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Wanting to learn to draw and paint.

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I want to share a few thoughts with you about drawing and painting. If you are becoming frustrated with your painting skills and it seems like you can paint to a certain point, but you know something is wrong? Something just doesn’t look right or you wish you just knew how to proceed and improve your skills. This is why you are frustrated, you do not have a solid foundation to work off of. Remember: VERY IMPORTANT; also draw in the direction of the form. Once you are a master of drawing then you may shade in opposite and various directions. Once you completely understand drawing and your skills can hold their own and understand form and shapes {how to bring them to realism} then painting will be easier and you wont be as frustrated. Trust me with this.*********
***********TRUST ME::::::::once you learn to draw and control value and use the warm and cool tones to your advantage the painting and form will be easier. Always draw in the direction of the form or shape of the objects you are drawing. I will be adding video demos in the next few weeks which will help.

I suggest and recommend you go back to learn the basics  and fundamentals in drawing. Drawing 101…….I have several post regarding drawing and improving your skills, in the search tab in the menu. Also, in the menu there are tabs regarding drawing and papers.

Start with re-learning the values in graphite; the H graphite pencils, [warm tone] and B graphite pencils [cool tone]. Make a value scale from one to ten; the first block is just paper white and the tenth block is the darkest you can get the block. Number five is middle tone; therefore number two block light until block five and block six to ten shaded in gradual increments.as seen in the graph. Learn what each pencil can do for you. Notice the hardness and softness of the graphite. H’s are hard and B’s are soft.

Then work on perfecting a sphere. Use a 4H to begin, once drawn well, then add a 2B to the core, the darkest part.

acrylics

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002So far Rose was able to get this far. The wall needed to be separated or to look as though there are two walls. Painting the wall coming towards you in a few darker tones allows the bend to take place. Adding purple to gray paint will allow a natural recess in distance space.

The problem with acrylics is they dry extremely fast. Unless you are looking for fast drying paint then you are in luck, but for artist that need more blending  from the paint then try to use a blender extender in the paint. The extender has a shine to it though even when dry. So, play around first to see the results for yourself. In the following pictures these are Rose’s acrylic painting she wants to finish from years ago. The problem can be in matching tones and values of the colors used in another time. It can be done if you can read value and tone in color. I suggest using glazes to add the realism. Use this technique for oils as well. If you try to match existing  colors you most likely will be repainting the painting. This is where I can teach you to improve your artwork.

Okay, lets break it down:

1. Use the blender extender to equal parts to a paint color you want to use. You can use water but the color will dry flat and a value lighter.  For example;009

We worked on the bottom of the urn. we added a thin layer of a terra-cotta color with blender mixed in a shade darker than the urn. You can even use two shades darker to start to shade and develop depth to create more form or realism. So the darker color went into the cracks and around the sides of the urn. The value of the lightest will be on the highest closest part of the form and the values will reverse in paint; lightest to darkest in value and color.

REMEMBER:  the dark values are towards the back/sides or the parts of the forms that are the most far from you. Anything cool tone color will sink in space and appear away from you. Light values will come towards you in space. This is physics, law of the universe and the way God designed it!

In the above picture you can see a shine which is the blender. It does settle a bit once completely dried, but you can steal it once dry with a protective  acrylic spray and the blender wont be seen. In the  picture below look closely at the bottom two leaves against the urn. These two have been glazed with paint and blender to start to create form and shape of the leaf itself. Look at the upper leaves they are flat and need realism. Stay continued to see this painting develop.

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TIP: You can place a wet paper towel over the paint, cover with tin foil and place in the refrigerator. Should last a good twelve hours.

TIP:  If your canvas becomes rippled because of being sketched from leaning on something all you need to do is water the spot on the back and use a hair dryer to tighten up canvas. That should work, may need to do twice.

Elvis the goat!

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Here is the progression of Elvis the goat in graphite pencils; 4H {warm tone}, 4B {cool tone} and a HB Neutral tone. Notice how I only have an outline sketched and not set in stone. When you have trouble sketching a form out start with one shape such as an eye. Work from one eye out, therefore allowing it to be easy to erase an outside form lines. If you try to draw the outside lines first and then go back and “TRY TO FIT” in the eyes in later in an open space it will not work unless you have Mastered drawing and realism drawing. Work from one form such as an eye and work from the eye and outward.

Use the warm and cool tones of the graphite to set form in space; remember warms tones will come forward and cool tones will go back in space to help create form and shape. Without the darks there is no realism.002

In the following picture this is how far I was able to get in two hours.

001I can not stress enough if you are an over-sketcher on cheap paper of 140lbs. or less you are wasting value sketches turned into a drawing on CHEAP paper. You are not doing yourself any favors by doing this. Get yourself a really good drawing paper pad of 140lb or better. Even buy Illustration hot press drawing board this way when your over-sketched  doodle is over-sketched it can become a serious composition because it is on good acid free paper or board. Use the cheaper drawing pads of 140lb. or less for Doodles or thumb-nail sketches. You have better results from the graphite on better paper too. Cheap papers are not made to hold serious artwork.001

Mix mediums.

