Joan Benedict Steiger's Brooklyn Baby

Honored that Hollywood grande dame Joan Benedict Steiger is including this life sketch I did of her in her new memoirs "Brooklyn Baby".

"General Hospital" star Joan, (also actor Rod Steriger's wife) is my latest Face of Malibu sitter and boy, does she have some stories to tell. Such a lovely talented lady. Read more about her incredible life story in the link below.

Joan Benedict Steiger
Sitter number 41, The Face of Malibu Portrait Project
Kindly appearing in The Malibu Times

storyhere

The Last Portrait Sitting of 2015-Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.  

It seems entirely fitting my last life portrait sitting of 2015 is of my husband in his swish peacoat,  a work in progress,  via palette knife, 30x40". It was pretty chilly in the studio yesterday. That coat came in handy.

Thanks for supporting my art this year. It means the world. See you in 2016.

The Padster
Work in Progress
Via Palette Knife
By Johanna Spinks
www.johannaspinks.com

Face of Malibu Portrait Project Hits Two Years

My Face of Malibu portrait project hits two years with twice mayor Sharon Barovsky. She has some interesting things to say about this town currently in The Malibu Times.

The Face of Malibu appears monthly in The Malibu Times. Each sitter is painted directly from life in a single sitter. Sharon is sitter number 26.

Read more about her life here: http://www.malibutimes.com

Sharon Barovsky
Face of Malibu By Johanna Spinks

Back From Beyond

Mr. Doug Rucker
NFS
 The Face of Malibu Series
Life sitting, one hour and thirty.

I wouldn't recommend doing a life sitting the day before major surgery but that's what I did. Newspaper deadlines have to be met.

And I am grateful to my latest Face of Malibu sitter Doug Rucker, architect of many Malibu homes, for putting up with me that day.

Not often you get a style of  home named after you but Doug's homes became known as "Ruckers".  His sketch and life story appear in this week's Malibu Times.

Read his story here: http://www.malibutimes.com/malibu_life/article_2a38a658-eea8-11e2-aad6-001a4bcf887a.html

How to put the finishing touches on a portrait...

After a few days rest from my sketch, I was not happy with it. It needed some finishing touches. A sharpening here and there, most of all some stronger drawing.

I decided to be bold. Here's how I tweaked it...

Sharpened the jaw line up to the ear and the underplane of said jaw.

Sharpened the glow on the forehead.

Sharpened the shape of the forehead meeting the hairline.

Strengthened the shadow side of the nose. Her beautiful aqualine nose so important to who she is...

Placed the ear slightly more back

Placed some lovely darks in those deep eye sockets with a swirl of the brush leaving the stroke to show...that sealed the deal for me!

Added more hair to the back of the head...more viridian highlights...

Added some more sizzle to the fabric, pinks and greens, with a palette knife.

I think I am happy now.