Response to Tutor Report for Assignment 1

I am pleased with my feedback, although generally feel that if circumstances were better I could have submitted more work; my thoughts and comments can be found in bolded italics throughout…

 

Overall Comments

Well done Joanne, you have made a good start under very challenging circumstances!  – my baby son was born on 22nd September 2013, smack-bang in the middle of my doing work for Assignment 1.  Needless to say, it threw a 9lb 6oz spanner in the works!

Understandably this first part is a little sparse, but do try and have a go at all the exercises in Part 2 if you can. You have shown that you have a good grasp of composition and form, and how light and shade can enhance a painting, and your experimental sketchbook work with paint texture is promising – keep up the good work! – as far as I’m aware, I haven’t skipped any of the exercises and they should (hopefully) all be found under the relevant headings.  Unless I’ve inadvertently missed something, of course!

I have set you a date of 12 weeks for your next assignment, but don’t worry if that’s not possible, just let me know – this could be doable, however I have to see how circumstances are closer to the time.

 Assessment potential (after Assignment 1)

 You may want to get credit for your hard work and achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment 2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment requirements.” – as it stands, I am keen to work towards a BA (Hons) in Creative Arts.

 Project: Basic paint application

You have been experimental with surface and texture – I particularly like the inclusion of gold on the textural work in your sketchbook. This form of exploration is really important and should form a essential part of your work as a painting student – finding out first hand the properties of various mediums and types of paint will inform your choices as you go along and enable you to find your creative voice. – I had become aware that I wasn’t experimenting with other materials, therefore I decided to make use of some gold leaf I found in my art materials, that I purchased years ago.  I admit, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be an pretty much ‘winged it’, but I managed to surprise myself with the result!

I couldn’t find any evidence of the painting with pastels exercise – if you haven’t had chance yet, do make sure you experiment with this medium, too. Pastels can be used in quite a ‘painterly’ way, and are really worth exploring. – this can be found under Basic Paint Application, Exercise 3.  I do love pastels, having used them on the drawing course, and love their versatility.

Project: Working on Different Coloured Grounds

Both your tonal studies have worked well – you have observed and achieved a good range of tonal variations and have clearly got the right idea of working light onto dark and vice versa. The paint application could be a bit thicker in places, and try using a larger, perhaps flatter brush to achieve coverage in larger areas. A flatter brush with thicker paint will also enable you to create a more painterly, impressionistic feel. Experiment with how different brushes feel. A painting can and should have you reaching for a number of different brushes – think about the shape you are trying to describe, and the best brush for the job. – totally agree here; I noticed there were some ‘thinner’ areas of paint, however decided not to keep going over it at risk of ruining it.  I will endeavour to mix and use more paint in future.

Compositionally the objects are arranged well, although it would have been a better idea to leave the background plain in both cases – too much background detail can be distracting in a still life, and less is (usually) more; you don’t have to include something just because it is there – you are the artist and can leave out whatever you want! – a very valid point!  This is something that I am trying hard to let go of, namely including everything I see.  I will look at using my ‘artistic liscence’ more in future!

Feedback on assignment Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

 You have clearly thought about the compositional elements of this piece, and made a number of thumbnail sketches to help you choose the positioning – this is good practice. However, I think the piece might have benefited from coming in closer and leaving out some of the background details you have included such as the side of the building, as elements like this can detract from the main focus and do little to add to the harmony of the picture. – I understand that, and in fact as I came to the end of the painting I realised that I no longer liked the upper right-hand side of the painting; although the roof provided an interesting angle, in itself it just wasn’t adding anything to the composition.

I’m afraid I disagree about the suncatchers – although they might make a lovely picture in their own right, I would have been tempted to leave them out for the same reason – there is enough going on without them and they distract from the flowers somewhat. – in hindsight, I can see why this is; they are so small and fussy, and cover up too much of the sky of which the effect I was very pleased with.

I like the way you have painted the sky in an impressionistic way, and the addition of yellow, as well as the green background, has worked well. I’m really pleased that you didn’t attempt to start the painting on a white background, I would always recommend starting from a background wash, usually in a complementary colour. – in the past I would have used white wholeheartedly but now that I understand the principles of colour and the effect they have on others, I always seek to identify the best coloured ground for my paintings.

