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Jessica Libor

~ Studio Journal

Jessica Libor

Tag Archives: artist bios

Happy International Women’s Day! Spotlight on Elisabeth Vigee Labrun

08 Monday Mar 2021

Posted by Jessica Libor in Courses, Inspiration, Teaching

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art, artist, artist bios, elisabeth vigee labrun, emerging artist, female artist, international women's day, jessica libor, women painters

Self Portrait in a Staw Hat, by Elisabeth Vigee Labrun

Happy International Women’s Day! I am so happy that there is a day to celebrate courageous and wonderful women all around the world, regardless of what stage of their life that they are in. Let’s celebrate the women in our lives who are our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, relatives, colleagues, and creative that we look up to! For this international women’s day, I wanted to honor the women who are part of our community of the visionary artist salon! If you haven’t yet joined our Facebook group, you can do so here! We’d love to see what you’re working on, be invited to your exhibitions, and hear your struggles and triumphs.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, I like to focus on one woman a preeminent artist who was a favorite portraitist of Marie Antoinette, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun.  Elisabeth was an independent artist, mother, wife and world traveler, as well as frequent Salon host.   Her subject matter and color palette can be classified as Rococo, but her style is aligned with the emergence of Neoclassicism. 

Marie Antoniette, by Elisabeth Vigee Labrun

She enjoyed the patronage of European aristocrats, actors, and writers, and was elected to art academies in ten cities.  As her career blossomed, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was granted patronage by Marie Antoinette.   She painted more than 30 portraits of the queen and her family,  leading to the common perception that she was the official portraitist of Marie Antoinette. At the Salon of 1783, Vigée Le Brun exhibited Marie-Antoinette in a Muslin Dress (1783), sometimes called Marie-Antoinette en gaulle, in which the queen chose to be shown in a simple, informal white cotton garment. 

She led a long and interesting life, escaping the French revolution when the tables turned on Marie Antoinette and making a home for herself in Russia for quite a long time before returning to her home country of France.   And accomplished artist, she was known not only for her brilliant self portraits and masterful execution Color and form, but also subtly influenced the fashion of France. She was the one who, through her own style of wearing a simple white dress with a colored sash, influence Marie Antoinette to do the same, and when her portrait was done in that style, it became all the rage as the fashionable style. 

Vigée Le Brun,  Marie-Antoinette in a Muslin Dress 

Vigée La Brun created some 660 portraits and 200 landscapes.   In addition to many works in private collections, her paintings are owned by major museums, such as the Louvre, Hermitage Museum, National Gallery in London, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and many other collections in continental Europe and the United States.  She lived 1755-1842.

There is a fabulous dramatized documentary on Netflix about Elisabeth you might enjoy, The Fabulous Life of Elisabeth Vigee La Brun, in honor of International Women’s Day! 


Elisabeth lived during a time in France where salons, from which the Visionary Artist’s Salon is inspired by, were just gaining popularity. You will see in the film dramatizations of the salons that Elizabeth held within her own apartments, sometimes dramatic affairs with costumes, feasts, and artists, writers, and thinkers of the day present.  The Parisian salons of the 18th century allowed women to play a positive role in the public sphere of French society. Salons provided a unique outlet where women’s ideas could be heard. Women, in addition to conversing with men at an academic level, had the power to influence the topics major philosophers studied. The cross-class communication that salons fostered also allowed social groups, which had never before interacted, to share ideas. Women’s contributions to the development of intellectual and scientific ideas through their role as salonierres marked a cultural shift in how women should be accepted and involved in society. 


Above, Madam Grande, by Elisabeth Vigee Labrun

I hope this little history lesson has inspired you and empowered you to create your own epic story if you are a female artist! Speaking of which, the luminary or the salon will be opening in a few weeks, and if you are a female contemporary realist artist, this may be the program to ship to you into a higher plan that you have been looking for. In this program, I am sharing  how to build a profitable, authentic art career while embracing your own feminine spirit.  You can get on the waitlist to learn more about it by clicking here! Thank you so much for shining bright, and happy International Women’s Day!

You’re also invited to my Sunday watercolor paint along!  Register for the event here, held from 3-5pm on Sunday, March 21. 

