Achieving colour harmony

One of the greatest little tricks I learnt as a young artists was how to attain colour harmony in my work. It is much simpler then you can imagine. Here's the rub....

1. Determine the overall colour or two that permeates the entire scene. So for example if painting a snow scene it might be grey-blue or some other similar combination.

2. Work out a value scale with ivory black and titanium white from 1 to 10, with one being the darkest while 10 being the lightest. Thus you'll have 10 distinct Gray values on your palette.

3. To each of these 10 values add a little bit of the "overall"colour from step one and in so doing changing the Gray scale to something different.

4. Start painting by mixing every colour with one of the colours from your pre made pool of values. So for an example if you a mixing a value 1 green hill as illustrated by the dark hill above; I would mix that colour by adding the appropriate green with the darkest value from my batch.

With this "soup" painting method you invariable have mixed the same colour theme with every paint batch. Perceiving a scene in terms of  one strong dominant colour and then painting the entire scene with it, can also be achieved by mixing a single pair of complimentary colours and then limiting one's palette to the use of those colours and white. The two complementarys would basically replace ivory black on the value scale. Remember however that the proportion is 1 to 2; that is 1 primary and 2 complimentary.

The above example was painted to illustrate this method using an overall green-yellow mixed into every batch of colour. Although the jpeg does not capture it well the whole work does achieve that green-yellow colour balance.

One final point, that although this way of working can be used for still life or portrait work, it is widely accepted as outdoor way of working.

My quest to be a better colorist

   In my quest I have decided to dissect a painting into shapes almost like a mosaic of color. I wasn't concerned about tone, value or temperature as is conventionally taught...Just color.
  
   Traditionally when you examine color it always gets related back to the median tone; for example a cadmium red middle and then every other value is either darker or lighter then it. You would then mix this color with an appropriate light or dark color to make an art school 10 point value scale chart. Furthermore a color would be examined according to the ambient light source, and adjusted for temperature accordingly.
 
   However a simpler approach to painting color has been used for generations but has largely been abandoned or forgotten today. This approach, made famous by the plain air painters based in Provincetown, Massachusetts, molds every color in major then minor variations. Their approach to painting is based upon color contrasts and not value contrasts. To commence a painting the observed mass colors were stated with chromatic strength and then modified several times to get the visual color relationship as close to the subject as possible.
  
   In painting this way there really is no reason for developing of a value study or a warm cool under painting as I usually do..., In the words of famous plain air teacher Henry Hensche: " In value painting the value can be absolutely correct and the color still be totally wrong; in color painting if both masses and variations of color are correct values are automatically correct." For anyone interested in reading his whole book that deals with his color methods in details here is the link:

Henry_Hensche_Colour_Study

    I’m not saying that I am changing my approach to painting but it certainly is unique trying to paint a new way and did I mention a whole lot of fun. A small study painted in about an hour on lineʼn as usual.

When to say done?

This is an ago old questions for painters working in the "bravura" style of painting. When is a painting completed? This is something that I struggle with on a daily bases as do painters who are/were much more accomplished then I.
For an artist coming from an illustrative, photo realism background, it is really easy to get carried away with the work and render it far to  completely. The key is doing just enough the be able to send your message across with as little strokes as possible. Your goal is to make your work look fresh as if it was done effortlessly, even though it took great effort and calculation.
One old art school method we used is to take a size or two larger brush then you would normally use. Force yourself to render larger shapes first and then focus on the details. In this way you are invariably works from the outside in. Once you have your larger values established you can go in with smaller brushes to render things more precisely. Remember however to work on the section that is most important first and then work from there. Or if your work is a statement of color, put down the boldest color first them work out. This way you, from the onset have established what your work is about, and everything subsequent is just a filler.
So when can you say that the painting is finished? There really is no fixed answer. Work broader to narrower observing fat over lean principles and have fun along the way.

Ex: I"m including this painting as an example as maybe it was rendered to tightly. My intent was for it to be a lot looser but in the end it was rendered with more details. There really are no rules and sometimes the paintings paint themselves.

Where I've come from

I thought I would do a quick post paying homage to my early years as an artist. Some of these works span back a decade so it is very surreal doing a post about them now. The reason is that one has to study ones past to know where they are headed (haha spoken like a true art history nerd like I am).

My early work was very illustrative. Very linear. I was more concerned about rendering and true to life capture, then I was with other things like brush control and spontaneity. I think that the biggest difference between my work now and then is in the amount of time I spend before I start a work and amount of the time it takes me to complete it. Now a lot more time is spend studying a model then completing the piece, where as before it was the other way around. I'm sure a lot of you will look at my early stuff and say, wow it's better then now, and that's okay. For me what's most important is the journey along the way and not necessarily the end result; and I don't remember that I've had as much fun as I do know painting....It's messy, fun and every now and again and get an occasional wow..God bless..

