Jill Millward Artwork

Josie

Hi! I’m in between paintings right now so I thought I’d post a portrait I did a while back that I don’t think I’ve shared. I can’t remember. I took a picture of my niece Josie last summer while she and my daughter were playing on the beach in the evening. The sun was casting amazing light on everything. Josie likes this portrait I did of her better than the first one I did. I painted this in class one day quickly. So it’s very loose and alla prima.

This portrait below is the one she is not wild about. She likes it because I did it, but she is smiling with her mouth shut (because I asked her to) and her hair is down and it’s normally pulled back. This portrait of Josie is part of a set that I did of my sisters kids. I’ve considered redoing it so that it reflects her better…

These are some of my first portraits. Here’s my very first portrait in oils (I’ve drawn lots of portraits over the years)

My sister Jeni. “What if you were just a head?”

Runners

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I’ve made a little progress on my new Foothills Running painting. I’m trying to paint this one so it’s different from the last one. I want to use colors that are a little calmer and perhaps a painting style that is a little looser. I’m still not sure how I will work it all out. It feels nice to let the painting evolve without any real outcome in mind. I’m painting this one for me so whatever I do goes. If you look at the progression on the painting in the 3 shots below you will see that I’ve knocked back the trail a little. I like the feel of suggesting the trail and having it be less of the focus. My next step will be to paint in the 3 figures. I’d like for them to be more generalized, like they could be anyone. Not necessarily portraits of these three gals. I got a nice response from my running group about the last runner painting I did. They all knew exactly who each person was from behind, mostly because we run together a lot and we can recognize each others running styles.

Speaking of running, I went on a 13 mile run out this road through the foothills this morning, and like a dummy didn’t take any water. I’m not sure what I was thinking, it’s warm out there and there isn’t much shade. I normally do long runs along the river where there are drinking fountains and bathrooms all over the place (as a runner I know exactly where they all are). But today my running partner took me somewhere new and I didn’t plan ahead. It was early. So at about 6 miles out I started having fantasies about water. I survived. Lesson learned, maybe. The pic below is of where we were. Doesn’t it look so dry! The sky was beautiful this morning.

And last, here are my two running paintings side by side. I took the one with 5 runners and 3 dogs in to be framed last week. I am looking forward to seeing it and dropping it off at my friends house. It is for my friend that is out in front on the left. Looking at the 2 together I can see that I still have a ways to go. The upper foothills in the new one I’m working on are not the color that they will be. I’m going to let it dry and do some glazing with color.

New painting started

I started this 18X24″ version of the running painting yesterday. I included just 3 figures and no dogs this time. I wanted to try painting a more tonal version of it. I’m taking a different approach and will just see where this one will go.

Finished and signed! Soon to be delivered.

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I finished the painting of my friends beautiful mother. As I’ve said before, the reference photo I used was a black and white taken in the 60’s. I’m guessing she was in her 20’s and could have been a movie star. My friend Jessica looks just like her mother but with brown hair. Same dimples, eyes, smile, everything. What a pleasure to paint this portrait for my friend and her father. I’m so sad for them that they lost her last year.

To finish the painting I did a glaze of liquin and some burnt umber all over the background and in some of the dark parts of her hair. I also pulled a little of her blonde hair out into the dark background to give it a bit of a glowing look where the light is coming in from the side. I also went through and made small corrections on all of her features.

The Work of Craig Ford!

Check out these cool painting by Craig Ford! This Jif Peanut Butter painting caught my eye a while back. I’ve had a love affair with peanut butter my whole life. I look at this painting and can imagine all the neat rows of shiny red peanut butter jars at the grocery store. I’m not a Jif girl, but I love this painting. I bought some Jif for my daughter just yesterday, she picked it out herself, and I thought of this painting. Nice job Craig!

Craig Ford’s Fine-Art Blog

April 4, 2016

12″ x 16″ oil on wood panel

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portrait painting

I thought I’d share one of my portrait painting tricks with you all. I like getting to this stage in the portrait. Features are painted and fairly accurate. The first coat of paint is mostly dry. At this point one by one I refine each feature. I take a picture of the actual photo I’m working from and a picture of my painting, crop them to the same size, and flip back and forth between the two on my phone. Corrections become really obvious that way. I’ve found that I have to trick my brain into seeing how something actually is, and not what I assume it is.

I also measure the heck out of everything using my dividers.

This is the photo from when I was working on her mouth. I think this is before corrections, I can see a few things that need to be changed.

I’m working from a black and white photo from the 60’s so this portrait has been a little more challenging. At first I painted it practically in sepia tones. I paint what I see so I have to overcome the black and white.

More Progress

Now she has hair and shoulders, there’s a little more to do on the hair. Next step is glazing when it dries.

Progress on my 60’s beauty

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Started-wipe back

I started this new portrait yesterday. First I sketched in where all the features go then I did a wash with oil paint (I’ve done this technique without a sketch too). Then I wiped back the light areas using a paper towel and sometimes a little turpentine, and painted back in some of the dark areas. I haven’t done this technique for starting a portrait for over a year, I had forgotten how effective and quick it is to get the whole painting moving along all at once. I stated painting the mouth in color.

This is an image of my friends mother from the 1960’s when she was in her 20’s.

Anniversary Portrait

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11X14 oil on canvas

I finished this sweet couples portrait. These are my friends parents. My friend commissioned me to paint this portrait for her parents for their 50th anniversary. She loves how it turned out. Since taking this picture I did a little more work on his hand. In the photo I was working from they both had cameras hanging around their necks, I think they were bird watching. They were definitely hiking around in the woods somewhere.

It was fun to do portraits again, it’s been a little while. I’m starting a new portrait today of another friends mom that passed away last year. I will probably cry while painting it. I met her a few times, she was a delightful woman, and beautiful.