How to Paint Fabric

"Lazy Saturday"

9"x11"

oil on linen board

$500.00 incl. shipping

This is hot off the easel this week of the lovely Zhanna, a favorite model of mine.

I like  how the fabric turned out. I painted it fast and furious.  I bought this slip for a small fortune knowing I would paint it a lot. It is rather gorgeous I think and begs to be painted more.

A challenge to paint though. I had planned to paint it so much more sheer. But sometimes you just have to lay aside plans, get a big brush out and 'feel it', always remembering to turn the "form". I pushed the values in the dress darker than they appeared and made the most of the fabric "flow" remembering to carve out the body underneath with some dark, crisp notes.  Once I had something I liked, I left well alone.

So basically I have no idea how to paint fabric at all. 

Maybe you do? 

How To Paint Silk

Girl With A Mandarin Collar

Oil on linen panel

8"x10"

$500

$5 shipping

I painted this silk collar as my demo at The California Art Institute. The silk collar excited me. I painted it fast with dry brush work directly onto the dry linen board with a scratchy old brush and no medium. Thick paint. I like to get in and out fast! Old brushes are very useful. Especially tooth brushes. Don't overlook them.

The third image is from a commission just before I finished it. This is a more polished silk. I took more time on it. Worked with a small brush, following the form. The 'box' of the rib cage is very apparent here. I was working the silk over it. The box was softened and widened at the finish. More gold thread added to the pattern.