With love, light, and creativity,


Jessica Libor
Artistic Coach
The Visionary Artist’s Salon

An artist should never avert their gaze

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by Jessica Libor in art, Inspiration, Journeys

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art, art school, artist, artist bios, artist interview, artwork, beautiful art, city, contemporary art, creative, creativity, culture, design, getaway, halloween, Installation Art, jessica libor, Master of Fine Arts, moma, new york, New York City, NYC, pennsylvania academy of the fine arts, weekend

View from the Moma, photo by Jessica Libor

View from the Moma, photo by Jessica Libor

This weekend I spent an entertaining, delightful and educational weekend in New York City. The entertaining part was from spending Halloween there with some friends, and getting to see first hand all the revelry the city had to offer. What struck me most was how almost every person we saw was dressed up in some interesting costume, had painted their face in an artistic way, or was at least wearing an eye catching hat. My favorite costume was two people dressed in white, who had a cloud-like hat on their heads, glowing with blueish white lights. From the cloud-like hat ribbons of white streamed down, also lit up at intervals with the sparkling blue-white lights. At first I was confused. Were they clouds? Angels? Ghosts? But as the pair moved down the sidewalk and the ribbons gently swayed backwards, I got it. They were jellyfish.

While in town, I stopped into the Modern Museum of Art to see what was there. Going through the galleries, I stopped at what was interesting to me. I don’t know about you, but when I go to a museum, I feel guilty if I don’ t stop, look at, and read everything. But under time constraints, I let go of that guilt and just stopped at the pieces that struck me. I tried to disassociate myself from being an artist and trying to learn something–to be a person just enjoying the art.

Looking at Jacob's Ladder.  Photo courtesy of John Warner.

Looking at Jacob’s Ladder. Photo courtesy of John Warner.

I liked Jacob’s Ladder by Helen Frankenthaler, an American artist who lived from 1928 to 2011. The label said, “Although it shares a name with the Biblical tale of Jacob’s dream ascent toward heaven, and with an ancient Egyptian toy, Frankenthaler insisted this work had no preplanned illustrational intention: “The picture developed (bit by bit while I was working on it) into shapes symbolic of an exuberant figure and ladder: therefore “Jacob’s Ladder.” Working in New York in the 1950s, Frankenthaler painted large-scale unprimed canvases on the floor to explore new ways of handling distinctively thind paint. The artist said she borrowed from Jackson Pollock her “concern with line, fluid line, calligraphy, and…experiments with line not as line but as shape.”

My favorite piece was a huge installation/sculpture by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang called “Borrowing Your Enemy’s Arrows. It was made in 1998 and had to be over 20 feet long, and was suspended from the ceiling high above you. It immediately had a magical, transportative effect on me when I saw it–the whimsical nature of a flying boat, and the feathery aspect of all the flocked arrows stuck into it, immediately had a “wow!” effect and also made me curious what it was all about.

The wow factor.  Photo by Jessica Libor.

The wow factor. Photo by Jessica Libor.

The story behind the piece made me even more fascinated. The label said, “The work of Cai Guo-Qiang often merges cultural and political concerns of both the East and West. This fishing boat, excavated from his hometown of Quanzhou and flying the Chinese flag, is pierced with thousands of arrows. The title refers to a legendary episode from the third century in which a resourceful Chinese general had to replenish a depleted store of arrows. According to the tale, the general tricked the enemy by saying across the Yangtze river through the thick mist of early dawn with a surrogate army made of straw, while his soldiers remained behind yelling and beating on drums. Mistaking the pandemonium for a surprise attack, the opponents showered the decoys with volleys of arrows, which the general then appropriated, returning triumphantly with a freshly captured store of weapons. This work suggests the enduring importance of cunning and strategy, not only in the distant past, but also in the present, as geopolitical power dynamics seem to be in constant flux.”

The piece, even though it was about war, politics and cunning, was still magical and beautiful. It reminds me of a quote I read recently by Lera Auerbach in her book Excess of Being, “An artist should never avert his gaze. Look at it. However awful it may be, it’s life, real life in all its majestic and gory glory. What do you see? What do you see? Now, give it form.”

Another view.  Photo by Jessica Libor.

Another view. Photo by Jessica Libor.

I came back refreshed and excited to work on my own art again, with lots of new ideas. That’s what travel is all about, I think–getting outside the normal routine of your life and seeing new things, people, and places, so when you return you see your own home and life with fresh eyes and appreciation.

Waterfall park...photo courtesy of Elizabeth Mier.

Waterfall park…photo courtesy of Elizabeth Mier.

