Tracey CostescuCommission Portraits & Original Artwork

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father - James Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:42:00 +0000

Well the sun finally came out for a few minutes so I quickly ran to my studio to get a decent (well better) photo of the finished portrait. I did a few finishing touches on his features to hopefully achieve an accurate likeness of his character.

The text at the bottom has been added in with photoshop but will be added into the portrait once I hear back from my customer on placement.

The transitions look much softer in real live and the details crisper so overall I am quite happy with this portrait :)

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father - Jame's Jacket, Tie and Corsage

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:37:00 +0000

I don't think I have don't much work on Jame's face since the last post as I have been focusing on his clothing and flower corsage to get all the dark values in. I probably need one or two more layers of graphite on the jacket and then I will be able to go back to his face and hair.

This will be the fun part as things will start to click into shape as I go through each feature more carefully to ensure a likeness. I will also do a final pass on his skin tones to even out the blotches and build up more form.

Finally I will add in more texture to his skin, sounds better than wrinkles and more layers to his hair.

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father - James Developing The Features

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:39:00 +0000

The skin tones have been built up to around 90% completion so now I have started to lay in the layers of graphite for the jacket. This takes a fair bit of time as if the graphite is added too heavily it can get a shiny appearance that is just not good, so slow & steady it goes :)

I could use charcoal or carbon pencil to get the darkest values but I really like the look of the graphite when it is done so I think it is worth the effort. Several areas of the face look a little blotchy as I have just added another layer for areas that did not appear dark enough and will blend them in during the next session.

I have started to refine his features slightly, his right eye is getting pretty close to how I want it proportion wise so now I can focus on the form and making it look more three dimensional. His right eye, nose and mouth still need to be adjusted proportionally but they are not too far off I think. It is so much nicer working earlier in the date before the heat sets in! Looking forward to the next update as it will really start to look like him, I did not realize how much I have missed drawing!

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father - James Building Up the Skin Tones

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:44:00 +0000

Building Up The Values

Things looks soft and fuzzy right now which is the look I am going for as I build up the layers of graphite to reach a full tonal range of values. The jacket will be the darkest layer which I will want to get in soon so that I can make sure the other values are dark enough as one the darkest values are laid in it is surprising how everything else seems to fade away.

Once I get a bit more of the depth built up I will start to make sure the features are correct to capture his likeness as right now everything is close, but definitely not there yet :) Hopefully tomorrow will be cooler in the studio as it has gone from rainy and cold to summer overnight....not complaining that's for sure, I was starting to think summer would never come!

Oil Portrait Study - Under Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:35:00 +0000


Oil Portrait - Under Painting 8x10"

This is a study I am working on using a limited palette for the under painting. I am trying to keep it low chroma but not totally washed out as I often end up doing and I think I did a pretty decent job this time. The model has very light skin so I think that I have not gone too light at this point but will see when I do the more chromatic color layers in the next stage.

Her mouth and nose really need to be adjusted but I will wait until this layer dries as after two attempts to fix them, they ended up getting muddied. Sadly the mouth was actually really nice and fresh before I tried to adjust it the first time.

I am surprised at how much I am really enjoying these little studies. I am learning so much about how to handle the paint, mix skin tones and turn form without the stress of actually having to have anything decent in the end :)

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father - James

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:24:00 +0000

Graphite Portrait - 18x24"

The first few layers of graphite have been added throughout the entire face, which kind of looks funny at this point, but it helps me as the portrait progresses.

I used to draw each area more to completion but I find now I prefer to have a nice layer of graphite throughout to work into. The ear on the right has just had a few more layers of graphite added but will likely get darker once the other values are brought up.

This is such a nice size for a portrait as even though the photo is not the greatest quality, I can really get into each feature to add the amount of detail that I like.... plus it just looks really great from across the studio at this size :)

Graphite Portrait Commission of Father

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:52:00 +0000

Rough Graphite Pencil Sketch - 18x24"

This is a rough sketch of a commission portrait I am working on in graphite pencil. I have adjusted the image in photoshop so that the lines are visible as in real life the graphite pencil lines are very light and are barely visible on camera. I like to keep the lines light enough so that they can be adjusted and refined as the portrait progresses and dark enough so I can just barely see them :)

The paper looks warbley due to photoshop, the next update will look more natural as there will be more graphite on the paper so that I, ahem the camera, will have an easier time focusing :)

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:44:00 +0000

Yes I know it is next weekend but it came early for me....I took matters into my own hands. I often end up with flowers, dinner and such but seriously...what is the best way to my heart? New art supplies of course :)

I only meant to get a new drawing pad for my life drawing class but of course there were sales on. So..... I got new brushes. I really did need them as I did not have any smaller bristle brushes and I love them! I was wrecking my synthetic brushes trying to push the paint around for my underpaintings and studies. The syntheic are better suited for detail and finishing work so now I have both which makes my life so much easier. They came with this nifty little brush case for travelling and did I meantion, they were on for 50% off!!! I think I showed tremndous restraint.

