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Vantage Point: Step 4

Vantage Point

Of course, painting the right leg is not altogether different from painting the left, with the exception of the sole of the foot and a considerable amount of foreshortening in the leg itself. Both of these things result in shapes that, until finished, appear to be completely wrong. By the time I am 65, and have been painting figures for half a century, perhaps I will be able to whip this stuff out effortlessly. Until then, the process involves a lot of careful reference to the photos of the model, and reworking the paint until a point is reached where my brain interprets the image as a woman’s leg instead of an oddly shaped, pinkish-grey lump. It still surprises me at times how subtle a change in shape or tone will make the difference.

There is a point at which not much more can be said about a simple painting like this one without the risk of putting most readers to sleep. With that in mind, if there is any aspect of the process that could be better elaborated on; I hope you won’t be shy about writing in to ask. And in an effort to keep things interesting, please feel free to write in with any art related comments or questions, even if they have little to do with this particular piece.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 19th, 2005 at 10:21 am and is filed under Vantage Point. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “Vantage Point: Step 4”

  1. Lynn Says:
    September 19th, 2005 at 10:39 am

    Bryan, I am thoroughly enjoying the creation of Vantage Point. I find that my time in the Artist’s studio and on the Cordair web site is always well spent. I have a new appreciation for what it takes to create such beautiful art. Thank you for the inspiration and for being represented by such a great gallery.

  2. Carrie Says:
    September 19th, 2005 at 12:40 pm

    Bryan,

    I have been a fan of your work for several years. I must say, I think you get better with each painting. I noticed that you did not post a sketch of this piece as you have with others in the past. Was there a sketch and will it be available for sale?

  3. Bryan Larsen Says:
    September 20th, 2005 at 10:40 am

    Lynn,

    I am glad you have found the Artist’s studio to be worth reading, and the artwork inspirational. As long as there is interest, it will be my pleasure to keep working to provide both. I am sure the gallery feels the same way.

    Carrie,

    Hopefully I will continue to learn something new from each painting. Each one presents its own challenges and reveals both areas in which I have improved and in which I feel I need a lot more practice. This particular piece is simple enough in composition that I didn’t think it would be necessary to complete a study beforehand. Usually, I only produce a finished study sketch when there are complex perspective or lighting issues to resolve, when I am using multiple reference images, or when I suspect it will help explain to the model what I am trying to achieve. There is often a little sketch-work involved in getting the composition onto the canvas. A few quick drawings can help remove some of the inevitable distortion introduced by the camera lens, for example, or help decide on the best placement for the figure in the picture.

    These drawings are usually rough, unfinished, and cluttered with extra lines, however, and wouldn’t make much sense if posted. They certainly aren’t something I would consider selling. Thanks for asking though.

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About Bryan Larsen ~

Bryan Larsen

"I was born on February 12, 1975, and have been drawing as long as I can remember. By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to be an artist, although at the time I didn't have a clear idea of how exactly I would use my talents to make a living.

"As I continued studying art, I began to suspect that fine visual art was dead. No one seemed interested in teaching students how to draw well, or paint well. More often than not, my own skills exceeded those of my instructors.

"The only field left that seemed to require good drawing, painting, and compositional skills was illustration, and therefore I began studying illustration at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I became even more convinced that I had made the right decision in staying away from fine art as I endured course after course of required "drawing" and "painting" classes in which instructors required me to draw with "less focus", or use ridiculous materials such as shellac, glue, sand, salt, etc.

"My second year at Utah State, I met Damon Denys. In discussing Art with him I realized that there were other people who believed that technique and subject matter were indispensable components of any work of art. I then decided that I would work to develop my own painting skills with the purpose of creating artwork that I considered worthy of being called Fine Art.

"Since that time, I have studied on my own: Drawing from live models to learn the human form, studying proper painting techniques from any source I could find ample reason to trust, and developing a philosophy of Art based on reason, and life on earth.

"My goal is to portray the heroic and romantic in human nature and human achievement in a realistic style and a modern setting. I place particular emphasis on composition, technique, realistic detail, proper craftsmanship and consistency of style."