A Couple of Family Portrait Style Paintings

#1

Hello at CGS. This is the first time I have ever shown any of my artwork at this web site.

I have done a lot of artwork in the past within traditional medias of: oil painting, pastels, poster design and illustrating, and a lot of sign painting (the old fashion way before computer graphics painting by hand). Several years of career training in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s for fine arts/commerical art and illustration. Within the last 6 years started with digital computer graphics through my own interest and initiative. Have sold some artwork in the past years (1970’s and 1980’s) on occasion yet never really anything consistent enough to make a living or full-time career, in fact no type of profit from sales. I have continued over the past several years in digital art and like working when free time is available. My interest is simply doing my own thing expressing and creating artwork with no career goals in mind. I am very close to retirement age now and have abandoned the career making a living at art idea or goal.

Here are a couple of digital paintings I have created over the past several years.
One of the paintings entitled the Five Amigos (one with the two dogs) painted using Art Rage.
The other is from a series of portrait paintings I have done, this one entitled simply Portrait Setting 5. This one was painted using Corel Painter.

Would appreciate any comments or suggestions on these two paintings.

Another project I have worked on over the past couple of years involving extensive time is designing my own web site. Through trials and errors and many changes in layout format finally learned through books how to hand code and make my own web site.
If interested, take a look at www.stephenlopiano.com.

Again thanks for any interest, your time and consideration are appreciated.
Reallly like this CGS Society web site, have spent many hours looking over the artwork displayed here and can only say “excellent work by many artists”.

#2

Hi Stephen,

There is this artist called Noah Bradley. He has written up some help and interesting points about how to construct your website to showcase your art.

http://www.noahbradley.com/blog/2011/i-hate-your-portfolio/

Because I have looked at your website and read your story.
Read:
http://www.no-spec.com/archives/i-wish-i-had-written-this/

Being a working artist is difficult. Finding work for it is even more difficult.
My lecturer always said “It is who you know, not what you know”.
Sometimes for art, it’s what you’re willing to draw/manipulate for money.

For personal development, have you tried atelier art classes?
I know this is not local for you but it’s an example.
http://www.atelierartclasses.com/
I know some people say do life drawing but that’s like throwing a kid in water and expecting them to swim without giving them pointers. Those classes really show people what to do.

In regards to the two painting you have posted. I think you need to get some help with how to use the programs more than the visuals at this moment. It looks like you are struggling to express what you want.

#3

Thanks for the constructive advice and suggestions.

I must admit that it is different using tools for painting images in digital format compared to traditional oil paints, acrylics, and pastels, pen and ink drawings, or bulletin sign paint.
The majority of my life was spent using these types of traditional media tools.

There is really no goal in mind so far as a career objective is concerned.
Spent many years in the 1970’s and 1980’s working free-lance projects that barely paid me the cost of materials used to create the artwork. Probably made anything beyond that on three sales involving sign painting and one oil painting. Even beyond cost of materials any profit made with labor costs factored in amounted to working for less than 50 cents an hour.
I did extensively a lot of volunteer work through my own personal interest and in college within the school newspaper and art organizations designing illustrations and posters.
Back in my younger days spent many all nighters to squeeze in the time to continue doing artwork that has always been a passion of mine. Back then did have an objective and goal of somehow making a living as an artist through a career, that is why most of the work done was for no profit. Tried to get attention and samples of my abilities out there hoping this would lead to something better, instead I realize now that I sold myself short. The best opportunity that ever came around was in the mid 1970’s when I was employed in the engineering department of an electronics company (and a several month temp job for a civil engineering contractor) to work producing master copies of blueprint drawings on mylar sheets. They were impressed by my pen and ink drawings developed for a portfolio through several years of career training and education in commercial art and illustrating.

When I first decided to get into computer graphic arts my past experience lead me to approach this pusuit with a different objective in mind. I decided to simply do whatever interests me and learn on my own through seeking the information I need to pursue that interest. As a result I find myself enjoying what I do a lot more than working according to other people’s demands for no income or money. I also believe that I learn more this way through my own sense of direction than working according to some classroom training school where they select how you spend your time exploring and learning. I pay for everything invested into creating art and no one except my own hard earned money goes into what is produced, therefore I will continue to do my own thing through personal initiative and interest. If some opportunity does present itself to sell what is produced through my own efforts and initiative this way, I will welcome and appreciate this possibility.

When working years ago trying to make a living at art there was always this sense of frustration and disappointment in what I was doing since most work was done according to what someone else specifically demanded, and resulted in no profits. The finished work was generally useless outside of what that client or customer wanted.
Now I do my own thing and find a lot more initiative and stimulus that is far more fulfilling and enjoyable. Again, years ago I used to live on hardly no sleep to squeeze in time to meet deadlines for finished artwork. Now in my senior years all nighters are becoming an impossibility for health related issues, instead I work at the pace that is set to when time is available.

#4

I looked at your website, and this what I observed:

It looks to me, that you’ve learned to draw and paint through osmosis, and never properly learned the essential foundations of visual art. Add to that a stylistic preference, your work takes on an odd look that is both stylized and amateurish (showing all the problems of someone who never properly learned how to draw and paint at a level that is considered proficient).

I see a lot of problems with anatomy and figure, composition, values and lighting, colors, and the brushwork is also very limited and without context. The overall aesthetic sensibility also seems to be under developed.

I would suggest you read the sticky threads in the Art Techniques & Theories forum (linked below in my signature)–they contain some very helpful instructional resources that will greatly improve your knowledge and skill.

It can be difficult for someone who’s built up a large body of work throughout the decades, but having done so with probably a lot of bad habits, incorrect approaches, and trial and error that resulted not in enlightenment, but in treading in the same spot without clear improvement.

If you are serious about taking your work to the next level, you’re going to have to discard a lot of the stuff that hasn’t helped you improve, and open yourself to new ideas, correct approaches, and methodical, disciplined learning that serious artists must go through in order to become truly proficient. Start in the Art Techniques & Theories forum, and from there, your journey will begin.

#5

Well thanks for taking a look and making some comments.
I have limited use of the internet so will take a look at what you suggest when I have some time.

Must admit my training in art was many years ago and recently the only people that I have really payed any attention to are some artists I see on TV. These people are traditional media artists. I really like the work of Stefan Bauman, Bob Ross, and Gary Spetz, their instructional shows are interesting. The majority of my life was involved in traditional media artwork not computer graphics.

#6

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