of monsoon rains have washed away any opportunities to work on the portrait of Mercia (
Sadalsuud) for the time being, so it was time to look beyond the clouds and take on another constellation. I was in need of consistent lighting and a model who had a similar schedule as mine, and equally important, a similar taste in music. The one I decided to go with for the painting is a bit of a prima donna (quite the whiner, actually.. and he could use a haircut), but I think everything will work out.
The composition is based on the constellation of
Ophiuchus (the serpent-holder). The first drawing/set up - much simpler, and certainly more serious (I've taken a lot of heat for looking too
serious/
intense in my previous self portrait attempts, which doesn't particularly harmonize with my personality) - had me dressed in black, holding the hose of a nargila. I completed the study, the drawing, and even started in on the painting, but was completely uninspired by it (so much so, that I wasn't planning on posting it here). So, I ditched it.
I played around with
the setup and changed my mindset about the project to that of a more lighthearted attitude (I needed a counterweight to balance out the prospect of sitting in a small dark room for hours on end) - I still tried to maintain somewhat of an edge. Hopefully, that will come through in the painting (it's hard to feel it in the charcoal sketch); I am determined to achieve that presence. As for the the space, I have kept both the hookah and
the original poster study to fuse it with the initial idea.
This afternoon, I plan on jumping in to the color wash (underpainting). After I make a little progress (and assuming that my model will cooperate), I will be back here with more. Late.