I would like to see you painting a little more thickly and texturally. If you are using oils or acrylics you can really experiment with application and bring to bear some of the experimentation you have done (and hopefully will continue to do) in your sketchbook. Bold, impasto strokes can be used to describe flower petals, for example.  Keep experimenting – if you are working in acrylics you could try some of the mediums that can be mixed with them to prolong drying time or make them thicker, or you could try oils (although not very family friendly if you are pushed for space to work). – I do own water-based oils, which dry a lot quicker than the standard oils, although I still find this is longer than I’d like!  And with a young family around and not a lot of storage space, I have to be careful of little finger prints on my work.  I set out to make thicker, spontaneous marks in my work but then almost always find myself getting tighter and tighter and then ultimately the result is too smooth – I shall work on correcting this as the course progresses.

You are obviously thinking about light and shadow and how this can affect a scene – this is good. Strong lights and shadows can make for a more dramatic and interesting work, so keep developing this aspect. – I feel this is an important aspect of a piece, to establish tone and space; I am a big believer in the ‘eyes half closed’ technique!

 Sketchbooks Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Your sketchbooks should include preparation for the exercises you have done from the course, but ideally also your own experimentation, as you have begun to do.  This can be anything – get playful! The assessor will want to see evidence of a visual journey, what you are thinking about and are interested in, things you might have seen and collected, etc. that might be relevant to the course, even just in a roundabout way. Leaves, feathers, photos, pictures from magazines – anything you might find inspiring or visually interesting. – I feel my experimentation with the modelling paste went extremely well; I was expecting a huge mess with pages stuck together, but not so!  I was amazed at how well it smoothed on with a simple cardboard template.  This is definitely a material I want to use more in my finished pieces.  I need to set aside time to get out and about, take walks etc and find objects that inspire me.  These are usually all outdoor things, such as beautiful flowers and colourful leaves, and I hope to have time to do more sketching of items such as this, around the actual coursework.

I am pleased you are making brief notes in there – this is important for each sketch, experiment or item you include and can point the examiner to what you are thinking and how you are reflecting on what you see. – at first I thought notes on a page of sketches might ‘spoil’ the work, but now I see that these pages could appear muddled and out of context if some brief notes were not added.

 Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays Context

 Your observations on the assignment piece were interesting to read; it’s important to be self reflective and think about what works and what we found challenging.

Although I don’t think you had much time for research this time, keep looking, browsing, watching out for art and artists, particularly those recommended in the course, even if you only get chance for a quick Google search.  Try and understand what they were trying to do and relate it to your own work, for example, how did they tackle things like light and shade, colour, backgrounds, composition, etc?  Your notes don’t have to be very long, but as a guideline, try thinking about: – I am ever conscious of my limited time to do research, let alone the course!  But I know how important it is, and its good to know that quick Google searches will suffice.  I am catching up with family on Facebook on most days and have joined countless art-related groups and pages that are always throwing up interesting stories.  These are almost always about modern artists – unless it is a post from a gallery about an old masters’ exhibition – so I guess I need to focus on researching artists both new and old.  My personal favourites are Degas and van Gogh, so hopefully I’ll be able to look at them in more depth soon.

Who? Who were they in relation to other artists / movements? Were they groundbreaking?

What? What did they paint?

Where?  Were their surroundings important?

When?  What era or movement did they belong to, if any?

And the final, most important questions:

How? How did they achieve their effects? How can that help inform your own practice?

Why?  Why did they paint what they did, and why is their work worth looking at?

Suggested reading/viewing Context

This assignment also focuses on with interiors and still life, so take a look at artists who have focused on these subjects, for example Mary Cassatt, Gwen John and some of the 17th and 18th century Dutch old masters.  Also try and look at how contemporary artists are approaching interiors and still life – googling ‘contemporary still life’ should give you a good selection, and just generally keep an eye out for this subject and how it has been handled. – I have noted these artists and shall be researching them at my earliest convenience.

Pointers for the next assignment

Exploration of colour is the key here, so this is what you need to concentrate on in your sketchbook. – fantastic!! As well as figures/portraits, colour is my next favourite subject.

Also, make a viewfinder and use it look around interiors to get an idea for what makes a good composition. Keep shifting position to see how that creates a different composition.

When preparing a still life, think carefully about the background. Does it enhance or compete with the subject? If in doubt, leave it out. Think also about shadows – what colour are they?  Avoid using black (or even Payne’s grey) but try and mix your darks chromatically (using complementary colours such as purple and yellow). – I shall be using the colour mixes I did from the beginning of Part 2 to help inform me when mixing darks.

Fabric: this can be the downfall of an otherwise competent still life if it is rushed or overworked. Practice describing cloth by doing some preparatory work – try drawing or painting a white handkerchief (squinting helps) and just really look at all the areas of tone – light, mediums, dark etc. Think of the fabric as a landscape and really try and look at its shape.

