2nd session - Painting a still life

Ok, in the last session I established a washy tone on the canvas for a ground (as seen below). I sketched in the basic objects and their shadow shapes for placement and size. I got an idea of where my foreground, mid-ground and background are going to be. Now, in this session, I want to begin working with thicker paint. I want to start to make color decisions and establish values. I've put away my turpentine and I am now using linseed oil.

I've corrected my drawing a bit further, then applied a generalized color to each object with consideration to preserving any shadows or darks that I want to keep intact. The vase is gray and green, the small jar is red, the ashtray is blue, the nail is rusty brown... and so on. Just paint a brief generalization of what you are looking at. This generalized color being applied is often slightly more muted than the final brilliant brushstrokes that will come later. Meaning, they are slightly more drab, more dull, more gray, and a shade darker in value. It's not always the case, but generally speaking with oils, you want to work from dark to light. Compared with watercolors you want to work from light to dark.

I mostly just want to get something on the canvas now so that I have something to work with later... it's some kind of starting-point. The blue of the ashtray may not be the exact blue I want... but it's a good starting-point that I can now ask myself, "Does it need to be a cooler blue? A warmer blue? Or, do I need a more intense blue?"... and so on. As a result, this is the blue I have now. It's more important to look at this blue in terms of how best it relates to everything else (the other colors, the other values, the quality of light and the background). At this point, I have the flexibility to make these design decisions.

Another reason to just get a color on the canvas now, is so that you can begin to describe the planes of the object and deal with your drawing issues. You can also make adjustments to the value of the objects vs. the background. These are all just starting points that will be revised as you develop your image but you need now to have an idea of where you're going with these issues. The issues being: color and value. What is the color of your object going to be? What is the value of your object going to be? How do they relate to your background? How do they relate to one another?

Tips:
- It sometimes helps when drawing an object to paint around it, by painting "negative space".
- Think in terms of value: Is that something dark or light in value and how does it relate/compare to other objects, or to the rest of the painting, or to the background. It's more important to have "nailed" the value of something than it is to have nailed the exact color of something.
- Look for shifts in color temperature: Is something cool, warm or neutral?

Oct 20th Class Painting demonstration

Here's a recap of today's lesson:

Sketch-in basic shapes (placement):
- To start, I had a blank stark-white canvas. With paint and a brush I quickly sketched the basic shape of the vase and its supporting shapes of the ashtray and small glass jar. This was done only to get an idea of the size of the objects and their placement on the canvas. I didn't concern myself with the specific shape of each object.... I was concerned only with the size relationships (small, medium and large) and how these basic shapes (triangles, circles, squares or other) relate to one another AND where on the canvas they're to be placed. That's it. *Tip: when sketching, look for motion lines and directional flow to help loosen up and be more expressive.

Tone the canvas:
- I then applied washes of color (using 80% turpentine + 20% linseed oil) for the background and shapes.  This color was created based on warm and cool temperature shifts that I personally picked-up on when looking at the still life. I'm not too concerned with color accuracy at this point... just throw on some interesting color and value... and be expressive. By doing this, I'm toning the canvas and getting rid of the stark white.  This phase is like painting with watercolor... but with oils instead. *Note: you can tone your canvas beforehand (before you start sketching-in) and you may want to use only one color, such as a gray, green or a brown. This is just the way I did it... this time. 

Blocking-in general color:
After I've toned the canvas I put away my turpentine and using linseed oil or Liquin, I proceed to then block-in the shapes for my objects and their shadows with slightly thicker paint. At this point, you can reestablish more accurately your drawing, if desired.  However, make more of an attempt to think in terms of "painting shapes".  Meaning, not with contour lines but more with painting solid core shapes from the inside. Paint the plains of an object and start with it's core.  It doesn't have to be perfect, you can refine things as you develop the painting, if needed.  However, I think you'll discover, many things outside of your main focus will not need to be refined and will be left, as is, in their initial lively state.  *Tip: You can also help establish a shape by painting the background around the shape.

Now, this "blocking-in" phase is about applying a general color that's a close resemblance of the color you see. It doesn't need to be exact.  You can exact it later, if desired.  It only needs to be within the "general ballpark" of that color and value.  Try to paint the mid-tone of that object.  This is because, later on, your going to be painting into it with lighter paint (the lights) and better pinpointing the temperature of the light source and the value of that color.  I generally apply this ballpark color one or two shades darker than where I want to ultimately end up.  Later, the final brushstrokes will be the exact color, temperature and value that I want... but, for now, this is a good start.  I will be able to go darker or lighter where necessary to sculpt detail later.  Regardless, this "ballpark color" is important to establish.  For instance, later on when I paint my lights over this ballpark color, the brushstrokes will pick up this color below it... I can lighten or darken this color but it will continue to be influenced by the color I put over it.

*Tips:
- When I start laying in the paint with oils, I generally paint from dark to light and from thin to thick, e.g., I put down a darker color/thinner paint and sculpt it by applying a lighter color/thicker brushstroke.
- Fat over lean method: Fat over lean is used for a wet-on-wet application of paint, when thicker paint is applied over thinner paint. Or, paint that has less medium is applied over paint that has more medium--medium being: linseed oil, turpentine, Liquin or other.
- The light in this still life is cool. It is cool natural light coming in from the windows and cool fluorescent lights from above. So, this will greatly influence the color and how you mix.  So if the light source is cool, then the shadows will be warm.

Avocado in oil