Wednesday, December 26, 2012

"La Rambla"

Here is my new painting, a scene from a street in Barcelona. It is in oil and on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

My goal for this painting is to be very loose and free. It is not about detail, it is about indications. For session one, I laid in the under-painting. I debated whether or not even to do an under-painting, but I did after all. The whole thing was laid in in one session. People and figures are only indicated. The pigment used here is van dyke brown, which is between a cool brown and a warm gray.

For session two, I moved in with some color. For the shadows, I used a mixture of cobalt blue, alizarin crimson, van dyke brown, and titanium white. For the lights I used a mix of titanium white and naples yellow. The trees I did at the end and I'm not real satisfied with them.

For session three, I added some color to the background figures. Most of my time, however, was spent on the buildings in the background. I used a palette knife to add chunky paint. I'm not totally satisfied with it, but it will have to do. The painting is almost done.

Here are links to images showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Final

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting, a scene from Barcelona. It is on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

"Wine Thief"

Here is my new painting, showing a scene from a trip my wife and I took to California wine country. Here, someone is taking a barrel sample from a barrel deep in a wine cave. The painting is in oil on a 24 x 36 inch canvas.
Here are the notes I've taken as I've painted it:

For session one, I started on the under-painting. I began laying in the dark areas with a mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. My goal is to lay in the under-painting with transparent pigments, and then move in with opaques.

For session two, I worked on two things, the barrels and the figure. For the barrels, I used a mixture of transparent gold ochre, raw sienna, and transparent oxide brown. I mixed that with my mixture of ultramarine blue and transparent oxide brown for the shadow areas. For the figure, I used terra rosa and transparent oxide brown for the flesh areas, mixed with my mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue for the areas in shadow. I really struggled with the face. In fact, all the flesh tones will have to be revisited when I move in with opaques.

With session three, I started on the barrels going off into the distance. It was a real struggle to not put in too much fine detail. In addition, I started on the concrete floor. Again, all the pigments used were transparent.

Sessions four and five: barrels, barrels, and more barrels.

Session six and seven: I did not take a picture after session six. Basically, I finished the frame of the barrel structure. Session seven, I finished the under-painting and went in with targeted cool opaques. Mostly, that was a mixture titanium white and ultramarine blue. I'm finding that I use less and less opaques and spend more time on the under-painting with transparents.

I think it might be finished. I'm going to sit on it a week and see.

Here are links to images showing each painting session:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6 and 7
Final

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting. It is on a 24 x 36 inch canvas.

Friday, August 10, 2012

"Vintage"

This is my latest painting. It is a landscape depicting a vineyard. It is in oil, on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

For session one, I laid in the actual vines of the vineyard. I tried to indicate rows, and showed the perspective as they went into the distance up the hill. I used sap green, naples yellow, transparent oxide brown, permanent green medium, titanium white, and a touch of cadmium yellow light. Oh, I also used van dyke brown for the dark areas.

For session two, I added some darks: the trees in the distance, and plants in the foreground. In both cases, I used a mix of van dyke brown and terra verte. I'm hoping that when I add the yellows for the sky that the highlights on the distant trees do not look out of place.

Session three, I did two things: the sky and some of the foreground. For the sky, I wanted a warm yellow gradient from top to bottom. There, I used titanium white mostly mixed with slight traces of Naples yellow, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red medium, and ultramarine blue. I added patches of each one, and then blended with a dry brush.

For the foreground -- the red flowers -- I used a combination of van dyke brown and cadmium red medium. There I used both a brush and a palette knife to add thick chunky paint.

During Session 4, I really struggled with bush in the foreground. I added paint, scraped it off, added paint, scraped it off, and so on. I finally got it to a point that I'm resigned to. One thing that did go well, however, is closing up some of the big gaps on the trees in the background.

Below are the photos I've taken showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my latest painting, a landscape from our recent trip to California wine country.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

"Red Roses in a Ceramic Pitcher"

Here is my new painting, in oil, on an 18 by 24 inch canvas.



Here are the notes I've taken over time as I have painted it:

For session one, I did the under-painting. Unlike previous still-lifes, where I've primarily use transparent oxide brown as the main pigment, this time I used a half and half mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. I like my under-paintings warm, but I felt that the straight transparent oxide brown was too warm. I did use more of the pigment in the wooden table, however, because I felt that that was appropriate. For the roses, I used terra rosa.

For session two, I wanted to do the background. At first, I mixed up cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue, and tried to cut that with transparent oxide brown. That, however was too yellow, so I mixed some permanent green medium to pump up the green a bit.

Next, for session two, I worked on the pitcher and bowl. I got that to a place that I am satisfied with.

Session three brought me to the roses. The trouble I had with the roses is making them light enough. I used cadmium red medium, and I wish I had a cadmium red light. I tried to use titanium white to lighten them up, but that made it too pink. I tried to use cadmium yellow to lighten them up, but that made them too orange. They are the way they are, I guess. I just wish the value was lighter.

For session four, I added a reflection to the table, added the missing legs for the table, fixed one of the leaves that was too cool, and that was about it. It might be done. I might sit on it for the rest of the week and see if there is anything I want to change.

Here are links to images for each session to show the progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Under-drawing

This is the under-drawing for my new painting:

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Plein Air Class, Week Seven

This week, I completed my painting in one session. It is a desert scene. I do not paint a lot of desert scenes, even though I live in the desert southwest. This is a rare exception.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Plein Air Class, Week Six

For two weeks in class, I worked on this painting, of a plant with white and purple flowers in a terracotta pot.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Plein Air Class, Week Four

Here is the painting I did for week four for my plein air class. It is in oil on a 11 by 14 inch canvas. It was painted at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Since I was not there for week three, I had only one session to complete this painting. I went as quick as I could with no under-painting, finishing it in about three hours.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Plein Air Class, Week Two

This is last week's panting completed. It is in oil, on a 11 x 14 inch canvas.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Plein Air Class, Week One

I'm taking a plein air class at the Drawing Studio. For week one, we went to Agua Caliente Park, on the east side of Tucson. There we had a scene of reeds in water, with palm trees and vegetation in the background. Below is what I painted. It is using one color, a mix of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. Next week, I will add color.