Assignment 1: Still Life painting

If I’m honest, this assignment was a little slow-going for me.  I’d managed to complete my first assignment for my Drawing 1 course but then my baby was born and kind of threw a spanner in the works!  I had been trying to work on this assignment simultaneously but the time just wasn’t there, and I was a little worried about getting too far behind.  Therefore, I am highly aware of the possibility that I probably didn’t do enough preliminary work before starting my painting.

I was toying with the idea of doing an exterior painting, i.e. a section of my garden, but the weather continued to put paid to that idea.  That, plus having a young baby that wanted constant attention and the fact I could sit out in the cold garden for too long!  The idea then came to me about possibly merging the different aspects; a still life that was also an interior/exterior study.  I had received some lovely flowers following the birth of my son, therefore I decided I wanted to include them, along with a decorative cushion and dining chair.

To bring in the elements of the exterior, I set my still life up on my dining/kitchen table, which looks out of the patio doors and onto my garden.  Due to fact our garden is south-facing, we are fortunate to get strong light throughout the day and therefore this created some interesting shapes and shadows.  It is at that point that perhaps I should have undertaken some studies of the objects, but in hindsight I could argue that I wanted to free up my painting style and become much looser, and that studying the objects in too much detail would have stopped me from doing this somewhat.  Therefore, as I had a pretty good idea of where I was headed, I decided to play around with composition next.

Using pencil and an A3 sheet, I set about drawing a succession of thumbnails to explore the most pleasing viewpoints and qualities that the objects/views were presenting.  It appeared to me that those thumbnails showing slightly higher viewpoints also had a much better range of tones.  Number 3 appealed a little but I realised I didn’t really like the angle of the dining chair, which made it appear quite narrow and odd-looking.  It was then a matter of choosing between no. 2 and no. 5, as there were both strong tonally and had interesting compositions in terms of line and negative space.  The thought of adding the lovely, colourful sun-catchers my children made on the patio doors eventually won me over, as well as the chance to include more outdoor space, so I decided to go with no.5.

Pencil on A3

To develop my idea further and to establish whether or not the composition would work on a larger scale, I undertook a larger charcoal tonal study.  As well as satisfying myself that the lights and darks were in balance, I wanted to be sure I was capable of depicting objects with finer details without actually drawing/painting in everything I saw.  It was whilst drawing this study that I noticed the interesting verticals and diagonals that draw your eye around the composition; the slope of the neighbours roof running parallel with the line of the sun-catchers to the top of the flowers, down through the vase and then radiating out in all directions out of the drawing with the top of the chair and cushion, and also the shadows thrown by the vase and the window frame on the table.

Charcoal on A3

The flowers, for me, were to be the main focus of the piece and I decided I wanted to experiment with their colour, and the possibility of using a coloured ground.  I established that the complimentary colour of the pinks and purples present in the flowers would be a yellowy-green, therefore I found some drawing paper of this colour and did a colour study of the flowers in pastel to see if this ground colour could work for my final painting.  I did use more yellow and white on the background to bring it to more suitable colour, and found that this made the flowers appear more vibrant.

Pastel on coloured A4 paper

I was now determined that I would use this green as the ground colour for my painting.  I selected an A3 canvas board for ease of use, and applied a thick layer of this colour using acrylics.

Next, I did a loose drawing with charcoal directly onto the board, using my tonal study as a guide (the light had now faded and I couldn’t copy directly from my still life setup).

I wasn’t going to assume the colours that were present (i.e. white doors), so instead paid close attention to the ‘hidden’ colours that I could see, such as the purple shadows on the white door frames due to them being hidden from the light.  I began by painting these in to establish a dark interior area with which I could compare subsequent tonal areas with as I progressed.  The shadows cast on the table were a little warmer in comparison, due to the colour of the wood, therefore I added a little of the purple used on the door frames to the maroon colour of the shadows in order to establish some consistency.  I painted the sky in using a stippling technique and a mixture of Ultramarine, Cadmium Yellow and white to mimic the cloudy, mottled sky – and because I was desperate to add a touch of light to the piece!

Next, I began to work on the vase of flowers.  I found this tricky as the vase had light passing through from behind it and was casting strange reflected light patters on top of its shadow.  I painted these in, although I’m not sure if they clearly depict what is happening to the light or if they just look like I’ve forgotten to paint the shadow properly… I was careful to observe the way the light acted on the water in the vase, the way the surface is almost opaquely white but then the rest is transparent and warping the stems of the flowers.

