Dirty Platte Meeting Summer Session-Finals and New Model

Well with only a few days left till school starts the summer of the DPC draws to an end. We had our final summer meeting and our second session with our new model Michelle, who's a real pro and a cool person to boot. I had a lot of fun getting out with the group and also having Michelle over to paint at my place. I think we got out and about quite often this summer and had a great time as we always do joking with each other and sharing and caring about art--along with our usual DPC brand of humor. here are my two paintings of Michelle, started at the DPC session and finished up later.

Dave and Will painting away...

Will's study
Joel's study.

With school back in session we'll have to come up with a new schedule to meet and paint, maybe in school or even out and about the city. I really felt that painting outside of the school environment was essential to my growth as an artist this summer and also having a great group of talented and supportive friends is something you can never underestimate as being a vital part of that growth.

Summer Meeting 6

Yesterday as the severe thunder storms rolled through the area the DPC got down to it's weekly business. Claire came to model for us again and we set about working at a portrait. Unfortunately Claire ended up not feeling well so we had to cut the pose shorter than we hoped, but there is always the camera and next time.
I went ahead and finished up my quick portrait form the photo I snapped.

Next week we have to decide if we are going to do a portrait again or go back out for another landscape.
Dave, Joel and Will get down to work.

Dirty Palette Club - Session 5

Today was a great day for the Dirty Palette Club. Good Weather and a Good Challenge.
We spent our time in a parking lot across an old boat yard. Well that's what I thought it was anyway. Intitally we tried to paint on the other side of the fence, but access was not granted, and my Jedi mind trick is getting sloppy.

Here is our crew for the evening, which included Mike Manley (Showing us all how tasty Chick Fil A food is), Joel Shambe, David Golas, and myself (William Sentman)

Here was my finished painting for the evening. I was pretty happy with the results, being that landscape painting is new to me. With great art comes much practice and that's why I continue to push myself at any cost.
Here you can see Dave Painting away with his Palette Knife.
This was an early photo for Dave's painting. I did not capture his finished work apparently.
Hopefully Mike will post it up for everyone. I thought It was his best landscape yet.

Ahhhhh and our good buddy Joel decided to join us today on our excursion. I was pleased to know he was coming out with us. And a delight it was.

Here is Joel's Finished painting for the day. The two things that really draw my eye in is the crates in the foreground and the structure upon the ship. Overall I think its the lighting that really drags me in.

And who cant forget about Mike. Here he is painting away deep in thought about what color and or value that building is. Whats great about Mike, in my opinion, is his increase of surface size each time we go out to paint. Each time he manages to get enough information down that reads well.
And here is Mikes finished paining for the day.

July 4th Paintout

Like all red-blooded patriots we at the DPC celebrated the July 4th holiday by smearing around oil on canvas trying to capture part of this great land on canvas.
The DPC along with families in tow hit the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania early in the morning for a day of painting. The biggest issue was there was so much great scenery, what were we going to paint?
Finally we settled on this great little fountain and waterfall and set up and went at it--racing the sun before the shadows would change too much and force us to stop.
Here is what I ended up with before the sun changed too much. I snapped a picture so I can finish this in the studio.

This is my block-in of my painting, I was using my biggest brush to just try and get the major shapes in fast. In natures seductive riot it is so easy to get seduced by detail too early.
Dave going great guns...
Will is working away on the same scene.

Dirty Palette Club-Summer Session 4

Today the DPC decided to return to the fresh polluted skies of the city and do some Landscape painting. We planted our selves at a nice open park in West Philly. With luck on our side, we made it throughout the day with no pestering Drunks or Rain. Just good old sunshine.
We also had our first encounter with a fellow painter (outside our friends) who was interested in joining our group. Hopefully we will hear back from her. The DPC is always looking for new artists to join our league.
Heres Mike working on his lovely city scape.

(Above is the finished result of Mikes painting for the day.)

David working his painting. From what I was told his primary focus was on that red fire hydrant in the foreground.

My finished Painting for the day. I ended up redrawing some things out which led my finished painting to be a bit on the flat side.

Dirty Platte Meeting Summer Session-3

This week was the third meeting of our group for the summer and the heat was on. Suddenly Mother nature turned up the heat yesterday so I had the air conditioning cranking for our meeting. My friend Claire came up to pose for us, she a great model and a swell animator, you can check her animation our here.

Above is Dave's progress on Claire's pose.
Joel's quick portrait of Claire.
My finished portrait.
here is my rough-in.
Joel painting away.



Jackie came back for the first time in a long time to hang with us and draw.

DPC SUMMER SESSION -2

Despite the rainy weather here in Philly, 170% above average for the season so far, the DPC meet for it second summer painting session yesterday. Dave couldn't make it but Will came along and once again Jamie came to pose for us for the evening. The painting above is the finished painting which I completed from a picture I snapped of Jamie, but I stared the initial block in and painting while she was sitting. I wiped out and gave it three restarts last night before I got something I didn't want to punch my fist through.
Will paints away, he had a pretty dramatic composition going on.
Jamie sat and watched The City of Lost Children on demand was we painted away.


Here is one of my rough-ins which got rubbed out, I was really fighting it this evening, but a bad start means a bad finish.
Yours truly painting away
in my living room, fighting my sinus headache and my painting at the same time.

I have really been pushing myself to do at least one or two portraits outside of the class I'm doing every week. I'm working on being looser, yet still have the solid drawing, and it's a real fight. I've been studying my favorite artists like Sargent, Fechin and really trying to push the values and color/temperature -plane changes in my strokes.

Summer DPC 2 (Portrait session 1)

Once again the DPC was back on track and kicking ass. Tonight we had a model pose for us at our normal location (thanks to Mike and Jamie). Jamie was our model for the evening, and like most models she was able to put up with our Dirty selves. Hopfully, if everything goes well we will have for another session next week. The members consisted of David Golas, Mike Manley, and myself (Will Sentman).


This was out lovely model for the evening (Jamie)


This was about 2 hours into the painting. My progress was not what I had hoped for.

David's painting at the end of the night.

Mike's painting at the end of the night.

And here is the final portrait sketch