kcp – Artblog

Here are the first three painting sessions of “Le Pot” – First, the sketch was transferred on the canvas (Example #1 from my previous article “More fun with Coloured Grounds“). On the second session I painted the enamelled part of the clay pot with Cadmium Yellow. Finally, on the third session, I painted the space around the pot, the part where it sits and the shade in dry brush. Colours will be readjusted as I go.

I also painted parts of the pots such as the handles and the top to soften the edges that recedes in the background and at last, glazed Permanent red on top of Cadmium Yellow for the pot’s enamel. This will again, be reworked. I’m undecided yet if I will do this with glazing or palette work, or a combination both, but at least now the enamel’s colour is closer to what it is in reality and will serve as a good base for whichever technique I end up choosing.

More pictures of the other paintings I’m also working on, soon.

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

Been working on the poinsettia painting this last week. I hope to complete it before Christmas. Here are photos of the first and third painting session of last week (forgot to take a picture of the 2nd session, sorry)

The next step is rather simple; it consist sketching the subject, full size on the 15” X 30” with 3 inches square grid I previously drafted (see: The set-up) – Then darken the other side of the   paper using a soft charcoal to act as carbon paper. Tape the sketch onto the canvas and go over the lines.

Sounds simple and it is, however I should stress the importance of good drawing habits. While any trick is good to help reproduce an image accurately, such as using a grid like I did here; there are no excuses for negligence – For instance, drawing the bottom of an object first to “seat” the object and establish a sense of space and dimension – Don’t do that and you may very well end-up with object that look like they are floating around – Pay careful attention to the size and distance of the bottom of objects in relation to the line of horizon (which is not necessarily the edge of the table!!) and in relation to each other. Taking the time to draw what’s behind objects, what you don’t see even though you’ll erase it later (or not, it’s up to you really) might seem tedious but it’s a good habit to adopt to help make a coherent drawing – Otherwise it can seem like the line starts or is going nowhere and lose some important indications of the shape of the object, its placement and the space it occupies –Always keep in mind of what it is you are drawing in terms of shape and direction. What is that shape? Where is it going? Drawing simple shapes to get started is a good habit but keep in mind that an apple is not a circle; it’s a sphere. A glass isn’t a rectangle; it’s a cylinder.

Drawing skills are very much like reading skills. When we first begin to learn how to read, we read letter-by-letter, syllable-by-syllable. Gradually we become able to visually recognize small words. Three letter words; four letter words and so on. To the point where as experienced readers we no longer read letter-by-letter, syllable-by-syllable because we instantly recognize the words visually. But say you encounter a new or complicated word for the first time; you will find yourself automatically shifting back to the letter-by-letter, syllable-by-syllable reading mode – Drawing is the same in the sense that if you can’t visualize it, by all means, draw it. There are things that I skip sometimes. That’s because I can visualize it. But as soon as something more complicated or more difficult comes along, I always revert back to the basics. Yet, there are things that should never be neglected when drawing or sketching and those are perspective, proportions, relations and a great dose of observation.

The making of a Still Life:

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

I been quite busy lately, among other I been working as a security agent at some outdoor Art Festival (No joke. The pay was better working for the security than to participate as an artist so… what can I say?) Despite that, my paintings have been advancing pretty well. While I’m in the process of writing another “Making of a Still Life” article, I thought I’d show you where I’m at.

 

I been spending more time on “Jasmin des Poètes” (the white Philadelphus flowers) – That one has given me quite a lot of trouble lately; the bottom left flower especially – I removed the paint to start over three times because I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome, but now I think I’m heading the right way. There is still some shade missing on one of that flower’s top petals but I’m going to do that with glazing instead.

The 15 x 30 teapot still life is at a more advanced stage than the article I’m writing about it – I’m using a slightly different approach than what I’m used to mostly due to the size of the painting – Instead of working from the background up to the foreground, I been working wet-on-wet on the left, the right and the middle areas alternatively, roughly setting the colours at first with very thin layers of paint and then re-adjusting/matching the colours as I go.