Monday, August 30, 2010

Working with others

Okay, had two others over painting so decided to introduce some of our thoughts. Start with what gets you, the tunnel of trees and shadow patterns. Draw with the paint. Block in the mains values and large shapes. Do this in a color suitable for an underpainting.

Terra Rosa dosn't dry quickly at all, lol! We all got too thick. Keeping the one from getting to dabby dabby particular wasn't easy. They enjoyed it. If it dries enough, maybe we will use these as underpaintings. Or maybe not, just start fresh. Maybe use burnt sienna, lightly, and go directly into color afterwards.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

8/25 Summer Moon

Okay, sort of gave the night painting, in the backyard, a try and it became more of a memory painting. My booklight just doesn't cut it without some additional light from somewhere. So I went in and then would run out, let eyes adjust, run in and paint, repeat, repeat....

Put out ultramarine, cobalt and prussian blues; alizaron crimson, terra rosa, permanent rose , naples yellow and white. This is 6 x 8" Took about an hour and a half. Sky at the horizon could have been a more silvery gray.

Here are the shaved go-go's helping me paint, even the cat is enthralled with my doings. Probably should have been cleaning up or prepping for tomorrow's dinner. Am having Rico and Faith and Frank Weaver and his wife Alyssia. They are in Chincoteague, a friend is getting married Friday in OC. so I get to see them tomorrow afternoon.

What have you been up to? Any time to paint?






Saturday, August 21, 2010

8/20/10 morning over the soy fields

Quick, quick sketch yesterday morning, view from my backyard. This was just color straightaway, would like to do it again with more time and start with a burnt sienna value study first. Maybe tomorrow.

Also, used a limited palette: BU, pozzuoli red (its an earth red from Natural Pigments, close to eng red, or terra rosa), naples yellow, aurora yellow (think I read this is in the cobalt family), aliz crimson, smalt (Nat Pigments again, a historical blue based on glass, also think I read it was sometimes used for a base for more expensive ultramarines that were originally made with lapis), and prussian blue.

Felt a bit limited particularly mixing blues. The aurora yellow is not clean enough to make good bright greens. The smalt is lovely but compared to ultramarine, weak. Of course prussian isn't as strong as the thalos but only by a bit! So, this palette felt uneven.

Hounds redux


Okay I am going to up load a larger image and see if you can click on it to enlarge. Its is the two hound heads, worked on the muzzle of the further hound but am still not thrilled with the neck. will do more tonight.

So, using a larger file pic let's you enlarge, okay!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Study for two hounds

Worked on this today from a grisaille to color. Well, in between lunch with a friend, a doc app't and getting the go-go's to their spa. Boys now look like yellow labs with unbelievably bushy tails! Would like to work outside but painting inside catching time when I can is better than not painting at all. Not much on the calendar tomorrow so hope to get out. This is a bit dark and I can see a few places that need more work, time enough tomorrow. It is 8 x 10" on that raw linen panel. I do like these panel for these kind of studies where it can show.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

St Croix River


In addition to the "no show" drawing of the day I couldn't resist playing with last Minnesota panel
brightened the face of the cliff
cooled the lichen to the right and horizontalized [new word] the water with more transparent red
and used some lemon yellow/cobalt for the bushes to the lower right
hey I can enlarge this with a double click but cant do that with yours
?!

umm should we use the same blog and bounce it or just have separate ones and comment???
got to take out the trash
will sent a test entry from mine later

1. Two Hounds in Kennel

Color today painted inbetween errands. Rainy high 70's today, so the light in the studio was not so good, even with all the lights. Paints used: burnt umber, burnt sienna, terra rosa, naples yellow, yellow ochre, cobalt blue and permalma white

Getting started 8/17

Just a quick sketch of two hounds, not done from life obviously, but started with the gesture, blocked in and then taken to a simple open grisaille. Used burnt umber and some turps on a 9 x 12" raw linen board. Like the color of the linen as a mid-tone background color. Didn't need great light to do this and want to paint further in color come the morning.