My first paintings ever

Embrace a beginning:

I want to share my earliest paintings with you in the hope that you will see that we all have a beginning point. For those of you who are brand new to painting faces, please know that it takes time to find your groove. Your first painting might not turn out like the image you had in your mind. That’s okay! The idea is to keep going and practicing and eventually your style WILL emerge.

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” –  Harriet Beecher Stowe

Here’s a peek at my earliest works:

Above is my first attempt at a girl. This was in early 2006. I was playing and learning and discovering the idea of pairing words with girls. She’s awkward, embarrassing, wonderful, beautiful, and telling.  And she represents a starting point. The same is possible for you!

Above is my second attempt at a girl and a face. Although she is still quite raw, you can see I took more risks both with her hair/face, but also with the background as I attempted a few more layers of texture.

Next up, we’ve got my first attempt at a self portrait. Again, this was in 2006 just when I began painting. This one REALLY shows just how beginner I was. Again, we all have a starting point.

Not too many weeks after my very first attempts at painting faces, this girlie emerged. Again, I’m still working out my style in this piece, but you can begin to see the progression and improvement of facial features. Eventually, I landed on a style that felt decidedly like me!

Again, give yourself permission to be a beginner! Give yourself permission to make lots and lots of not so amazing paintings. And I promise, your pieces will eventually get tighter and tighter.