Sharon made me do it!

[Janel Maples]

Sharon Knettell, you cost me a lot of money by making me feel guilty for not taking the time to paint from life, but after all is said and done.........THANK YOU, because I definitely got more out of this exercise than what my out of pocket expenses were.

See, I was one of those artists who thought I had valid reasons why I didn't paint from life but Sharon's comments, scolding me ( I took them personally) for making excuses and cheating myself, really got to me so I decided to hire a model and make it happen.
And believe me I paid dearly for this portrait because I am slow.

But I really learned a lot by doing it this way. My only other experience with painting from life came from workshops and, while I found them extremely valuable, I was happy to have the model entirely to myself. I also found my concentration level was higher, possibly because I was alone with my model in my studio and not distracted.

Anyway, this is Erin. 20 x 24 oil on canvas painted entirely from life. And what a treat that was.

Thanks for looking and any comments are welcome.

[Mari DeRuntz]

Brava.

It is the most essential experience: the painter in a studio with the model.

Like any human interaction, it's odd and unpredictable, and once you get comfortable with hiring models, the idiosyncracies really do begin.

Trust me, it's worth any temporary suffering, and I look forward to seeing more!

[Cynthia Daniel]

Lovely, Janel!

[Janel Maples]

Thank you Mari and Cynthia.

I will definitely do this again, but hopefully I will get more efficient at this life stuff. I sketched Erin for two weeks before I started on a canvas with paint. Even then, I could have used more time just drawing her, but she was on the clock. I found that initial drawing to be the most time consuming. Once I was comfortable that I had everything in the right spot, then it went faster.

Another artist on the forum posted a painting from life after only three hours. I made the comment that after three hours of drawing my model my portrait didn't have eyes, nose or a mouth. I only had little hash marks on my paper.

There were days that I thought I was wasting my time and money but now I realized how much I was learning about Erin in the process.
During that painfull period (yes, it was painfull at times) I learned a lot about her face and what I wanted in the portrait. For example, it wasn't until after drawing her for days and days that I realized I wanted the portrait to show this little hole between her lips, it was only there when she was very comfortable and relaxed. If she tried too hard to think about her look, her lips were tighter together and she looked posed.

What made me sad was the realization that unfortunately I didn't have that kind of information about the people in the other portraits I painted. Those people paid good money to have me paint them, and I may have missed a hole. That kind of information should have been there and for that I feel badly.

I've attached a photo that I took shortly before I was finished with the painting. She never complained; but by the time this photo was taken, she had to be tired of sitting for me.

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Janel, it turned out great! Your writings remind me of the saying : "no pain, no gain" . It looks like the struggles where worth every minute of the accomplished success.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Janel,

It sounds as though you will be reaping the benefits of this experience (and other ones) for a long time. It really is humbling and exciting and fascinating to work from life. The portrait is a sensitive likeness, well composed and with beautiful vibrant color, but your triumph goes beyond that.

[Sharon Knettell]

This is light years ahead of what you were doing!

Just look at the lovely color and the beautifully transitioned forms.

Believe you me you will always be happy you did this.

I had no irritating busybody to spur me on, however I live an hour away from the Boston Museum. It is chockablock filled with Sargents, Copleys, Sullys, Stuarts; you name it. I could never figure out HOW they got that beautiful life-like color and gorgeous brush work. Outside of talent it had to be their direct work from the model and thorough knowledge of the figurative arts. I was really humbled by their work and annoyed that my work in NO WAY approached what they were able to do in times that were far more difficult than ours.

You made my day!

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Hello Janel,

This is my favorite painting of yours. Hope you'll do more soon.

Good job!

[Marina Dieul]

Beautiful, Janel !
you can be proud of taking the hard way ( the good one )
I'm another victim of Sharon . I worked only from life during spring and summer, it makes a huge difference in my ability to see.

[Janel Maples]

Claudemir and Marina, thank you so much. Marina (fellow victim) I AM proud. Not in a