Another Art Study

Before I go crazy in kitty land I decided to do one more oil study for a larger piece I am considering in charcoal.  The name of this piece is Symphony.  I have a coming of age story in mind revolving around a young character named Symphony as well so the two would be in tandem.

I chose a slightly different approach with this piece.  I am using water mixable oils, mostly for convenience purposes as I don't have the facilities for the chemicals/smells involved with traditional oils.  These still are technically oil colors they just have an additional option.  The previous study was done with just water.  The paint was hard for me to manipulate and control.

Then I remembered that I have oil painting mediums that can make my life much easier.  I dug them out a played a little bit. and the results were dramatically different.  I also changed my approach.  I did an acrylic underpainting in umber which still shows through in some places.  This is fine...it's only a study.

I tried to take progress pictures of each step.  First there's the drawing.  Some argue that pencil should not be used, perhaps charcoal or even paint but not pencil.  I don't know their rationale for that and when I studied with a portrait painter in my youth I did everything in charcoal but these are tiny.  I'll worry about archival issues when they arise.

The second step was the acrylic underpainting to help me establish the lights and darks.  The third step is when white is added to the piece.  I was taught to fill in the the piece with the middle tone and background first but this was tiny so I figured altering my usual approach couldn't hurt.

The fourth piece shows the final results.  It's much smoother and more refined than the other piece as the oil painting medium gave me more control.  Obviously I deviated a bit from the sketch but I have to do what "moves" me.  It's only a study, after all so might as well play!

Switching Gears...

This is an oil painting study I worked on last night.  It is on canvas and is ACEO size (2.5" x 3.5").  Pretty darn small.  I can't seem to get as much detail with oils as I can with watercolor  and ink but I'm happy with the results .  I made some changes when I got home from work that I am happier with.

It is only a study and not a finished piece after all. I am NOT an oil painter.  I prefer mixed media working primarily with charcoal, watercolor and gouache so this is a serious deviation for me.  I really just felt like messing with the oils last night though.  I personally do not want a refined look to my art any more these days.  I think I did so much of that anal retentive nitpicking in my younger years, I just want to be free and just draw these days.

I have an idea for another painting...I'm going to do several thumbnails today and see what I can get done tonight.  A show is coming up locally in which all of the pieces have to be 12 inches or smaller.  I participated in a similar show last year at the Columbia Museum of Art that opened on my birthday (woohoo!).  This one opens on May 1st and I have to have my pieces sent for approval by April 26th.  I'm cutting it thin but I only have one piece that is ready to hang.  The rest are unframed/matted and I won't be able to get that done before May 1st.  Before leaving home this morning I gessoed a 5" x 5" wood panel so I can be ready to go when I get home.

Fitness wise?  I'm hurting but in a good way.  Apparently I can do my chin-ups with more ease and less rest in between.  2 sets of 5 chin-ups every workout day (including leg day).  By the time I get to the 5th I'm a little beat but hey, progress.  I thought I had accomplished something until my husband kindly reminded me that I wasn't actually doing pull-ups but chin-ups.  Pull-ups, the real ones are a completely different animal.  The difference is in the hand position.  Chin-ups are underhand which uses more biceps and arms while the pull-ups are overhand which puts your back to work a little more.  I managed to hold myself for 5 seconds before I just couldn't any more.  A far cry from the 70 second hold that marine women have to do.  So my new goal is to do real pull-ups and not pull-up lookalikes now.  My next goal for chin-ups is to do them without touching the floor.  Baby steps of course.

New Stats

I achieved a goal I wasn't actively going for.  On the captain's chair, I can now do the leg raises with straight legs instead of bent knees.  My abs have gotten stronger!  They hurt right now as I've been working my abs extra hard yesterday and today but obviously it's been working out.  I did ten of those before fatigue set in.  I'm so happy!  I remember when I could barely hold myself on that thing.  Progress!


Duck walks are the business.  A painful one but no joke.  I've been slacking off on my 125 bodyweight squats a day so I'll get back to it tonight.



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Stat time!


Here are my stats from February 21, 2014:


Height: 5'3
Weight: Fluctuates between 154 and 156...I'll claim 154.
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 30.5 in (down from 31 in.
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (down from 34)
Hips: 41 in. (down from 42)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24.5
Arms: 11.5


It's been almost 2 months exactly.  Here's where I am now:


Height: 5'3
Weight: 148-150
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 26.2
Waist (at belly button): 30 in (down from 30.5 in.)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (no change)
Hips: 41 in. (no change)
Chest: 35 in. (no change)
Thighs: 24.5 (no change)
Arms: 12 (up from 11.5)


Not too much change other than my weight and another half inch off my waist.  Didn't lose a thing off my pooch although it is 32.5 inches when I first wake up in the morning (weird).  I'm working on controlling my water retention.  Amazingly enough taking grains out of my diet (a two week experiment) has seemed to help that.  I've also started drinking two cups of cold water first thing in the morning as well.  It's helped me feel better during my workouts.  I'll have to update how all of this makes me feel overall especially at the end of my two week experiment.  Today makes 1 week no grains.