It is at this point that I cracked on ahead with the painting and unfortunately forgot to take any more progress shots.  Ultimately, I was aiming for a looser style of working and therefore intentionally made a point of not obsessing over the details.  I used the ‘eyes half-closed’ trick to obliterate detail so that I could focus on tonal barriers instead.  Some areas were painted smooth, whilst others show a much rougher application technique (such as the stippling  on the sky/bushes).  My colour choices were a combination of carefully chosen and intuitive, whilst at the same time remembering throughout that I was using a green ground and the colours needed to be, for the most part, in harmony with this.

Final painting, acrylic on A3 canvas board

Conclusion

In hindsight, I would have liked to have spent more time on preliminary studies; I just unfortunately let myself panic about getting behind and that coupled with sleepless nights with a newborn is not a good combination. However, the one positive thing I can draw from this is that I felt I had the ability to be more spontaneous when starting my final painting.  Without the many object studies and colour notes (apart from those I did for the flowers), I found the decision-making a more exciting experience.  If I had colour studies to work from, I feel I would have followed these too slavishly, or perhaps not been able to achieve the same colours again when I came to mix them.   Therefore, I am quite happy that I had what I felt to be a successful composition study to work from, and that I was able to make intuitive colour choices at the time of painting.

Perhaps one element I am not so happy about is the quality of the acrylic paint when it dries; in places where it is laid on not so thick, it gives a rough appearance that can detract from other areas where the paint is applied more sumptuously.  I am not sure if my patience got the better of me or if this is simply what one should expect when painting with acrylics in a loose style.  I am happy with the tones and hues of my flowers, but feel the overall appearance is a little sketchy; I would look at using a finer brush if I were to paint this again.

What I do feel works is the bottom right of the painting; the shadows are strong, especially on the cushion, and its a shame I didn’t manage to get the same dark, tonal quality on anything else in the piece, except maybe for the bushes behind the chair.  I am happy also that I decided to include  the sun-catchers on the window; they provide a pop of soft colours that help to detract from an otherwise bland, dull sky.

For my next assignment and future exercises, I shall look at making a more varied batch of supportive preliminary work and will also experiment more with my brushes and the consistency of acrylic paint with a view to achieving a more satisfying, even coverage.

Part 1: Project 3: Exercises 1 & 2 with Research Point: Chiaroscuro

Exercise 1: Tonal study on white ground

Selecting three plain objects and my A4 sketchbook, I used some of my new willow charcoal to draw several thumbnail studies of possible compositions I felt would work for the painting.  I was desperate to use the new medium although I’m not sure it created enough fine detail; however, the aim was to make tonal drawings, which I feel I achieved just fine as the charcoal was so soft and versatile.

I set the objects up on my dining table, and then rearranged them at intervals, before switching to the other side of the table so that the light source came from a different direction.  I made sure that each object was given dominance in at least on of the compositions, and played around with perspective and overlapping to create interesting light and shadow effects.

Charcoal studies for still life painting on white ground, A4

The composition I selected to paint was, in my opinion, suited to the white ground.  The light was strong here, with no huge variation in mid to dark tones so therefore it wouldn’t require lots of paint to be applied.  I found that, as I worked, I was reloading my brush regularly, more than I’d like to – probably as I needed more paint to model the the objects convincingly on the white ground.

I struggled a little to merge the cast shadows into the table surface, so that they didn’t look like a solid object in themselves.  I used darker colour at the base of the objects and then used graded tones as I worked to the outer edges of the shadows.  I laid in all dark and mid tones first before applying any necessary highlights with pure white, to help create the illusion of form; in some places I hadn’t quite managed to let the white of the ground shine through to suggest light.

Exercise 2: Tonal study on a dark ground

I had previously applied an acrylic stain of Payne’s Grey to a piece of oil paper for this exercise, which dried very quickly.  I used Titanium White with it to create the mid to light tones.  On this occasion, I used a view of the objects from the opposite side of the table with the light source coming from the right, and the objects rearranged slightly (as per charcoal studies from Exercise 1).

I believe having a pre-existing tone already on the ground helps to eliminate the need for excessive amounts of paint, and assists in convincingly modelling the objects much quicker.  I found that with just a little mid-tone paint to suggest light hitting the object, it appeared to ‘advance’ from the paper.  Although the ground was dark, I still had to use Payne’s Grey directly to suggest the shadows and dark accents.  Viewed from a distance, next to the painting on a white ground, this certainly has more presence and impact in that the highlights help to form the objects in three dimensional space, when juxtaposed with the extremely dark shadows.

