll be updated with the final art work then.

Looking forward to the summer workshops starting next week! :)

Michelangelo's Dawn

( Work in Progress )

Oil on Canvas live

Here are 2 studies I've been working on at the studio with models.  Both of these oil pieces took 3 hours to complete.  When I do these studies, I focus a lot on the drawing stage and then trying to get the right values of colour in.  

Seated male nude, 30cm

Seated female nude, 40cm

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

I've been sketching the Duomo lately.  Also known as The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, it's the grandest building in Florence. If you're within a 500 metres away from it, you can already sense its grandeur.  Standing at about 115m, it dwarves the nearby buildings which then reminds you how small you are. :)  Completed in 1436, this basilica is one of Italy's biggest, and is the dome is the largest ever constructed on this planet. 

20cm x 16cm, gouache study

16cm x 20cm, gouache study

Spinning with DJ Rony

Here's another collective work from the figure drawing sessions.

I put all the final art work taken on the last day of class and created this animated gif. It took each talented artist 36 hours (3 weeks) to create one image. I did the math, if we were to work 24 hours a day for the next 9 years, we would be able to create a 90min full length animated feature.  How 'bout NOoooo, Scott!!! Just a note, the flashes of black you see are works done in charcoal.

Enjoy!

Artists (standing with easels and whose works are used):
Sam Haskell, Dianna Talib, Mischa Tranquilli, Saara Kauhanen, Benjamin Gouttard, Heather Vance, Jeff Wood, Alice Antoniacomi, Jeff Kamangara, Thomas Langeveld, Jessica Wee, Steven Citynskyj, Ricardo Junqueira, Annette Kaplan, Julie Bolinger and Alvin Tan.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you are interested in getting my sketchbook of short poses, Figuring Out - the long and short of it, the link is right here:
https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/figuring-out-the-long-and-short-of-it