Art exhibition with Lord and Taylor

13 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by Jessica Libor in Uncategorized

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art, art expert, art students, artist, artist bios, artist interview, artist interviews, artist studios, beautiful, beautiful art, beautiful paintings of women, classical realism, contemporary female artists, emerging artist, events, fairy tale art, fantasy, female artist, female artists, fine art, king of prussia mall, lord & taylor, lord and taylor

Sisters, oil and 23 karat gold leaf on panel, 18"x24", Jessica Libor 2015

Sisters, oil and 23 karat gold leaf on panel, 18″x24″, Jessica Libor 2015

I am so very honored and excited to invite you to a special art show called “Portrait of a Fantasy” on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at Lord and Taylor in King of Prussia Mall.

This unique partnership between my artistic vision and Lord and Taylor is such a great collaboration for me. I hope you will come to see my newest works on display in the center of the store, with ten paintings and many print selections. The work will be available for purchase, and I will be present the entire time. I truly hope to see you there!

The details are as follows:

Private reception: Friday, March 20, 5:30-8:30pm
Day open exhibition: Saturday, March 21, 12:00-6:00

Please RSVP to jlibor@jessicalibor.com if you would like to come to the private reception. Thank you so much, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Creatively,

Jessica

smiling jess

ps-don’t forget to subscribe via email if you’d like to keep up to date!

Featured in a Philadelphia Art Blog

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by Jessica Libor in Artist Profiles, In My Studio, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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artist bios, artist interviews, artist studios, beautiful art, beautiful paintings of women, classical realism, don brewer, emerging artist, emerging artists, gilding, jessica libor, pennsylvania academy of the fine arts, philadelphia artists, studio tour, young artists

Recently, I was featured in DonArtNews, a Philadelphia art blog!  I met Don Brewer, the writer behind the blog, at my studio on a chilly day in January.  We had a great time chatting about the art scene in Philadelphia, and his questions and insights were right on.  Below is the article from Don’s blog.  To see the original, visit his blog at http://www.donartnews.com/jessica-libor/

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

On a sunny but frigid January day I finally overcame a long standing inhibition of mine – to visit the world renowned Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on North Broad Street in Philadelphia. I can’t explain why I never visited Philly’s famous art school except with silly excuses. Fear is my top excuse, feeling unworthy or that I just didn’t belong are the primary elements. I know it’s stupid self-flagellation but as fate would have it, Jessica Libor, Master of Fine Arts II student at PAFA discovered DoNArTNeWs and invited me to visit her studio and tour the campus.

We met in the coffee shop and the two of us immediately clicked. For several hours we talked about art while walking through the museum and school. Jessica made sure I saw the student art show after we visited the ‘Beyond the Paint: Philadelphia’s Mural Arts‘ exhibition. We chatted about the murals and I told her stories and anecdotes about the mural artists I know. But the student art show really opened my eyes to what’s going on at the nation’s first museum and school of fine arts. I discovered it’s not all formal portraits, still life paintings and landscapes; the students are experimenting in abstraction, conceptual art, sculpture, art installations and even, wait for it, video and photography. My fears were erased and now I can’t wait to visit again. After our museum tour, Jessica escorted me to the art school and we visited her art studio on the eighth floor.

Jessica Libor‘s studio is on the south east corner of the building with views of the Convention Center and Philadelphia City Hall. The sun streamed in the windows and illuminated her studio with warm light, the walls filled with works in progress and finished paintings, a vase of flowers echoed the romanticism of her artwork. Libor is a fan of Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a French painter and print-maker from the late 1700′s whose work is known for it’s remarkable brushwork and depiction of hedonistic pleasure. One of his most famous paintings is L’Escarpolette (The Swing), an engaging and delightful painting of a beautiful girl swaying high in a swing dangling from a tree, suiters and voyeurs vying for her affections or an up-skirt peek is one of her inspirations.

Jessica Libor‘s paintings are romantic, too, but with a contemporary sensibility reflecting the difficulty of youthful modern love. The characters in her paintings are beautiful yet seem to be separated by an elusive distance, often gazing contemplatively away from each other. The silver leaf applied to the canvas then tinted with oils creates a glow through the sky holes in the trees accentuating the mottled light on the summery lawn. Her oil medium is primarily turps with linseed but she also will layer with Liquin when the oils start to glaze. The resulting artwork is lush with painterly layers of color, romantic stories and lyrical compositions looking to the past for inspiration yet forward thinking with intellectual concepts.

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Attainment, 4′ x 6′, painting in progress, oil and genuine silver leaf on canvas, 2014, detail.