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This is Elvis the goat in color pencil and oil pastels.

Following directions.

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Here is an updated picture of Joan’s goats.001

 

When you are drawing with graphite, color pencils or any other medium tools always follow the direction of the forms. Look at the following pictures below; notice the direction of the goat hair and draw it in that direction. .001003002

Notice the direction of the chin fur or hair.  Pressing with the “B” graphite pencils such as a 6, 7, and 8 Bs. will allow you to see realism sooner rather than later. If you draw in values of 5,6, 7 H range you will not see realism in your drawing. It will be flat with not much blending of forms and shapes. Do not be afraid of using the B pencils which are cool in tone and will “go Back into” in space. If you are having trouble using the higher B pencil because you are afraid or just do not understand how to use them I suggest practice sketching with a few higher numbered B pencils. For example; use a 6, 7 and a 8 B pencils and draw a few simple shapes such as a sphere, a square, an apple. Use the number 6B as the lightest in the three range. Getting over your fear is the only way to break through to realism.

Watercolor study.

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This watercolor study by Joan is fruit and learning watercolor 101. In watercolor there are layers of color in a building process to produce realism. Depending how many layers you add and how controlled the layers are depend on how far you want the painting to be realistic. Here are several steps to reach this point of realism 101. I will add more pictures as this painting develops. Once the background is painted in the colors of the fruit take on a different appearance in hues; look at previous pictures and notice how the fruit colors change in appearance. Adding shadows will ground the work so the fruit don’t look floating in space. The box is a deep purple which plays nicely with the fruits.

Watercolor will usually stay and follow a wet surface, if you wet a section of paper the watercolor should stay in the wet areas as a rule.  Painting on damp paper will give you a bleed mark or the new color will blend into the other. It is important to play around with paint to see how the control works for you. If you stop in mid stroke the color will build in that area and will not be a solid line or stroke. If you want a solid section then keep pulling a one stroke move.

In this final watercolor 101 Joan did a nice job painting. In watercolor 101 there are about four layers of color to build an object. Next watercolor is on the way being drawn and I will post updates.

So far the table grain was made by painting the a warm sepia brown over a damp surface painted in the same color. First paint the common color with a wide brush. If you look in the upper left section in the above picture you can see how Joan was painting from the box, apple and pear  stopping when painting in the sepia on the first layer. If you stop and don’t pull the color all the way through you get a line/band or heaviness of paint. If you don’t want a band of color make sure to pull the strokes all the way to the edge or off the edge of paper.

Now notice the brush in the bottom picture the brush is older and has stiff bristles. Making the paint a bit thicker or same stronger richer hue drag the stiff brush across the surface to make the grain lines . Follow the pattern the first main layer that has been put down.

The grain lines are not in the picture below.  Fuzzing the shadows of the grapes working wet on damp paper will help the shadow blend the edges. The shadows from the objects should ground or start to ground the objects.

************Look at the next two pictures and notice how the color of the grapes change in the following picture compared to the picture after this one. Just adding a background color changes the entire appearance. Think about how and what color will change the environment.

COMPARE THE NEXT TWO PICTURES AND HOW THE BACKGROUND CHANGES THE APPEARANCE  OF COLORS. HOW THE BACKGROUND COLOR WILL AFFECT THE HUES OF COLORS OF THE OTHER OBJECTS. NOTICE HOW THE GRAPES CHANGE IN APPEARANCE AND THE PEAR IS BRIGHTER JUST FROM THE BACKGROUND BEING ADDED. THERE WASN’T ANY COLORS ADDED TO THE FRUIT AND NOTICE HOW THE BROWN WOOD SURFACE EFFECTED THE COMPOSITION. THINK ABOUT AND PLAN A PAINTING AND THE COLORS YOU ARE USING. THE BRUSH IN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE IS #6 DRAG OR LINER. I LOVE THIS BRUSH AND HOW MUCH WATER/COLOR IT CAN HOLD AND THE DISTANCE YOU CAN GET USING IT. IF I HAD TO PICK ONE BRUSH TO PAINT AN ENTIRE PAINTING THIS WOULD BE THE BRUSH!

When starting grapes remember to look at the shapes and placement of each grape. How they are attached to the vine. Actually get grapes and examine how they really look. Paint them as spheres in values as you drawn in graphite. Remember to keep highlights in place to relationship to the light source. This watercolor will end up being wc 101, the next study will be 102 level with much more detail and realism. Each added layer of watercolor usually demands more controlled strokes, even dry brush techniques.

Your artwork is your best friend.

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Your artwork can be your best indication reader of your emotions. Have you ever looked at your work and relate it too your life at one particular emotion? Your artwork will reflect what your life is about or what you need to deal with in your life. I find when I am going through something life changing my artwork is a carbon copy of my emotional state. It has been very interesting to me what my work in photography has spoken to me these past two months or so. It is all inter-woven, our life and what our artwork says about us.