I also picked up a larger Masterson palette for storing my paint. I had put this off as I already have 2 boxes but of course they were not the right size for my glass palette so was making due. I also picked up a round hand held palette which fits perfectly into the Masterson box so I can just pop it into the box at the end of a session and put in the freezer until the next day, priceless :)

Graphite Study of Nose

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:03:00 +0000

Graphite Pencil Nose Sketch

You may not know it from my lack of blog posts but I have actually been pretty busy in the studio as of late. I am working on studies as I am really focusing on the old masters method of working in oil, so not much post worthy artwork to say the least. Learning new techniques is very humbling ;)

This is a little study I did this morning of a nose which I plan to use as a reference for my grisaille oil painting tomorrow. I am breaking things down into baby steps so I spend more time happy and less time lost, that is the idea anyway!

So I re-learned an old lesson I thought I had learned years ago, don't use waxy transfer paper, argh. I have been cleaning out my studio and just grabbed a piece of transfer paper rather than using my home made transfer paper, this is just a study after. Well that was my thinking, of course I spent more time trying to blend the transfer lines into the finished study than I did drawing ;) Several of the lines still show, hopefully I have learned this lesson for the last time...yes the transfer paper is now in the garbage :)

Mouth of David Cast Study - Oil Grisaille

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Oil Grisaille on Canvas - 6x6"

This is a little study I did of the a Mouth of David cast, well actual a photo I found online of the cast as I do not have the actual cast. I was planning on buying the set of casts but of course they have to be shipped so keep putting it off and luckily in the meantime found a really nice bust locally to work from for a fraction of the price. So expect to see many more cast studies from me in the near future :)

Raw Umber, Ivory Black and Titanium White

After transferring the outline sketch to my canvas I mixed a string of gray scale values using Raw Umber, Ivory Black and varying amounts of Titanium white to get a range of 7 values. My value 1 is straight titanium white and my value 7 is a 2:1 mix of Ivory Black and Raw Umber. I really enjoyed this exercise and using a simple subject really allowed me to focus on modelling the form without getting caught up in the details.

The photo of the finished study looks much whiter than in real life. I will have to wait for a sunny day and re take a bunch of my photos outside as I just can't seem to get decent shots inside. Oh well, no sun means I don't have to think about yard work and can keep painting, bring on the rain :)

Eggs Still Life - Wipe Out

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:45:00 +0000

Raw Umber Wipe Out

I had so much fun working on this little wipe out that I probably added much more detail than I needed too... but it was so much fun, I am such a geek.

I have tried this process before a couple of times and found it super frustrating as the paint kept either sticking & lifting off or sliding off the canvas. I was using different ratios of mineral spirits (OMS) and oil in the past and was probably too much as well compared to the ratio of paint. I tried a 60:40 ratio of oil and odorless mineral spirits as suggested by a amazing artist and teacher Terry Strickland. Viola, what a difference, plus I "probably" learned something during my past failed attempts.

I set up a couple of brown eggs in a black box I bought from IKEA ages ago. I built a still life box awhile back but it took up too much space in my already cluttered studio. I place a black table cloth inside and a piece of foam core on top to block the light. I then placed the eggs inside and adjusted my table lamp so that the light hit the eggs nicely from the side.

The box is sitting on top of my sub woofer, total necessity in the studio :) I then mixed up a bit of raw umber paint with the oil and OMS. You could use linseed oil as well but I had walnut oil on hand.

I then brushed the paint over the entire canvas working the paint into the weave of the canvas so there were no wipe speck of canvas to deal with later. I then took a cloth and wiped out the basic shapes of the eggs and cloth. I then added and removed paint using both my cloth and brushes to get the tonal ranges and shapes that I could see. Dipping a brush in the oil/OMS mixture when needed to lift out the lightest values.

It is still very rough and there are some areas where the edges of the shapes look a little to hard (now that I look at the photo online) but hopefully they can be softened more subsequent next layers. I am definitely going to play with this technique more in the near future.

