Taking Good Notes

Since beginning my art journey I have been diligent (mostly) in the taking of good notes.  I keep these notes in an blank diary and they serve the purpose of recording the process of completing a piece, the teaching points, hints and tips that Don imparts or I discover along the way.  I photograph each step along the way as a visual reminder also.  Because I do this I was able to pick up Mma Tembo and restart her with relative ease after my two year hiatus.

Here are some pages from my journal.

Here is a small copy of my reference photo (this painting is for study purposes and not for sale so it is not my own photograph, just one I found in google images that appealed to me).  Here I've recorded a few notes about elephants.

Just the bottom of the page here showing some notes on the use of colour in the piece and a picture of my palette with a list of the colours to be used in the piece.  This was brilliant to have after so long away from the painting.

 Don demonstrated glazing techniques to me on a piece of scrap canvas and I taped this into my journal as a reminder.

Recording progress photos with any notes I need to remember written alongside.  These may be techniques I've used, notes on tone/colour or changes that need to be made.

Further notes, mainly to document progress.

Where I left off at the end of my last class....

Not a great photo but it gives you an idea of how I am progressing.  For comparison, I have included the image below from the end of the previous weeks class so you can compare them. I think the true colour of the painting lies between these images.  They've photgraphed very differently.

And now, some art....

Merryl is progressing at a glacial rate.  I am so strung out with life at present I barely give her the time of day

Over the last two weeks we have worked on some timed, small tonal studies during our portraiture class which has been so much fun - although I was such a cranky pants last class one would NOT think this is so (sorry Don and my lovely arty friends)!!

Taped up and ready to start.  We used a large brush, burnt umber and white and slapped, ha!, delicately/confidently/expertly applied the paint in generous blocks of tone.

10 minutes in, a likeness is beginning to appear.  Viv has had a breakdown beside me by this time (I saved mine for a later lesson and mine was non art motivated methinks).

30 minutes in and 'brushes down'.

One hour each and a lot more paint - aaaargh and much more tuition and assistance and demonstration from the ever patient and generous Don.  I need to adjust the nose and eyes of the monklike fellow at bottom before next lesson. Hopefully I am able to find time instead of just rocketing around in a state of perpetual anxiety and unease as I have been of late.  I mostly feel like a crazed squirrel at present.

Hope all is well with you.  xxx

Portrait update for Viv!

This is how my portrait progressed on Thursday afternoon.  Here the jawline has been reworked as has the mouth.  I've also started to fiddle with the skin tones, trying to make them more real to life. Remember you can click on the images to enlarge them.

Below you can see I have been starting to intensify the shadows around the jaw, mouth and cheeks.  The mouth has been widened too (I did this NUMEROUS times and then accidentally cut it back too far each time I cut back into it with the skin tones....doh!).

Here I have somehow managed to ruin the right eye so it looks too open yet droopy at the same time.  I will need to fix this on my next paint through.  I have aslo started to rework the hair which was fun. 

For the next paint through

• rework right eye (her left)
• start to resolve her wrap and hand - gulp. The hand gives me mild heebie jeebies.
• continue work on hair after working on bottom third of painting.

Making Progress

With limited time this week I have only made a small amount of progress on my portrait.  This is where I left it today.

I moved the eyes further apart and reworked, the mouth has been further defined and I've fiddled and faffed around with the right hand side of the face.

I thought you might like to see a compilation showing how the painting has evolved so far.

Don did a demonstration in class today and painted a portrait alla prima which was very interesting.  One BIG thing that I picked up - even though I watch him paint every week - was the way he held the brush at various stages of the painting.  I had a pen on hand so took a photo to remind myself and then put it into practice during my own painting time.  It felt very uncomfortable but I must admit that it made a significant difference to my application of the techniques I've been trying as well as the result.

Just so I have a reminder....here is how to hold the brush....

It helps you have a very light touch and enables you to manipulate the brush into a wide variety of positions very easily. So I will be trying to get used to this over the coming week and hopefully develop some proficiency and greater comfort holding the brush this way.

