I love painting head studies. For those of you who know me, the top one is a self portrait, and it is an 8"x10" oil on linen. I started it as a generic head for practice, but it morphed into me, so I added the brush to make it more obvious. The bottom painting is an alla prima study that is a 12"x16" oil on panel. It was done in about 2.5 hours. I have started an "Open Studio" portrait/figure painting group that meets on Saturdays from 1pm-4pm at the studio. Painting in a group of artists is a great way to support younger artists and learn from more experienced ones. Sharing ideas and encouraging one another helps to improve your skills in observation, as well as technique.
