Sunday, May 19, 2013

Class Project May 16, 2013

 
Class Project  May 16, 2013
 
 
In class this week I painted the above canvas in oils.  Notice how the sprig of flowers begins on the left side of the painting and casually drapes over to the right side.  The leaves at the bottom and on the right side balance out the composition.  They are not as intense as the focus object of the flowers, but give weight to the right side to create balance.
 
I worked wet-in-wet which allowed me to get the nicely blended colors in the flowers.  The richness of the oil paints and long working time gave me the ability to achieve this look.
 
The Open Studio will continue until the end of June.  Come join me if you'd like. 
Thursday mornings from 9 am until noon. 
Base Rec Center near Market Commons,  Myrtle Beach SC

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Parade of Joy - Stage 1


 
Parade of Joy - Stage 1
 
I transferred my sketch onto an older canvas so the background colors were there.  I decided that I did like the blue, green and pinkish areas, so I made them more intense.  I also added more color into the figures.  Then I tried adding more movement into the figures.  I am still working on the composition.  I will play around with it some more before I decide which direction I will continue in.
 

Class - Open Studio

My current schedule for teaching is my Open Studio at the Base Rec Center at Market Commons at the south end of Myrtle Beach.  It is held on Thursdays from 9 am until noon.  It is open to all levels of skills and all mediums.  I coach each student on their own projects at their own pace.  I do not require students to sign up for a particular set of classes, just come when you can. 

For beginners I can spend more time going over basics to get you off to a proper start. 

For intermediate level artists I can teach you techniques to improve your paintings and get you to the next level.

For advanced artists I can help you critique your work and find new solutions for a fresh take on your paintings.

Bring your own supplies and come enjoy painting in the company of fellow artists.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Parade of Joy - Sketch


I have come up with a sketch that I like for a new painting in my Body Language series.  I like the movement that I captured.  The figures are dancing with joy in a sort-of  semblance of a parade. 

I will transfer the sketch to an old canvas.  I like to reuse canvases that I began a painting on - then abandoned for some reason.  I seldom use a pristine canvas, if I need to use a new one I will smear left over paint onto a white canvas to tone it down before using it. 

As I progress I will post more photos.

To be continued...

Class Demo - The Egret, Part 1

 
The Egret - Part 1
 
 
The class demonstration painting begins with a lesson on placement of a single figure on the canvas.  Notice that most of the bird is to the right side of the center line.  He is facing left, with enough space so it appears that he can easily walk forward.  This is an important compositional feature - whether it is a person, a bird, a car or a train - any object that can move, have more space 'in front of it' than behind it so it will feel comfortable to the viewer.  Its a psychological thing, but real.
 
Also notice how the bird is place on the canvas up and down.  There is a little space, but not too much.  A single object should fill up most of the space on the canvas.

 
The other feature to notice is the darker value background at the top and lighter water area at the bottom of the canvas.  This will allow the best contrast between the light bird against the dark and the dark legs against the light water.  This will make a more interesting painting then if I did the opposite.  Contrast is an important part of composition - use it to your advantage.  Use your artistic license to make sure your center of interest, in this example the bird, will stand out better against the darker background.  Even if that is not what you see.
 
This step was to lay out the composition and block in the background.  I used several dark colors to keep the background interesting.  It got smeared in the car on the way home, but no big deal, this is just the first layer of the painting, the scapes will be painted over.
 
To be continued....

Class Demo - The Marsh

 
The Marsh
 
Now that my Open Studio has resumed, I have also resumed doing a demonstration painting.  This one is a scene of the marsh in the early light.
 
The first step was to paint the sky.  I used a lavender blue fading to a pale yellow to capture the silky light of the dawn.  I also used a richer Indian yellow in the water; although stronger the sky color it still reads reflected light which is what I was after.  In demos I sometimes exaggerate the colors to illustrate how to use one's artistic license to capture mood as well as the actual scene.
 
The distant trees have bushes in front of them.  I painted them a brighter green since the morning haze was giving them a glow that I wanted to capture.
 
I made the grassy areas in the foreground much redder than in real life, again to grab the sunlight and to bring them forward into the picture plane.
 
The tree has amber tones which reflects the nature of the light of that morning.  A few birds in the sky add life to a painting.  There is also a gator in the grasses that adds the true nature of the marsh and mixes well with the quiet calm of the morning.
 
This painting is a good example of using artistic license to exaggerate the colors of nature to capture the mood of the scene.  Don't be afraid to push your colors.