Portrait Update

I squeezed a small amount of painting time into my day today and managed to practice some new techniques that Don showed me in class last week.  I gave myself over to the techniques and didn't worry about  getting it right as I develop my skills.  It was fun and interesting to be brave and try a new approach that was more 'painterly'.

You can see where I have added some colour to the background and changed the horizon line of the lake so that it is no longer competing with the eyes and face of the portrait. I may move it further yet as it creates quite a visual line right across the painting with the folds of the shawl.  I have cut back into the hair reshaping it and will rework it so that it has whispy bits going back over the background if that makes sense. I rendered the left eye in using the new technique and have yet to refine the shape and size.  I have also moved the mouth to the right and have yet to paint over the original position which you can see showing through like a black smudge at the side of the present mouth.

If you are interested in the techniques I've been using - painting the image rather than drawing then 'colouring in' with paint, I've found two great YouTube tutorials that demonstrate what I've been doing.  Their technique and mastery far exceed mine of course!  Check them out if you are interested.

"Lloyd" by Zimou Tan

Demonstration by Sergey Gusev

Experimenting Part 1.

I mentioned recently that I had developed the germ of an idea to incorporate painting and embroidery.  Not five minutes after posting that thought on my blog I discovered Fi at Marmalade Rose had beaten me to it.  This lead to a Google search and the realization that my thought wasn't that original after all....  If you take the time to look at Fi's blog I encourage you to check out more than the post I've linked you to, she is awesomely talented and marvelous.  Not to mention living in one of my favourite places in the world.

Anyway, I decided to just get on with it and start experimenting with my idea.  My initial intention was to do a portrait but somehow that morphed into a rooster. No idea how, the weird and wonderful ways of my mind there...

I began by taping a bit of plain cotton quilters fabric to a piece of scrap cardboard.

I then loosely drew my image onto the fabric with a mechanical pencil. No reason for that choice other than the pencil was near to hand so I used it.

I wet parts of the background with a damp brush and discovered a couple of things.  Firstly the fabric resisted the water (perhaps I need to wash it first). Then I added more water and the fabric stuck to the black cardboard making it difficult to see where I was applying colour. I also think a sturdier fabric would be easier to use. Perhaps calico or maybe I could iron some interfacing to the back of this fabric for future use.

  I used cheapo tube watercolours and tried to get a wash type effect in the background.

I continued to splotch colours on and now I look at it on the computer I realise I have somehow ended up with blue feathers on the chest.... oh well.  I left finer details like the eye, beak detail for the later stages.

 I did experience some bleeding where the colour spread out and started to look smudged and out of shape, particularly around the face.  So I quickly pulled it off the cardboard and hung it out to dry. 

Now I need to work out what to do as my next  step.....I have knit and natter with my sister tomorrow so will take some embroidery floss, needle and hoop and see if I am flumoxed or inspired. 

Progress of the Pears

I had expected to be finished with this painting - it is only small.  But I find myself unable to stand for long at the easel before fatigue sets in so......I'm close but not finished.  Instead of pushing myself this afternoon I've laid down brushes and will take a break.  Here are some progress photos.

 I started today's session  by working on the tonal values that had were rather wishy washy when I finished painting last.

 Further work on the background and definition of tones.  The pear at front needs further work particularly where it's highlights are concerned.   Interestingly the shadows and reflections look far better in the photograph than I believe they look in real life.

So, I need to finish defining the tones, particularly the highlights, put on stalks, fiddle around a bit with the foreground and shadows and straighten the line between the dark background and the lighter bench top.  I keep changing the angle of it which is starting to test my patience if not my sanity!

Remember you can click on the images to see them larger.  I hope you are enjoying watching the pears take shape.  Be brave and leave a comment or question. :)

Slow progress

With playing pirates, Monopoly, Pictureka, hide and seek and supervising pool splashing, bumped heads and sick kids I've not made much progress at all with Mma Tembo.  My nephews have been here and when they're not I've found myself frightfully busy with a family issue that is taking lots of time also.  Oh and I started an online five week class with Flora Bowley on Monday because my life is obviously NOT overwhelming enough at present.  I'll talk about the online course at a later date.

