Summer Update!!

Alriiiighty. I've been ignoring this blog since school ended. I'm going to start updating a bit more frequently now with updates on how my sketchbook is going. I do admit that I've been very lax on my progress on my sketchbook (in my opinion) and I'm doing my best to catch up by painting alot. It's the one thing I'm weak at that I mostly want to work on, along with perspective, of course.

So far I have a couple of portrait studies, like of my dad below, plein air, and still lifes!

(Sorry for the crappy picture! I'll scan it when I get back home.) I started this one when I was playing Skyrim and my dad was sitting across from me (my computer was set up on the dining table for a few days). The sun was setting and where my dad sat, the light and shadows on him were just amazing so I paused my game, told my dad to stay put so I could paint him for 20 minutes.
My dad was facing me with the setting sun to his back. The light was hitting him with a orange highlight on his right while on his left there was a strong reflected light shape from the sky. His face was mostly in shadow, which I probably did not get the color right! I decided to use a simple ultramarine blue and burnt sienna palette to practice my warm and cool sense.
He wanted to pose so he put his hand in front of his mouth, and of course, he was impatient and didn't let me paint the full twenty minutes!
The second portrait was just him watching TV and I was quickly trying to sketch in the colors, this time with the dining table lights on because the sun was minuscule at this point yet still light out. This time the colors switched sides because of the dinner lights.
I definitely still need some work on my neutrals and portrait sketches!