"Gossip" - Water colors

I am on my own now. Can I take the seeds I have received at the art school and nurture it into a healthy bloom? Only time will tell.

This painting is titled "Gossip".

Portrait

This was done on the last day of my three month long painting class. So much learnt. SO much more to learn. This portrait has come out the best among all previous efforts. There is a resemblance!

Reproduction - Monet

Another Landscape by Monet. The original is in oil.

Reproduction - Boy with his dog

This is a portrait of a young lad with his dog. I am not sure who did this.

Reproduction - Monet

This is a Claude Monet Landscape. I took liberties with the colors. It was more spontaneous.

I think I achieved the freshness of watercolors for the first time to some extent.

Reproduction - Milind Mulick

This was lot of fun. I had always thought this was done on black paper with poster paints, but hardly the case. Instead the brightest part that is the interiors of the shop was left blank white. I was a little skeptic about getting the dark night in water colors but it was fine in the end.

Reproduction of a portrait - John Wayne

I have always enjoyed doing portraits esp in pencil sketch. So when my instructor asked me to do a watercolor from a book on portraits, it was a golden opportunity to learn something new. 'John Wayne' followed. The original was in color pencils and I took few liberties with colors in watercolor.

Watercolors - Kovalam

Recently during a trip to Kanyakumari and Trivandrum, I found time to sketch sitting on the promenade at Kovalam. This painting came out of it. My dad said its too bare and I have to agree. But it was good fun esp. the sea.

Reproduction - "wadaa", MM

Yet another old building by Mulick. This one has come out much better than the previous one. Its amazing how a simple theme like this one has been interpreted in such an interesting manner. The clothes hanging on the line lend life to the painting.

Reproduction - MM

Back to Mullick. This reproduction is of an old building typical to rural maharashtra- a subject that is recurring in Milind Mulick's works. In ruins, they still have a strong charachter.

Still life - watercolors

Another still life. The model was thrown in bright light. The toughest part was the plastic bucket. I tried to get the transluscency of the bright part of the bucket but didn't quite get there. Wish somebody could suggest how!

Still life in water colors on hand made paper

Hmmm... I am not too happy with this one. Particularly the steel glass. I have done better steel. For one, the viewing distance of the assembly was quite a lot. Of course doing it on handmade paper for the first time was a different experience. Still haven't figured out the medium.

Verandah - Watercolors on hand made paper

This is a painting of our Verandah. I did a quick pencil sketch which I reproduced later as a painting. The colors and light are from memory and it shows. I don't like it much. I can see room for improvement, almost everywhere. But I add this here because it was an important learning experience.

Watercolors - Back waters of Kerala

I moved to a new medium.. hand made paper. Its a different experience of painting. Easier in a way since water stays longer and I have more time to add layers. But I havent mastered it yet. This is a painting of a photograph we took during our honeymoon. I think it was at Coir Village, a resort in Kottayam.

Outdoors

This is an outdoor painting I did, The view of my mother's garden from the Porch. The second attempt is so much better then the first. I am getting better at doing plants and landscaping. Its satisfying to see improvement.

Reproduction - Adoration of Magi, Velaquez

Oh i loved doing this one. It took me 4 sittings of two hours each to complete the sketch and the painting. Its a beautiful painting by a lesser known Spanish painter, Velaquez who nevertheless is regarded as one of the finest.

Abstract

At home, I tried to create an abstract work. Its a splash of colors, not necessarily meaning anything. I did try to do some thing like " a face in the crowd". What do you think it is?
I experimented with stamping ( use different objects dipped or coated in color and stamp on the paper), I ran objects on the wet paint, used a baloon to apply colors.. Like I said, it is an experiment. I think acrylic or oil is better to do abstract.

Portrait in monochrome{

Back to art school, I did this portrait in monochrome. I felt that was a good way to learn the technique of painting... so you don't get distracted with colors and You are out of the midset to copy it exactly as it is. The instructor gave me a valuable lesson. Paint like it is hurting the paper! I need to work on showing eyes more correctly.

Reproduction - "Flautist"

I don't know who did this. Perhaps somebody can help. It was printed on a card and I loved the subject a great deal. I think I did this sometime in1995. I am not sure. It isn't entirely flawless. Notice that his feet is a little disproportionately small? And I used black directly. A cardinal sin for a painter... I now know better.