Graphite and Charcoal Study of Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Graphite & Charcoal Eye Study - 6x6"

This is another little study I did today using graphite and charcoal on canvas. I wanted to fully draw out the details of the eye before moving onto the over painting on my oil portrait of the same subject. I miss drawing even more than I realized!

I went to my life drawing class last night and really enjoyed the session even though I was dog tired before I got there. So this morning I was quite eager to start this sketch. There are just not enough hours in the day!

I will refine this drawing a touch more so that I can use it as a reference when I am working on the oil painting as the more familiar I am with the shapes the easier it will be when I dive in with color, well, that is the hope anyway ;)

Little Oil Study...Big Ear

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Oil Study of Ear - 6x6" on Canvas

This is a little oil study of an ear I finished today. I wanted to take some time to really focus on learning proper techniques for creating shape and form while maintining proper chroma and hues of my skin tones.

Wow if you think that is a mouthful, try painting it ;) There is so much to focus on when learning a new medium, not to mention working in color rather than monochromatic as I often do. So I bought some cheap little canvases for creating studies. This way I can focus on areas I need to work on without the stress of working on a real painting.

I plan on doing many of these in the weeks to come. Once I get more comfortable, I think I will use better quality canvases or prepare some small panels so that the paint flows more easily. All in all though these are fun to do as they do no take as long as a full painting and, I hope, will be good references when working on real paintings. I am not sure if it is just my laptop settings as on my monitor in my studio the skin tones are much closer to the original study. Here they seem quite washed out, whereas on the study there are really pretty orangish and reddish hues peaking through in areas...hmmm

So in real life, I am quite happy with the skin tones, not so much in the photo. Areas I am not happy with are my dealing with edges and some of the transitional areas which are too harsh for my liking. So I think I will move onto the next study and focus more on these areas going forward, so excited to start the next one!

Portrait of Boy - Color Under Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Color Under Painting - 16x16" Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Well I got more carried away with the details than I had planned.... as I often do - but I still managed to keep some areas loose....hard to break old habits.

Now I need to leave the under painting to dry the next step is to build up the skin layers as accurately as possible. His lash line ended up much to harsh but will be softened and much of the darkest areas of the lashes will be cut into with the skin tones so they will not look so harsh, that is my plan anyway ;)

I really tried to keep things less chromatic at this stage so that the next layer can be more chromatic yet show the shadows underneath. I really enjoyed this phase ...now to find the time to mix up all the skin values and paint!

Rough Sketch for Oil Painting Portrait of Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:04:00 +0000

Rough Sketch - 16x16" Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Wow, has it really been that long since I posted to my blog!??!? Lots of other things to focus on this year and my poor blog has fallen by the wayside, but i have still been painting and drawing every chance I get.

I have several little projects going on in my studio, have been teaching a few workshops and have even signed up for a workshop in the near future, so excited :)

Much of my time has also been spent learning more traditional methods of drawing and painting and am quite enjoying the process.

This is the rough sketch of a portrait I am starting which has been transferred onto a toned canvas. I have tried to indicate all of the areas of the light transitioning across the form, will see if this helps me during the painting phase :)

I actually was surprised by how much I like the drawing at this stage...and now there is a very loud voice in my head screaming "don't mess this up"...this is why I play very loud music while I paint :)

Why Build A Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Well let me tell ya ;) I have a website and a blog as they serve a very different purpose.

A website is a place to display your portfolio, where you send your prospective clients and collectors.

A blog is a more current posting of your work and life as an artist. Your blog is where people can get to know more about you and about your artwork, processes, exhibits etc. The content updating is so much easier that it makes adding updates less daunting so I tend to update more frequently. The search engines loves updates so they visit my blog more often.

Because of this, my blog and website have a higher visibility for people searching all over the world, not just people I send my website link to. To make my life easier and more automated, I have also linked up my website and other networking portals which again increases visibility and ranking with the search engines making it easier to find.

Another great thing about blogs is that there are no monthly fees and they are becoming more and more customizable. I started a blog so that I could share updates of my clients portraits as they progress as I do a lot of custom portraits. My clients love it as there is no shock at the end and makes the whole process more fun both for me and for them as we get to converse back and forth along the way. Also, as I have a pretty short memory, I have really come to like how my blog is basically a catalogue of my work, exhibits and workshops. I can easily search through to find a specific painting I did, an exhibit date etc.

