Art Lotto Portrait #2

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     Aprox. 24"x 25" Graphite and Carbon Pencil on Rives BFK paper.

This double portrait was for the 2nd Annual, Harrisonburg, VA Art Lotto exhibition.  This year I drew the names of photographers Katie Shmid and Amelia Eliza Shmid of the Pinwheel Collective.

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I had a rough idea for the composition before I took photo references of them together, but as usual, the photo session actually directed the composition to its final arrangement.  In this case, I combined a separate shot of each of them to emphasize their juxtaposed moods and reflected personalities.  Obviously, the candid shots are usually the moments that reveal people's truest selves and are the most sought after in portraits; the shots when subjects stop thinking about "posing".  The image of Katie laughing at my lack of directing ability spawned the idea of pushing their contrasting moods.

Fun, little 9"x 12" commissioned oil painting I completed last month.  The cabin is somewhere in the mountains near Mathias, WV.  I went up and photographed the cabin one evening right before the sun began to set.  There were no sheep or mountains in the background, so I added those at the request of the client.  Good to do a landscape again.  I haven't painted one in a while.  A great exercise in loosening up and letting go, letting the organic nature of the shapes take away some of the control.  Feels great using bigger brushes for a change as well.

Art Lotto Portrait

A blog post is well over due so I'll try to include some back payments in the coming weeks.  Things happen in life and suddenly you run out of time.  Also, sometimes you just can't post certain work.  

Heres a portrait of fellow artist, Kurt Rosenberger, I did for a collaborative "Art Lotto" in which 40 odd artists from the community and abroad drew names out of an old Bingo ball tumbler.  The artist drawing a name then created a portrait in his or her selected medium of the artist they randomly drew to be revealed in a joint show three months down the road.  Everyone created one portrait and had a portrait created of them.  The beautiful brain child of Brandy Somers and Denise Kanter Allen. 

I was lucky to draw my good buddy Kurt's name.  Props to his patience and shoulder endurance while photographing him for this 9"x 14" oil painting.

Brandy and Kyle's Art Show Flyer

 This is a last minute drawing I designed for my friend's camera centric art show flyer.

Killer Queen

 
Here's a sneak peak at some art I'm working on for a collaboration with an SF based design firm.  This is the partially rendered value component in graphite.  There will be additional component surprises added very soon! 

The Folklorist

 

The first version of this oil on masonite was completed at the beginning of my studies.  Those of you who've seen the original know that this is a MASSIVE REWORK without actually "starting over".  Sometimes you just have to white out 75% of your painting to get it right.  Enjoy!

Train Hopping

Sorry for the big delay in posts.  I've been trying to finesse some old works and get a web site together all while packing.  Here's the latest rework of one of my Hobo Journey series.  Oil on board.  Also, be sure to check out the new site and let me know what you think! 

ToddKentonYoder.com

Thesis Work

Here are a handful of oil paintings for the picture book I'm working on.  Most are roughly 17"x 20" ish...

 Graphite drawing on gessoed masonite.























The scene above is a good example of where these paintings reach a pivotal decision making point.  Where, and how much opaque paint to utilize on top of this more or less finished wash layer/ drawing.

Good example of illustration problem solving;  "what we have here... is a failure to communicate."  In my underdrawing, the arm on the right hand figure wasn't reading and neither was the baby grand piano in the back...which I bought in Chinatown for this very scene.  Also, the gesture of the figure on the far left was too similar to the one of the far right.   Sooo...

 


...I repainted a large portion of the piece after the first few layers were down, adding a pipe to the left figure and changing the gesture of the right foreground's hand.  The piano Christmas ornament I used for reference was a waste, but I like it better now.  And I learned from it!  Even if I did waste hours on Ebay searching for doll furniture.



Riding the rails over the great Mississippi.

Sensing a musical element yet?

The most fun I've had drawing in a while.

 Nearly at the level of some of the more refined pieces in the book.  Still, a fun two page landscape of the book.
More later!

Older Thesis Tests

A bit of my process on these thesis tests; from drawing to final painting.  My first attempts at painting using only oil lift out methods...along with some collage work for added interest.

Another with pages from a 40's Popular Mechanics.

Oldies but Goodies

Commissioned graphite portrait of LaMonte Young from my first year in grad school.

Head drawing portrait from first semester.  I waited till the night before it was due... I've since learned not to do this.

From second semester, sea turtle study in watercolor to be used as...

...this character.  Also watercolor.

Rooster character for a children's book class illustration of the Musicians of Brementown.  Watercolor, oil lift out, and prisma pencil on sealed watercolor paper.

The other three protagonists.

Another watercolor for children's book class during my second year.

Another oil lift out on top of collage for mixed media class my second year.

More Oldies but Goodies

I thought I would post some of my older foundation oil paintings from the first year of grad school.  These are under the tutelage of Zhaoming Wu.  Both from his portrait painting and figure painting courses.  They're in chronological order during the second year of study, 2008.

One of my friends allowed me to crash at their flat during the move out of Academy housing.

One of the new housemates after the move.

Short workshop study that would later inspire my thesis project approach.

Final homework assignment for Zhaoming.

Stage One: Underdrawing and first temperature and color lay in.

STAGE TWO: Primary focal point render and more color on figure.

FINISH: After filling in background, warms and fleshtones to unify.

24" x 36"

Landscapes

Thought I would post some older landscapes from Dean Larson's Class.  Thanks so much Dean!

Overpass in Golden Gate Park.  Oil. 8"x10"

Somewhere in the mountains here in C.A.  I forget where I took the picture.  Oil.  8"x 10"

Bird Rock.  The white is from all the perching...
Oil.  8" x 10".