Looking for critiques on some recent figure work!

[Kevin]

Hi, I’ve been working on my figure drawing a lot and experimenting with new ways to draw. Here’s some of my drawings  and paintings from the past year. I’d love to get a critique!

Above is an hour figure drawing. I started with a sanguine underdrawing then drew the rest with conte paris charcoal pencil. From october 2019

Above is a painting I did from a photo reference.  From october 2019 as well

Above are some gestures from December 2019

Some hour long figures from January 2020. I’m mainly just drawing with a charcoal conte paris pencil

Above is a recent painting I did in January. I painted with way too much solvent and accidentally used brush cleaner as my solvent so I had trouble controlling the medium. January 2020

Above are some drawings from February 2020. This time I tried to emphasize more on value and shape. So I started using a chamois and toning my newsprint paper with charcoal before I started drawing. I focused much more on a painterly approach to the figure drawings, with much less emphasis on lines.  February 2020

A recent painting from February 2020. I should’ve toned the canvas better beforehand!

This is my most recent work. I haven’t been able to go to figure drawing since. I focus much more on shapes and line. I’m much more focused on rendering and block in shapes in a painterly style.  Feb 2020

 

Recent NMA courses that I have been getting through:

Rendering Techniques with Chris Legaspi

A little bit of Russian Academic Drawing Approach

Bill Perkins Color Series

 

I would love to have a critique on my current progress as well as what you think I could improve on going forward. Thanks!

 

[Josseline Jeria]

Hi Kevin

I’ve hardly done any figure work so I can’t provide useful feedback for it, but I can say that you can clearly see you’ve been working and can see the overall improvement in your drawing, so keep it up!

I have more experience with painting though. It is a lovely portrait. I like seeing that you’re trying to preserve the brushwork, which I personally like in paintings. The overall colour scheme works well. As for solvents, I’ve had that problem too. I’ve ended up now hardly using solvents, if I do it’s just a bare brush dip, otherwise I paint with paint only and also just brush dip into some linseed oil to help spread the paint. I think also focusing even more on being deliberate with placement of each brushwork to even more prevent mudding up of colours by blending more than necessary. I struggle with this so much! takes a lot of discipline to put the stroke down and just leave it there, And trying to not line the lips and above the upper eye lid – something also that I need to work on myself.

Keep it up!

[Joshua Jacobo]

Thanks for sharing these! I’m trying to organize everything for upcoming critique videos now!

[Kevin]

Hi Josseline,

 

Thank you for the critique! I’ve moved away from using any solvent at all in my painting and have been using neo megilp from gamblin instead. You’re right that I lined the lips and upper eyelids too much. I still have tendency to focus on line rather than shape, which I’ve been working on!

 

Jacob,

Thanks ahead of time for the critique. I look forward to seeing the critique videos!

[Tim]

Hi Kevin

I really liked your mark making and colours in painted portrait al your hard practice is bearing beautiful frui

Kind regards

Tim

[Author]

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