If you are interested in creating a blog, please check out my upcoming workshop, Build a Blog in a Day at my past blog post The workshop will be held on March 10, 2012, hope to see you there!

Just a Couple of Spots Left....

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Graphite Portrait

..... you coming....for my upcoming Realistic Graphite Portrait Workshop this weekend, Feb 4 & 5 at Leigh Square. I am busy putting together student packets and getting everything ready...I am officially excited :) If you would like to join us, check out the information below to register and if you have already registered, I am looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Feb 4 & 5, 2012
Sat 10-4pm & Sun 11:30-4:30pm
$150.00

Again, if you are interested in this workshop, please don't wait until the last minute to register as spaces may run out. You can Register Online or contact me at info@stateofartportraits.com for more information.

Instructors Exhibit at Leigh Square Artist's VillageDrawing Workshop Feb 4 & 5, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:42:00 +0000

Stand Off - Graphite on Paper

Several of my pieces will be on display at the Artist's Village in Port Coquitlam from Jan 26 until Feb 20, 2012. There will be an Opening Reception on Jan 26^th from 6:30-8:30pm. The opening takes place in the Gathering Place, my pieces will be at the Outlet across the courtyard, but both buildings will be open for viewing.

The coordinators decided to host instructor exhibits to help promote upcoming workshops. My Drawing Realistic Portraits is coming up February 4 & 5, 2012. If you are interested you can Register online or by phone at 604-927-8400. You can also contact me directly at info@stateofartportraits.com for more information.

Registration is Now Open for Realistic Graphite Portraits Workshop February 4 & 5, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Graphite Portrait Commission

I am happy to say that I will be offering another portrait workshop at Leigh Square. This two day workshop will help you to bring your drawings to a whole new level of realism and depth.

We will combine short demos followed by hands on applications of each technique and lots of one-on-one instruction.

Some of the skills you will learn are:

how to choose great reference photos
an easy way to create accurate line drawings right from the start
realistic shading and textural techniques
an in depth overview of the materials used to make the process successful for any subject matter

Whether you are a portrait, landscape or still life artist your drawing skills will reach a new level of realism by the end of the workshop. A full supply list will be provided after registration.

Feb 4 & 5, 2012
Sat 10-4pm & Sun 11:30-4:30pm
$150.00

Again, if you are interested in this workshop, please don't wait until the last minute to register as spaces may run out. You can Register Online or contact me at info@stateofartportraits.com for more information.

Packing up for the Winter Artisans Fair November 26 & 27, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Autumn`s Fire - Oil on Panel

Wow, I have way too much art I am bringing....now how to fit everything! I should really be packing up stuff but I just can`t pull myself away from the easel. I learned so much at the workshop over the weekend and I want to get it all out before I forgot too much, I have a very limited attention span ;)

I am hoping to bring various pieces from miniatures to quite large pieces in acrylic and oil. I do not plan on bringing any watercolors this time but ya never know. Hopefully we have nice weather and lots of visitors. If you are in Port Coquitlam (1100-2253 Leigh Square - Behind City Hall) over the weekend, please stop by and say hello :)

What a totally awesome weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:55:00 +0000

David Gray and his portrait....and mine :)

I am still decompressing from David Gray's workshop on Whidbey Island hosted by the lovely Cary Jurriaans of Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio. David is an AMAZING artist who also is an AMAZING teacher! I learned so much in three days and I am sure I will continue to have things pop up in my head from the weekend for some time to come.

It was pretty challenging as I have never drawn with charcoal (other then the week before the workshop in a panic ;)) and then to paint from such a loose image was really an eye opener.

That is my portrait, actually not too bad, I was expecting worse. I figured if it looks human in the end and I learn lots I will be happy, so I am pretty happy....although other than the image here the painting may never see the light of day again ;) Also, we all drew for easels so those of you that know me, no I did not ambush him and grab the closest easel to him :) It was quite handy though as I was able to lean back at times and see what a painting should look like :)

Apparently I am much more stubborn than I would like to admit as even though I would tell myself I would draw/paint the way David was showing us, I kept reverting back to my old ways...argh :)

I redrew my portrait several times as I kept smudging it off by accident. Apparently that is the beauty of vine charcoal in that is erases so easily :) I then repainted my portrait several times as well but I learned so much that I really didn't mind whereas usually I would have been so frustrated.

There is so much to see when working from a live model which makes it really challenging but what a great experience. I am definitely going to try painting in my life drawing sessions in the future as well as some more self portraits, although I need a break at looking at myself for awhile after doing so many self portrait drawings!

