How I start a painting in oil

My  Oil painting process

You know I really like working with oil. It's so easy to blend and soften edges and most important to me is the color I mix and put down on the canvas dries that color. Unlike acrylics which dry a value darker, and faster than oils. I still love working with acrylics, don't get me wrong. 

How I decide what to paint

First I decide on the subject. 

How do I feel about it. what is the mood? Why do I like this subject? Do I need to crop and decide to move objects to make a better painting? How much do I have to alter it and do I feel confident to make those changes? Before deciding even the color I work this out in a sketchbook.

This is the painting I wanted to do for along time. It's my grandchildren at the beach at sunset. They are very young and it's the first time to a beach. They lived in San Diego for a year and experienced so many new things. 

©️reference image for "Sunset Beach"

First question, What do I need to fix for a pleasing composition? I did some research on famous artist that I like. I found for me, they used the triangle most of the time in they're paintings. I think this would work wonderful for my idea. So I took the photo to the sketchbook. 

sketch work

I tried a couple of formats and ended up liking the square the best. If you look closely you can see how I divided the original photo up to maintain accuracy. 

I first, divide the photo from corner to corner in both directions after printing a small 2x3 or contact sheet size of the picture. This helps me to find center where I make a horizontal & vertical lines to place the shapes and they're relationships into my square format. I did end up removing the figure at the top of Kenna's head and moved the background figure to the right upper part of the painting to create the triangle composition in my final drawing. 

At this stage I also just focused on the black and white of the shapes. I wanted to see how my values would work in this format. Is it pleasing? How will I lead the eye through the painting? Where is my strongest focal point going to be? What is the most interesting? Does this format express the feeling I want to say?

Once I decided on these questions I had to decide on a color palette. I really loved the colors in the photo and I could express them even more in the painting. So I decided on a blue, orange and violet palette. 

My colors would be:

Titanium White- the work horse, cools and lightens value

Buff Titanium- a nice choice to lighten the color, gray it down slightly and change the value less than white

Cad Yellow medium- My warm yellow, blends and grays with it's compliment nicely

Yellow Orche- My warm golden yellow that has notes of brown. This makes a nice greenish color when mixed with blues, a nice warm blonde for hair color

Cad Orange - I could mix this orange but it is easier since I not only love this color, but will use it to create that sun glow through out the painting. Use sparingly on skin tones mixed with a red

Alizarine crimson- A nice darkish clear red, used to mix into a lavender for the under painting and shadows. This color is throughout the painting as a unifying color. Mixes well blues, orange and my yellow choice.

Quinacrodan Magenta- A clear rose red for skin tones and the darker hair colors. Makes clear shades with Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber

Cobalt Violet- For an easy violet mixture that is on the coolish side. Also, easy to mix and is a convenient color to save time on my palette.

Cobalt Blue- A clear blue, that mixes well with the reds and oranges for beautiful grays.

Cobalt Teal- Another favorite I keep on my palette. Easy to mix, but since I like it so much this color works itself into my paintings much of the time

Burnt Sienna- Is a warmer brown that makes great skin tones and grays when mixed in small amounts of lavender.

Burnt Umber- A great color to aide in making darks. Almost like a black

Cool Gray- I use this also for convince if I plan to use grays in a painting. This unifies across the painting in cool tones and helps other colors gray down without mudding the color. 

I used Gamosol for my to clean paint off brushes during the painting process. To help dry the oils faster I used a walnut alkyd medium. I dipped my brush in this to keep the paint fluid and not to sticky. I clean my brushes with Turpinoid Natural. I could of changed the Gamosol to Walnut oil or linseed oil, which keeps the brushes clean and the paint fluid. It also reduces the faint smell of the Gamosol and is a healthier choice. I have tried to keep my materials as healthy as I can for painting. I found these be the healthiest choices out there. 

Next: How to draw your subject and transfer it to the canvas. This technique is useful for all painting processes including pastels. 

