Mustache

Soooo, a couple hours after finishing the max painting i decided something was off so I tried another portrait. This time I kept zoomed out, used a big brush and avoided using the undo button. I treated it more like traditional painting and the restrictions actually improved the piece. Even though its not super accurate to the original reference image, I was able to complete the study much quicker since I wasn't focused on small details (cause i couldn't with the big brush). Also last few portraits I did I've been basically copying 1 for 1, even using light tracing and colour picking directly from the image. This practise is not terrible since I'm practising the muscle memory and physical skills of drawing/painting. But it heavily limits growth since I'm not making creative decisions to abstract represent what I see with a mark instead of just copying directly what I see It also has the downside of making the artwork look bad if even a small detail is wonky, like a slightly too big eye. Instead when the piece is more "sculpted" then the whole piece could be askew but it still coherent and reads well. Looking at this piece, some of the proportions are a bit off, and that improvement will come with experience, but because I used bigger brushstrokes to build a coherent composition, the piece is far more appealing.

I'm really enjoying this obsession I've got with painting right now, and the social media is adding to that motivation. This instagram page is also acting as a journal for me to record my progress as an artist and its going really well so far!

I'm open to all critique and advice (as long as it's not too mean), and you can see the timelapse for a glimpse into my process. So if you notice any weird things in my process or things lacking, feel free to comment/dm your ideas!!