African Rhino painting

For a while I had this idea of painting on shwe-shwe fabric instead of canvas. I have now tried it and am very happy with the result. The shwe-shwe is 100% cotton.

Oil on shwe-shwe SOLD

3 Ways of starting a portrait painting

I have noticed I have 3 ways of starting the painting:

1. With a sketch 
2. With sketch + under painting
3. „Blind” painting

With a sketch-  I would start with a detailed sketch (making sure all sizing is correct and in place before I start) and put the paint directly on unpainted canvas. For me this works if its a small painting and I don't want to spend time waiting for under painting to dry. You can see the you tube video on the post Painting A little girl or Inspired by Game of Thrones. 

With a sketch + under painting - I have noticed that I like to do under painting for bigger portraits. This I usually do in acrylic as it dry much faster than oil under painting. I like to choose burnt umber or burnt orange for under painting as it gives warmth to the portrait. Sometimes green or paynes grey is good too to bring out the pink and orange top tones. Under painting also prevents the blank canvas from showing if the canvas is not fully covered. It also gives you an opportunity to establish the darks and lights early. Usually I use this this technique for commission work. I have posted an under painting on you tube for the portrait seen in previous post. 

,,Blind” painting - I just call it that way. Not sure if there is a proper term for it. It simply means that I paint directly on canvas - starting with vauge shapes and adjusting as I paint. I love the creative process of it, but it is much harder to get likelines of the person. I guess it takes practice and eventually one gets to know where to look and what features to enhance to achieve liveliness. If I work on a commission piece its very unlikely that I would use this technique as in many cases it would take longer to fix the mistakes than doing the detail sketch in the beginning.   Positive- it gives more room to play around and thus can make more interesting art piece.

„Blind” painting technique used on this portrait

Inspired by Game of Thrones

The new season of the cult series just started. I can't say that I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones, but I do glance at the screen now and then, when GOT is on. Look, I even used the abbreviation  like a pro :D

One of my biggest challenges in painting is to choose a subject. That probably is the reason why I like doing commission work ;) - the subject is provided beforehand!

Alla prima painting of Khaleesi.
16 x 16 cm
Oil on canvas.

You might notice that this portrait is some what similar to the one in the previous post. First- it's the same size and second - I used the same color palette. This size is very unusual for me actually, but I am enjoying it- as painting can be finished in one session within 3h.

Here is a time lapse video of first part of the painting process: https://youtu.be/hZrAQRxVZbA

Colorful dog portraits in Cape Town

I was contacted by Michelle to do commission paintings of her beautiful dogs. Since I love painting any living being, of course I agreed:)

These are the pictures that were sent to me.

Initially we were thinking of ding the portraits in mild colors using mostly, white, grey, blue, brown. And this is what it looked like:

Although I loved this look and had tremendous fun painting these boys. Michelle sent me this picture and asked if I could make the portraits look like this, since she loves everything of this painting:

I will admit that it was very hard for me to actually change the look of the paintings- as I really loved it. The next challenge was to understand how to get the feel that comes out of this painting. I tried different brushes and palette knife- but it just did not work. And then it stroked me - I had to use my fingers!!! It was a extremely messy stile for me, but extremely fun too:)

And here is the result!

We are very pleased with the result:) Happy ending!

The portraits are acrylic on canvas, 56 x 71cm each.

Cheers, Ritma

Alla Prima whale painting

I had some oil paint left after finishing the latest portrait painting. There was some paint left on my palette. I am generally a stingy person and could not let the paint go to waste.

One of my friends really loves whales and I had a small, plain canvas that I keep at home for those "just in case" moments.

So this is the result 10x10inch Alla Prima (wet-on-wet) oil painting of a Southern Right Whale.

Composition in art / painting

In the class we came to the composition question- I know its not much fun- more the theory and then trying it out in practice- time consuming exercise. But it is a very important, if not the most important element in the painting. 

Composition – the way in which all the visual elements within a painting are put together.

The three most basic and general rules in art are: 

1. format (shape of the painting);
2. Arrangement of items;
3. Tonal values (light & dark)

Of course the other elements as: Color, Texture, Lines, Shapes, Scale and Perspective are important, but they are all so interlinked with the 3 basic elements, that it is very hard to speak about them separately. This is why the painting is as one interlinked piece of art. 

Initially I thought I will write one article on composition, but seams that this would not be a case. 

Here are 3 most used computational arrangements in art (of course there are more and I hope to touch on them in following posts) :

1. Rule of thirds also called Golden mean;
2. "L" composition;
3. Steelyard

Rule of thirds (picture courtesy of Wikipedia) also known as classical composition.

In this arrangement, we divide each side of the canvas by three equal parts. Where the segments intersect are considered to be the optimum places for the point of interest. The point of interest, the area of the painting where the eyes are drawn to, should be placed in one of the four positions.

