The Bargeman - a WIP [Archive]

Laurie2

08-01-2005, 02:28 AM

While on holiday in UK I spent some time walking along canal banks and admiring the narrow boats/barges...I asked one bargeman if I might take his photo with a view to painting his portrait...he agreed.
I am using another photo as background and superimposing the agreeable bargeman over it.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Aug-2005/56900-TRING3B.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Aug-2005/56900-BARGEMAN.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Aug-2005/56900-PICT0001.jpg

ripvanblair

08-01-2005, 03:19 AM

Good start, plenty of characters down on the canals, he looks no exception----------Alan

bluegenes

08-01-2005, 03:21 PM

Looking forward to seeing more. Good start!

Patty

mr sandbanx

08-01-2005, 03:23 PM

Very nice Laurie... this should be great.

Lynn Quinn

08-01-2005, 04:24 PM

This will be very interesting -- good start! Pulling up a chair...

Laurie2

08-01-2005, 04:50 PM

Thank you folks....I am keen to do this one as I have promised a photo of the finished painting to the bargeman....I think he thought "Oh yea..another tourist!" :)

mmcaloon

08-01-2005, 05:43 PM

Can't wait to see more....This has a great start

Laurie2

08-01-2005, 11:14 PM

starting over...the first was sketched on 140lb paper by mistake....put it down to jet-lag...sigh

This is on Arches 300mgs or is it msg ?? Whatever...it is my best paper :)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Aug-2005/56900-Pict0003.jpg

With a couple of 'bodies' added for interest

megartist

08-01-2005, 11:38 PM

I love the idea, great beginning.
Cherryl

Laurie2

08-02-2005, 03:20 AM

Lessons I learned in the Landscape class have proved invaluable here

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/02-Aug-2005/56900-NEW3c.jpg

Image scanned in two parts.

Laurie2

08-09-2005, 09:42 AM

scan of left hand side...more work on water

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/09-Aug-2005/56900-LEFTHa.jpg

bluegenes

08-09-2005, 09:51 AM

Coming along nicely!

Patty

Jenoir

08-09-2005, 10:23 AM

Looking good so far.

Laurie2

08-09-2005, 10:32 AM

Thank you Patty and Jenny...I am burning the midnight oil here ..it was nice to read your comments before I turn in for the night. :)

olliewood0702

08-09-2005, 02:33 PM

Looking good so far Laurie2! Thanks for showing us this as a WIP. I like how you've incorporated him in front of the vessel. This will be real nice when it's done. How large is this or did you say?

Laurie2

08-09-2005, 06:52 PM

Looking good so far Laurie2! Thanks for showing us this as a WIP. I like how you've incorporated him in front of the vessel. This will be real nice when it's done. How large is this or did you say?

ooops...Sorry...I always forget to include those details :)

Arches Medium 300gsm 1297x420mm (A3 size) using Winsor Newton pigments :wave:

Laurie2

08-11-2005, 03:20 AM

scan of the right hand side.....
I see more after I post than I do on my workbench :)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/11-Aug-2005/56900-RIGHTha.jpg

bringing the bargeman forward

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/11-Aug-2005/56900-BARGEMAN.jpg

I think I have almost captured his likeness...just a few squiggles required here and there :) :wave:

bluegenes

08-11-2005, 08:40 AM

Doing great! Can't wait to see how you do with the bargeman!

Patty

seedy

08-11-2005, 10:03 AM

CharM

08-11-2005, 10:43 AM

Hi Laurie... what a terrific composition you've got here!! I LOVE the look of the bargeman... you've done a great job in drawing him! Hi face is filled with character (I love the crinkles around his eyes)... your homework in portraiture will stand you in good stead for the next steps in this...

Europa

08-11-2005, 12:36 PM

When I was little my grandad used to take us for a walk along the canal and we used to ride the barges - so am enjoying watching this one unfold.

Pat

ripvanblair

08-11-2005, 01:57 PM

This is coming along nicely---------Alan

ElizabethAnne

08-11-2005, 03:30 PM

Laurie, you are amazing! You just jump right in and choose difficult subjects. I'm looking over your shoulder as you work... that funning feeling you have there is me patting you and telling you, "keep it up"!!

ElizabethAnne

Laurie2

08-11-2005, 10:43 PM

Hi.....
Methinks you have been working on the *tipple* project ;-)
Msg is the stuff in Chinese food...weights are GSM or grams/Sq.Meter...
and 140# is equal to #300gsm.....so hopefully you are working on 640Gsm....which is 300# stuff....now I'm confused....
In any case, that bargeman looks most paintable.....good luck.

:D Yea...right...reaching for some more of the hard stuff....

Charm, Pat, Alan and ElizabethAnne (Yup I can feel you there :) )
so happy to have you along on this `trip`

Putting into practise some of the things I learned from Genna in our Portraits class...and hoping she gets to pop in and see how I'm doing :)

The light purple wash to lay down shadow...I went straight in with the t-shirt blue/black and to start the hair.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/11-Aug-2005/56900-MID.jpg

Larger images here:-

http://laurietoo.homestead.com/TheBargeman.html

Nandie

08-12-2005, 03:02 AM

Oh my gosh what a face!!! I see why you wanted to paint him, I love to have a go at him myself!