Pastel tips lighting in the landscape

 Rendering light in pastel

Continuing my discussion on how to paint the light in landscapes. As we develop our interests it's important to learn how to paint our subject. What are the techniques to accomplish this? This is key to learning. I turn to the masters to see how they did it. I also look at todays artists that inspire me. 

Light in water

How do you add weight to objects? Use lighting as a tool to create solidity. Back lighting or side lighting creates a dramatic look to everyday landscapes. I have a set of photos I have taken of the Stanislaus river that are full of rocks, deep mysterious water areas and places of rapid water flow. This is all back in the area next to Knights Ferry Ca. 

This painting was one result of some of my photo's

 18x24 mixed media 

This is a tree that has grown out of the rock. It was really fun to paint. My son has this hanging in his home. I did this as an acrylic painting for color and followed that with pastel on hot pressed watercolor paper. There may be some ink in this too. It probably is the most abstract painting I've done yet. But I do want to explore this more. 

The values are close but you can feel where the light is coming from (right to left). By using this side lighting effect it created dramatic line movement in the root portion of the tree. Solidity was achieved with the dramatic side shadow on the left of the tree. You don't see much detail in the shade but you can feel the heaviness of the rock. 

Thanks for looking, more on this with the next post. Happy painting. 

Lux paper review and planning the painting

 Lux paper review

Lux paper is white. It can take water, ink, acrylic under paintings. It is a sanded paper that feels very much like a 600 grit Uart paper. It can take dry application of pastel medium and the abuses with rubbing in the underpainting. It did not buckle on me at all. However, I did not soak the paper and only wet it with acrylic inks as much as necessary.

initial ink wash

I used Dewent intense sticks for this under painting. As you can see I used darker colors then I intended to finish with. My drawing is there, but not detailed. I tried to think of the darks that I wanted to make the finial painting sing on top of the darks. 

planning stage

Here you can see I worked out a lightly detailed drawing with value placement. To the right of this thumbnail I have written notes about my ideas for this piece. You will see in the end I did not add the cloud, although that can be done in another painting of this scene. I wrote the main color plan and other things like water conditions, warm and cool areas for possible color choices.  All these notations will give me some direction. As I initially draw in the big shapes I use my reference photo for the plan. I set it down at this point when I'm done and use the value study mostly during the painting process. I have the reference near by to refer to, but do not look at it much except to check cool colors against warms and small shape study. I also blurred my eyes to see the simple shapes in this initial blocking in of color. 

I started with my darks, but do make a small area of my lightest light. All color value use will always be affected by the color next to it. This dictates what color to use next to the sky, the trees and house. Initially I wanted to have the shadows in the house purple, but it wasn't working. I had to change it to a blue to get the effect I wanted. 

Also, note the soft and hard edges. I tried to use those lines to help direct the eye to the focal point. The porch next to the telephone pole. I also allow other areas of interest to the viewer in the house. The windows have on some harder edges but not really detailed. The trees are darker but take you through the color changes and edge treatment for the viewer to linger on. There can be more than one focal point in a painting. The other ones are supporting the main place that I want the viewer to see. 

11x11 "Summer Ranch"
See pastel page for sale price

I think I could of lighten up the picture better before posting. I'm finding that is necessary to get an accurate photo of the painting and it color. I will add that to this post later. I also should mention that the foreground is inviting the viewer into the picture with low value flowers and color notes. They're purpose is to invite you in to wonder around the house. Enjoy

Textures in painting

Textures

Surfaces do make a difference to the end result of your painting. As you discover your preferences and style, you'll find that certain surfaces are easier to make those expressions than others. Light bounces to a certain degree with pastels applied to a heavier textured surface. The pastel sticks to the ridges and the colors in the valleys typically don't receive the pastel. This causes a unique blending of colors and luminosity that pastels are known for. This affect can also be accomplished with dry brushing on an oil or acrylic textured surface. 