Anticipating my questions, the artist took the time to write to me and explain her point of view. In her final months as a Master of Fine Arts student, her language and grasp of communicating artistic ideals is eloquent and concise. If you’ve ever talked with a PAFA artist they have a way of explaining their work in words and concepts that are pointed and lucid. Jessica explained to me that periodically the students display their work in a large conference room and then must defend their art to their peers and critics with as many as 125 people in the room. The experience of overcoming this daunting challenge prepares the artist to communicate their concepts and techniques.

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Attainment, 4′ x 6′, painting in progress, oil and genuine silver leaf on canvas, 2014, detail

What medium(s) do you work in?

“I work primarily as an oil painter, but also gild precious metals like 23karat gold and genuine silver into the details or background of my paintings.I also create videos and installations. These have been more recent ventures, but have been really enjoyable extensions of my work, with different possibilities than painting.”

What is the subject of your artwork?

“Experiences of beauty. Everyone has them. Say you’re at a ballet, and it’s that moment when the music, the movements of the dancers, and the aesthetics all combine to take your breath away, and you forget everything else. It can happen when you’re listening to your favorite song, reach the top of a mountain, have a spiritual encounter, or fall in love. It’s different for everyone, but it’s that psychological experience that I’m trying to make visual.”

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Attainment, 4′ x 6′, painting in progress, oil and genuine silver leaf on canvas, 2014

What issues does your latest body of work deal with?

This particular body of work, from 2013-2014 (during my second year of graduate school), deals with ideas of romance and the tensions between men and women, from a female perspective. A lot of the work has been in a dreamy garden retreat that seems like a stage perfectly set, but something perhaps is a little bit off in paradise. It’s because we’re human, we’re flawed. Perhaps I’m dealing with the idea that even in the most ideal of circumstances, it’s within human nature to make things imperfect in some way.”

What are some things that inspire or influence you?

“Classical music, contemporary music, ballet, theatre, films, everyday life experiences, literature, poetry, and other artists. Historical artistic influences include John Millais, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Edgar Degas and John William Waterhouse, and current artists that I admire are Julie Heffernan, Pippolita Rist, Brad Kunkle, and Jocelyn Hobbie. Literature, stories, myths, legends and lore play a big part in my narrative work. Ballet and the stage have a big impact on the way that I think about my work, as well.”

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Suspended, 2014, oil and genuine silver leaf on canvas, 20″ x 16″

How do you begin a piece?

“An idea. They come in a flash—like in the cartoons when a light bulb goes off over your head! Then a sketch…my sketchbook is full of ideas I just haven’t gotten to yet. What are some of the reasons that you get excited about painting? Painting has no limitations in its ability to create illusion. You can create whole alternate worlds, hopefully believable enough that the viewer will be absorbed into it.”

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

What do you hope the viewer will feel or think when they see your work?

“I hope that it takes them to a place of helpless belief in the experience of beauty represented—if only for a moment. I also would like it if they felt a longing to be part of the picture—step into it. And I hope they go away challenged and uplifted. Because life does give us these moments of beauty, though they’re fleeting and imperfect. The intensity of the detail in my work, and also the use of precious metals, are actually very conscious conceptual decisions that reflect the permanent, high-value nature of a memory once it has been made.”

Where would you categorize your art to fit into the “art world?”

“I’m not too worried about that now. But I hope to be able to align my self with galleries and organizations that can embrace and really get behind my vision and multi-disciplinary approach. If I could present my work in an environment that allows it to breathe, and is accessible to people to experience, that would make me happy. I’ve seen a few exhibitions like that in Chelsea, NY, and I really like the way that when presented right, different mediums can actually complement each other.”

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Describe some interesting technical details abut the making of your work.

“In my paintings, getting models, finding a location and costuming are all important parts of creating the painting. I try to have the models recreate the idea in my mind. Sometimes they’ll surprise me with something even better than my original idea. When it comes to paint application and gilding, it’s all about layering glazes.”

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist

Jessica Libor, Visual Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Relate a transformative experience which tells us something about your work or why you became an artist.

