Annika Marthinuss

Figure Drawing

August 9, 2018December 31, 2020AnnikaLeave a comment

This summer, I finally got around to going to figure drawing sessions at my local art center. I had never done any figure drawing before so I was not quite sure how to start. I took my charcoal and oil paints and I tried to do a painting but the poses were a lot shorter than I thought. After attempting to paint for the first couple of sessions, I realized I needed to focus on drawing first. Once I focused solely on drawing, I think I was able to convey the figure much better. Below, the pictures are in order from my first figure drawings I made to ones I did with more practice and experience.

Female Nude, oil wash on canvas paper, 2018

Female Nude, charcoal and conte crayon on paper, 2018

Painting Process

June 5, 2018December 30, 2020AnnikaLeave a comment

I have always struggled with painting faces, so I decided to try and recreate portrait paintings from master artists and hopefully become better at painting faces. In the past, I would try and paint a face, and then I would quickly give up if it didn’t look right. In doing this painting, I realized how many layers are needed to create a lifelike, three-dimensional figure. I also discovered that it is okay if my painting looks bad at the beginning because it will look better and better as I continue painting. The overall process was actually really fun, and I especially enjoyed glazing my painting at the end.

The pictures below show my painting process of my study of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as a Lute Player. My painting definitely isn’t perfect, but I am happy with how it turned out, although I may do a few more adjustments after I post this.

Gentileschi Study — Study from Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as a Lute Player, oil on canvas paper, 2018

Art Update: Acrylic Paintings

February 28, 2018December 30, 2020AnnikaLeave a comment

Hello! I just wanted to share the art I have been creating recently. Usually I paint with oil paints, but since I don’t have my oil paints with me right now, I’ve been painting with acrylics. I used to hate working with acrylics because they dry so quickly, yet recently, I find that I really enjoy painting with them (although I still miss my oil paints). The quick drying time of acrylics has forced me to work quickly and be more painterly with my brushstrokes.

Here are some quick acrylic studies I did in my sketchbook.

After playing with acrylics in my sketchbook, I decided to make some mini paintings on bristol paper. I’ve been wanting to paint waves for a while, so I decided to try it out – and I love it! I was always intimidated by painting waves because they are so complex, yet now I’ve been painting waves during every single moment of free time that I have. These paintings are very small, only 7″ x 5.5″, but they still take a long time to paint. These are the first two that I made and I am currently working on a third one. I also have a lot of reference pictures ready for future paintings.

Waves (no. 2) — Waves (no.2) , 7″ x 5.5″, acrylic on bristol, 2018