Do you have mudd in your color?

This is a common problem among young artists I work with. When you have such a large array of colors to chose from and mix where do you stop. Because invariably using and mixing to many colors can and often does lead to a muddy look in your work. The painting looses its freshness.
Another reason that a color might appear muddy besides over mixing is, if it is too cool or too hot for the spot. Examine your work and gauge whether the color in question needs to be wormed up accordingly or cooled down. A lot of the times that will fix the problem.
In the example below I painted a portrait using pure color as much as possible: Cadmium reds and yellows, alizarine crimson, and neutral grays..and the effect is a fresher more spontaneous painting. This pure color use was what made impressionists of 19th century so famous. I was furthermore mindful of the light hitting the subject and adjusted accordingly when painting her face. Remember warm light always produces cool shadows, while cool light produces warm ones. Happy painting.

"Girl with cat" Oil on board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ode to Nikolai Fechin

Having once again rediscovered the work of the Russian master Nikolai Fechin , I thought I create a portrait in his style. Fechin's dramatic portraits in charcoal and oils, with a loose demeanor but a controlled hand, stirs emotion and inspires visions. More on him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolai_Fechin

Oil on Linen 18" by 22"

I sought to create a portrait of our friend Tijana using mostly the palette knife and was it ever fun. It is certainly hard to control especially if you are used to painting the traditional way with a brush; however the outcome is unique in its own way....

Brush control

A recently posted video on YouTube posted by me briefly covered a proper way a brush should be held when painting. It can be found here: How to paint a portrait in oil

What we contemporary realists strive for is to convey a subject matter true to live with as little strokes as possible. Give an illusion of effortlessness, even though a great deal of calculation goes into it. Greatest thing that separates an amateur and a professional is in the way they see. A beginner will view a scene linearly while a pro will see it in shapes. That is why when starting a painting, I will always grab my largest brush first to block in large shapes and then work my way down. The key at all times is to be mindful of color values. Let me illustrate through two examples.....

 

Here we have  a relatively controlled small study. It appears lifelike because I paid attention to color values at all times. However if you examine the second image of the close up you can see that this whole painting is rather abstract as a lot of it was done with a palette knife.

 

This is a more completed traditional portrait that shows much more control. Even though I started out much the same way as in the previous example I carried this painting further refining it with smaller brushes. 

Remember, don't be hung on with the details; focus instead getting the right value and color and then from there add detail as needed. Happy Painting!!!

My painting method in three steps

Herein I will describe the process that I take in completing a painting. The method here is implemented for most of my work unless the painting is completed in one session or alla prima. The paints that I use are the Windsor and Newton oil colors that I rarely thin down except when applying an under painting. I do however use linseed oil to increase consistency and flow. But overall I like to have a lot of paint on my palette and subsequently on my brush when applying it. Let's get started....

Figure1. This is the most important phase of the painting process. In the beginning part I do most of my drawing relaying exactly where I want what positioned. Secondly at this stage I examine how the overall light and dark is pleasing to the eye. For more in depth article on that read my previous post at: Light and dark of it all
So the process at this beginning stage is to draw with a raw umber and white mixture the light/shadow of the subject matter and not so much subject itself. As you can see I don't focus so much on the details of the subject but instead choose to focus on large shapes. It is at this beginning stage where you should be able to tell whether the paining will be pleasing to eye or not. For this part of the work I used a large filbert number 10 or 12 and usually takes no more then an hour or two.

Figure 2. I always start by painting in the main subject first. I have to admit that this is not the best way to paint as you should be working on everything at once so that there is an overall flow and color balance. I however focus on the main subject and the adjacent areas working my way out accordingly. As might not be apparent from the JPEG I use thicker paint in the light areas while thinning down darker areas. This if for no other reason is to have the main lit up areas pop out and the dark part recede. At this and the next stage I keep my lights separate from my darks. I threat and work on them individually always referring to my initial drawing as reference. I should also mention that I always continue to draw beyond what I did in figure 1; meaning that I constantly measure and evaluate where what is positioned.

Figure 3. Yes I've skipped a few steps to the finished work here; but really the process is the same as in figure 2. I work my way out constantly evaluation drawings, shapes, lights and darks. The end part of the painting might take the longest as I might see things that require changes because everything needs to flow together. As a general rule I leave a painting out of sight for a few days after I feel it is completed only coming back to it after. The reason is that the eye can be overwhelmed when working on one piece for to long, that I end up seeing things that might not be there. I should note that for this 'meat and potato' stage of the process I not only use a brush but also painting knives as well as my fingers.That's it...


"Dining at the 4Gats" Oil on Linen


Well that's it in a nutshell. Constant evaluation of the drawing, values, edges and color; in that order of importance. And I should mention that for the all prima works the process is similar but with no evaluative underpainting. I will hopefully post a more thorough 'painting process' in the near future. Happy painting.