Ariel Perspective 

Ariel Perspective in distant landscapes are usually hazy, muted or weak colors with soft edges. Blue or purple are largely dominant. In the cascades this is very apparent. The distant mountains take on a lighter blue-green color and the feeling is misty with soft edges. Many artist explain this atmospheric phenomenon as Ariel perspective. Depending where you live, your atmosphere can be heavy with moisture or dry like the desert. 

Using a light surface which may have a moderate amount of texture can help with the feeling of Ariel perspective. Some rubbing in of color and creating soft edges with a small amount of scumbling on those edges can cause the light of the colors to shimmer and recede further back in the painting. There is no formula for this, but experience will help to portray your vision. 

Mark Making

The suggestion of movement is made by the marks or strokes you place on your canvas or paper. This mark making is your unique style. As you learn more about the business of painting your marks become a reflection of expression of your feelings on the subject at hand. Copying other artists has always been how one learns to make art. You tend to gravitate to artist works that you love. As you are learning how to make the effects of light on the subject you develop your own style. This is based on how you learn. Every one of us learns at different speeds and how we interpret what we see. We also learn in different styles. Most of us learn by watching, reading and doing. During this learning process we eventually start making marks that are distinctive to us. Ask yourself as you are learning; How did that artist do that? Copying the artists is how we figure these things out. Guidelines are what the masters are teaching us. Take the lesson and experiment on your own subjects daily. Little by little you will take something new away from the study to apply to your work. 

Lines that are thin suggest softness, while thicker lines in a drawing suggest movement and energy. Your brushstrokes will suggest the same thing. Just like thin and thick paint direct the eye through the painting you will learn to do the same. Your visions are unique to you. We all see things different. We can call it an orange but to each of us it is slightly different. Some will see this in light with blues on the surface and some with yellows and even some will see it with the textures as dominant. 

If you have a subject you want to explore, paint it multiple ways. Use different color schemes, different textures, different strokes of painting. Emphasize different parts of the painting, ask yourself where are my main lines of this design leading the eye? Are my values reading right? Am I excited about this subject? There will be times when a failed painting is revisited and letting loose to paint with your arm and not draw the subject help you with expression.  Don't be afraid to ask yourself "What if?

Del Puerto Canyon #1 Private Collection

This painting was exactly that. I had tried several time to get this painting to work. I was so frustrated that I reverted to pointillism. I don't know why, I just wanted to fix it. This painting won a second place at the Gallo Spring Show in my home town. As I worked on this piece it became more interesting to place the marks. Perseverance is key to success, keep trying.

Drawing the Light

 Keep light lines to define the light areas and heavier lines for the darker shadows. This helps the overall effect of the drawing. Simplify your shapes and the light vs dark patterns in you subject. Use hot pressed paper or Bristol board for best results with charcoal. A kneaded eraser is desirable to create soft areas and lost edges. It also is gentle to the paper. They make a white charcoal stick or pencil to help with highlighted areas on a toned surface. 

Portraits are often drawn in charcoal by the artist first, in preparation for the painting. This is called a grisaille, a drawing rendered in gray or neutral tones. Texture is achieved with mark making, scumbling, lost edges, line direction, curves and straight lines for energy. 

Surfaces

Today's artists have many surfaces to choose from. Although, some can be expensive don't save your best work for those papers. You should treat yourself to good paper, it frees up your expression to have a paper that can except multiple layers for drawing. 

 Canson Mi-Teintes paper to practice on, and this paper comes in multiple toned surfaces. Both sides can be used, there is the back side that is considered softer and the front side has more of a mechanical stamped pattern on it. This is great paper to practice your values, composition and color notes for a painting in an affordable manner. It is acid free so it can be used for finished work also. It's disadvantage is its inability to hold multiple layers of pastel. 

U-art, Pastel Premier, Pastel Mat, Lux and Art spectrum have more grit to them and are able to hold multiple thin layers of pastel which creates a luminous effect on your painting. These papers also have the ability to take an underpainting. This is any water based media, alcohol washes as long as the application is not thick (thick applications of paint clog up the rough surfaces). 

