Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

I thought I would paint a head portrait, but instead did a figurative study again on a used 16"x20" panel. Had to work on his legs more. Continued using my leftover Veridian Green.  Anyway the lighting system in the studio was cooler.   He was a very professional model, and we had him again for our evening short pose three-hour session.  He read a book instead of using his smart phone during each break, seems usual these days.   Pages of drawings I did,  and I was tired after two sessions total of six hours painting and drawing the same model. I was wondering if our sitter was exhausted too.  (March 19 2024)

For some reason I had to force myself to go painting. After arriving, I felt much better just being inside the studio with others. My first time to paint her, beautiful black skin, and she is a good model. One of the artists tipped her a hundred dollar bill after this session. I regret that I didn't paint her on the first session, I won't able to finish it.  (July 7 2022)

One of the artists suggested to that I start a new painting of the model after the long pose session last week. So I changed the painting angle of the model for this session. A lady artist came to me and told me that my work looked like an impressionist French female artist's work, but she couldn't remember her name. I wonder who that was? I thought my work looked more like expressionism. And I recently switched back to my original style plus several month practice. Glad that several artists told me they liked it. We had two different female models worked for us during the evening figure drawings. The second one was new to me. One of my artist friend she brought a book teach how to draw to me, after she saw me struggling through the session last Tuesday. How sweet of her, she even instructed me how to go through the book during our break. Always treasure friendship, who doesn't?  (June 14 2022)

A formal ballerina was our long post live model today.  She brought a three sit chair with her and her point shoes on her feet.  I was a little bit earlier, but it was hard to get a good painting spot.  Her position was lying down, very beautiful and elegant, but difficult.  Painting through with struggle for the form and corrected the figure through, three hours wasn't long enough.  Not sure I should continue to correct this one, or start over again next session. (June 16 2022)

Arrived at the studio on time, there were a lot of people there already.  But different artists had different opinions about the model's pose.  Of course they had their reasons, color, lighting, a good angle to see the model, or to avoid being blocked by someone in front.  It took more than 10 minutes before the model was settled.  She wasn't a new model, but it was my first time to study on her.  I was trying my own way to paint, which was new to me.  I stopped painting this way for a while, just because of influence from others in the studio.  I never had classical art training, but I have my own way to be creative.  There is never  enough time, I realized that my work had a little proportion issue after the session was over.  Shall I correct it next session, or shall I start a new one? Always like the short pose session, even if it is in the evening.  Tonight's model was an Indian American guy.  he was a good model.  We...

Learned from previous sessions, I brought two canvas panels to the art center, one was 12"x16", the other was 16"x20". After a short hesitation, I chose the smaller size. Matt was a new model for me, he looked like an American Indian, I guessed but didn't ask. Interesting lighting on his body, I barely saw his face, almost completely dark from the angle I painted. I do not usually paint so small, don't even have the smallest brushes.  I could not manage to have his whole body fit on the canvas, otherwise I would have a difficult time to paint it without smaller brushes. He is a good model, but I am not sure if I will attend the second session next week. Usually the pose of the model and lighting are never quite the same.  ( June 2 2022)

Seems that working in the studio and Plein Air outdoors are quite different in many ways. Went to Carmel Plein Air painting with my friends for four days, missed the last session for short-pose live model drawing. So I found that I had difficult time to draw. No matter two minutes, five minutes or ten minutes, I could not draw fast and correctly enough, didn't have time to draw a leg or arm. This model was good, he worked very hard, I saw his body shaking during the pose. Of course we all pay good tips to our models. (May 10 2022)

Always look forward to drawing nude models for their short poses. But I felt it was super challenging to draw this one. His body proportions were unique, long and slim. He posed in many twisty positions while standing, I only could try my best, many other artist said that they felt not easy to draw him too. Felt better by knowing I was not the only one that had a hard time. Hahaha... (April 26 2022)

It was challenging to draw this new male model, not sure why. But the other artists said the same. I think that it is harder to draw the male than the female body. Lots of practice but somehow never feel enough though. (April 12 2022).

Painted two session of the male live mode on a panel 16"x20", felt too small to work on. The second session spent most of time to correct the light and model position, because it couldn't be the same. This is another study of figure and duotone, I won't able to finish it.(March 10 & 17 2022)

It was International Women's Day. We had a new male model from Santa Cruz tonight.  Some of the new models couldn't stay still, but it seemed that he was an experienced one.  He stayed posed, even his gestures retained the same position, those were very important for drawing in short period of time to us! (March 8 2022)

When saw the model's name was a male on the list, I almost didn't want to go the class because I know that I can't draw male figure well. After a long hesitation, I finally decided to go.  I was late, but I was so glad I went.  What a professional model, not only he had built up his body well, also his poses were stable.  I enjoyed drawing the session well. (February 15 2022)

Challenging to draw a male aesthetic body, might be there are fewer male models. And he is African American, so not easy to control the darker tones in his short poses in several minutes. There were more people tonight, we all wore N95 or KN95 masks. Have been sketching live models for a while, but only can see my tiny improvement. (January 25 2022)

The model was late, so a female artist was managed to be a short pose model for a couple of minutes. Then a young and skinny guy came, he was the model tonight. He was long and slim. I found that it was quite challenging to draw him. But there were two young guy artists next to me drew in a confident and skillful way, quite mature for their age, they looked. They told us that they had been practicing drawing for ten years. I wondered why and realized it is the only way get better, keep practicing! (November 16 2021)

Drawing can be fun or painful. My new drawing paper hadn't arrived yet so I had to stick with my small sketch book and found out it wasn't easy to draw on it using charcoals.  There was not enough room to express with that media. I struggled through another 3 hour session on Tuesday night. A male's body is more difficult than a female's. There are too many biological features, like bones and muscles, etc.  Just can't work on small paper for sure!  Can't wait for my new paper +!  (September 28 2021)

This original watercolor painting was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea.  It is one of my favorite watercolors, and a great gift for Father's Day. (Please click the image to enlarge) I read this book in Chinese a long time ago, then I read it again in English when I was studying in Australia. Back to my overseas studying time, I had to take the ferries from the place I lived to school each day for a while. Not mention the terrible home sick I had, the ending of relationship with my first boy-friend, when I struggled with every single little detail in life. But nothing could stop my love of the ocean and I enjoyed taking ferries on beautiful and stormy days. Watching the sun-rising or sun-setting, sailing by the magnificent city landscape and the awesome boats out on the sea, I promised myself that I knew I would overcome the difficulties... Years later, I started painting watercolors after moving to Bay Area in California, and the first one in m...

Being not black nor white, I am pretty sure that I am not the only one Chinese female visual artist interested in studying on black people's face structure, skin tones and the expressions. Since my portrait paintings were uploaded onto the Fine Art America, I have got mostly positive feedback from the artists over the world. Thanks for that! I've been around. I believe a majority of people can live together and get along peacefully! Born and raised in Beijing China, studied and lived in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, traveled to many counties in Asia, Europe and South America and now I have lived in Silicon Valley for over 11 years. I am always interested in different cultures, different people and different food, no political interest at all. America, is one of the biggest countries with multi-cultural identity and we all admire it. If we only could understand each other from the one universal language - Love; if we could treat each just only one race - the human race. Th...

I am not I. I am this one walking beside me whom I do not see, whom at times I manage to visit, and whom at other times I forget; who remains calm and silent while I talk, and forgives, gently, when I hate, who walks where I am not, who will remain standing when I die. My painting was inspired by the poem of Juan Ramon Jimenez "I Am Not I", translated by Robert Bly. Please view a better image at: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/i-am-not-i-xueling-zou.html