"L" composition 

Here is a great lesson on composition which uses "L" shape - photo also from this blog.

The "L" can be located any way and upside down too:) 

Steelyard composition

http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

A steelyard is a simple balance scale whereby one large item is balanced on a bar against a smaller weight that is moved further away from the fulcrum (centre) to achieve balance.

I will be posting more on composition. 

For those in who would like more hands on approach, you are welcome to join the painting class with me in Somerset West (Cape Town), South Africa. 

For Moms- 3rd give away painting

With Mother's Day just around the corner, here is my 3rd Give Away painting- it has gone home a few weeks ago, but I noticed that it has not been shared on the blog.

3rd give away painting

Kyle responded to my posting on the Facebook group, where I told about the Giveaway paintings. He also shared that his mom and dad has adopted him as a small child and have been the best mom he could ever imagine! Kyle's dad is currently fighting Alzheimer's and mom would really do with some happy feelings and smiles:) Such a special mom!!!

May all moms have a very special Mother's day on Sunday!

Happy paintings for cancer support

This is a follow up project from "Horse painting for cancer support" - I would like to have it as an ongoing project. Don't You think that would be awesome!

The paintings that can be seen on this page are the ones, that are available for purchase through the project. From every sold painting I would donate 50% of sales price to CANSA - The Cancer Association of South Africa (http://www.cansa.org.za/).

Why cancer support?

Since my family has been battling the cancer, I hear more and more people fighting or fought cancer- everyone knows someone that has cancer!? This clearly is a big issue in today- if we work together we can make a difference. Donating to cancer cause is my choice, if You would like to donate from a purchased painting to a different charity, please let me know :) I donate through http://www.givengain.com/. Info on previous project & donations.

Why call these "Happy paintings"? 

1. Painting them made me happy,

2. they hopefully will make the person purchasing the painting happy and

3. the donated funds will make whole lot of people dealing with cancer happier

Just thought its a nice reason to call them "happy paintings":)

LET'S SHARE THE HAPPINESS AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

• All paintings are fully hand painted in acrylic or oil on canvas;
• All prices are provisional and negotiable. Provisional price can be seen below the painting, 50% of the paid price will be donated. Price excludes shipping and delivery costs. 
• If You would like to buy a painting or have any questions, please contact me on email or phone. 

Large horse 3,
Acrylic boxed canvas, 91x76cm,
R3000

Bob Marley
Acrylic on stretched canvas, 100x80cm
R2000 

Happy
Acrylic on boxed canvas, 91x76cm
R2000

White horse
Oil on canvas board, 40x50cm
R700

Angel
Oil on canvas board, 50x40cm
R800

Baby girl
Oil on canvas, A3
R700

Profile
Oil on canvas board, A3
R500

Little girl
Acrylic on canvas, A3
R300 

Arabian
Acrylic on canvas, 60x50cm, framed in white frame
R700

1st give away portrait painting

Heiya!!!

Here we go! the first give away portrait is done. I'm so excited and eager to see what the reaction of the receiver will be... I really hope she likes it. I titled this painting "In moms arms":)

oil portrait, A3

The portrait will be a surprise gift from an amazing friend to the receiver. I have never met or spoken to the people in this portrait... I hope that this post is not going to spoil the surprise... well, what are the chances that someone that knows the person in the picture accidentally stumbles upon my blog? In case it actually happens, please let me know:)))
 
 Read more about give-away project: http://ritmart.blogspot.com/2014/03/painting-give-away.html

To order a portrait, please visit www.portraitartist.com for more info:)

What it costs to be an artist - business plan:D

I recently see the posts about artists being asked to give away their art- be it paintings, music, written etc... so I found myself "playing with the numbers in my head".

This is a very primitive estimate about what is needed if You would like to take up painting:)

1. Computer, lets say we can pick up a basic laptop at R5000.  Computer is an essential as it is used to communicate with the clients and to see the reference photos. One can argue that it is possible to do all of that in internet cafe- well, it is, but I find laptop much more handy. And lets face it- printing in color these days cost quite a bit... especially if You need the same reference photo in different varieties. I tend to increase/ decrease color value quite a bit through the process- to understand the picture better;
2. Internet- again, can be used in internet cafe, but much easier to focus when one is at home. And if you are like me who like to paint at night- it is irreplaceable! I use about R150 a month in internet; 
3. Camera/ cell phone- to take photos and share your work. I would guess that R2000 shall do, if You don't have one already;
4. Paints - I would guess that about 20 colors should be enough to start with. I have about 35 tubes of acrylic paint and about 30 tubes of oil paint. Let's imagine you want to paint in oil paint. On avarage a tube of 50ml oil paint would cost you between R 45-70. You would by 20xR45= about R900
5. Brushes - the price on brushes is very variable, starting from as little as R5 for the small ones. 10 brushes would be a good start, R20 per brush = about R200;
6. Other materials like: as turpentine, linseed oil, detail, drying mediums, glazing, palette paper - just the basics would come to R600;
7. Canvas - of course the art will have to be painted on something... now this is hard to predict as it really depends on each individuals choices... An A3 stretched canvas costs about R50 (this is the one that does not need framing and can be hung as is). lets say You would use 2 in a months= R100
8. Easel- one should be able to find a free standing easel or easel-box for about R600
9. Website- well, this is not essential, but is nice to have:) self designed and private domain would can be found from as little as R100. 
10. Talent and painting classes- this really depends on each individual and can not be priced. 
11. Space and time- if You really wnat to paint, You will find it!:)

SO, what do we have here?

