Dear Subscribers,

Greetings!

I continued working on a portrait I started last week during a model session. Here is the finished painting: "Ryan" (12x16)

(Click through the image above to Like it, Pin it, Tweet it.)

New still life this week! Started as a demo for my still-life class.
First stage. Laying in the composition with umber:


Next stage. Switching to knife only at this point. Pumpkin, hooray :


Next stage. This is how far we got by the end of class. Some depth achieved here with warm dark foreground transitioning to cooler misty background. Keeping primary focus on the right by desaturating colors and limiting value range on the left:


Next stage:


Next stage:


And the finished painting, "Kanpai Pumpkin" (9x12):

(Click through the image above to Like it, Pin it, Tweet it. This painting will debut at my Solo Show July 2013 @ STUDIO Gallery in SF)

Cheers! Go for the sake, not the turps.

Started a new figure painting.  This is after a 3-hour session with life model in my studio:

I like the pose and the tattoos will be interesting to finish. More next week.

It's fun sometimes to do a little flashback. If you study art and aspire to turn it into a career, I'd suggest taking photo records along the way and trashing/giving away your work at the same time. This is the ultimate combo. Objective detachment from your work is good. Don't be precious. You're in it for the long haul-- you'll always be able to make something better.  Steady improvement in small increments. Just keep hammering away. 

January 2008, life drawing at The Schuler School:



November 2008, life painting at The Schuler School:



April 2009, life painting at The Schuler School:



March 2010, life painting at The Schuler School:



August 2011, life painting at The Safehouse Atelier night classes:



I've shared this quote before, but it bears repeating. I believe it is the core of what it means to get better at anything:

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
-Calvin Coolidge

Damn that's good.

Until next week,
David A. N. Cheifetz
www.davidcheifetz.com

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