Reproduction - Milkmaid by Raja Ravi Varma

Taking time out to post two old paintings. This one here is a reproduction of "milkmaid" by Ravi Varma. I did that as part of a visual arts project in college. That was in 1995. Considering my knowledge of painting those days was elementary at best, it isnt bad! I was bad at backgrounds. And since the subject came out well, I didn't want to screw it up with a shoddy background. SO i left it plain with the lightest of washes in a safe color- yellow. Visually, it spreads easily.

Reproduction - Roses by Alfred Parsons

This looked dull almost boring and too easy when I started but it wasn't so. It was intersting to see the use of a variety of pink and yellows to caprture the beauty of Rosa chinensis! I added the blue background to make the roses stand out.

Still LIfe - Ceramic Jar , earthen pot and vegetables

A very interesting composition. I was doing well trying to present whatever i had learnt so far and things were quite fine until i did the background.

The blue was too watery and ran into rest of my painting! Disappointing. I tried to salvage what i could. Well that teaches me to be extra careful with the back drop.

Also presented is a tonal study of the same still life.

Portrait, Watercolors

Another portrait ,this time of a pretty girl. I can see improvement but i am yet to master the watercolors. The freshness evades me. I need to muster more confidence and get bolder with use of color. The trick is to mix the exact color you want and let go of yourself. Rather than coating and over coating to get the right effect. Thats what "oilers" do!!!!! Water colors is once only ..it is alive.. When will i paint like that??!!

Children with a deer

This is a painting of a photograph as was published in Reader's Digest. The photograph was so beautiful, shot in artificial light in a very interesting way, that I just had to paint it.

Reproduction - Buildings in the Setting sun, Millind Mulick

This was another exciting reproduction. Mulick has captured the scene of the setting sun to perfection . The building washed in orange light of the sun, the shadows in blue. I tried this twice but failed to get anywhere close to the original. But a lesson well learnt. Just strong bold washes, with almost no details and yet the complete impression... Amazing. Please check out Millindmulick.com for his work.

Reproduction,Creek at Osho ashram, MiIllind Mulick

Millind Mulick is brilliant. His landscapes and architectural rendering is simply breathtaking. I believe that if I were to only copy his work from first to last i will be a success. I learnt more about watercolors from this painting than from anything else before. This is the kind of work that I want to do in my life.

Portrait - Pencil

Another old man for a model. The wrinkles on the skin makes for a good sketch I guess. I normally attempt sketching on small sheets. this was on a bigger scale and I was happy with the effort. I tried to stay close to the actual lighting conditions. My earlier studies on light and shadows helped.

Still life in water colors - Bag, Bottle etc

Another still life. It was a little dull but that's what made it difficult. The pale colors of the bag wasn't easy. But it was fun. The most difficult thing about still life is that if under natural lights, it keeps changing constantly. Its easier if its out doors in the sun which causes strong light and shadows but subtle lights from outside on cloudy days makes things difficult

Brass and steel - Charcoal sketch

This is by far my best effort in charcoal. The metal sheen of the brass vessel has come out well. The composition is not the greatest though. Originally it was only the brass vessel and I added the steel plate with grapes later.

Window and curtains - indoors in charcoal

This was done at home. I had just rediscovered my old charcoal pencil and couldn't wait to put it to use. If you get the lines and the proportions right, Charcoal is a great medium to work with.

Old man, Charcoal sketch

At the school, we occasionally get live models to paint. This old man was a delight to sketch. I preferred to use charcoal. Its a challenging medium cos you cannot use an eraser! so every stroke is there to stay. But nothign is better than charcoal for a quick tone study

Reproduction in watercolors - ship at sea, Manet

Manet' s ship in the sea is a good study. The sky and the ocean is blue right?Not quite and this beautiful painting illustrates the fact. Open your

mind to colors and light... Impressionism at its best... Its a pleasure to paint water with watercolors.. stroke after stroke.. No other medium can bring water's dynamic quality as well.

Reproduction in pencil- Man and dog, Manet

Another of Manet's. I forget the title but it is a superb painting specially showcasing Manet's absolute control over light and reflections. The subtle play of light on the clothes and shoes and even the dog behind was breathtaking. I preferred to do a tonal study in Pencil.

