kcp – Artblog

In this article (Coloured ground article) shows how I prepared an opaque, neutral grey coloured ground for a Still Life, and in my last article (Painting tips for Beginners) I wrote that coloured grounds are traditionally done in earth colours such as Sepia or yellow Ochre – It doesn’t have to be that way; As shown in my last article, I used a turquoise ground colour for this painting combined with dry brush technique – But again, who says that coloured grounds have to be uniform in colour? And why not have a little fun playing with transparencies? In the following examples I applied multi-coloured grounds, waited for it to dry and then applied a second semi-transparent ground on top.

For the first multi-coloured ground, I carelessly placed different colours with a hog bristle, using more solvent than I normally do, to allow colours to drip by tilting the canvas vertically and let gravity do its work. :) I also used a cloth to randomly sponge-out some of the colour mixture, letting canvas spots show through – Once dry, I added a beige ground which, I wiped-off with a dry cloth – I could have added more layers like this but for the needs of this painting I decided not to.

In this second example (below), I applied the multi-coloured ground with horizontal brush strokes and wiped-off with a cloth, also in a horizontal stroke – Once dry, I added the 2nd ground using the same beige as in the first example, only wiped it off unevenly and combining horizontal and diagonal strokes.

Although these could make great abstract works, I’m planning to paint realistic subjects (a clay pot on one and an old vine roots on the other) that will blend into the “abstract” background; I hope to achieve this unfinished painting look.

My white philadelphus flower painting “Jasmin des Poètes”  will be on exhibit in Montreal for “Concours-Gala International des Arts visuels Son et Lumière” organized by the “Cercle des Artistes Peintres et Sculpteurs du Québec” (CAPSQ) from October 29th to November 1st – See my website for more details.

As you may have read in a previous article, I started to give painting lessons at a near-by community centre. These painting classes are meant for each participant to share and explore their creative potential. My job there is to assist each of them individually in the creation of an artistic painting.

Fleurs et Fruits by Henri Fantin-Latour (1865)

It is the first time that painting classes are held at that community centre and it is the first time that I’m giving painting lessons – so I’m learning along the way, too – and it turns-out that I’ve got this small class made-of complete beginners. It doesn’t make my task very easy but it’s fun nonetheless.

Painting consists of exploration and careful planning. I’ve observed that beginners seem to lack holistic, or “big picture” thinking, so to speak. In other words, they are painting in the now without foreseeing what they are going to do next. Of course, it’s difficult to do so when one doesn’t have any idea of what can be done with oil paint and what different approaches can be used – I’ve got to give them something to work with – so that prompted me to get started on new painting projects, which I’m going to use as examples for my students.

There are many approaches that one can use, the most obvious one being “Alla prima”  or direct painting which hence the name, consists of directly applying the paint onto the canvas without much planning. More spontaneous and intuitive, this method works well when first learning to paint but the more approaches one knows, the more equipped he is to get the results he hopes for and be satisfied with his creation.

Dry brush technique on coloured ground:
I thought my students the use of coloured grounds already but what good is that without examples of what it can be used for? Henri Fantin-Latour, one of my favourite impressionist painters often used coloured grounds as a background for his still life paintings. Traditionally, burnt umber, yellow ochre or otherwise “earth” colours were often used for ground colours but other colours can be used.

In this example I first applied a turquoise ground colour. Once the ground was dry, I transferred my sketch onto it and then I applied with a hog bristle brush some dark brownish kaki I made, using the dry brush technique. This method consists of brushing a small amount of paint onto the canvas. The rough texture of the canvas lets some of the ground colour show through. Where you want darker values, simply go over adding more paint as many times as needed to achieve the desired value.

So far this painting has only two colours (turquoise and dark brown-kaki) and already the painting makes sense and serve as a good starting point. That way, I know more where I’m going.

And now the fun begins :)After transferring the sketch on canvas (pic.1) on which I previously applied a greyish ground colour (see: Ground Colour article) I’m very roughly placing the colours. (pic.2) – This is a very thin layer, diluted in solvent and wipe-off the excess with a cloth – This is just an approximation; it is no big deal if the colours are not exactly what they should be, I’ll rework them along the way anyway.

On a second sitting, I have set the darker values at the far right (pic.3). I’m focussing on the ambiance and where the cream and sugar pot recede in the background to the point of almost vanishing. Again, this will be reworked later. I’m planning to work on small areas alternatively and re-adjusting the colours as I go – I’m barely mixing the colours on the palette which consists of Titan white, Cadmiun  yellow, Permanent red, Ultramarine blue and Sepia.

On a third sitting, I’ve set the lighter values at the far left (pic.4). I’ve also re-defined the ambiance at the far right to give it a little more of a blue hue, given that the ambient light is warm, cool shadows give a more realistic effect. Finally, on a fourth sitting I’ve refined the details on the silverware and glass (pic.5) off the spoon-holding sugar pot.

This marks the end of my Making of a Still Life series of articles but I’ll keep posting pictures and details on the progress of that painting and other still lives that I’m working on and experimenting with ground colours. I have been quite busy lately with the painting classes I began teaching and am also getting ready for an exhibit. I’ll be writing more about that in the next week or so.

The making of a Still Life:

• Introduction
• The set-up
• Ground colour 
• The sketch
•  Painting begins

I’m so thrilled! This September I’m starting to give oil painting classes in a near-by community centre. I wanted to get a job like this for a long time. I been teaching cartoon illustration to kids in various community centres in the last few years, in hopes to make myself known and work my way up but I’ve found that it doesn’t quite work that way. Most centres that have painting classes serve a clientele that can afford them and the materials. Also, often the painting teachers at those centres have been there for a long time and aren’t likely to quit… I don’t blame them ;)

So I kept sending resumes until luck finally struck, when this community centre in my neighbourhood called me up. They didn’t have a painting/Art teacher and they were looking for one, and get this: they’re buying all the materials, brushes, paint tubes, easels… you name it! I was blown away but it’s a really great thing. You see, there’s lots of poverty in this neighbourhood and for a lot of people it is unthinkable that they can afford the materials plus the cost of the painting lessons. So this community centre buys the materials and offers classes at a reasonable cost. And, it gets even better; their philosophy is to never refuse someone who wish to participate to an activity because he can’t afford it. They’ll work something out instead.

That is so fantastic I think! Painting is such a beautiful discipline and it wouldn’t be fair to deprive people of it just because they are poor. It isn’t just a creative discipline, it is also an opportunity for people to go out, meet others, share and explore together, and not to forget relaxation and other “therapeutic” benefits of painting.

I want to give my students the choice of working from photos, from model or from imagination, so I been preparing, gathering photos, pictures of Great Master’s paintings, old illustration books and props to bring over there to make still lives. Anyway, I’m really, really excited and looking forward to start teaching my first painting class in a couple of weeks.