Drawing for upcoming painting

Same drawing, two photos. The painting will be based on drawings. My goal is to learn to analyze and remember what I see, like artists had to do before photography.

Study for self-portrait

Half happy, half angry. Drawn with calligraphy pen.

Still life in progress

Wicked Wicker

So far so good.

Blending Study 2

Grade: B-

For this one, I used only Turpenoid as my medium. It works better.

Blending Study 1

Grade: D-

This is the first in a series of studies, the goal of which is to regain comfort with blending. I essentially gave up with this one and began adding distinguishable strokes to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal.

I tried a fan brush and found that, with this small of an image (12"x16" total), this brush doesn't work well and I am left with using either the latest brush I've loaded with paint or another brush that I set aside solely for blending.

Homage to Coffee

The composition is a bit unsettling but the overall painting is decent for an afternoon.

 

Step 1: Outline and block in composition

Step 2: Add darkest darks and detail to test effect 

Step 3: Continue detail of all objects

Step 4: Add background

This procedure may not be viewed as mature, as working in a general to specific manner is quicker and much less stressful with regard to proportions. However, experimenting with the process is fun and I like how this turned out.