MDR & Watercolor paper & Archival mat board can be used if it is first primed with Gesso. The gesso helps to put a barrier between the wood and the paint helping it to last for years. Water color paper & Mat board should be coated as well, but a clear gesso applied to the paper produces a sanded like surface. Applications of this type would best be done with thin layers and finer brush strokes. To much texture will eat your pastels up, unless there is a specific affect you are wanting. Gesso ridges can also be sanded down some between applications to your desired finish product. This is especially important when using MDR board. This type of approach can help the artist save on expenses. 

There are still many types of paper that I have not mentioned. It's always worth mentioning to try out different papers and colors. Exploration is key to making better paintings. Always ask yourself "What if?" Never hold yourself back or feel like you need to ask permission. 

Tones

Your surface can be any color you want it to be. The color you choose may affect the mood and light of your work. It helps you to achieve contrast immediately, mostly used as a mid-tone value in a painting, allowing the artist to see the lights and dark patterns early. You will also create a consistent color harmony through out the piece if you allow the tone to show in places. The darker the paper, the more contrast in the light areas will be produced. On black paper all colors you put down appear lighter. This has a definite influence in the mood or light of the piece. Work with opaque and transparent applications in the media of your choice. Try out different warm or cooler colors on top of the underpainting to evaluate how the light and shadows effect the work. 

I have found for me, to identify the dark notes first and follow with at least a note on the lights. I define these areas first so I am careful not to overshoot these values as I paint. This helps me to stay true to my plan. I don't necessarily have to finish these areas, just stating where on the value scale I want to key the painting. Sometimes, I have a goal or look I want to experiment with, sometimes it's about the color relationships. What ever I think I want to do, I want to give myself a head start to get it right. 

Below, is a partial example using darker paper color allowed me to keep my lightest values in the midrange section of my pastel tray. The lightest values are not white but filled with color. The full painting of this little cowboy is framed without mats and is much brighter than this picture. He was practicing with his brothers and friends (dad was in the bleachers) at the Hollister rodeo grounds. One of my first portraits,  it currently sits on top of my mantle in the living room. 

Full sheet Canson dark blue

Expressing light tips

 Tips on painting light

8x12 pastel "Tuolumne Barn"

spring reference for sky painting

Painting light with different media requires the artist to know the limitations of each media. Prepping surfaces ahead of time with middle values is very helpful, especially if you paint plein air. All prep work can be done opaque or transparent. This tone will be helpful with keying a painting and keeping it harmonious through out the piece. The white d of the canvas or paper helps to keep paintings in high key. Review the lights of Sargent and sorolla's paintings. How did they handle the light? Was the painting in high key? How dark are the darkest areas of the painting? What is the balance of the painting as a whole? Was it a 70-20-10, or some other combination of lights, mid or dark values?

Toned surfaces determine the degree of luminosity. A dark surface will absorb more light while a light surface reflects it. 

A trick I have found to make the light shimmer in any media. Paint the surrounding darker colors, then add the first color in a lighter tone but not white. You can glaze this lighter tone on the surface. Keep the edges soft. Then add a mark of a very light tone of your light. This can even be a spot of white in the middle of your color mark. Be careful not to add to much spotty whites, these can be strokes too. Stand back and you will see the light shimmer.

Be aware there are groups of people in all media that are purists. This can mean they paint with transparent paints only. The lights of your painting are acquired by technique and not mixing other media in your painting. Just beware if you do paint in mixed media and want to show your work you will have to meet certain criteria for acceptance into some shows. There is no wrong way to paint. Feel free to express yourself.

