Painting a Face, Oil Paint’s Final Layers | Grace Pennington
New on the blog! See what I’ve been painting in the 5th wheel studio, the final layer of paint on the face, and more.
New on the blog! See what I’ve been painting in the 5th wheel studio, the final layer of paint on the face, and more.
So much has happened in the past year. From John and I buying our 5th wheel to welcoming our first child into the world, I’m overwhelmed with all of these joyous changes. But with these changes has come many adaptions and adjustments. Finding a routine hasn’t been easy and still isn’t underfoot. However, I wouldn’t turn back time for anything.
For my first Mother’s Day this year, John surprised me with a trip to the Shenandoah Mountains. He knew how much I had been aching to go there since I’d been cooped up so much the last several months.
Why Shenandoah? It’s the place that I’ve decided to make the backdrop of my next painting. Why would I start planning this painting before I finished the other one? Because I always like having a project in the works. Since I’m over halfway finished with the current painting, I’d already started thinking about the next one.
I thought it would be nice to share the process from start to finish here on the blog.
My first step is internet research. Did I for sure want the Shenandoah Mountains? Was that the feel I was going for? After browsing the web and reviewing a lot of other locations, it made the mountains feel even more right.
This place isn’t just beautiful, it also has a significant amount of meaning for John and I. We’ve taken so many camping, hiking, and day trips to the area. The drive to and from usually consisted of a stop in Sperryville to grab some of Rudy’s Pizza. (I’m positive it’s the best pizza in the state of Virginia, and perhaps even the USA. I’ll know for sure in a few years once John and I have traveled the states.) The familiar Skyline Drive felt like home away from home for us.
But the place is so huge! Where did I want the location to be? That’s where the second step, the location scouting, comes in. I knew I wanted to have an outlook. I want the layering affect of the mountain range to show the grandeur and vastness of Shenandoah. Sounds all hunky-dory, but there is a serious number of around 82 outlooks on Skyline Drive. Well, gotta start somewhere.
That’s how my little family and I ended up there, the day after Mother’s Day. It was a Monday to be exact, and John’s day off, which made for a convenient day to celebrate.
We started at the Thorton Gap Entrance and worked our way north. Those overlooks weren’t appealing. Before long we turned around.
This was the first overlook that I found interesting enough. There’s a foreground and background. Nice distance. Could give me the opportunity to incorporate a model and sill make for a pleasant composition.
Other things to think about:
- Is there ample space for parking and setting up?
- Will the be an accessible place for the model to stand?
The tree gave a very interesting dimension to the composition. I could use it as a prop for the model or a subject in the distance. The path kind of announces the idea that the overlook has been visited perhaps too many times. In the second photo, I think there’s too much foliage blocking the view for the composition that I’m looking for. It has great places and spaces for a model to stand and for us to setup.
Not interesting enough. Simple. Could be pretty, but I’m looking for something different, unique, and breathtaking.
Why not hike to an outlook or waterfall? I can’t tell you the end of the story before you read the beginning, now, can I? Nopes. That’s for later.
The next group of location scouting will be coming around the corner.
XO,
Grace Pennington
This painting has been unfinished for awhile. Aside from it’s 36 x 48 inches in size which makes for a lengthy process, it’s a painting I work on between other commissions and projects. But I’m itching to get back to it. I’m setting up shop in the 5th wheel before I get to work on this baby.
This is the second layer of paint on the two subjects and the final layer of paint on the background. I will refine the detail of the focal points while blending and smoothing out the brush strokes. There will probably be another two or three layers of paint before the piece is finished. And that belt buckle will definitely require much shininess. Have to love reflective objects.
A little bit about the history behind this painting…. I honestly don’t remember where the idea for this artwork came from. There’s a look and feel that I want for my two subjects. It was to be timeless yet old fashioned. The model is my brother and the pony is horse. I made the shirt myself and was the photography director. My husband did a fabulous job capturing an image that was similar to the impression the painting needed. We did a full out production on this.
And yes, I titled the painting Two Princes. I don’t know why I think of a boy and his horse as two princes, but I guess no matter how plain a mustang pony and his little owner may be, they feel royal to me. Proud. Free. Determined. Loyal. They’re by no means in any place of a royal bloodline, but these characters inside my painting are the majestic rulers of their own world. Sound silly? Perhaps, but I love making simple things into glorious paintings! I can’t wait to finish it, and by then, I hope you see the eminent potential this artwork will show.
XO,
Grace
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A day at Shenandoah National Park and it’s enchanting forest. #earthbeauty (Taken with instagram)
A piece of spring.