A couple of new works

Girl with basket

A couple of works in the same colour range.

"Rose"

"Pears"

Light and dark of it all....

Have you ever wondered why some paintings seem to win all the prizes at art competitions while others do not? You can not seem to figure it out, but they are more pleasing to look at. Well..it's not that they are more beautifully rendered or that they have the best color balance (although that helps..more on that in the future)...It has to instead to do with the harmonious use of lights and darks within the painting. But what does that really mean? You really need to be able to see any subject you plan on painting in two values: black and white and then determine whether the patterns are pleasing and not just noise. Let me give you an example:

 

Here we have a black and white abstract design. Looking at this image I can conclude that through the use of simple shapes the overall concept is pleasing to look at. Now once you have this foundation you can go back and start placing light and dark elements individually withing your work. Kind of like this:

"Tomatoes and basket"

"Onions"

Before commencing any painting project you need to analyze the subject matter and then communicate the way light flows across that form, creating a harmonious design of lights and darks.By doing so your work will resonate and not merely be superficially exciting.

Couple of new works!!

My latest work

As promised here is the "All knife portrait"..well almost. I touched up the face a bit more with brushes. However using knives definitely makes your eyes train to see in large values instead of focus on mundane detail. Try it; It's a whole lot of fun.

"Jelena"-Oil on Linen

Detail

Still life

My first venture into still lives. It's a small piece done quite impressionisticly. I used a knife on this work to render the background as well as some of the foreground. I'm currently working on a portrait done almost exclusively with a knife. It is quite a unique tool. Check back as I will post it soon. Thanks.

 

New work

After a six week vacation I'm back in my studio working. This portrait was more a value study then anything. The whole piece is as effective as it is because it was done in only three values. The eyes and the hair are the darkest; the cheeks are the lightest; and an overall mid tone. As always let me know what you think.

 

Solid prep work

It is said that one who fails to prepare should prepare to fail, and it certainly rings true in art.

When preparing for a major studio painting the preliminary part could take just as long as the painting itself, if not longer. From field studies to numerous sketches, building a solid foundation will pay dividends down the road. 
I can't tell you how many times I've dove in with work in the past only to find short comings because I failed to properly analyze the whole scene. Since then I've almost always done a quick color study of the subject
I am doing. In this way I can see how everything works together, from different values to color temperature and composition. This is something you just can not see by just looking at a photo.

Let me show you what I mean: In figure one below I've painted a quick 30 minute sketch of the subject matter. Doing so I was able to determine whether the position of the model is optimal... Also if I like the color balance...And numerous other details. I have to admit that I probably should have painted the rest of the scene so I can gauge everything; however the main painting was by no means large or complex so I chose not to.  As it stands I did not end up changing much in figure two except that I warmed up the model quite alot more.

So remember; take the time to research your subject. You'll find that you make mistakes less and less.

Figure 1

Figure 2

 

Simplifying a palette

I painted a quick study of my wife putting on her makeup. The whole painting was done using only the primary colors with raw umber and white. The three primaries that I used are cadmium red light, cadmium yellow light and ultramarine blue.

Using a limited palette forces you to mix your own colors instead of having one pre-made; and in doing so  you have a track as to how you came up to a particular color. Some old masters went as far as to only use primaries in all their work. One of them was Anders Zorn who used only ivory black, yellow ochre, cadmium red light and white. In theory you should be able to mix all other colors from just those three primaries with black and white.

In developing skin tone start out by mixing a cool mixture of raw umber and white. Then try warming it up with either red or yellow. For women try to retain a pink and gray palette while for men utilize a rust and golden palette. These are not written in stone and only serve as basic guidelines.
Happy painting!!

Importance of simplifying shapes!

I did a painting today to demonstrate a couple of key important points.

Firstly whether your work is painted in high key or low key, make sure you keep the areas of shadow or light limited to a few large areas. Try to stay away from having to many small unattractive areas of light or shadow as this usually leads to an overly busy work of art.

Secondly, be mindful of what the abstract shapes in your work of art look like. Try to see in only a couple of values. Or if you are working from photographs, you may alter a photo on any photo editing software to render an image in two values. By doing this it allows you to see how beautiful the underlying shapes are. This will usually lead to a beautiful work of art. I will address this in a future post in more detail.

Even though my work is a quick gestural study it has strong lines as well as a well defined light and shadow areas. Interestingly enough I might use this as a reference for a future larger studio painting. 
 

Analyze the shapes in the sketch

Finished work

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A major project

My wife and I have completed a huge mural project in Kitchener. It took us almost 8 months. The work is painted inside a Romanian Orthodox church in Byzantine painting style.
Here are some of the photos.

My wife high up

See me?

Mid way through

Almost done

Completed

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