Now......Mma Tembo.  I've done a wee bit on the left side of her face, just small adjustments and then as it was easiest while attending to very busy or sick children I grabbed charcoal and used that to add some detail.  These will be painted over at a later date of course. 

Here's a close up

 

Would really like to get this done by the weekend but am not sure if I have the kids or not.  No use pushing the river, it will get done in it's own time. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result.

I'm off to bed early tonight being totally flogged at board games by a 5 and 9 year old  has worn me out!

 

Mma Tembo update

We've had Open Studios again this weekend with seven lovely visitors today.  I spent some time further developing the gray scale underpainting of Mma Tembo. I concentrated on the left hand side today.  Once I adjust the tones on the forehead, add the details of creases in the trunk etc I'll be ready to add colour in the form of glazes.  I may get to this tomorrow as I am close to finishing the gray scale.

Mama Tembo

For those of you who know the John Wayne movie 'Hatari', you will perhaps be familiar with the name Mama (Mma) Tembo and her elephants.  'Mother Elephant' seems to collect elephants and once upon a time I did too.  I don't really recall when it started but for as long as I can remember they have fascinated and called to me.  Gifts through the years often consisted of elephant somethings - soaps, salad servers, knick knacks, you name it I had it.  Around 1000 at last count.  Then, after being sick for so long they became a burden to me.  It was just more stuff to look after that I didn't have the energy to do so I boxed them up, saving a few very special and rare pieces and donated them so others could enjoy them.

But, time passes, my health continues to improve and the elephants are calling again.  It started when I stumbled across a random article that touched my heart.  Then there was a documentary on tv, and then the yearning came inside.  When searching for inspiration for a painting to do during our 'free choice' classes with Don, I found an elephant image that spoke my heart song and I somehow feel complete and whole while working on her. Strange as I didn't feel empty or incomplete before but she is bringing me such a lovely feeling of joy and 'rightness' as I work on her.

I am just in the very beginning stages at present but I wanted to share.  I am doing a gray scale underpainting first and am going to glaze in colour over the top once I'm done with the detail.

I'm roughly adding blocks of tone and starting to create shape with a large flat brush.  No being delicate or working on detail, just getting paint on the canvas (1m x 76cm I think). 

I keep adjusting tones, adding paint and smoothing out. I need to work a bit more on the tones, creating the shape of her head and then I will work on the detail.  It's a hot, hot day today and windy too so the paint dries very quickly and becomes hard to manage.  To help counteract this and give myself more working time with the paint I use a few little tricks.

A pressure sprayer filled with water and a small amount of bleach (to help stop mould forming).  I liberally spray the back of the canvas to keep the canvas wet.

Once I had wet down the back of the canvas, I liberally covered the front in a 70% - 30% mix of clear painting medium and slow medium.  I let it sit for a bit and once it is sticky like honey or that sticky feeling left by all toddlers I paint into it and this helps to keep the paint moist and workable. I will apply clear painting medium to my brush and mix it into the paint also.

Finally I use a mister bottle that I have filled with distilled water and a few drops of bleach.  I spray this on the work surface and on my palette frequently - although Don will tell you NOT ENOUGH.  But who listens to mentors and teachers - right! :)

I am still working on the rose and will share it's progress at a later date.  It irks me putting the posts our of order but I just had to share Mma Tembo with you.  I hope you like her and I can't wait to share the finished piece with you.

Thank you for sharing my art journey.

Sandy xxx

Ta Da

Still wet so reflecting light a bit weirdly and now I look at it I realise I've forgotten to finish one tiny, teeny little thing. Poo.  I hope you like it anyway.

Oh so close

This is how far I got today before I ran out of steam.  Perhaps after an sneaky afternoon nap I'll be able to finish it this evening. 

The deep red heart

Our life is chaotic and painful and sad at the moment, but I am still managing to dedicate some time to my art. Here are some progress photos of what I'm working on at present.

