The photo I'm using for my painting of the Tsar and Alexis has the Tsar in a 3/4quaters pose. After awhile his image insisted on a straight forward facial portrait
Okay , but I planned to keep the 3/4 quarters facing body and bring the two together.
I like to paint the Romanov photo as it is . But bringing these two view points together is a difficult task and an added problem was the original photo is so fuzzy.
The Tsar's left shoulder has little or no information and it's the trickiest part . I think that's what has stumped me. I also think whoever took the photo was sitting down as the pair seem to be looking down into the camera. Well the painting was having none of that either
On top of this was the amazingly complex right sleeve....again , fuzzy
I went ahead and painted. I painted and I painted and painted . And because I'm bull headed, I painted a sleeve and tunic for 10 months, of the year and a half I have been painting this picture
After 10 months I finally got that sleeve. But the tunic has defeated me
So I'm now turning the Tsar's body straight forward too...but I'm keeping that sleeve, by God
There are so many CLEAR photos of Nicolas where he's facing straight on, it will be a joy to paint using them!
However as soon as I started painting the body straight on as well, things have gotten much better
Bronte Novel Update
The Bronte Novel marches on. I have written a great deal and a good deal is still ahead. I look forward to blending the different parts together
I have taken a photo of some of the note books I have filled as I write it. I write long hand and then type it into the computer .
I find I write the way Emily Bronte wrote " Wuthering Heights ".
.... at least according to Martha Brown
Many's the time that I have seen Miss Emily put down the tally iron as she was ironing the clothes to scribble something on a piece of paper . Whatever she was doing ironing or baking she had her pencil and paper by her I know now that she was then writing Wuthering Heights
I too have a folder of just scrapes of paper with notes, some are sales slips and backs of envelops ! Whatever ever is at hand will do . I also keep on hand lined note books for " beam ins" as I call them.
A scene will uncoil in my mind and one has to get it down then and there. Something imperative will be lost if one waits .Indeed it can't wait . Very often a scene will start with perhaps one line of dialog and build from there. I'm writing every day and enjoying it greatly
My church history research goes on...remarkably hard to track down, but vital to the story
I hop from one part of the history to another. I'm also learning the usefulness of flash back to add to a scene . Not surprisingly while wring a Bronte novel , there is a good amount of crying as I write ...but there is alot of laughing too.
I'm also thoroughly enjoying using Victorian language. It seems flowery, but it is a very exact language . One has to listen to what is being said, but if you do, you'll know just what the other person meant . It's fun to use
Okay back to work!
Nice to see the photograph of your writing work!!! Can i use it for my weblog? And also nice to know how the process is going. I wish you a lot of luck with your painting and writing. XXX Geri
ReplyDeleteThank you Geri!
DeleteCertainly. Thank you for asking. You are kind to pay it such notice . I'm keeping a lid on the actual novel until it's near completion .
Thanks for stopping by and for your fine Bronte blog and for the luck! :)
Thanks for the update Annie. I guess I never took into consideration how tricky it is for an artist such as yourself to get things down in perfect detail when the image is obscured in such a way.
ReplyDeleteSide question, do you find that writing about the Bronte's while painting (and just generally thinking about) the Romanovs compliments each other or is the pursuit of one made more difficult by the other? I don't just mean in terms of time - as obviously for every minute in a day you're painting is one less you could be writing - but just in terms of the focus and emotion connectivity is concerned.
Thanks for stopping by Erik!
DeleteBecause I'm untrained, I rely heavily on following the photo. This photo would be tough enough if clear because of the odd angel, ....but fuzzy too?
Everything must hook up and make sense when one paints it. When we look at something , our eye can skip over stuff...but not when one paints
Mostly the problem came about because the Tsar's facial portrait insisted on being straight on...( by which I mean everything worked better when I did that )
Once that changed, I should have followed suit with the rest of the figure , but I had to learn that the hard way.
Being self taught, you don't do less work learning. it's just done in a different way .
I will say the picture has improved greatly since I adapted and now it feels like the painting it wanted to be from the start.
As to the emotions of the two groups...it's like two different TV stations . One switches from one to the other . They don't impede each other, but I do see points of common ground...socially sequestered families who greatly look to each other, and of course the tragedy part of the two stories .
Lately I have realized a shared captivity theme, in that the young Bronte's wrote stories about captivity a great deal and about Republican and Royal forces battling each other ...of course the Romanovs lived that.
Fasinating how I can't stop writing about the Brontes , but can't see myself writing about the Romanovs for the long haul....their sphere for me is visual
Thanks again!