In hindsight, I’d sat that the light on the grapefruit is probably a little too strong, or perhaps just needed some more tonally graded areas around it so it isn’t so harsh.  I am quite pleased with the reflected light that the objects cast on the table, which gives the objects a sense of place.

Still life painting on dark ground, acrylic on A3

Conclusion

I was aware of the benefits of using coloured grounds, but haven’t really employed them much in my own work in the past, whether drawing or painting.  I can see now that the effects are quite astounding; a white or pale ground offers a lighter, airier tone to a piece and can be good for subjects that are naturally light and need to have some kind of illumination from within.  A dark ground provides a dramatic impact when highlights and extremely dark shadows are applied, and generally needs less paint applied to the surface; the three dimensional effect seems more successful here.

I will be taking this into consideration in my future work; I will be assessing the subject matter and, where necessary, try to make an informed decision about the colour of the ground I will be using.

Research Point: Chiaroscuro

I have always found works that feature the Renaissance technique of chiaroscuro (Italian for ‘light-dark) rather luxurious and almost opulent; rich ochres, deep chocolate browns, velvety black and the odd flash of jewel-like colour.  There is a certain mystery about them, I feel, conveying a subject or scene that perhaps wouldn’t work so well if painted in broad daylight.

There are numerous artists that have, over the years, mastered and developed the technique in their own particular style.  No two appear to be the same, yet they all clearly fall under the same category, exhibiting similar characteristics and consideration for dramatic modelling of the human form.

Caravaggio (1573-1610) is perhaps the most noted of these artists, with some of the finest examples of chiaroscuro present in his work.  His use of the technique is almost akin to putting his subject under a probing spotlight, creating a strong impression with extreme highlights and deep, dark shadows.  His The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1601-1602, oil on canvas) features the rich colours mentioned, framed on all sides by near-black shadows, with the Christ figure the most illuminated.  The light source appears to be coming from the left, however it could be said that this piece possesses an internal glow of its own, possibly due to the subject matter.  The light exaggerates the facial lines of the three figures to the right, conveying a sense of puzzlement or frustration at the situation they are in.  The solid shapes and tones here give the composition a strong sense of perspective and three-dimensionality.

Caravaggio: The Incredulity of St Thomas, 1601-1602, oil on canvas

The forms are just as solid in Caravaggio’s Summer at Emmaus (1600-1601, oil on canvas), with pronounced shadows on the wall and light bouncing off of crisp white table linen, however the light source here is a little confusing; there are two obvious shadows being cast in opposite directions, from the plate of meat in the middle of the table to the shadow of the central figure on the wall.  This may be intentional, again to represent an all-encompassing effervescence that can only be associated with this kind of theme.  Or, there could simply be more than one light source…

Caravaggio: Supper at Emmaus, 1600-1601, oil on canvas

Tintoretto (1518-1594) had a much looser style than that of Caravaggio, but he still managed to convey solid forms with the use of strong tonal contrasts.  In Marriage at Cana (1561, oil on canvas) he uses chiaroscuro to striking effect to create depth in the painting and a sense of atmosphere, portraying a large room that is lit by only a little natural light.  His clever use of blue in the distant sky ensures a break in the sombre tones used, as well as pulling our eye back through the painting; this effect is assisted by the row of brightly lit faces creating a line that ends at the figure of Christ at the head of the table  There is also a stark contrast between the walls at each side of the painting, with the left being cast in almost black shadow and the right being brightly sunlit.

Tintoretto: Marriage at Cana, 1561, oil on canvas

The Temptation of Adam (1552, oil on canvas) is interesting in that it clearly uses chiaroscuro but employs an almost monochrome scale of earthy tones and large areas of texture in the surroundings, as opposed to more realistically and smoothly rendered objects.  There is clearly a light source coming from the left, however there is a curious, brightly-lit figure in the background that detracts somewhat from the overall effect.

Tintoretto: The Temptation of Adam, 1552, oil on canvas

German-born Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) had a style that seemed to favour much cooler colours, such as those seen in Old Woman with a Basket of Coal (1616-1618).  The only warm colour is the red of the undergarment the old lady wears, which is echoed on the ceiling above her.  The rest are rather subdued browns with flashes of blue in places.  Ruben’s use of chiaroscuro is clever here in that the lit-up faces of the three figures creates a half-circle of light which is then mirrored in the arc of the rock above their heads; he rest of the composition is made up of extremely dark shadows that frame the figures and their cramped surroundings.

