[Jimmie Arroyo]

Hi, before you look at the pic, keep in mind, this is my first oil, ever. I found an oil painting class in Ridgewood, NJ on Monday nights. I took it because I really want to learn, and this is the first class to ever fit in my schedule. The teacher's name is Basil Baylin, portrait painter, very nice guy. Too nice. His critiques are always followed by a good compliment. He tells me I should have no problem picking up oils.

I did this piece in two hours, more than a half hour just trying to get a somewhat decent likeness using a brush. I'm so used to pencils that the brushes were driving me nuts. It's on 8x10" linen, oil primed, and I put a wash of burnt umber before starting. My main objective was to get the feel of the brushes and get familiar with brush strokes, so I did'nt even want to get involved with color other than umber and white. I am horrible with color anyway, but have started a color chart on canvas for future reference.

After taking a while getting the likeness, I blocked in shapes and tried studying the values on the model. I did'nt have a good view becuase all the good spots were taken. The whole thing was a struggle, but I enjoyed the experience greatly.

I understand there are many things wrong with this, but I'd appreciate critiques. Don't care how insensitive they may sound, I really need to learn.