This all comes to R9650 + TALENT + Space & Time:)

The nice thing is - some of the items all of us already have at home and others can be bought one by one:) LET'S PAINT!!!

What do I need to start painting?
PS The cat and coffee optional :P

Painting Give Away!

Dear family, friends, colleagues, readers and all beautiful people!

I would like to give away 3 portrait paintings for free to people who are hurting - with hope that the painting would bring some happiness to their life. 

Details of the painting: 

1. Subject - chosen by receiver (can be arranged as a surprise present);
2. Support- plain canvas, no stretcher bars or frame;
3. Medium - oil paint;
4. Size -28x38cm
5. Pick up, posting - painting to be picked up in Somerset West or posting to be arranged by the beneficiary, if receiver lives outside Cape Town (South Africa). 

Criteria of choosing the receiver- please send me a short story and a reference photo (or a few photos if difficult to choose one) to rgrizane@gmail.com. I hope to choose the paintings-to-be within this week.

What's in it for me? Apart from experience, NOTHING! It's a pure act of kindness. Of course I might get some exposure, but not banking on it. I simply would like to make someones life a bit better. I have no money to give away, but I have my skill, talent, time and ready to invest it. There are way too many people hurting out there. Why do I ask for the story- so people don't abuse the opportunity. 

Please help to find people who would benefit the most from this project and let's share happiness!!!

*The idea is inspired by those dealing with cancer, but is not limited to cancer. Please also share the previous project, that is still on: http://ritmart.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-painting-for-cancer-support.html

The results of this project will be shared here and on social media platforms. 

Going black & white again

This is my latest painting in black & white.

Acrylic on canvas, 18x24inch

Replica in oil

Have You tried doing a replca of a famous painting?

I decided to try: this is how far I got!

Raphael's famous Cherubs

My attempt (R Grizane)

Original

Solo Exhibition!!!

My first Solo Exhibition is running!!! I'm so gratefull to all the people that helped me to get this far. Special thanks to my family who supported me even though they live on the other side of the Globe!

My first exhibition is organized in Gaujiena where my parents live and it is also the place I call home!

In the mean time my husband travels Africa on his BMW motirbike. More info: www.1man1bike1adventure.blogspot.com

Sisters

I think This was more interesting for me than for the client:)

Here are two portraits that belong to the same family- they are sisters. And the common thing is not only that:

1. paintings are painted from a black and white reference pictures; 
2. painted with limited color palette;
3. Acrylic on canvas
4. Size A3

Although there might be so many common things in these paintings they actually ended up to be quite different portraits.

What do You think?

R

PS. I'm going to be busy with tours for about a month, so no paintings for a while:(

Paint like You can afford it!

My painting mentor always says I'm too stingy with the paint... So, one day (actually it was night about 11pm) I decided to try it out! I grabbed a piece of cardboard that I keep around for kids when they want to paint. Chose a picture on the computer for a reference - that was a little girl from Knysna (South Africa) Rastafarian community we visited a few weeks ago. 

The aim was to paint with lots of paint and keep it bright:) I am happy with the result. 

Picture is for sale. Size 23x30cm. Please contact me, if You would like to buy it.

R

Painting horses

Horses are so amazing- huge, but gentle!!! They have so much power, but they would trust us to direct them. Well, most of the time:).

Ever since I remember myself, I have been bewitched by horses. I should thank the horses for getting me into sketching.  There are quite a few horse sketches that I still have at my parents place. Unfortunately I cant not put pictures of those sketches here, because my parents live in Latvia (Europe), but I'm in South Africa, but maybe I will do just that one day:)

Logically, when I started painting in April, 2010, I soon moved to painting horses. It was Bles in acrylic. the painting is owned by my friend Suz and Bleses owner. From there on, I have painted a few horses and each painting came out better then the previous:)

Condos Goliath (Mr Spots) is the last painting I painted - it is still drying on top of my fridge. This painting is for Goliath owner and my friend Alaine, who kindly allows me to ride this stunning horse!:) It came out so nice, that I might keep away from painting horses for a while, as I'm afraid I would not be able to do a painting better than this... hmmm, lets see how long is that fear going to keep me away from painting another horse:D.

Thank You for reading and have a great day everyone!