Rubens: Old Woman with a Basket of Coal, 1616-1618, oil on canvas

A real sense of mischief is achieved with Two Satyrs (1618-1619, oil on wood); the shadow on the right-hand side of the closest satyr’s face accentuates the uncertain twinkle in his eye, which to me is the real success of the piece in terms of how the chiaroscuro is used to play up the smallest, but important, details.

Rubens: Two Satyrs, 1618-1619, oil on wood

Rembrandt’s (1606-1669) Portrait of Mother (c1630-1635, oil on panel) evokes a rather cosy atmosphere, as though candlelight is nearby.  The illumination of the book and the figure – including her clothing and hand – create a kind of ‘rectangle’ of light almost central to the piece, which is then surrounded by darker shadows which help to model the figure and push it towards the viewer.

Rembrandt: Portrait of Mother, c1630-1635, oil on panel

British-born Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) possessed an extremely technical and accurate style of painting that resulted in realistically-portrayed figures and surroundings.  An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump (1768, oil on canvas) shows a group of figures seated around a table, with the light source seemingly coming from the large glass vessel on the table (I’m not too sure what this vessel is, or what it contains).  There is good consideration for composition here, taking into account chiaroscuro, where the faces create a pleasing, central oval shape of light.  The effect is so realistic; there are no harsh highlights or shadows, with the graded tones applied perfectly.  The outer ring of dark shadow frames the central composition perfectly, with just a couple of elements to remind us that more exists beyond the boundary line of the shadow i.e. the light hitting the trousered legs under the table, and the moon shining through the window.

Joseph Wright of Derby: An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump, 1768, oil on canvas

 

 

 

Part 1: Project 2: Exercises 1-4

Exercise 1: Tonally graded wash

I am usually much more comfortable doing these kids of graded washes in oils, due to the slower drying time and ease of blending.  However, I thought I’d challenge myself here and opt for acrylics (on watercolour paper).

I chose Ultramarine and Viridian, these colours being favourites of mine somewhat, and a flat 1/2″ brush.  I believe I managed to achieve the right effect on my second attempt with each colour, however it was frustrating when every now and again a dark streak of the colour managed to creep in at the paler end; I guess the lesson here is to mix the colour on the palette more thoroughly before application, although I did find I was rushing slightly so that the colour bands didn’t dry to quickly, so that may be why.  Other than this, I found the colour and consistency fairly easy to control.

single colour washes on A4 watercolour paper

It was interesting to merge the two colours together, creating a pleasing sea-green where they met at the centre.  The paint from the previous exercise was still wet so it was possible to blend the colours so they mixed, rather than on simply overlaying the other.

two colour graded wet-in-wet, A4 watercolour paper

Exercise 2: Overlaying Washes

I thought this process would produce a completely different effect, but the results were not that dissimilar from the last exercise of belnding wet-in-wet.  The only thing I noticed was that glazing over rather than wet-in-wet meant seemed to produce a stronger overlaid colour at the centre, with a darker streaking effect.  Generally, I’d say there was greater control here as there is pressure to work quickly with wet-in-wet, but I would be happier if the overlaid colour didn’t appear so strong in the centre of the page.

overlaid glazes, A4 watercolour paper

I could see these techniques being useful in more natural scenes, such as a sky scene (sunrise or sunset), where there can be a range of colours present that seem to all merge together somehow.  It could even be used for floral subjects, where petals possess more than one colour; here I’d probably use glazing, to further intensify the colours.

I went on to choose several colours to experiment with; Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine and Violet, Cadmium Red and Cadmium Orange, Pthalo Blue and Cobalt Blue, and Cadmium Red and Crimson.  It was satisfying to see several pieces of paper building up with so many harmonious effects (I made sure I chose colours close together on the colour spectrum).  My least favourite mixes were Cadmium Red and Crimson painted, and Pthalo Blue and Cobalt Blue wet-in-wet (colours a little too similar in both cases).  They just didn’t seem to create particularly striking effects, for me personally.   I also found that the Ultramarine and Violet wet-in-wet seemed to ‘jar’ somewhat upon meeting in the middle, and I couldn’t seem to blend them seamlessly enough.

Wet-in-wet washes, A4 watercolour paper

I tried two further overlaid glazing mixtures; Cadmium Orange over Cadmium Red, and Cadmium Yellow over Yellow Ochre.  These seemed more successful, possibly because the colours were close but not too similar, and I found that the meeting of colours in the middle were pleasing on the eye, in both circumstances.

Overlaid washes, A4 watercolour paper

Exercise 3: Opaque colour mixing

For some reason, I decided that this time I would use water-based oils instead of acrylics, with the same colours as those in the last exercise.  I used extra thick cartridge paper, which has worked well before.  Well, this time…it didn’t.  Maybe it was the sheer weight of paint on the paper, but – although it didn’t buckle – it seemed the paper was thinning slightly in places.  The paint still blended well, though, although I admit I much prefer adding water and producing transparent acrylic washes that white paint to lighten oils.