I really, really enjoyed David's process and will be spending all my spare time trying to absorb as much of what he tough as possible. He spent a fair bit of the first day teach us to draw using the sight sizing method which I have read about many times but never really tried and I really enjoyed it, even though it is hard to break my old ways :) David was also full of great tips and exercises which really helps break things down to more manageable pieces, now it is just putting in the time...and more time....and more time ;)

Life Drawing - Self Portrait #5

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:34:00 +0000

Self Portrait from Life
16x20" Charcoal on Paper

Well, technically this is Self Portrait #7 but the other two are not done....they may never be done ;) I started my 5th portrait in pastel, I have never used pastel before...I learned a lot. I seem to learn by trying what not to do first, takes longer but works in the long run :) Self portrait #6 I started using charcoal only, no graphite, which I have never done before and chose a really rough surface. Why do I do this to myself? So, again I have learned a lot of what not to do and will likely finish it in the new year when I have more time.

Ok, so that brings me to Self Portrait #5 which I did last night. I spent roughly 2 hours on this one and it is gigantic! I made all my landmarks in charcoal then realized I wanted to tone the paper first...so I toned the paper and made all my landmarks again. Probably a good think as getting my landmarks correct is my biggest challenge I think. I used only charcoal starting with a soft charcoal and then using a compressed charcoal for the details. I think I rubbed off as much as I added and not on purpose but again, I learned a lot...a common theme :) I did do all of the hair but it is at such a un-finished stage that it was just distracting so I cropped it out :)

I am not sure if I will do more on this one, it needs a fair bit more tonal range but as it is just a study it may just end up in the trash bin as I move onto the next. I think my proportions are slowly getting better and although I have a love hate relationship with the charcoal, I can see that it will eventually turn into a long loving relationship, just maybe not anytime soon!

Ensemble 2011 Show at the Act in Maple Ridge - November 19 - December 17

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:28:00 +0000


Letting Go - $460 Watercolor on Paper - 16x20" Framed

Letting Go is one of the pieces that will be on display for the juried Christmas Show and Sale, Ensemble 2011 at The Act Art Gallery in Maple Ridge from November 19 until December 17.

This annual exhibit features small ensembles of individual artists' work that is related by theme, style or some other unifying factor.

Ready - $460
Watercolor on Paper - 16x20" Framed

Reach - $460
Watercolor on Paper - 16x20" Framed

I will have three of my figurative watercolors on display, Letting Go, Reach and Ready.

I hope you can make it out if you are in the area.

Life Drawing - Self Portrait #4 Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:19:00 +0000

Self Portrait Study from Life
11x15" Graphite & Charcoal on Paper

Well this is as far as I am going to go on this one. I could keep going for at least several more hours but I am forcing myself to stop as it is just a study, it appears I am very stubborn ;) I am quite happy with the way the toned paper works with the graphite layers and will definitely be playing with toned paper a lot more!

I was not able to try the charcoal until near the end as the charcoal I had on hand seemed to waxy so I ran out and got some other stuff that seems to work much better so I am excited to try mixing from the beginning for the next portrait.

So other than the proportions being off I am pretty happy with this one and am looking forward to the next study :)

Glittery Texture

I thought I would include a few closeups of the texture as well. The first image hopefully shows the gold glittery texture (why is it the older I get the more I like shiny stuff?). It is quite subtly and may not show well online but looks quite cool in real life. I really like how it peeks through in areas of the portrait as well.

Untoned Paper Texture

The second image shows where areas of the paper were left untoned which I also REALLY like. I think the paper texture is the main reason I spent so much time on the shaping of the portrait. I wish I had spent more time on the proportions...sigh. Live & learn right?

Life Drawing - Self Portrait #4

noreply@blogger.com (Tracey Costescu) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:41:00 +0000

So I know I said I don't want to spend more than 2 hours on these studies....but I really want to put a bit more time in on this one as I really like the textured background and how it effects the portrait.

My proportions are off again, argh, why don't I notice how off things are when I am doing the block in ;) I still have the deer in the headlights look but maybe that won't go away no matter how many of these I do, oh well. If I can just stop making my nose way too long I think it will help immensely :)

So I will work on it a bit more tomorrow and post hopefully a more natural looking update. I did try the charcoal but did not like the texture again. I will have to try playing with charcoal on a separate sheet for a while before diving into a portrait I think.