Grandpa and grand child - Water colors, indoors

In between, at home I caught sight of a beautiful moment with my daughter sitting on my father's lap as she does quite often. I was looking for a theme to paint and this was perfect. Of Course i only got seconds to sketch my daughter before she moved on to other plans. It was a very helpful study of light and shadow. Light is coming from two sources, the window behind and the open door at the side. I liked it when I painted but at the end of it I thought it was too static like an oil painting and the liveliness of watercolor has not been expressed.

Girl, You need to work harder.

Reproduction - Still life

This is another reproduction of a still life from a book. It gives a new insight in use of color. The yellow background is livel, almost shocking but arresting. Highlights the objects very well. Incidently yellow is an excellent color to do a wash with. Visually, it spreads so easily.

Still LIfe - Can, bottle, kettle, Steel box

This is the first still life I did at the school and i was very excited. You are a lone crusader at home but there in class you can see how others look at the same composition in their own style . There's a lot you can learn from your peers. You know where you stand.

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Still Life - Watercolors, Jug mango and Glass

I tried this still life at home. I have to grow in confidence when it comes to mixing and applying colors. This is a little too pale.

But its encouraging considering I didn't have much time to finish this.

Reproduction - Portrait of a lady , Manet

Manet is one of my favorite painters. I love impressionist work. So reproducing this by the master was a thrill. I was happy with the effort.

Reproduction -George Stubbs, Lion attacking horse theme

If the previous one was scary this was scarier! But in the end after i had done the sketching, The painting was easier than i thought.

Goerge Stubbs and one of his 'lion attacking a horse' theme. Its a beautiful painting. the detail is astonishing . Again, reproducing an oil in watercolors is not easy. You have to do away with the minute details. Its a fine line between copying exactly and taking liberties!

Reproduction

I got a mild attack when the instructor got this for me to reproduce!

This is a water color reproduction of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘The First Anniversary of the Death of Beatrice’.

I work 2 hours a day. It took me a day to sketch it and three days to finish the painting. It was a good study of light and shadow. Of course reproducing an oil into water colors is not the easiest.

But at the end of it, i patted my back. Satisfying and I broke a barrier with this one. I am nore confident now.

Reproduction of a Still LIfe 2009

One of the earliest painting at the art school... In fact the earliest. This is a reproduction of a still life. It looked formidable in the beginning but once i had begun i got into the flow.
Satisfactory.

In the shadow of a lamp- watercolors 2008

I couldn't paint this live cos the only light was from the lamp. So i had to imagine most of it.


This is one of the last decent efforts before I joined the art school.
So now onwards lets see if there has been any improvement!!!

Still life - water colors 2008

I like this one. Its a small painting that I thought came out well. Particulary at that stage... Of course many creases need to be ironed!

The cup could have been better and the flower is fine except for the stamen.

Still life - 2008

I enjoyed painting the ceramic pitcher! The glass could have been better. And the apple chosen could have been brighter! It was as dull as I have painted!!!

Fruit bowl - water colors 2007

Early attempts at still life.. this was a study of light.

Self Portrait - Pencil Sketch 1999

No, I don't own a labrador. The dog was on the cover of an issue of Reader's Digest. The article was on guide Dogs for blind people. Some of you might have seen it. So after I sketched the dog, on a whim I decided to put myself in the sketch instead of the owner in the original photograph! Apologies to who ever it concerns! ...

Shah Rukh Khan - pencil sketch, 1999

The king!... I am not exactly a big fan but when this photo came in a pefume ad, I couldnt resist sketching it... The most difficult thing was to capture his expressive eyes... tried. Here is one actor who emotes through his eyes...

My friends loved this sketch. I have gifted some of my sketches to respective fans of the

personality have sketched including SRK and Cindy Crawford.. But I couldn't part with this.

Madhuri Dixit - Pencil Sketch 1993

This lady is truly beautiful... I had attempted sketching her many times but capturing her subtle features always eluded me. A beautiful face is a delight to sketch. This is the best effort that I obtained after many attempts that ended in the waste paper bin!

Lady Diana - Color Pencils, 1993

Another favourite personality whom I loved to sketch... Princess Di....I was shocked to hear about her untimely death. And it seemed to me that the most photographed woman, admired and loved by one and all lived an unhappy life...
The nose in this sketch is a little long!