“When I was a small child, I would play under the huge oak trees in the backyard with my sister and the neighbor kids. We would make little villages at the base of the trees made out of tiny twigs, mud, and moss. We called them fairy huts. It was like if we created them well enough and made the environment perfect for them, the fairies would come. This same sense of magic creation of an immersive environment is very important in my work today. And maybe, if I do it right, it’ll be real in my viewer’s minds…if only for a moment.” – Jessica Libor

Jessica Libor‘s art blog details her exploration into installation art as well as her paintings. ”Tender Missive was an interactive installation that involved over 450 diverse love letters from men throughout the century such as Edgar Allen Poe, John Keats, Richard Steele, Lord Nelson, Byron, Pierre Curie, Alexander Pope, King Solomon, Mozart, Ludwig Beethoven, King Henry the VIII, Benito Mussilini and even Adolph Hitler.” I encourage you to take time to explore the blog and learn more about her artistic pursuits.

I told Jessica I was a little concerned that her career plans were hopeful but not concrete. She explained that in addition to her graduate school studies and duties she works twenty-five hours a week as a makeup artist for Dior cosmetics and that she loves making women beautiful almost as much as making art. Jessica Libor assured me she will invite me to her final exhibition at PAFA, I am truly looking forward to viewing her art collection.

How to Paint Like the Masters, Part 5: Advice on Rendering Details in Drawing

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by Jessica Libor in How To, Inspiration, Journeys

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advice for artists, angel academy of art, art expert, artist bios, drawing, education in new york, emerging artist, emerging artists, grand central academy of art, graydon parrish, how to be a skilled artist, how to be an artist, how to draw, how to draw from the live model, how to draw like a pro, how to draw people, how to paint like the masters, how to paint well, how to succeed as an artist, inspiration for artists, instruction, jessica libor, technical advice for artists, the best places to learn

"Antique" by Megan Byrne, Angel Academy of Art

While I was taking this workshop at GCA, I was ready to be done with drawing at this point.  I wanted to get to the fun part…painting!  There’s something so freeing and satisfying about the brush tip making marks on your canvas, and the ability to manipulate it.  However, I disciplined myself to stay on task one more day, and was surprised at how much my drawing developed in just one day of adding details.

As you work on rendering the correct values for the shadow shapes, remember that there should never be a harsh line.

At this point, you’re allowed to think about reflected light, like the kind you may see underneath the chin, or on the side of the nose, or above the eyes right below the eyebrows.  Reflected light helps support the volume you already created with your lights and darks.  Once you pass the terminator (the point where the form turns away completely from the light), all light in the shadow comes from reflected light.  This is particularly helpful to know if painting, when the reflected light may be a different color tint than the direct form light (for instance, the form light may be coming from a lamp, and the reflected light is a natural light from a window.  In that case the reflected light would be blueish, and the form light more yellow.  But I’m getting ahead of myself 🙂 )  Back to drawing!

"Maria" Final stage drawing, graphite on paper, by Jessica Libor 2011

You shouldn’t have as much information such as details and variation in value in the shadows as you do in the light.  Put in LESS reflected light than you want to.  You have to make sacrifices as an artist.  Model twenty percent of what you want to in the shadows!  It’s all about self control.  Resist the urge to exaggerate favorite details such as eyelashes.

Layer from softer pencils to harder.  The harder the pencil, the more light and precise you will be.  Compare every value.  Ask yourself, should this plane be lighter than this plane?

When rendering hair, think of it as a shining object, a single thing, not the millions of hair strands that it is.  When seen in light, it functions like a satin ribbon.   The hightlight actually runs in perpendicular to the way hair grows.  Notice the hair in the piece below.

Study of a New York Woman, by Graydon Parrish

How to Paint Like the Masters, Part 4: The Rendering Continues

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by Jessica Libor in How To, Inspiration, Journeys

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advice for artists, art expert, artist bios, classical realism, drawing, drawing beautifully, education in new york, emerging artist, emerging artists, how to be a skilled artist, how to be an artist, how to draw, how to draw from the live model, how to paint like the masters, jacob collins, jessica libor, Joshua LaRock, new york academy of art, sketching, steven assael

To continue our journey towards a beautiful painting, we begin where we left off, while still rendering a drawing and getting the values correct.  Again, remember that with every finished drawing, painting in the correct value scale becomes easier.  Before we dive in again, I wanted to share with you some of the most inspiring drawings in a classical manner that I’ve seen.  Let these motivate you to continue!  Skill comes through correct instruction, desire, and a little bit of natural inclination.

