Done with the second day working on this.  I think it's going to take around 3 more sessions to get the background fully in and the full details of my portrait.  It's going well and I'm excited to work on it more.
  My watercolor class for the Ridgewood Community School starts tonight at 7 which is something else that I'm looking forward to.

  Just started a new self portrait, using a canvas that I recently made with Natural Pigments lead oil ground.  The beginning is always rough and I'm not going for any detail at this stage.  I think of the beginning like the understructure of the painting.  Portraits have a lot going on, but they need to progress gradually.  It's good to keep the beginning malleable instead of committing to some exact detail such as a highlight.  The painting gets more delicate as more modeling is added so it's not good to jump to details right away.  The beginning has some slight indications of general details, but nothing concrete in case I have to adjust some proportions.
  As I said, I'm using a lead oil ground; lead oil grounds are very different from titanium oil grounds.  Lead has a really nice level of absorption that also repels a good amount of the paint laid on top.  I've noticed that titanium white grounds absorb a lot of the paint and it feels like you have to pile on the paint just to get any level of impasto.  If you're a painter that likes thick paint applications then I encourage you to use a lead oil ground.
  I'm going slower with this painting and with more of my old intuitive approach. I still like alla prima painting, but I can't get the level of detail and modulation of tone with pure alla prima.  I already paint fast and I feel the need to slow myself down and let it dry when necessary in order to build up the detail.  I'm excited to work on this more and will post more as it progresses.

  I just got my shipment from Skate Warehouse and wanted to share some cool stuff from the order.  I ordered a Thrasher hoodie and some Shoe Goo, but I thought it was awesome that Skate Warehouse threw in some really nice stickers with the order.  By the way, Shoe Goo is a repair glue for shoes that I've been wanted to try for a while since my skate shoes don't last that long.  Everything was very well packed which is always good also.  I'll be ordering all my decks and gear from them from now on.

  I just got my shipment of journals and my 2021 year planner from Lett's of London.  As an avid journal writer, I want to have the best products to write in.  I started using Lett's journals and planners last year and they're the best quality that I've found.  I used to use Moleskine's but those are made in China now and they're quality is not as good.  Lett's is proudly made in Great Britain and the quality is unmatched.  Lett's is from 1796 and I love the history of their company.
  I wish they would make sketchbooks also, maybe one day they will.  Their journals are fountain pen friendly and the pages are numbered; I use a fountain pen to write and there is absolutely zero bleed through.  There's also a blank index in the front so you can keep your journal entries organized.  Go check them out if you're looking for journals, diaries, and all sorts of planners:
https://us.lettsoflondon.com