Emma As Olympia, In Stages

I always like to photograph my life paintings at various stages.

It is useful to chart your progress and to see where sometimes you might have gone wrong.

Very often it can also show you the point that you probably should have left off painting, which is always difficult to call.
Here's a set of Emma posed as Olympia. (please excuse the green tinge some of them have)

http://pjlynch.bigcartel.com/product/painting-the-nude-figure-from-life-with-pj-lynch

Naked Portrait of Darren: Process Pix

Some process pix of a life painting I did of Darren.
The technique I use at my workshops is a simplified version of this.

 My portrait sketch workshop in September at Kennedy Art has been set for Saturday the 6th.
I look forward to seeing some of you then.
info@kennedyart.com
ph + 353 (1) 475 1749

The Portrait Sketch from Life...My Palette

Here's a nice tidy photo showing the palette I use for most of my portrait sketch workshops. 

There is one tomorrow, July 5th, at Kennedy Art in Dublin, and I am very much looking forward to it.

My August Workshop at Kennedy's

We had a lovely day painting with a terrific group on Saturday at Kennedy Art.
Our model was the lovely Alicja and I have to say I was very impressed by the results our students achieved.

I am looking forward to my next workshop at Kennedy's on September 14th. 

That one is fully booked, but there are some spaces available on my workshop on October 26th.

Contact Kennedy's for information about the workshops. 

ph  + 353 (1) 475 1749

info@kennedyart.com  

Busy Arty Saturday!

I've got a busy day tomorrow with my portraiture workshop at Kennedy Art  followed by our open studio event here at La Catedral which is part of Visit 2013. (I'll be on hand between 4 and 6pm).

I've got about thirty of my paintings up in the hallway including these portraits of Reuben, Molly and Tony. 

These are all life paintings but for me they tick the boxes for portraiture too.

By the way, my class was over subscribed so Kennedy's have scheduled another portraiture workshop with me on the 8th June.
Contact Kennedy's if you'd like to join us for that one.
ph  + 353 (1) 475 1749
info@kennedyart.com

Two Portrait Sketches

Yesterday at life drawing I got in some practice for my upcoming portrait sketch workshop at Kennedy Art. This tighter than usual study of Molly took about four hours.

Then I did a quick portrait sketch (2 hours) of Des.
With his powerful body and those granite features Des can look very stern and a bit scary when he's posing, but in reality he is a sweet and very gentle man.
Thanks to my pal Blaise Smith for inviting me along.

Life Study of Joanne, Revisited.

I have just tidied up the background of this life study of Joanne for a forthcoming exhibition.
This is one of my favourite nude portraits.
Don't forget my portrait workshop at Kennedy Art in May.

Back in the Life Room

A day of life painting at the RHA is a pretty rare event for me these days, but yesterday I was  able to get in and to see some great old pals and to work with two excellent models, Des and Darren.
Here is the picture I did of Des in the afternoon and a shot of the man himself at my easel which will give you a sense of the small scale of the painting.

Auction in aid of the United Arts Club

The United Arts Club in Dublin is a lovely relaxed spot to hang out and gossip about whichever Art you are into.
They are having an auction on Wed 10th October in the Club in aid of the UAC RESTORATION FUND.
I have contributed this little life study in oils. It measures 8x10 inches. 
Viewing is from 5pm and the Auction starts at 7 p.m. 
Admission: €5 includes wine and raffle.
It will be well worth a look as some wonderful paintings and interesting items have been donated.

RHA School Workshops

Apparently there are a couple of places left on this workshop in November, but if you are interested, you have to apply for a place by the 7th of October.

Life Room Studies.....With Added Drama

I am looking forward to doing a few teaching workshops in November.    

This one is at the RHA in Dublin, and I am hoping it will be enjoyable for those of us who are sometimes frustrated by the boring poses and stale lighting arrangements that we often encounter at life drawing sessions. I will be playing about with shadow and costume and I will be choosing models who enjoy hamming it up a bit in their poses. Click on this link if you want to join us. Here's the blurb:"As an illustrator P.J. Lynch makes pictures with a strong narrative core. This interest will be reflected in his three day life room workshop.Working with male and female models posed nude, partially draped and clothed, the emphasis will be on more dramatic poses and varied lighting arrangements. Beginning with shorter studies the poses will increase in length through the course of the workshop. Various drawing media will be used and painting will be in oils or acrylic. This workshop will appeal to those with experience in life drawing and an interest in illustrative, narrative picture-making."Please note that although the workshop is on the 14th to the 16th of November, you have to apply for a place by Friday the 7th of October.

Molly with a Red Cushion

This is my second painting of Molly.
She has a wonderfully Edwardian look about her, emphasized perhaps by the way she wears her hair.
There was a bit of a dispute in our life room about the inclusion of the red cushion.
Personally I like how that shock of colour works against the coolness of the rest of the composition.

A Useful Experiment

Here's one from a few weeks ago.
I tried to control the overall colour scheme ( the back cloth was actually a pretty lurid green), and I left most of the brushmarks buttery and thick rather than blending them in the way I usually do.
A useful experiment I think.

A Watercolour Life Study

Here's a watercolour I did from life at the UAC life room.
It was a twenty five minute pose and I would have loved more time on it, but, looking at it now, I like that sketchy spontaneity that having to work fast gives you.

Life Study of Molly

Molly is another new model for our life drawing group.
I spent four hours painting her yesterday.
This series shows the process.









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An Informal History of the Male Nude

This is a triple study I did of Giuseppe, one of my favourite models.

For those of us who have a passion for life drawing, "The Essay" on Radio 4 this week promises to be very interesting.
The first episode featuring Edith Hall , examines the ideals of the Greeks and the Romans.

A Study of Alicia in Five Steps

Here are a series of shots showing my process in painting a two and a half hour study of Alicia.
She is a new model to me and I am very much looking forward to painting her again.

A Portrait Sketch of Aíne

Here's a portrait study I did of our model Aíne in the life class recently.

Although sorely tempted, I held back from laying in the darker tones in her face, and adding detail in her eyes.
Again I was trying to stop myself from being too specific in my descriptiveness. Hopefully the result is a little more subtle and nuanced than it might have been.
You can see a bunch more of these portrait sketches on my Facebook page.

A Study of Declan Revisited

The life painting I did of Declan recently was one that I nearly liked and I didn't quite know why. So I went back to it and did a bit more work simplifying the background and loosing a few edges.
I was fairly pleased with the result and then I happened to look at it without my glasses. (See my Photoshop approximation below)


It had a good deal of truth and accuracy in the tonal values and colouring that were obscured by the detail that I could see with my spex on.
This is something of the effect that I am trying to achieve when I use my big blender brush to soften the edges that I am so often inclined to over emphasize.
Being able to look at your work like this is probably the only advantage to being short-sighted.

Studies of Sean and Declan

Here are a couple of recent studies from the life room.
Each one measures 30 x 40 cm.
Sean above and Declan with the ponytail.
I've just come across this super drawing that one of my life room buddies, Conor Walton did of Declan on the same afternoon.
You can see a bunch of Conor's excellent life drawings on his facebook page.