Figure Version 5.0

100 Day Project Day 18

Feeling a bit wordless as I’ve already written a post over on Substack today.

Paint wise, today I have been working on two things. The first is the contiuning saga (in my head) of an oil painting I am doing for a Let’s Face It class. It’s an interesting one because I really like the class, and I like the painting that’s the idea behind the class, it’s just not my style of painting or subject. I’m also overthinking the process a lot, so I keep avoiding it.

Today I got out of my own way, and did some more work on it. Not a lot of work, maybe twenty minutes, and got it to another stage. I am liking it a little more.

The unexpected bonuses of this procrastination and slow progress is that I end up with paint on my palette that I then decide to use up in a loose, free way. The other day I came up with the skull painting that’s just fun, and today I painted another version of the figure pose I am currently obsessed with.

Here’s a collage of the four sketches I have done so far, two have appeared here, and two were done in my fineliner sketchbook last night. You can’t see all of each sketch, but you get the idea.

I was musing on that Substack post about this exercise too, and the fact that I wanted to nail the proportions, and especially the legs, so I’m really pleased with what I came up with today:

I think it’s hilarious and weird that the one I like best is the one I did in oil paint, because I keep telling myself I can’t paint in oils. I’m starting to succeed in shutting that voice down, just with keeping doing the thing. So if there’s anything to take from this post, take away the idea that anything you think you can’t do is probably a thing you should do, even if you do it badly for a while.

I didn’t invent the wheel, so I’m stating the obvious there.

A good art day today, with the added bonus that I didn’t flood anything.

As far as I know.

Til the morn,

Suzanne