The paint didn’t flow as well, and the whole exercise was marred by my increasingly painful headcold – but I carried on regardless!  And then my arm started to hurt from the backwards and forwards brushstrokes…

Opaque colour mixes, A4 extra thick cartridge paper

The reds appeared somewhat streaky, the yellow took on a strange bluey tinge when overlaid on yellow ochre which dulled it slightly…but the blues fared much better and were much more pleasurable to create than the others.

I’d imagine that using these two approaches together would offer possibilities for altering colours; a transparent glaze could be applied over an opaque one so that the colour underneath could shine through – or be deepened – and create an altogether different hue.

Exercise 4: Monochrome Studies

At this point, I was gladly welcoming a break from the applying and blending bands of colour, as my arm and shoulder ached so much!  I prepared two A3 grounds – primed thick cartridge paper – one with an Ultramarine and Payne’s Grey wash, and the other with a lightened Payne’s Grey wash using Titanium White.

I took inspiration from the photograph of a tree in the course materials, isolating a particular area and simplifying it.  Using a soft charcoal pencil, I sketched in roughly the tree trunk and attached branches, before lightly dusting it down so that the charcoal wouldn’t interfere with the paint when applied.

Tree detail outlined in fine charcoal

Starting with the light ground, I made up a thick mix of the darker colour and proceeded to outline the tree detail with a fine brush.  At this point I didn’t pick out the detail of the very finest branches, as I would later thin the paint slightly and add these in so they appeared thinner than the rest of the tree.

Outline of tree on lighter ground

Using a flat brush, I then began to fill in the positive space with the dark colour mix, working in broad strokes where I could.  Occasionally, I slipped a little over the edges but overall I managed to keep good control of the colour.  Eventually, when the main trunk and branches were filled in, I watered the paint down just a little to suggest the smaller, thinner branches.

Finished tree on light ground

Next, I mixed up a light grey colour and used this to outline the negative shapes surrounding the tree on my darker ground.

Outline of tree on darker ground

Again, using the same flat brush as before, I began to paint in the negative shapes around the tree.  At first, my colour appeared too dark, so I added more white and repainted over the areas I had already painted.  Although I found this process more enjoyable than the last, as I was able to block in much bigger areas of colour, I did find there was a tendency to get a bit ‘carried away’ with the application, and therefore some of the branches ultimately appeared thinner than they were originally drawn.

Finished tree on dark ground

I loved the colours used in this exercise – the steely, bluey-greys – and would love another opportunity to use them again in future.  Depending on the application and texture of the ground to begin with, I believe that the negative painting approach would work well i.e. a loosely applied, textured ground could represent the bark of the tree, surrounded by a much thick, cloudier sky.  And vice-versa, where the main subject needs to be portrayed as strong and opaque, but the background needs to be softer and more ethereal.  This is the impression I get from looking at my own work for this exercise.

Part 1: Project 1: Exercises 1-3

Exercise 1: Getting to know your brushes

Admittedly, I don’t have a huge range of brushes, and was disappointed to discover I didn’t own any filberts; this is something I shall address shortly.  Therefore, I made sure that for this exercise I picked brush shapes and sizes that were of a wide enough variety and that would create different marks that could be attributed to them alone.  I chose to use a different paint colour for each brush, for easy distinction.

I began with the spotter and rigger – two very delicate brushes, on the thin side and short and long respectively.  As the spotter is so small, I found I had to reload the brush on numerous occasions in an attempt to get a consistent mark.  The hairs also seemed to buckle quite easily under pressure, and I soon found out that its name says it all; it is best used for spotting, making small dots with a light touch, and with very fluid paint.  The rigger, I discovered, was excellent for writing – almost like writing with a quill and ink – and was equally as impressive with the hairs laid lengthways, for long dashes or wide sweeps of colour.  The Round 0 was also good for writing, being on the fine side.

The Round 5 was short and stubby, quite hard-wearing and not susceptible to easy ‘fraying’ when making marks that required more pressure.  I didn’t think this brush would yield many impressive results but I was quite pleased with the different sizes of dots and spots I achieved, just by using different planes of the brush.

The most enjoyable for me were the two flats, especially the 1/2″.  It seemed capable of everything; small dashes, short lines (when the tip was used), large colour areas, hatching, sweeping lines (with more fluid paint).  Also, something about the way the large ferrule and handle felt in my palm contributed, I feel, to the enjoyment of the mark-making exercise!

