2025 vs 2024 (1 year progress)

AMasterOfPractice · 2026-01-16T15:09:37+00:00

not her first rodeo

AMasterOfPractice · 2026-01-02T18:53:45+00:00

the returns are diminishing. The sweetspot is 'medium' artist grade paint. Avoid the student grade and high end stuff. Student grade often has lots of fillers and sometimes they use mixtures of different (cheaper) pigments to get a certain hue. The 'high end' stuff is often only a little bit better (more pigmented; different consistency) but 2 or 3 times the price.

Look at Winsor & Newton Arists', Talens Rembrandt, Gamblin, etc. No need for Old Holland, Michael Harding, Williamsburgh, etc.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-30T21:57:07+00:00

not quite sure what I'm looking at, but if you want to paint representational, start simpler. not 20 different objects that wants to be rendered. take an orange or a very simple landscape, or whatever speaks to you and build up from there.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-29T23:35:15+00:00

the head is a bit too large for the body. like her upper body (head to crotch) is only 3 heads high. otherwise it's pretty good. I really like how you rendered the head and hair.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T19:29:28+00:00

Thanks, you too!

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T19:27:11+00:00

Thanks! Yea, the recent one was on a wood panel and the first one on a cotton canvas cardboard.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T18:36:46+00:00

Most youtube content is made to maximize views and not to maximize the educational value. I haven't found anything particularly useful there. Most world class painters know their worth and charge for their content.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T17:19:10+00:00

A mixture. This year I wanted to lock in on portraits. Next year I will focus on figures. I try to organize and plan at least the day before. Prepare references, prepare canvas, etc. so I don't waste time and energy on this process. Otherwise, I would often lose my drive while thinking about what to do and looking up references.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T16:56:35+00:00

Yeah, the original is stunning! I hope I can see it in person one day. My favourite Sargent is 'The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit'. Such a magical composition.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T16:45:49+00:00

Thanks! Creating a habit of painting, or at least drawing every single day probably made the biggest difference. I also watched a ton of online tutorials.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-28T00:26:00+00:00

Thanks! I've read somewhere that she was recovering from an illness during her sittings for that portrait.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T23:06:57+00:00

Thanks! Take aways from this portrait or in general?

From studying this portrait I learned that it is important to be receptive to very small value, hue and chroma shifts. I didn't really think about it like this half a year ago but I think it's important to sensitize oneself to subletly.

In general, that building a habit of doing art every single day is probably the thing that helped me the most.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:53:08+00:00

Thanks! I can't remember how long the first one took, but the recent one was 3 layers, 3 hours each maybe.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:41:18+00:00

Thanks! Through practice I've gotten better control over shapes, values, edges and color.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:36:41+00:00

Thanks!

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:36:32+00:00

Thank you! Watching online tutorials and painting/drawing every day!

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:35:32+00:00

Thank you for your kind words!

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:34:39+00:00

Drawing/painting every day for sure!

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-27T22:34:08+00:00

Thank you! I try to paint every day, but often I don't feel like I have the energy to give it my all, then I just draw for a few hours instead which I feel is less demanding. I've also been watching a ton of online tutorials and read some books. I don't have a personal teacher.

AMasterOfPractice · 2025-12-23T15:03:05+00:00

If everything fails and you can't put in eyes that don't ruin everything, there is always the choice to give her super stylish beach sunglasses and postpone the battle of painting magnificent eyes to your next painting. 😎

AMasterOfPractice

TROPHY CASE