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September 8, 2009

Landscape with Oils

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , — @ 5:09 am

We will assume that since my last painting post you have drawn your image onto your canvas and are now ready to paint. Prepare your paint area, have your paints and brushes set out neatly with your water or turps and a rag. You should sit so that you have access to the canvas and your image as well as your materials. So you have drawn your image onto the canvas and you are ready to begin painting.

Use a flat long bristle brush, a flat short bristle brush, a filbert and a round. Use a little blue paint mixed with turps to begin filling in the dark tones and shadows. Lighten your mix a little then you can fill in the mid tones. You can leave the light tones for now, this is your first wash and it is the beginning of giving depth to you painting you will add layers on top of the wash.

Mix a brown and begin by painting the dark areas of the design, trees, dirt or rocks. Use a large brush and leave edges rough as they would appear in life. Paint the midtones into the trees and mix up a green as well. You do not need to dilute too much for this layer. You may need to allow some layers to dry before continuing.

Remember the light source must be consistent so check your image for all the light tones. Mix your main colour with a little white and add to all the light locations. This process can be repeated until you reach your desired paint effect.

Have fun :)

September 6, 2009

What I’ve Learned about Portrait Painting

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 6:30 am

Wow, I find painting portraits to be an awesome experience. Starting with a blank canvas you begin to create when you put the pencil to work. My first portrait was a baby in oils. Oils work best with portraits because they take hours and sometimes days to dry giving you the time to work with them adjusting skin tone, light and shade. Remember to always start with three shades to every colour you use. Mix your colour, this is your dark shade,  separate a portion and add a little white to it, this is your medium shade, then take some white and add a little of the dark shade now you have your lightest tone.

The medium shade is likely to be the tone you will use the most, with the darker shades for the shadow effects and the light tone in areas touched by light. Look at your photo or model carefully as you mark these areas on your portrait. Always soften the edges of your colours so they appear to blend into the next colour and not end abruptly leaving sharp edges. Don’t over blend or work the edges of your colours or they will end up runnning into each other. Continue to work on the skin areas building the character of your portrait with every layer you apply.

Depending on how much time you have to spend on your painting it could take anything from a few days to a few months to complete. Just be patient  the end result will be well worth it.

Have Fun :)

September 1, 2009

Paint Class 3 – Colour Chart

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 2:28 am

All art supply stores will carry a wide range of colours in water, acrylic and oils but you often end up with more than you need. It is possible to use just six colours plus white to make any colour you need and if you’re careful make just as much as you need and avoid wastage.

Ok, so all you need is a pot or tube of cool (lemon) and warm yellow, cool (crimson) and warm red, cool (phthalo) and warm (ultra-marine) blue plus white you’ll need a guide for mixing. Using a sheet of art paper put a patch of each of the six colours across the top.  To simplify things I’m going to number each colour as follows:-

  1. Warm Yellow
  2. Cool Yellow
  3. Warm Red
  4. Cool Red
  5. Warm Blue
  6. Cool Blue

Mix the colours on the art sheet so that you can keep it for a reference.

You can get four different shades of orange by mixing:-

  • 1 and 3
  • 1 and 4
  • 2 and 3
  • 2 and 4

You will get four shades of green by mixing :-

  • 1 and 5
  • 1 and 6
  • 2 and 5
  • 2 and 6

You will get brown by mixing 3 and 5 and can change the shade by adding 1 or 2.

Mixing 3 and 6 is a base for dark colours, you can then add the colour you want for a dark shade, it will go to black or to grey when you add white.

You will create purple if you mix 4 and 5 or 4 and 6.

On a six point colour star red is placed on the top, green on the bottom, purple and orange on the two top points, and blue and yellow on the bottom, colours next to each other go well together but opposite colours don’t. For example red and green clash, purple and yellow clash, orange and blue clash but blue and purple go well, red and orange go well and yellow and green go well.

Happy Painting :)

August 30, 2009

Paint Class 2

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 12:55 pm

How did you go with your drawing? If you didn’t have a projector then drawing by scale would be the other method to use. Most people would have done this before in their school art class and it works very well. Most drawings will come out fairly accurate using  scales. For anyone who’s not sure, use a ruler to draw lines diagonally and horizontally over your enlarged copy of the picture you wish to paint. Do the same onto your canvas, be sure to measure the same number of boxes onto each. So step by step, box by box you can begin to draw your picture. Take your time and just focus on one box at a time, before you know it you will have drawn your picture.

The next step and a rule my art teacher tells us every week is to put out your pallet. Now in my art class  we use a pallet of six colours and white, cool blue, warm blue, cool red, warm red, cool yellow and warm yellow. With those colours you can make any colour at all. Now when you lay out your pallet you need to know what colour you want and you will usually need it in three shades so you can put the effects of shadow and light into your painting. It’s a good idea to make a colour chart so it’s a little easier when it comes to what colours you need to mix to create the colour you want. So I will let you know how to do that in my next post.