Next, I moved on to my scene painted from memory, trying to employ some of the techniques and marks made in the previous piece.  The scene is a path leading through my local park, and I did find it difficult to remember every little detail (confirmed when later looking at an actual photograph of this area!).  I used a flat 1/2″ and round 5 predominately; the flat was great for blocking in large areas of colour – which I was able to build up and overlay in thick swathes to suggest texture – as well as being turned on its side and using its edge to suggest the tree trunks in short, stabby strokes.

I had to fight the urge to convey realism, instead concentrating on making marks and experimenting.  Although, I feel I should have started with the sky first, as opposed to the foliage!  I found that the paint took on some ‘impasto’ qualities as I applied more marks, which gave a good texture to the foliage but maybe a little more than I had hoped.  I couldn’t help my inner colour theorist and added a few touches of complimentary colour (i.e. pinky-red in the green grass).  The round brush was good for small, suggestive marks that picked out the leaves in the trees.

Overall, it was satisfying to paint a looser picture, especially without having anything visual to work from.

Acrylic on A4 board

Finally, I selected a piece of fruit – a grapefruit – again to be painted with the same technique.  I loved the colours on this simple fruit; pinks, reds, yellows and oranges, with a dash of white light.  I set this up near a window so that the natural light could pick out these beautiful colours.

It was pleasing to paint fruit on such a large scale (A4 board, which is relatively small, but I painted the fruit to fill the whole board).  I identified my main colours and had the paint ready, and selected similar brushes to those used in my last piece.  The flat 1/2″ was invaluable again for blocking in large colour areas, which I did by applying short, downward strokes overlaid in multiple directions so as to suggest the texture of the grapefruit skin.  The round brush was great for a stippling effect, for small areas of detail such as light hitting the surface, as was the edge of the flat brush when loaded with a little thicker paint.  I decided not to concentrate too much on the surroundings, so as not to detract from the fruit, and instead made sure I had achieved a convincing shadow effect on the table.

Acrylic on A4 board

Exercise 2: Applying paint without brushes

I wasn’t sure if I would get on particularly well with this exercise, having not done much painting with anything besides brushes.  I collected up as many alternative painting tools as I could find; sponge, store card, a selection of palette knives (bought and hardly used), folded cardboard…and of course, my own fingers.

As suggested in the course book, I used water-based oils for this exercise, and loaded my palette with an interesting selection of colours.  Without further hesitation, I grabbed a random tool, scooped up a random colour, and got stuck in.  This is where I lost my inhibitions and started having fun.  I took great pleasure in pciking the colour up and ‘buttering’ the support with it, especially when two colours were inadvertently but pleasingly mixed together to create a marbled effect.

With each tool, I tried a variety of application techniques; I rubbed the paint on with the larger side of the palette knife and store card, and then used their pointed edges to scrape it on and manipulate it.  I can now see why this experiment warrants the use of oils, as they are so malleable and agreeable to manipulation, resulting in such wonderful textures and finishes.   The sponge soaked up a lot of colour and was ideal for covering large areas quickly, as well as for smaller, textured areas achieved by dabbing the paint on.  The store card acted in a similar way to the palette knives, but its width allowed larger, more opaque areas to be applied.  Finally, I used a fingertip to blend, smudge and soften random areas, as well as applying small dots of colour…and I just couldn’t resist a few scrapes with a fingernail.

I was amazed with the end result, and at how much I had enjoyed the exercise.  I will most certainly aim to use more techniques like these in future.

Water-based oils on A4 board

Exercise 3: Painting with pastels

For this exercise, I decided to use two neutral sheets of A4 pastel paper, fixed into my A3 sketchbook.  I wanted to have two distinct pieces side-by-side; one a selection of experimental marks, the other a finished, albeit quickly-executed (20 mins) simple picture that employed some of these marks.

I have some experience with pastels, but mostly in drawing realistic portraits and using excessive blending.  Here, I found it tricky to come up with lots of different marks, but just let the pastels take over and the marks seemed to just draw themselves.

For the picture, I simply drew what was already in front of me; the kitchen table, with my course materials laid out.  I had a good mixture of large, blended surfaces (i.e. the table top) together with areas where I used much smaller marks (i.e. the coloured ‘specks’ representing pastel pencil colours in a tin).

I enjoy using pastels immensely, as the colours can be overlaid quickly, built up and blended to create some rather ethereally beautiful effects.  I love their versatility and the way they allow the support to shine through, if required.