120/365



a cheeky last one for this month
and that's a wrap for April...
4 months already, 
120 faces!!!



to the next 245, 
thank you for the support, 
couldn't do it without! 

the evolution of a painting

so i spent 3 days at Studio 3 for 
Dee Donaldson Portrait Workshop 
and once again it was AH-MAZING! 

Day one: 

i activated the canvas, on top of my charcoal drawing


after lots of color mixing 
the first marks go onto the painting



by day two it's time to connect with the eyes and the subject, 
to put some emotions in the painting 


lots of marks, observing, waiting and responding.
it feels like a dance between the painting and the painter...



i love this stage, totally immersed,
 time becomes completely irrelevant. 




i also used this tool (window cleaner) at this point, 
my new favorite, its unpredictability is perfect to
stay loose and make interesting marks




 day three is the most challenging for me. 
working on tiny details, making one mark, stepping back,
deciding at what stage am i overworking, stopping too soon... 

here i had to make the nose and wrinkles more fleshy
(kept me awake at night :)) 


and then suddenly the painting falls into place, 
it feels done and it's a strange feeling. 


there are a few things i'm still unsure about 
but i think it's complete. i am super thrill with it  
and with all that i learnt on this "dance". 



Up to date


the last few days of my #1faceaday


this man above makes me emotional,
i'm not sure why. his eyes i think. 


below is the practice run for the lady 
i'll paint this weekend. 
i definitely prefer painting these daily faces 
out of my imagination. 






and that is 111 faces so far. 


this and that...

via Pinterest  

reminding myself... 
to play, to love, to laugh and to take nothing too seriously. 


doodling in the dark while we wait for the electricity to come back... 


come on South Africa, pull yourself together! 


first sketch

i'm getting ready for this weekend 
with Dee's help i've chosen the little pineapple lady.

that will be her name for now because i've forgotten
her real name and she sells pineapple near the beach 
during the holidays. 

here is the beginning, first sketch onto the canvas 



i'm inspired by Benjamin Bjorklund's work,
i love his floating portraits...
let's see where it take me. 

still catching up

i'm still updating my faces here... 
it seems that the days go by so fast!




 below is my 100th face, 
i was so happy to get to 100 so she is all long-necked and crowned! 


 with my hand in there, you can get a sense of the size. 
i've decided to keep them all the same format now, 
they are all more or less 15cm by 20cm. 
i thought if i ever show them or want to do something with them
it's better if they are all the same size. 




i love this little dude above, he looks so bleak and exasperated... 
that's pretty much how i felt that day!

a new month

beginning of April 
my #1faceaday challenge continues! 



some crazy ones, some hand obsessions, some i like a little less
... all sorts! 






happy weekend beautiful people! 


on my easel

embracing quirkiness/weird ideas?!?

the paintings below are all oil paintings in progress
and they are all pretty strange... 

you know by now that i am a big fan of Elizabeth Gilbert
and here is what she says in her new book Big Magic 
(coming out in September but she's been sharing bits & pieces of it)

she says:
  "Keep your eyes open. Listen. Follow your curiosity. 
Ideas are constantly trying to get your attention, 
let them know you are available."



of course i absolutely love that and believe it with my whole heart.
so i've been paying attention and some strange 
ideas and inspiration have appeared...


i'm available, i am going with it!!! 


let's see where it takes me ;) 
deep trust! 

a gift

   how lucky am i? 
as a gift...
because apparently i've been such a good client ;) 
(yes i confess, i did take many, many of her online classes)

anyway, i'm really looking forward to it, 
i love doodling and i can't wait to see 
Diane Culhane's take on it!