Tag: painting

Oil Pastel Urban Landscape

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8″ x 10″, oil pastel on wood panel

I’m challenging myself to draw more freely and not rely so heavily on photos. I always use my own reference photos and generally draw with my laptop in front of me, referring to the image and zooming in to analyze details. Some part of me has had enough of that approach, however, but I know I’m not an imaginative artist and prefer references. So, I went back in time, thinking about film photography and considering using references that are small. Perhaps they capture the composition, the season, a particular mood, but they’ll leave room to improvise and loosen up a bit. I’ve leaned toward this more and more this past year with my drawings, but I decided to test myself.

I bought an Instax wide instant camera, and now I can take photos that can’t really be blown up to obsess on detail. The quality is mediocre, but the process is delightful. Having the photo develop right in front of you creates a certain kind of nostalgic magic. Although some photos turn out very nice, especially with bright lighting, most are kind of crooked and murky. I know I could also rely upon a plein air sketch, but I’m not quite that ambitious. Yet.

With this particular drawing/painting, I put down a coat of Gac100 as a sealant and then a coat of black gesso so I’d have a dark layer. I covered everything with a moody layer of oil pastel and scratched out my drawing. Everything that’s dark is scratched out.

I love the idea of using the scratchboards that come with a pre-applied layer of black, but that process is to scratch out highlights. I’m more interested in scratching out the darkest areas. I’m now in a period of exploration. What’s coming in the mail? Water soluble beeswax paints.

First Ever Oil Painting

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I’ve used watercolor, colored pencil, soft pastel, oil pastel, charcoal, graphite, and ink, but never oils. I bought five R&H Pigment Sticks in blue, red, yellow, black, and white, not knowing what to expect. I knew they act like oil paint but in a stick form so can be used a little more like a pastel. However, all the examples I found of oil sticks were bold and abstract while I knew I wanted something more realistic. I gave it a try with the first coat going on heavy and the rest with brushes and clay shapers. It turned out okay for a first try, although the trees were less than stellar.

8″x10″, oil stick on canvas board

Categories: Art Oil Pastel

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Ink on Canvas Board

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I think sometimes when I’m in a slump, I do something unusual, like this large canvas board drawing/painting. I don’t really care for it, but it was a fun process–lots of layers and the fountain pen kind of bumped along the canvas and did its own thing.

16″ x 18″, ink on canvas board

Categories: Art Ink Pen

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Liz Clayton Fuller Watercolor Workshop

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9”x12” on Hahnemuhle bamboo watercolor paper.

I took an online watercolor workshop by artist Liz Clayton Fuller that was offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It sped by, and at the end I had completed painting a female Belted Kingfisher. I haven’t used watercolor much in the past several years, so I was pleased with the end result although my brush skills are pretty awful.

Although I mixed and mixed blue, I never got the slightly green, slightly brassy color I wanted.

I’ve never done an online class before, and I have a feeling it was huge. By the time I registered, there were over 300 others who had already signed up. Before the class started, I sketched the bird to get a feel for it, and I also did a sampling of my palette to remember what colors I had available.

I have a combination of Daniel Smith (tubes and sticks) and M. Graham watercolors. By far my favorites are Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. Such bright, pure pigments. If I ever return to watercolor painting, I’ll switch over to those.

Approximately 7”x10” on Arches hot press watercolor paper.

The next day I did a very quick watercolor sketch of the same image, trying to recall the basics from the lesson. Lots of light layers lead to a dimensional effect was what I came away with. It’s a good test of my patience. This image was a bit more cute than the other. I prefer the one I completed during the class, but it was a good challenge to try it again.