In another post I wrote about how important it is to work on a self-portrait. It doesn’t mean you need to share with anyone else, it can be just for your eyes only. The work will speak volume to you on so many levels. Sometimes when artwork seems to be steal or you are not sure where to go in an artwork direction ……working on a self-portrait will give you a direction and even clarify useful information to build upon.  One important factor is you need to take at least 48 pictures or two rolls of film of yourself. The first ten shots will be normal everyday poses; but I want you to push beyond the normal pose. Keep photographing yourself in a similar environment.  Go beyond the norm and think outside the box. Look for natural lighting in the room or a light source outside to use to help or portray what you want to say about the portrait. Set a tripod up with camera inside and just put it in place where you’d like to take the photographs or background you think you’d like. You don’t need to take all the pictures at one time. Nor do you need makeup on and look all perfect. You want to learn to see soul through exposure and pureness of truth. Let  the camera take pictures of you that are “real” and simple in character.

I like complex reflections or shadows in my work. I love black and white film photography and that is what I usually work in. I enjoy full value range, but then sometimes a pose will require more contrast. Let the pictures speak to you, look at your expressions and compare how you are feeling when they were taken. Learn to read how you perceive yourself and how certain poses echo emotion. This is not an easy process, but you will learn to see yourself and how your emotions reflect and represent  in your artwork.  I will add a few of the photos I have been working on in the next day or so.

Working on emotion.

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Remember to practice the value scales in graphite or color. See what the mediums can do for you and how it can be used in your artwork. Look through the recent postings for examples or use the search box on the menu.

Here I am working on emotion in Life drawing. I like this pose, it was a 15 minute pose. For some reason I see dispar in her eyes. I am connecting to the sadness I guess? The proportion is wrong and foreshortening, but I was concentrating on the face. Her head is too large for this pose, But I like it. Life drawing is about learning proportions, angles and weighted objects and many more aspects related to drawing. Keep drawing even if your work doesn’t look like you imagined. Keep pressing through, you will see improvement after one filled newsprint pad.

Defining your artwork.

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Not everyone has the same understanding what realism entails or any other style actually means to each person. My perception of what impressionism for example compared to someone else’s can be very different; plus the way it is approached and painted. For example; to me painting Realism is not necessarily Photo realism; two different approaches. Photo realism is the painting dot to dot for an exact copy. Realism is the enjoyment of a style portraying life-like perception.

Like I have stated before do not ever be afraid of trying a style of painting because you think you can not or know how to approach or even begin. As an artist we want to say we are or like realism for example and paint that way. Try not to put yourself in a box of style. You can say or paint realism in or with an expressive background. Remember each medium has  limits to what it can do and not do. Pick your mediums to what you expect your artwork to look like. Use the mediums’ strength to enhance your work. This is your job to figure it out, there are no quick answers. A medium or artwork style will define itself over time and many paintings later. You also may think you want to paint in one medium vs. another, but do not be too quick to judge yourself. When I first started painting watercolor landscapes they were awful! I never really knew I could paint tightly refined portraits until I just sat and tried. Don’t give up! You need a smart talented teacher to help you. Take a few lessons with me and I can help you. Send me your questions and I can try to demonstrate a few post.

You can not paint if you do not know how to draw!

I am very serious and I suggest saying a prayer before you begin. I tell you the truth when I say God is interested in what makes you happy and what you desire as long as it is on the right path of course. I never knew I could paint portraits, I was painting fire hydrants for six weeks in a lame ass class with a lame ass teacher that painted orange people! I am serious, it was awful. The black and white watercolor painting on my blog was my first watercolor attempt painting people in which I earned a big fat “F”!  Who cares?  I know it is good.

My point today is you need to learn the medium and what it can do for you. Watercolor  and all other mediums have their own identity. These mediums deserve respect for what they can do; you need to learn their capabilities. Watercolor can be loose and free of course and it can made tight or realistic style. It is all about learning what each layer of wc can do and learning what your brushes can do as well. Use what the medium can do to enhance your work, you may never think that acrylics for example is your thing but it may Fit your style and convey what you are trying to portray. Maybe the raised paint or thickness of the paint can be more expressive for you. Think about what the mediums capabilities are and how they can benefit your work?

The following picture is Joan’s and the first layers of color; now if this is the level of realism that you want you can keep it at this stage. I suggest working the entire painting to a certain point and then go back into the painting to add more realism. The pear started out with a citrine green followed by a little spot of red. To start to define shape a raw Siena was added all on a wet surface. Remember the highlights and where the light is coming from? Now this pear can stay at this stage or be fine tuned for realism. Work up the entire painting then looking at it from far away [5 feet] to see what you want to add or continue with.

Very important: The value scale of colors. Every layer of the same color will add one level or shade of value to the color or hue. Watercolor is about Layers.

Added light.

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Check this picture out; I went outside for a moment to notice that a neighbor’s house about 300 yards away had a fern by her mailbox lite by the setting sun. Really beautiful.

Please don’t steal my artwork. You may refer to my page and give credit.

Thank you for the kind words and awesome comments!