You are off to a great start. One little nit that I noticed, I think you have his top lip area a bit too long. Is it too late to position his mouth just a bit higher?

Love the crinkles around his eyes. :)

Laurie2

08-12-2005, 03:34 AM

An Update...already worked on that upper lip Nandie, see what you think now :)
There is a little area of masking liquid on that lip which is hard to see. Still a way to go with purple washes yet.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Aug-2005/56900-MID2.jpg

P.S. In our family circle I am known as Nandy :) Nan (for granma) D for Dowling :) so the littlies wrote to me as Nandy and I liked it so it stuck :)

Laurie2

08-16-2005, 03:39 AM

An update .... :wave:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/16-Aug-2005/56900-Pict0004.jpg

photo taken in a not very good light will take another tomorrow...using the same file name so it will just replace this one :)

ripvanblair

08-16-2005, 03:57 AM

This is looking good, seems a bit blue , but it might be my moniter, the chap in the yellow shirt is comendable, I like the narrow boat as well-------------------Alan

laudesan

08-16-2005, 04:04 AM

Terrific composition Laurie, looking good.

Can't wait to see your updated pic..

Laurie2

08-16-2005, 05:19 AM

Thanks Rip and JJ....the blue could be a combination of poor light and dodgy batteries in my camera...tomorrow will tell...:)

Even my pic for the August Spatter class came out blue...sigh

Laurie2

08-16-2005, 08:42 PM

Update...new photo to replace the above `blue` pic...using same file # so it will probably replace the above.

oooops...the existing photo takes priority...will have to rename file...BRB ;)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/16-Aug-2005/56900-Pict004

new batteries and new daylight :)

Yorky

08-18-2005, 02:18 PM

This is wonderful, Laurie - a wonderful subject and very well done.:clap:

Doug

Laurie2

08-21-2005, 11:43 PM

Thank you all for your encouraging comments..... happy to report that after some major improvements to his brow he is now......

Finished..... :D
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/21-Aug-2005/56900-bar2b.jpg

Cattleprod Karl

08-22-2005, 12:27 AM

The first thing that popped out to me was the details in the blue plaid shirt. Very impressive, Laurie. You did a great job on the bargeman, too. I can't paint people worth a darn. Wonderful reflections in the water, too.

laudesan

08-22-2005, 12:50 AM

Wonderful finish Laurie.. What an amazing difference from the pic above.. Wow!!

Laurie2

08-22-2005, 01:31 AM

Thanks Karl, When I had finished the jacket I felt sure something had to go wrong....too much time put into the jacket and it looked better than I had expected. I had been wary of doing the background and other detail before the face :) and JJ....as you can see there is a marked difference bewtween the last posted pic and the previous....I had reached that stage where it seemed to be getting away from me and was on the point of starting over.
In desperation I reached for the proxa brush and reworked the brow and it sort of came back :)

Thanks to JJ who first drew my attention to the proxa (tooth) brush....I now have a stack of refill brushes stashed away for future remedial work :)

Yorky

08-22-2005, 02:44 AM

You did a super job on this Laurie :clap: :clap: :clap:

You know, in the past six months your paintings have improved tremendously.

You only have to look at your sigpic to see this.

Doug

Laurie2

08-22-2005, 04:00 AM

Oh Thank you so much Yorky...had to bring hubby to the PC to read your post... :)

bluegenes

08-22-2005, 07:31 AM

Great finish Laurie!! The blue in that jacket is fabulous and the skin tones are right on!! He looks very happy! You did an excellent job.

Patty

Laurie2

08-24-2005, 11:57 PM

Had to tweak his nose....:)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/24-Aug-2005/56900-P1b.jpg

Strider

08-25-2005, 12:35 AM

Wonderfully done Laurie...Gena would love to see this. Thanks for the WIP... :wave:

Yorky

08-25-2005, 03:21 AM

I wouldn't dare tweak that fellow's nose - I'd be likely to end up in the canal! ;)

Wonderful finish, Laurie.

Doug

Laurie2

08-25-2005, 05:44 AM

Thanks Yorky...I have another project underway now....problems with perspective...are the figures too large?...if so do you think another smaller figure walking along the top of the seawall would help? :)

http://laurietoo.homestead.com/tideoutatslipway.html

Would it be too much of an imposition to start another WIP in WC?

Yorky

08-25-2005, 06:29 AM

Of course not, Laurie - start a new WIP in the Studio, they are a tremendous help to people starting out in watercolours.

I'll comment in the new WIP.

Doug

genna

08-29-2005, 10:54 AM

Hi Laurie!
WOW! What a wonderful painting! You've really done an exceptional job here. You've created a real story feel and it really works! I get a sense of a man who has spent the better part of his life living and working on the water. You have managed to present him both worn and content.
I'm so glad that you had the opportunity to use the under glazing technique and hope it liked the result.
BEAUTIFUL PIECE! You should be exceptionally proud of this!!!!
I hope to post again soon, myself!
Regards to all!!!