Ann

My dear, dear friend Ann came to pose for me the other night for three hours. (Yes, I paid her. I don't abuse my friends...too much.)

She'd like you all to know that she "doesn't always look that tired." :)  

It was hard to figure out a setup in my home studio for a model and lighting and everything. (Plus putting a DVD movie on for her to watch while I painted her, so she wouldn't die of boredom.) In the end, we went with what sort of worked, though it was far from ideal in terms of physical arrangements, space, and lighting. I made sure to give her a very uncomfortable hard chair so she wouldn't fall asleep. ;)

I tried a new surface and a new technique. I keep experimenting because I'm still unsatisfied with results. Perhaps someday, if I have three or four more lifetimes, I'll figure it all out. Or not.

Amazingly, though, it did capture, remarkably well, something ineffable about her.

$325.00 - Ann (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sonja

This was the last alla prima portrait from a few weeks ago, before my instructor stopped teaching it. I was pretty happy with it, although as you can see, I never resolved one eye. Thought I'd post it anyway, especially for those of you who also do alla prima portraiture.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Stephen

Stephen is a great model (this was from yesterday's alla prima class). He doesn't move; in fact, he's so professional about it that when a bug crawled over his forehead, he politely asked someone what was on his face and could it please be removed. (When *I* even slightly suspect that some INSECT might be on me, I go into hysterical flailing and screaming.)

He also has a wonderfully textbook masculine face: square jaw, strong neck muscles, low brow, all nice paintable angles.  Back in art school, we once had him for a figure model, and he is amazing: he's in excellent shape and has pretty much no body fat, so you can see not only every muscle, but even every tendon.  I remember that painting his shoulder area was like an anatomy lesson. (Don't get too excited, girlz, he's gay.)

Though I'm pleased with how the portrait turned out, nevertheless I didn't get a likeness, and it was the mouth that missed the likeness. Drat!

$145.00 - Stephen (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com