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Put your hands up...

Hand Sketches-watercolor on paper 41 x 31 cm
I have been unable to post in a while. My kids are on summer break and there is a lot of activity in my house. Finding the time to paint in the summer is always close to impossible. My posts will be sporadic until September.

 I recently bought some paper from a local art store that only carried Cartiera Magnani paper. It is made in Florence and it is called "Portofino Acquerello". They have been making paper since 1404! The odd thing is, on the internet you can't find much information about this paper and the little I found were bad reviews. I thought the  DPW Painting challenge  would be a good way to try it out and see how it handles. I have never worked with hot press before so this is also new to me. This paper soaks up the pigment immediately no chance for any mistakes! A nice thing is I can achieve very dark darks which I have had a hard time with other papers, I always thought it was the paint. You can't rub any of the paint off the paper , no getting back the whites. I still have nineteen sheets to go so I can practice but I am finding it fustrating so far. 


 It is fun to practice painting hands, they can express so much. I've included some of my favorite hands in art history. Can anyone identify these artists?
Hands by the Masters

I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far, it is my favorite season. :-)
The most famous hands in art history, in my opinion!

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Comments

  1. Olivier Violin24 June 2013 at 10:31

    Quelle délicatesse... C'est vraiment magnifique, chère Celia.
    Je vous souhaite un bel été!
    Bises :)

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco24 June 2013 at 11:08

      merci Olivier, c'est toujours un plaisir de lire vos commentaires!

      Delete
  2. Barbra Joan24 June 2013 at 13:30

    Celia, these are outstanding. Hands are not easy to do, especially in watercolor. BJ

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  3. J. Paz24 June 2013 at 13:55

    Sentido y sensibilidad. Beautiful!!!

    Un abrazo, Celia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sergio DS24 June 2013 at 14:05

    Las manos son siempre difíciles de dibujar, añadirles color le da más complejidad... bonitas manos.
    Saludos.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown24 June 2013 at 14:16

    Your "sketches" are incredible! Wow! I so admire your skill and expressiveness, Celia. I agree that Michelangelo's hands are truly the most memorable of all time. But yours are right up there too!

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco25 June 2013 at 09:29

      Your generosity is overwhelming Katherine! Thank you!

      Delete
  6. Ramakant Pradhan24 June 2013 at 22:20

    Is that Michelangelo's? I recall reading a bit on him after reading Dan Brown's Inferno. You have an amazing talent and I am sure you will soon have a painting you are happy with.

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    1. Celia Blanco25 June 2013 at 08:42

      Hi Ramakant, thank you for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment! The bottom picture is Michelangelo's the Creation of Adam.

      Delete
  7. Jane25 June 2013 at 00:36

    Your hands are all really great Celia, and to think you used such difficult paper ! Really great values and the veins in the first one made me think of my own hands LOL ! I am very ignorant about famous hand paintings, so I have no idea who could have painted these. xx

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco25 June 2013 at 09:54

      These are not my hands, Jane, mine would be too scary to show!:-[
      Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment!

      Delete
  8. laura25 June 2013 at 01:45

    Hello, Celia. Your hands are really beautiful ... very delicate, but with bone structure; the gestures are beautifully captured!
    Hm. Wild guesses: Top left, perhaps Raphael? Bottom left, I'm thinking Northern: Bosch, Breughal, Cranach?
    An interesting challenge: I look forward to finding out the answers!

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco25 June 2013 at 09:57

      Hi Laura, I was trying to focus on the gestures so I'm happy that is what comes across. I'll reveal the answers next post!

      Delete
  9. art by Michael Perchard25 June 2013 at 01:59

    Great rendering of the hands Celia! Great gestures and movement! Also great skill!
    Glad to see you have a bit of time to paint and post!
    Hugs to you Celia!
    Michael

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco25 June 2013 at 09:59

      Hi Michael, thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment!

      Delete
  10. Franz25 June 2013 at 16:21

    Ciao Celia,splendide le tue mani,hai lavorato bene,quella carta l'ho provata è molto difficile da usare,come hai detto tu non si può sbagliare,però è molto bella...per le mani famose credo la prima sia di un dipinto di Ingres e l'ultima di Sargent...credo...le altre due non me le ricordo....la terza sembra di un fiammingo....vabbè aspetterò la soluzione:-)))
    Ciao,un abbraccio e felice settimana!

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco26 June 2013 at 07:17

      Ciao Franz,
      mi fa piacere sapere che anche tu hai provato la carta e hai avuto la stessa impressione: continuerò quindi ad usarla! Grazie per il complimento, hai indovinato tutto, bravo!

      Delete
  11. Debbie Nolan25 June 2013 at 20:31

    Celia - for having trouble with the paper - you would never guess - the hands are excellent. I think one of the hands is from Michael Angelo's painting. Beautiful work my friend. Hope you have a happy summer with your kids.

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco26 June 2013 at 07:20

      Thanks Debbie, you are much too kind! I'm happy you are back!:-)

      Delete
  12. Elvi25 June 2013 at 20:52

    Un bellissimo lavoro. E' vero che le mani sono molto difficila da dipingere, ma tu ci sei riuscita benissimo

    ReplyDelete
  13. hmuxo26 June 2013 at 15:28

    This is such a wonderful practice, Celia. I have found that painting hands is difficult...at least, I have problems with them. I recently went on "how to paint hands" on u-tube and it helped me (somewhat..LOL) but I guess all we need to do is practice!!! You did an amazing job with these hands!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco27 June 2013 at 10:14

      Thank you Hilda!! It's funny you mentioned it, because I found some great advice on drawing hands from You tube too!:) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  14. Wendy Barrett27 June 2013 at 02:59

    Hi Celia,
    You did an amazing job on the hands - they are very expressive. I also loved seeing the famous hands in art history. I particularly love the one draped in pearls. I agree with your assessment of which is the most famous. Great post!
    I hope you enjoy the summer holidays with your kids.

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    Replies
    1. Celia Blanco27 June 2013 at 10:15

      Thank you Wendy, I appreciate your kind comment! I'm happy you enjoyed my post.

      Delete
  15. Unknown3 July 2013 at 07:08

    Nice Hand Studies....

    ReplyDelete

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