Have Fun :)

August 29, 2009

Paint Class

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 3:00 am

For about twelve  months I have been going to weekly art class and have found so far that I have a passion for portrait painting. While still sometimes needing help from the art teacher on finishing touches I have been reasonable happy with my finished pieces.

My first real portrait style painting was a baby in oils. I will share a little of what I have learned. Firstly the drawing, I used the square scale  from a photograph and drew my image with an art pencil,  but another method many artists use is the projector method.  To do this you need a transparent sheet, available in most art or office supply stores. Enlarge your photograph or image to about A4 size so that all the fine details stand out. Place your transparent sheet over the top of your enlargement and trace your image. Include all the details including the shadings of light and dark. Use a fine black marker for your drawing.

The next step is to place your transparency on the projector and project your image onto your canvas. Before you do though, paint an undercoat onto your canvas, it doesn’t matter too much what colour you choose as it will be painted over, the purpose is just to seal your canvas. Now you’re ready to draw, zoom in or out to adjust the size of your image to fit the canvas. You are now ready to draw, with an art pencil, the projected image onto your canvas. Try and keep everything in place during this step.

Next post, next step, but if you’ve come this far your on your way.

Happy painting :)

August 28, 2009

Paint

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , — @ 5:50 am

Oil -based paints These are tough and glossy that can be used neat or diluted with solvent. Once upon a time they were made with linseed but now oils come made with a synthetic resin called alkyd. They are slow drying and can emit fumes.

Water-based paints These are waterproof and quite durable they dry quickly, are easy to apply and wash up in water. They come in a wide range of colours.

Varnish A transparent, protective coating which comes in gloss, semi-gloss and matt finishes. Clear varnishes can have colour added or coloured varnishes can be bought ready mixed.

Primer & Undercoat Surfaces sometimes need a prepatory coating of primer and undercoat before being painted. Primers seal a porous surface, and should be used if you are painting plaster or wood. Undercoat is painted over primer and should be applied if changing the colour of a previous coating. It contains more pigment than a top coat and dries to a semi-matt finish that gives depth of colour to a final coat.

Have Fun :)

August 26, 2009

Painting – Warm and Cool Colours

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 4:34 am

The colour of a room will play a big part in creating its mood, furniture, accessories, carpet and window dressings all contribute to the atmosphere and create a cool, spacious look or a cosy intimate one. Colour is the secret to any good design. Colours can be grouped as cool or warm, warm colours are cheerful and create a feeling of warmth and cosiness, cool colours create a feeling of space and tranquility.

Warm Colours

Warm colours are reds, pinks, oranges and yellows remember them easily by connecting them with the sun or fire light.  They range from hot colours, like rich red, golden yellow, spicy orange and russet to softer warm shades like primrose, peach, pink and beige and white tinted with any warm colours. Yellow is the most cheerful colour, research has shown that a persons mood will  be uplifted in a yellow room.

Very strong colours can be a bit over powering so use them with care, earthy or muted shades, natural colours like clay, firelight or dried flowers, work well in many situations. Terracotta and rosy pink colours feel cosy and warm even when its cold. Add well stuffed sofas, rugs lamps and other comfortable accessories to your room and you will have created a very inviting space.

Cool Colours

Cool colours create space and invite a restful feeling, colours of the sea and sky, blues, greens, grey and some bluer purples, white and white with a cool colour tint.

Cool colours are a great choice bathrooms and bedrooms, places for relaxing and rejuvenating. Popular shades of ble and green have had a little warm colour added which makes them softer and more muted. These colours are turquiose, sky blue, sage and olive. Cool colours create a feeling of being colder so use them with care in warmer locations.

August 24, 2009

Stencilling

Filed under: Paint and Painting — @ 5:02 am

Stencils can be used to decorate many surfaces, such as walls, ceilings, floors, furniture,clothing or fabrics and household items. A template or cut out shape is placed on a surface and then paint is brushed, sponged or sprayed over the top of the cut out area.

Make sure the surface you are going to stencil is clean, sound and smooth. The paint should be suitable for the object that is being stencilled. To reduce the risk of smudging, use a quick drying paint when possible.

Stencils come in a few different materials, oiled card, metal and clear acetate film. Stencils can be pre-cut or you can design your own. Pre-cut stencil sets are available and allow for different colours by having separate cards for each colour.

If you make your own stencil use oiled manilla card or acetate. Manilla is easier to cut but acetate is clear and easier to position accurately and it is also bendable. Stencil kits can be bought in art supply, DIY and paint stores, manilla card and acetate can be bought from art supply stores.

Using paint test pots for stencilling is economical and you have a wide range of colours to choozse from,  plus you usually don’t need a lot of paint. Artist acrylic paints are a good choice for stencilling and are available in a wide variety of stores and are reasonably priced. They come in an enormous array of colours and various sizes. Fabric paint should be used on fabrics and they can be found in craft, hobby and variety stores.

Have fun :)

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