Finito Pt. 2 and The Next Painting

I couldn’t leave well enough alone...because "well enough" just isn't good enough for me. So, I let the painting sit for a week and I retooled John's face, which was the only part about this painting that didn't please me. Now I think I can actually let it rest and put the varnish on top.

My next painting is one I sketched out on canvas about 13 years ago. Yup...13 years ago. I can either complain about how slow I am or be happy that I am finally getting to it (i'll choose the latter!). This will be one of the towers of the West Baden Springs Hotel.



You can see photos of this historic resort on my West Baden webpage.

It sure feels good to be painting again. For more Daveland art, visit my main website

Finito

After a marathon session that began early this morning, I can now say that I am finished on this painting. I am very pleased with how Lana turned out; I am liking John G. better than I did last night, but still can’t say that I really nailed it on his likeness. His face has gotten to a point that it is just about overworked, so the brush is down and this one has gone up on my virtual art gallery for sale. I am also including some closeups of the painting. What’s next? I will throw in what I hope will be a "quick" architectural painting before I do one of Audrey Hepburn.





For more Daveland art, visit my main website.

Frustration

I spent all day (literally...all day) yesterday reworking and trying to finish this painting. I am really happy with all...except for John Garfield. He is just not coming together. Hopefully a night's sleep and a fresh perspective this morning will help me finish it.

For more Daveland art, visit my main website.

Final Tweaks

More touch-ups last night, and some more work on the background. I feel like the painting is finally coming together. Another few hours should allow me to call this one "finished." It’s about time!

For more Daveland art, visit my main website.

Almost done...

I COULD say that I’m done, but I know the best thing to do is to let it sit for a few days and then go back for some final changes. I can already see some problems that need to be fixed, especially dealing with the background (which I'm not totally happy about yet) and Lana's art. Stay tuned.

For more Daveland art, visit my main website.

Shades of Gray

The things I love about acrylics is that they dry quickly, meaning I can paint for long periods of time.

The thing I DON’T love about acrylics is that they dry quickly. When doing blending, I have to work fast before the paint dries and get all the shading done as fast as possible. Otherwise, I have to mix the colors and do my best to match what has already dried. It’s a pain, and pretty much a "get it right the first time" proposition. So, the work continues...

For more Daveland art, visit my main website.

Twice in one day

Another update; I worked on John's eye, but i’ve stared at it so long that it’s difficult to actually see if it’s any better or not. A day away from it always helps.

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More progress with Lana & John

I’m starting to get more excited about this painting as it nears the finish; still, there’s a little bit of wonky-eye going on with John Garfield that I need to fix. Since the original photo source I am using is a little on the hazy side, details are slightly hard to see. Might take a little work to get it right.

See more Daveland art at my main website.

More Garfield...

Two nights in a row painting...hard to believe. Hopefully tonight will make three!

See more Daveland at my main website.

Working on John Garfield

Did a little work on John Garfield last night; for the most part was happy with the results, and shouldn’t take too much to finish up his face to where I can be happy with it.

See more Daveland art at my main website.

Final Evil Queen & Lana

This one took a lot longer than I thought it would. Typically I use colored Prismacolor pencils to sketch my paintings out before I put paint on the canvas. Especially on this one, the red pencil I used bled through on the lighter colors. And bled. And bled. No matter how many layers of paint I put on (which is against my nature as I typically like a nice flat surface!), the red pencil showed through. About ready to give up, I decided to put a matte sealer over the offending areas; sure enough, it lessened the bleeding. You can still see some pink tint from the pencil, but at least the old gal doesn’t look like she has rosacea anymore!

Here is an updated photo of my Lana Turner painting; finally started on John Garfield:



See more Daveland art at my main website.

The Postman Always Rings Twice, Pt. 4

This painting has dragged on for almost a year now. Partially because of my crazy schedule, and partially because I haven't really had a solid direction. I don't like to simply repaint what is already in a photograph; I like to add a little something extra to be able to put my own "creative" stamp on it. In doing the background, I became even more disinterested until I decided to go with a deco/Tamara Lempicka-style background. I still have a ways to go, but at least I have more interest in completing this now! See more of my art at my website.

The Postman Always Rings Twice, Pt. 3

After a way-too-long break of 7 months, I figured it was time to start the New Year right by painting again. With “Hairspray” and “Dreamgirls” playing in the background on Blu-ray, I started working on Lana’s face again. The nose area isn’t quite right, but it will be fixed soon. Sooner than another 7 months I hope! See more of my art at my website.

The Postman Always Rings Twice, Pt. 2

The first globs of paint have finally hit the canvas. Hopefully my creative block has ceased! As always, it begins with the eyes. To see more of my art, visit my regular my website.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

After a little hiatus, I am back to the canvas again. Thanks to the generosity of Lana Turner’s daughter, Cheryl Crane, I am painting a way cool shot of Lana and John Garfield from the classic MGM film noir, “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” The photo was published in her beautiful tribute to her mother, LANA: The Memories, the Myths, the Movies. I highly recommend this book if you are an admirer of Lana Turner’s. See more of my art at my website.