Every time I took one of these mandarin oranges out of the bag to eat, I had the thought that I’d love to paint one of them. Since this was the last one in the bag, today was the day to make it happen! I’ve been studying classic oil painting a little bit and wanted to try this with an old-masters-classic feel. I used an 8 x 10 oil primed linen panel that had been toned with burnt umber to a light value. To begin, I brushed a thin layer of burnt umber all over the panel and wiped out…
Still life study in values, color temperature, and brushwork Study topics Value study from still life; color study based on value study; lost edges; mark-making; color temperature Process notes Set up two green apples with colored papers near a window with afternoon sunlight. Painted a 7-value black and white study (5 main grey values plus black and white for accents only) on Arches Oil Paper. Used Gamblin Portland Greys for the middle 3 values and mixed the remaining ones. Divided my palette into 5 columns, one for each of the main values with the coordinating grey mix at the top…
The bottom two were timed at 20 minutes each, and the top two weren’t timed (I’d guess about 30–40 minutes each) Study topics “Twisted Twenties” exercise from Sarah Sedwick (three-color palette, quick studies, simple subject) Process notes Set up the first three subjects near a window but no direct light, and the last one with a direct light. Rotated the subject with each study for slightly different views and shapes. Trying out my new Arches Oil Paper with synthetic brushes and solvent-free gel medium. Scrubbed some Gamsol/Safflower mix onto the paper before starting each study with a synthetic brush to…
Ten-minute apples (minus the upper left) Study topics Ten-minute apples exercise from Daily Painting by Carol Marine — Painting from life; color mixing; time limit; simplified brush strokes Process notes Divided an 11×14 sheet into 12 units and toned it with a warm mid-tone color. This sheet was a poster board that had two layers of acrylic gesso, lightly sanded, plus a layer of acrylic matte medium to reduce absorbency. Premixed the basic colors before starting. Sketched in each apple with same color I used for the toned background on a size 2 Silver White filbert brush. Used primarily a…
Color study over monochromatic underpainting Study topics Monochromatic underpainting in 3 values; pre-mixing colors on palette; slow and intentional brush strokes Process notes Used viridian and transparent earth red for underpainting, on a sheet of Fredrix sheet canvas. Blocked in subject with a small hog bristle brush, wiping out lightest values. Used synthetic bristle flats for color application. Underpainting in viridian and transparent earth red What I learned After the last study in underpainting, I had wondered if it would be easier to wipe out the light values with a sheet of the Fredrix canvas. It definitely was! I liked…
