going green
The secret to painting a wonderful green color.
May 1, 2012
March 24, 2012
February 10, 2012
art secret 14 - inspiring creativity using watercolor or acrylic
....and Helen Frankenthaler
Suffering from painter's block?? Out of ideas? Time to loosen up and and be freeeeeeee!
1. Get a piece of watercolor paper 12x18" or larger, some watercolors or acrylics, water, brushes and a spray bottle. Then.......
2. Without thinking about it, start painting random shapes using random colors and the only rule is....there are no rules, right or wrong.
3. You can overlap shapes and have them go off the paper, use your whole body as you move the brush, stand up if you want.
3. Turn the paper upside down and continue painting. Turn it on its side and paint some more. Keep painting because Helen Frankenthaler said:
"For me, as a picture develops, color always comes out of drawing. I start out as a spacemaker on a flat thing with four corners. But color is the first message on the picture plane."
"Color is extremely important to my process. It's born out of idea, mood, luck, imagination, risk, into what might even be ugly: then I let it tell me what might/should be next, until I get the light and order that satisfies to perfection. The result is color and space and, I hope, a beautiful message."
Helen Frankenthaler 1928- 2011
Here are some spontaneous studies that my students are working on:
As you can see, everyone has a different way of expressing their creativity.
Give it a try and have some fun!
January 2, 2012
art secret 13 - how to draw an ellipse
Ever have trouble drawing a proper ellipse in a still life?
Here's a good way to get those ellipses even...
1. Draw the entire structure of each object in the still life, even objects hidden behind others.
An ellipse is horizontal at its top and bottom points and vertical at its left and right points.
2. Start by blocking in the basic height and width of the object.
3. Roughly sketch the shape of your ellipse at the top.
4. Measure to create a symmetrical diamond shape.
5. Adjust your ellipse around the diamond so your ellipse is even
(according to the symmetrical *diamond shape).
*Note: if you have squashed a square, you'd get an even diamond shape.
6. Repeat for the the bottom and your ellipses will be equal.
7. Erase your guidelines, start shaping your object and voila!!!
inspired by Sadie Valeri
November 30, 2011
art secret 12 - watercolor winter snow scene
watercolor winter snow scene
with no white paint used
First sketch out a scene on regular drawing paper, then, using tracing paper, trace it with black marker. Place your marker drawing on a light box or window and trace it onto your good watercolor paper. This allows you to not only use your drawing again but..(art secret!!!) it ensures that your watercolor paper doesn't get scarred from repeated erasing.
Ready to trace onto good watercolor paper.
Next make a color menu (art secret #9 and #10). I used new gamboge, rose dore, prussian blue, payne's gray, burnt umber, burnt sienna, viridian green(winsor green), sepia and a dash of alizarine crimson for my color menu. Do your underpainting (art secret#11 ) and sky area.
Underpainting and sky.
When your underpainting is dry, start layering up your color leaving the white paper as the snow.
layering in color
Try to get most of the tree trunks and branches done before you start adding your pine needles. Next I added some grasses and twigs sticking out of the snow as well as some other details.
Adding twigs and other details.
And now for art secret #12...
Using a sharp exacto knife gently scrape away paint to create snow and white in the water the same way. Pick off the paint to create snowy and icy areas on the trees and water. and Voila! Snow details finish off this peaceful, beautiful winter scene.
October 29, 2011
art secret 11 - secret of painting or drawing pumpkins
There is a simple SECRET for doing a drawing or painting of a pumpkin!
Hint: Check out the way the pumpkin has lots of lumps and bumps.
First, sketch out the pumpkin being careful to include all of the vertical lines and make sure you sketch the part behind the stem as well.
If you are doing your pumpkin in color practice using yellow as your
under painting and build up
your layers with orange, alizarine crimson,sap green and burnt sienna to
create your lights and darks.
For your final painting be sure to create a caste shadow under your pumpkin with the complementary colors mixed with a dash of orange. Notice how the core shadow has a lot of orange showing. Enjoy!
September 24, 2011
art secret 10 - make a color menu part 2
Find the Transparent and opaque colors!
Art Secret Question: What one color is always very transparent in all media? Hint: It's not yellow. See below for the answer. You'll be stunned.
Another way to check out your color menu is to test the opacity and transparency of the colors that you are going to use. Here Laura is using permanent black India Ink to make tests strips. You can test the colors of any art media this way.
Let's talk about why it's important to know the qualities of the medium you're using. Right now Laura has let the India Ink dry on the watercolor paper overnight and will be using watercolor to test her colors. As artists we need to know if one color will overwhelm another color or even obliterate it.
Using the primary colors of red, yellow and blue as her base, Laura is taking 12 completely different colors with 12 different qualities. Check out the names of the colors and see how they look over the India Ink.
Using these same colors, Laura has let them blend together to see the effects she can expect while painting with them. Way to go, Laura!
You all should give this a try, it gives you a lot of information before you even start. And save your menus so you can continue to use them.
Art Secret Answer: Alizarine Crimson is always a very transparent pigment. Test it out and see.
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