Pastels

Remember that you can use different paint strokes to increase effects. Start with light and dark areas in the composition. The middle toned paper should compliment your palette. Early in the painting process I would choose a color gamut James Gurney Color gamut to help with those types of decisions. Although, it is not an absolute rule to follow. Your strokes can be feathering (lay the light and then the shadow side of an object and feather in the transition of the light to shadow). This technique can also help with making an object recede. Broken color was very popular among the impressionist. You can express the light by placing a cooler color over a warmer color to gray it down with its compliment. Albert Handle refers to a bloom; application of a light color over a dark background color. Vary the pressure on the pastel stick and you can create different tones and blends that will be luminous. Always stay as light with pressure as you can, for as long as you can - Marla Baggetta 

Oils & Acrylics

Start your painting with thin washes of color at the beginning of the painting on a white canvas. The light will go through the thin wash and bounce back and reflect some of the canvas. You can follow this technique with opaque colors with similar values of the washes. This is a little like a watercolor approach to painting. Also, thin washes dry quicker in oil painting, so it may be possible to glaze easier. 

Opaque whites will contrast well with transparent darks. This can be built with a brush or palette knife. Along with direct painting techniques like scumbling (remember to use semi opaques over a darker value color to achieve this), scraping and glazing works well to show the colors underneath each other and the luminosity will show through. 

In oils you can use the thick and thin application of paint to bring out the lightest lights. 

Watermedia

Watercolors are painted with awareness of where the light is on the subject. It is important to save those areas for the lighter color nuances that will sing with light as you progress in the painting process in the shadows. This is key to understanding this media. Acrylics can also be thinned down enough to respond to the light the same way watercolor paints do. 

Acrylics can be painted thinly as watercolor but do have the advantage to take applications of this paint. With all water media it is highly suggested that you have a plan on your approach to the subject matter. It is easy to become lost or loose your whites and luminosity. Planning with color, drawing and composition is the foremost way to maintain success. Some artists are known to recapture the white of the paper with an application of opaque white gouache. 

Light concepts to follow

 Concepts in light to remember

Mirrored lighting

Reflections in water are constantly changes. Try to keep the reflection itself to a minimum. Use softer edges and lighter shadow colors. Keep edge details soft. Colors will be muted in the reflection. Richer color can be found on the object that is casting the reflection. Movement in water can vary the reflection from crisp to identifying only a vague resemblance of the subject. 

5x7 study of light

Shadows

In strong sunlight, the shadow will have clear dark edges that follow the form its cast upon as it is closer to the object. Colors will be richer within the value of this shadow. As the shadow recedes into the distance it will soften its edges and value lighter. 

Lost edges in shadow help to anchor figures in a painting.  Remember to keep the shadows simple masses.  Establish strong shadow patterns first. Squint the eye to loose the detail and see these shadows easily. In dense shadow landscapes keep the light patterns simple, with soft edges and even abstract. This helps to create depth in the scene. 

Compare the light and dark of a shadow and where is the lightest light.  Do this again for the richest color and the lightest color. This will help to pull the painting together. Color is relative to itself. This concept is important to understand. If you start with your darkest dark & lightest light all the colors that come after are decisions made that directly relate to the original colors you chose. 

Terms to keep in mind

Front lighting; the direction of the sun is behind you the artist and illuminating directly onto the subject. You should not see any or at least very little shadow. Light is duller as it steps back from the subject. Rich color is apparent in the foreground or on the subject itself. 

Side lighting; The sun is to the right or left of the artist. Long shadows appear in this side lighting condition. This is a favorite lighting condition for paintings. This is where it is important to compare the darkest dark to the lightest light and make color notes. These first marks key your painting for you in this light. Edges will be crisp on subjects that have hard edges like urban scenes or man made structures. Rocks could also fall to hard edges in this lighting condition. 

Back lighting; The sun is behind the subject. but in front of the artist.  It causes a rim lighting affect on the subject. This forms a silhouette of the the subject. Local color will be muted, but the rim color effect will  show some rich local color like a halo. This is a great way to study shapes. 

Overhead lighting; The light source here is above the artist. Look for light on the top planes of your subject. Squint your eyes to see the top planes clearly. Are the upright planes dark? Edges soft? This light can be dramatic to the urban scene. Is the light influenced by other planes reflecting color? Observe this lighting condition closely, there can be many nuances.