Serena, by Jacob Collins, 2004

Inbal, by Joshua LaRock, 12"x14", 2007

As you are looking back and forth from the model to your paper, don’t worry about the midtones right now, they will figure themselves out.  Look at the shapes that the dark and light create.  Remember that you can’t create form by COPYING values, because our value range as artists is more limited than in real life.  You must compress the values to create something with sculptural integrity–like a block of marble.  Think about making it an experience of volume on the page.  Take big swaths with the chisel of your pencil.  When you do start to think about midtones, tread lightly!  The dark light is turning with the form until it kisses the shadow.  Every form goes through the same gradation of lights and darks.  It’s just how fast it goes through all the gradations.  In the light, the value changes are less than you think they should be.  Hairlines are a soft transition from skin tones.  If by the end of this drawing session, the form isn’t round enough, then the shadows need to be darker and the form light lighter.

Drawing by Steven Assael

How to Paint Like the Masters, Part 1

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by Jessica Libor in How To, Inspiration, Journeys

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artist bios, drawing, emerging artist, how to be an artist, how to draw, how to paint, how to paint like the masters, instruction, jessica libor, Joshua LaRock, masters, Michelangelo, painting, sketching

Portrait Study by Joshua LaRock, oil on linen, 2007

In this post I just wanted to share my extensive notes from a very helpful workshop that I took this summer at the Grand Central Academy of Art.  Joshua LaRock was the instructor, and it was one of the most thorough and helpful classes I’ve ever taken.  Joshua studied for four years at the GCA and now teaches there in addition to painting.  If you’d like to visit his website and see his work, visit www.joshualarock.com.  I would highly recommend any of his classes to artists who want to learn more about traditional ways of painting and add extra dimension to their work.

It was a two week workshop, and I’ll break down the instruction into a few posts, day by day: the drawing first, then the painting.  First, came the drawing, something that many of us want to skip through because it’s not quite as fun and instant-gratification as painting.  He made us slow down and take and entire week to draw the model, with only the next week to paint a complete painting.   Through that, I learned a lot about value.  “Value makes the painting,” he told us.  After thinking about it, I came to agree.  I couldn’t think of any major painting I didn’t have carefully chosen, subtle values.   My hope is that you’ll be able to utilize these notes and use the information in your own work!

Drawing Demo by Joshua LaRock 2011

Note: All these instructions are made with the assumption that you have a live model in front of you posing.

Day 1

Blocking in.  A messy, sketchy, but important step.  Focus on LINE and FORM.  Classically, the picture frame is supposed for be vertically tipped (window shaped), not horizontal (landscape shaped).

Notice where you are drawing the model from.  (At this point Joshua put a piece of glass up on the easel and did a line drawing on the glass, tracing only as a demonstration)

Find a horizontal and vertical reference point on the model.

To begin blocking in, hold the pencil loosely.  If it’s a portrait you are doing, imagine it’s not a head–take yourself away from the psychological attention of features.  Establish a scale.  Some tools to do this are:

1. Find points on the face/model and mark them on your paper.

2. Notice the tilt of the head.

3. Notice how the shapes interlock

4. Use comparative measuring.

See what’s actually in front of you, and draw on medium to fine tooth paper.  Block out the larger masses.  In comparative measuring, use your left eye with the left arm to measure, or right with the right.  When you do comparative measuring, lock your arm, so that it’s the same distance each time you measure.

Take a central point between the face.  Check distances to/from everything.  Start with the VOLUME in the shapes, not the contour.  This will give your drawing a feeling of sculpture and fullness, like Michaelangelo’s drawings.

Archers by Michelangelo, 1533

Seated Male Nude by Michelangelo, 1511

Choose one part of the face and make it fact–build around it.  Use halves and quarters.  And most importantly, don’t get too detailed to fast!  Work on all the proportions at the same time and it will come together.

After blocking in, start getting more into the shapes.  Start inside the face and work outwards, slowly raising the 2-D drawing to 3-D.

Watch the terminators–they’ll help you find the right shapes and fullnesses in the form.  Terminator is the edge of form where light no longer can pass over a form–it turns and curves away from light.

Know your bad tendencies and guard against them (For me, this means guarding against overemphasis on contrast).  Move from the center of the face and build out.  Move forward from your easel when needed to investigate the shapes, especially around the eyes.

Demo of Portrait drawing by Joshua LaRock 2011

Stay tuned for my notes from Day 2 :)!

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    Why it's not selfish to want success as an artist and how to stop feeling guilty
  • "Soft Sea" and "The Inn at Cape May": new paintings
    "Soft Sea" and "The Inn at Cape May": new paintings

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