Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Colored Pencil Portrait Class – Work in Progress #4

Souzi 022512

Souzi”, Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

Our Saturday colored pencil portrait class is moving right along! We worked on Souzi's nose and mouth last week. We are still working on skin tones all around her face. Colored pencil teaches patience! I am looking forward to adding her hair.

Happy coloring!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Portrait Drawing Class – Work in Progress #3

Souzi 022412

Souzi”, Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

We have been busy drawing Souzi in our Friday portrait drawing class.  She is getting close to being complete.  This coming Friday we will finish her hair and put in her eyelashes.  Then, the week following we will do any touch up work before finishing her.  I know I have a lot of endings and roundings to complete on her face before I will be satisfied.

Happy drawing!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Canvas Uncorked – March 2012

 

Canvas Uncorked

Copyright 2012, Dedra Morgan

 

Have you always wanted to paint a picture but didn't know where to start? Join friends and peers at the Art Center on March 16th for a night of fun while you follow Dedra Morgan and Valerie Jones in a structured lesson on painting a daffodil grouping. You will be given ...step by step instructions on how to paint your canvas, and you will leave the evening of fun and fellowship with a finished work of art you can display with pride.


Cost for the evening is $35 and includes supplies to finish a complete canvas in acrylic. Appetizers, wine or punch will be offered free of charge.

You may hold your place one of two ways: Pay and Register online here:
http://www.valeriejonesart.com/art/canvas-uncorked/

Or call or email and reserve your place with either Dedra or Valerie.

Dedra Morgan (918.285.0660) (dlm2nd@gmail.com)
or Valerie Jones (918.335.8318) (valeriejonesart@gmail.com)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Classical Drawing

Attending class at The Ryder Studio is like reading a good book you can’t put down. It becomes part of who you are. You will not return home the same person. Your heart will ache to go back to the studio to learn more.


Valerie Jones 021212aAlex”, Work in Progress


Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones



I recently attended a workshop taught by Daryl Reimer at the Bartlesville Art Association. Daryl has attended The Ryder Studio for several years. He taught us the same classical method to drawing that Anthony Ryder taught us when I attended the studio last summer. The workshop re-awakened the fire inside me to learn all I can about drawing and painting as the masters did.


In preparation to attending The Ryder Studio again this summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I am offering a class this spring teaching the same method. I will give more details about this class in a week or two.


Happy drawing!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Colored Pencil Portrait Class – Work in Progress #3

Souzi 020412

Souzi”, Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

 

Last week in class we worked on building up the skin tones on the ear.  We learned about how light affects how we use our pencil in the layering process.   As the form curves into the light, the lighter pressure we use on the pencil.  As the form curves into the shadow, the more pressure we apply.  We don’t grind our color into the shadow but rather apply several light layers.

Souzi's EarSouzi’s Ear

 

We ended up using 21 layers of color in the darkest areas of the ear.  Isn’t that amazing?!?

During our next class we will either work on skin tones on the cheeks, forehead, and chin or we will work on the nose and mouth.

Happy coloring!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Portrait Drawing Class – Work in Progress #2

Souzi 020312Souzi”, Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

 

We got a lot done in drawing class today!  We worked on Souzi’s mouth and her ear.  It was fun to draw the pathways in her lips. 

We don’t have class next Friday due to an extensive portrait drawing workshop by Daryl Reimer at the Bartlesville Art Association.

Next class, February 17th…we will follow all the wonderful pathways of the face and create the skin tones of the cheeks, chin, and forehead.

Happy drawing!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Portrait Drawing Class – Work in Progress #1

Souzi 020212Souzi”, Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

 

I am so excited for our Friday drawing class to get here!  We are working on Souzi in graphite.  She looks a little bit like a reverse raccoon at the moment!  But just you wait….She’ll be a beauty before too much longer.

Hmmm….what should we work with next?  I am thinking we will work on the lips and the ear this Friday.

We haven’t put in her eyelashes.  I am going to wait until the end to put those in.  I want the skin tones just right before adding those jewels.  I will also wait until the end to put the little wisps of hair around her head.

For this drawing, we added the hair first.  I usually don’t do that, but her hair is soooo dark.  I didn’t want us taking a lot of important class time adjusting skin tones.  When a person has dark hair, it is easy to go too light on the skin tones in the beginning.

Happy drawing!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Colored Pencil Portrait Class – Work in Progress #2

Souzi 020112

Souzi” – Work in Progress

Copyright 2012, Valerie Jones

 

We were having so much fun in class on Saturday that before we knew it, class time was over.  No one wanted to stop working.

I showed the class how to create eyes.  Eyes really bring a painting to life.  The eyes are where the soul of a person lies. 

Souzi’s eyes are dark, so dark that you can hardly see the pupil.  What make the eyes shine is leaving the white of the paper for the highlight.  If you get the highlight too small, it is extremely difficult to get it back.  So, draw the highlight larger than it really is.  You can always make it smaller later.

The whites of the eyes are never white, so we added some color with Prismacolor French Grey 10%, Warm Grey 20%, Cloud Blue, and Periwinkle.  Why the blues?  The shirt Souzi wore to pose in has blue in it.  The blue was reflecting in the whites of the eyes.

Souzi-020112-Eyes-bwEyes, black & white

I wanted to make sure I was getting the correct value of color in the skin tones around the eyes.  I converted the color image to black & white and compared it to a black & white image of the original.

Souzy-Day-7(2)-Eyes-bw

Original Photo

I can see that in the darkest shadow in the creases, I hit the mark.  I also see some areas that need adjusting.    I will re-work these areas by adding more dark colors.  I am leaving the eyelashes out until the values around the eyes are correct.

I am so looking forward to class again on Saturday!  We will work on the eyebrows and nose.