Jane, 11x14

A 'Jane' Experiment....
     It was time for another portrait session with a group of painters that has been meeting regularly for over 12 years.  It is a supportive group, very open to all kinds of new techniques, and ready to steal any good ideas they see.  I know this because I steal from them all the time.....and they are all good painters.

On this day I decided to try some different stuff.  I had gotten a free tube of Azo Coral that was bundled with some M.Graham white I had ordered.  To that I added Indian Red,  Raw Umber, Ultramarine Blue, and Transparent Gold Ochre, colors I haven't used much before and certainly not together on one painting.  A handful of flat brushes and a Raymar panel rounded things out.  While I don't usually use medium, I tried Gamblin Galkyd Gel.

To this mix I added the intention of seeing if I could soften more edges and join forms where it seemed workable, letting shapes intermingle.

A problem I have....well, many painters have this one..... is keying the values of a painting when working in less than ideal light, too bright or too dark.   In this case the corner I was in was at an interesting angle to the model but didn't have the best lighting....and I had decided to not tone the  canvas to cut white glare.   It's the first few strokes in a piece that set the direction of what follows.  To make sure I get it correct I tape this value scale on my pochade so I can place small dabs of paint on it to check myself.  Works really well when I remember to use it.  You can see the little paint dabs.

Great model.  Held this pose almost exactly through several 20 minute sessions.  I had to leave early so don't feel I got it exactly where I was headed but still felt satisfied.  The Azo Coral was a nice change in the reds although I had to be careful not to let it get too dominant.  It didn't gray down the way Cad Red does when mixed with white, which is a characteristic of synthetic pigments.  The Galkyd Gel was a plus as it got tacky and able to accept more paint as the day went on.

Next time I'll see if I can loosen up more.

Thanks for your interest.  

Of Drift Logs, Video and Eye Candy

First the Eye Candy.
..... I had a Marker Workshop about ten days ago.  One of the ideas in my book and that I stress in class is that things catch our eye everyday but we pass them by without even a second thought....but it is those things we notice that help to form our point of view about the world.  It's what helps us see in our unique individual way.  Its eye candy to us....but maybe not anyone else.

This view of drift logs I pass by often when I walk the dog and each time I find it intriguing.  It's going to end up in paint, but first I need to study it for a bit to see what I want to say about it.  Driving back from an oil change I stopped and did this half page drawing to begin that process.  The markers make this kind of exploration much faster than a pencil and, for me, the simplification the marker pens in terms of values helps me to conceive things more abstractly.

With just three markers in three values EveryThing can't be represented exactly as we might see it.

I wanted to give the workshop participants a taste of this.  Often in these workshops we go outdoors to draw but because of the cold and rain I tried this:  A few days before I took the video camera out and set it up in two locations and just let it record...on a tripod....for thirty minutes.  At home I transferred it to an editing program and adjusted the color/values a bit.

So, without going outside we went to a shoreline and to a marina in the harbor with all the sounds, light changes, seagulls and crashing waves.  Everything was moving.  Drawing it all would have taken a lot a time.  Each person had to find their own eye candy in the scene to draw from.

Here is my rendition of the shore.  This did not have a lot of things to choose from but they all came up with differing unique views and renditions of it....which I don't have shots of.

At a different time I did a gouache painting from the video:

Hint for successful videos:  Make sure the camera is Level.  I thought I had but the vid was at a bit of a slant and, in painting it, I unconsciously didn't make the water level even though I was aware of the problem.  Ah, shucks.....

Thanks for looking.  Back soon with a portrait.