Unfinished painting

[Pennylee]

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f195/Pennylee33/ancientgreekjpgMedium.jpg


This is an unfinished painting from an old print of an Ancient Greek doctor and his apprentice. For some reason they
are dressed as Ancient Persians. The drawing is out of proportion, from body to legs, and there is plenty of
bad perspective, but I like the old print. The doctor is showing his apprentice the properties of the mandrake root.
He will eventually have lots of hard to do stripes on his robe and they will have some intricate patterns on their
turbans and scarves. What seemed like a simple picture has turned out to be quite intricate and even difficult.

[DandyLioness]

Sorry Pennylee, I'm just not too bright at times. Is this something that YOU'RE painting?

Colour me confused. :unsure:

[Pennylee]

Yep - copying from an old print about medicine.

I thought I would try a before and after thingy - you know, present the
struggle to get started and then try and improve it enough to be
more interesting. Of course, this might work backwards:blush:

(I have several failed paintings round the house - one in the loo
of a quite unbelievable waterfall, which seemed to be the only place for it.)

[DandyLioness]

Well that's pretty nifty! I get what you mean, now. It's kind of like, when I was determined to make my own Tarot cards... but after 4 of them.. I called it quits! :lol: I'm sure you'll do fine.

Here's my attempt...

833

[boo]

Very nice you guys. :) Penny that is very funny about the waterfall in the loo. :)

There is a digital photographer that just won an international award with her digitally enhanced photos. Reminded me of your proportion remark about your painting because all her subjects have large heads.

Do you find painting to be soothing? I could never get a handle on it so I just found it frustrating.

Dandy I love your tarot cards. Little disappointed you didn't finish death.

[Dave McCormick]

Very nice. I like painting. Lets you unwind and fee free.

[Pennylee]

Gosh these tarot pictures are really colourful. I think you should carry on
with them.

I find the same thing happens to me with both knitting and painting. I see
someone else's pattern/picture beginning to take shape and I wish I was doing that instead of the one I started!

[natalie]

That's really nice penny. A before and after picture is always cool. Can't wait to see it done! I wish I was better with a paintbrush, I never like how my paintings look, can't control the color as well as I do with a pencil, so I just tend to stay in my comfort zone. :rolleyes:
Maybe redoing another painting, like you're doing here would be a good idea... Anyway, good luck with it, hope it turns out great! You have a really good start to it!

[Pennylee]

I was hoping to present the picture with a lot more done to it, but
I have about a dozen mistakes still to correct and I was "off" painting for
a while, feeling lethargic and tired, but I seem to have wakened up.

Keep changing the skin tones and the hands; have widened the pillars;
am going to make the seat the old man is sitting in a different shape, so
he can authentically fit his rear end on to it; have had to move the young
man's eyes nearer his nose. That is just some of it. With the old
picture being painted in a rather naive way, anyway, it will never look
quite right! But I am starting to enjoy it again.

[jennie]

Great work you guys!
I can't paint or draw to save my patootie!:lol:
Give me a rubber stamp or a stencil and I'm all set!:lol:

[Pennylee]

The painting is still taking longer than usual to finish, due to some lack of
energy, but I am getting on a little better now.
Lots of decorations still to do and still corrections of faces, etc., but I have
started to be a little more interested.
I have decided that plain old landscapes are a lot easier if you are inclined to
make mistakes !

[Garden Bear]

Pennylee..... I really like your painting its some thing I would be proud to hang in my hall so every one could see it keep up the good work


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Garden Bear

[grindle]

Missed this first time round, you're making good progress with it Penny:)

[erdine]

you are one talented lady. can you show us more? I love seeing other's art.

[Pennylee]

Thanks for kind words, which are truly appreciated. I was thrilled to bits
when someone standing behind me identified the area of the beach -
but the next minute my tutor was telling me to enlarge the cliff and change
the slope of the beach, so there is no time ever to get a swelled head in
an art class !

This painting looks disappointingly insipid when reproduced by a photo. I
need to add some colour. Sigh. But it is all quite enjoyable, really.

[Ginny42]

I love the seascape! The colors look very nice to me.:unsure::grin:

[Pennylee]

The Greek Doctors painting has gone in for framing. I always rely on
frames to give a bit of extra something !

I've had to rush to finish it and also my beach painting. When I wasn't very
well, feeling sleepy just about all day, I could not get the energy to tackle
the hard bits.

I must say I find it hard to take photos on a mobile phone and not include
various things round the room, like work clothes draped across a chair and
stains on the floor, but anyway it is good fun getting such instant reaction
from a digital camera of any size, isn't it?

[natalie]

Penny, that is really beautiful! I wish I could paint better, but whenever I try, I just don't like it as much as drawing, it just doesn't turn out as well, and detail is sooo much harder for me to get right with a brush for some reason. There was one I did a long time ago of an iris and I blurred it with white paint in the end and it had turned out gorgeous, loved it....but I sold it and never got a picture of it......now I wish I had, as it's the only painting I was ever proud of:lol:

You'll have to get a photo of your doctors when they're all framed up!

[Pennylee]

My tutor has pointed out quite rightly that the beach picture needs a lot more
people on the beach to fill in the overlarge foreground of sand. :mad: But yes
I have to do it.Also, darken the waves. :mad:
I finished the other picture anyway and framed it, when his back was turned.
In real life, it is not quite so fuzzy as the mobile phone camera makes out.

[Garden Bear]

Pennylee it turned out great you should be very proud of your self it really looks good in its frame

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Garden Bear

[erdine]

it's wonderful Pennylee. sure wish I had your talent.

[natalie]

OH, it turned out great!

[Pennylee]

I have terrible trouble taking photos that are square on, without shadows,
etc. I plonked the pictures among the lantanas and nasturtiums and
this is how it came out. The final version of the beach. The waves are
somewhat darker etc etc in the painting, but I have to be satisfied with
the results of the little camera and not make too many excuses.

[natalie]

oo, I really like it Pennylee! I'm too afraid to try water yet.... I've always avoided it. It looks great!


The waves are
somewhat darker etc etc in the painting, but I have to be satisfied with
the results of the little camera and not make too many excuses.


Oh, believe me, if there is anything I understand about putting your artwork up on the computer, scanners and cameras always distort your color to some degree! Nice job!

[Ginny42]

Very nice Pennylee! :grin: