This is the perfect time of year to plein air paint. its not too hot, humid, or buggy. the light is clear and colors are fantastic because the growth on the trees and grasses are new and really saturated. as the summer comes and goes the greens dull the longer theyre out in the brutal sun. ive wanted to paint an afternoon on Calico Creek at the golden hour since last year, so join me and lets get out there and paint!
Dont you love to see how other people go about starting their paintings?there's no right or wrong way to start one, and it seems there are as many ways to start as there are painters. i know ive got about half dozen ways to start a painting in my "tool bag". i was excited to get out on Calico Creek with my brand new Travelling Monet full size french easel i got at Jerrys Artarama. it has wheels on the bottom and an extendable handle (like your luggage has on it) for rolling along. the easel had dovetail corners, a nice wooden palette to mix my paints on, and i thought it was really well made. you've heard me brag on Lukas 1862 oil paint before, i know, but i love the stuff. its creamy coming out of the tube (its the bees wax they mix in) and dries in just a day or two. lots of pigment too, so they cover really well.
on this one i'm going to start it with a multi-colored toned background. it was actually a painting i did a while ago (that i really didnt care for) that i sanded down and applied a little thin magenta acrylic to (in some places)
Here ive laid in all the big shapes in the proper hue, value, and saturation. Notice how cut out the shapes look. you dont worry about edges at this point. if you do this (or start adding details) you'll fall in love with it and not change a shape(s) that isnt correct, for fear of losing the work you've already done.
see how ive added subtle changes to each shape, varying each one with tiny value, temperature, and saturation changes within each one, using what's in front of me (and also what i know will make the painting better).
you know i'm a big believer in the "paint,paint,paint" technique to improve your painting. all that painting goes into your memory banks and you can pull out a technique you know will make the water look good, or make the grass more believable. if you havent done the painting you dont have it up in the old noggin' to pull from.
hope you liked this post and that'll it excite you enough to go grab your stuff, and get out there and paint!
9 comments:
That's a sweet masterpiece Mike! Don't you just love being outside? I dropped some paintings off Saturday at the art gallery at the historic Chinqua Penn Plantation and painted a bunch of small studies on the property. It was so awesome getting back outside. Can't wait to see more posts of what you are working on.
justin
thanks! weather like we've been having makes plein air painting so great. when its too hot or too cold or too buggy, etc. its not so fun doing every painting i do outside. gotta take the good with the bad i guess. i wouldnt have it any other way.
Ha, Mike! Didn't go too far after you left the house did you?! I was wondering what you'd hit on the way home. One of my favorite spots. Looks goood! Maybe see you Wed.
Mike, I am really enjoying your 'instructional' format. And, I'm very impressed by your latest works. Thanks for reinforcing the drawing & planning part of painting. Oh, so many thank-yous to give!
I've been trying my hand at oils with S Morris. After years of watercolors & a few with acrylics, this oil stuff isn't easy! Sue is not only a wonderful painter, but a good teacher. I so love the feel and look of oils so I'm hanging in.... I look forward to getting outdoors with them soon.
Thanks, Mike. This is very informative. And it inspires me to get out and paint. Just wish Ohio were as warm as North Carolina!
jimmy- no rest for the weary LOL
barbara- glad you like the how-to format of my blog. changed it up from the "daily painter" format i had so long.
planning is crucial and instead of taking more time it saves time "fixing" things that could have been prevented with a little forethought! thanks. heard you guys cancelled your trip to City Art for the show. sorry i couldnt see you, but its great hearing from you on here!
klinger studios- the winds supposed to switch to the south so it'll blow up some warm weather so you can get out and paint!
Mike, I just love these in progress paintings. It really reinforces what I am doing. I finally got my blog going. I named yours as one that I follow. Judithfriscostudios.blogspot.com
judith- nice work! glad youre liking the step-by-step format. its fun to document the process
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