Skele guitar body is ready to go. I've worked on lightening it up overall and making the texture a bit more gritty...as a pirate guitar should be. Once fully dry and varnished, Rick will assemble the custom built neck, electronics, and decorative pieces.
I just finished this portrait of four sisters. This portrait was commissioned as a surprise gift from family members. So the it ended up being a tough one because it was done completely from photographs and I have never met the women being painted. I usually like to work at least in part from life. Photographs just don't do justice to real life. I know there are a lot of artists out there who comfortably work entirely from photographs and it's typical that they never meet their subjects.
I'm currently collaborating with my husband, Rick Toone, on his new "Skele" guitar design. He designs and builds original, custom instruments. This one is a very unusual adaptation of a Telecaster shape. Check out the details at RICK TOONE | LUTHIER: Interchangeable Guitar & Bass Bodies
Here's another Kyle update. I'm really trying to loosen up a bit on this painting and have fun with color. I've done some more work on his face, although it's not quite where I want it to go, yet. Kyle has very fair skin with some rosy patches that I would love to accentuate. At this point, I think his skin is looking too dark.
I've gone through a couple different background colors, until I decided on this one. The first one was a white background with various shades of violet and ochre. I liked the color vibration that it created, but the end effect was too "pastel" for Kyle's personality. He is a strong and determined Taurus. I think the darker blue-green is much more fitting. I am also hoping the the color contrast will help bring out the red of his cheeks and lips as I lighten his skin tone.
So, I got a call from my 14 year old nephew a couple weeks ago. Had a great hour long conversation. He filled me in on the good and bad of high school, things he's been excited about and involved in, the girl-friend status, family drama, etc. It was great to have a conversation where I forgot I was talking to my nephew and instead I was just talking to a friend.
Then he says, "Aunt Tricia, I was checking out your website the other day and I couldn't help but notice that...I'm not on it."
I took that as a "subtle" hint.
I drove down to the shore to visit, get some sketches, photos, and a color study. He very patiently sat for me while he baby-sat his brothers and sisters. Somehow, we managed to get a pretty good drawing despite three year old Jeremy determined to get hold of my charcoal and Power Rangers blaring on the television. (I do recommend to anyone drawing from a live model...no matter how determined and focused the model, the TV is irresistible and they will turn their head every 5 seconds)
Anyway, here he is... a work in progress.
This is the charcoal drawing that has been inked in. Notice the faint remnants of a few failed drawings, especially the huge ghost head. For some reason, I naturally draw huge. (The canvas is 24" x 30") I have to really work hard to shrink my drawings down.
The underpainting.
In this image, I've began to rough in the background and build up the right side of the face.
To be continued...