Just need to finish the heart of the rose.  I was hoping to get it done today but am not sure this is going to happen. I will work on it but desperately need to have a rest and catch up on things neglected around the house.

I started this painting with the intention of donating it to the local Curves gym for their breast cancer fundraiser in October.  Now I think it is too big (80cm x80cm) to be an effective auction item at a small gym so am thinking of doing something a bit smaller yet in the rose, flower family.  Pink would be more in keeping with the breast cancer colours too.  What do you think?  Any ideas for a name? 

Hope you are all well and happy and welcome to those new readers who have dropped in to Heart's Landscapes of late. I'm sorry posts have been a bit light and scattered but my attention needs to be elsewhere at present.  I will update when I can and get back into full blogging mode in the hopefully not too distant future.

Sandy xxx

Meadow

Inspired by the process of a few different artists I set myself up to try something new this week.  During our Open Studio this weekend I prepped a canvas by covering it with impasto gel and then pressing tissue paper into it.  As I applied the tissue paper, I let it form lines and scrunched it up in places.  I then let this dry for a couple of days (it's raining again) then covered it with a light coat of gesso.  In terrible blogging form I forgot to photograph any of this process! Sorry.  Today, I got out the paints and set to having a play.  I laid in a background first with a large brush and LOVED painting on the texture of the tissue paper.  It was so different to painting on canvas.  Remember if you click on the images they will enlarge and you'll be able to see the texture clearly.

 Next I built up layers using all sorts of tools and techniques that I don't usually use and some I've never used before when I think about it.  I used sponges, brushes, palette knife and also applied very fluid paint by flicking and dribbling paint onto the canvas.  It was fun but oops, so very messy (cue image of me on hands and knees scrubbing floor).

I have no idea of the original source of the image that I was inspired by.  The original interpretation done by another unknown artist has been on my inspiration board for a very long time.  I'm going to use these techniques again now that I've had a play. This time I think I will try an image of one of our mountains.  Can't wait to get started.  

Thank you for supporting my art journey!

Evolution of an artwork.

Last Tuesday I wrote about the study of a dog that I had worked on in class.  You will notice that I continued to paint by drawing lines either with pencil or brush and then sort of painting between them.  During last Thursday's class, Don demonstrated a different way of approaching a painting and today I attempted this approach to continue the dog study as a painting.  Just a warning, the post if pretty photo heavy.

With no preliminary drawing and a large, flat hogs bristle brush I began to block in a slurry of colour using the broad, flat side of the brush.  I made large blocks of colour to begin to create form.

I continued in this manner working over past brush strokes and incorporating more colour.  Do you see how dark it looks on the left side of the dog?  I've also painted these in cool colours to make this side recede.  I will paint this area much DARKER before the end.  Trust me....it will work out.

I brought white in too early and as it mixed with the dark shadows I lost the shape of the face and also the image became flat and less three dimensional.

Bringing in more colour and warming the light side (right) of the dog using burn sienna mixed with whatever lights I had on my palette (white plus.....?). I also noticed that in the rough rendering of the image I had the little puppy tilted too far to the right and needed to make some adjustments in the positioning of the facial features.

Don then came in and helped me to reinstate the darker tones. Can you believe how dark they are?  Notice the cool colours in the shadow side of the dog and the warm colours in the light.

I continued to intensify the shadows and alter the shape of the image.  I began to lighted the background on the left and this made the shadow side appear darker also.

More work on the background further lightening the left side of the picture and pushing darks into the right hand side to intensify the light side of the dog.  I have also manipulated the paint to give the dog's head a more realistic shape.  The eyes at this stage are just blobs and will be sharpened up at a later stage of this process. 

Painting in this way required a huge head shift for me and I did struggle for the first 45 minutes or so as I battled my desire to 'draw' with the paintbrush rather than paint.  I am so pleased that I have persevered as I felt my confidence grow and my technique improve immensely by the end of the session.  I obviously still have more to do and can't wait to get to the stage where it is finished and ready to share with you.

I really hope you have enjoyed this insight into this particular artwork and into this particular stage of my journey.