Song To Say Goodbye

I love painting on wood. Last semester I made the switch to 99% panels after getting really tired of keeping my hand from denting canvases. Plus, the smooth surface works much better for my painting style. What I regret about it a little is that since joining etsy, offering panels just really isn't an option. The shipping would cost almost as much as the painting, not to mention the sheer trouble of packaging. Large canvases can at least be taken off the stretcher bars and rolled.

What I can do, however, is paint on solid wood scraps. At school, the shop is always full of people building god knows what, and their scraps always end up being tossed. I try to grab the bigger ones when I can. A few nights ago I found a small box of a few wood scraps I saved from my freshman year and decided to make good use of one of them.





MDF is such a nice surface but so heavy. I think I did a double take when I calculated the shipping; I'm too used to illustration board and little canvases. But hopefully someone on Etsy will give Brian a good home; he looks like he could use it.

Is it obvious yet that I really enjoy painting eyes? It's usually the first thing I paint and my favorite part. Once I get the eyes looking good, I know the rest of the painting will work out. After all, that's usually the first thing people look at in a portrait. If the eyes look dead or crooked or dull, no amount of great skin will save them.

Anyway, here's what inspired the painting.



And might I say, he simply gets cuter the older he gets.