Plein Air study 10/16//2010

This weekend, I am spending my time learning more about the impressionist style of plein air. Here is my incomplete study. I still need to break up the lines in the distance. I learned to put the sky colors into the water, ground and vegetation. Also, so keep it all dull.
Oh - and it is hard.
If the water appears blue, begin a pink color. If the water is green, begin with a yellow color. The sky, on a sunny day, you will put down a light yellow and later put blue over it. Light blue. Then, at the third stage put a touch of pink with a lot of white. Then add a darker blue at the top of the sky.

When it comes to reflections, darker objects reflect lighter. Lighter object reflect darker. Interesting. So much to remember. Only 10 percent with be retained.

Blue.. Blue.. Blue Block Study 10/15/2010

Here is my blue block study. I realized that I am so much into my right side of my brain that I do not apply what I previously learned. I forget how to paint a bowl or anything else.
A bowl is just half a sphere. Instead, I start making things up. Good study because I realized I need to keep that left side talking.

Color Study 10/13/2010

Here is today's block study. I included a white bowl. I found I was not using my previous experience to paint the bowl. I had to scrape off the paint and do it, again. I also had a difficult time pushing the red to a dull.
REEE-LAX. Important.
I will look at this painting in a few hours and correct it.

Drawing today

I spent the morning take care of appointments and errands. So, I made sure I did drawings today. I then checked yesterday's color block study to see how light the blue surface should be compared to the cloth.
I will get up early and get my new block study setup.

Block Study 10/11/10

I am afraid I didn't take a good picture of this. The block is a lime green. I was happy with the results of the study.
The most important thing I learned today was to put down newspaper before painting.Why? My painting fell off the easel onto the carpet. I picked up the painting and ignored the huge oil stain until the painting was done. Then I went to the internet to figure out what to do. Finally, I dabbed the growing spot with a paper towel and I decided to use the carpet cleaner and a magic block. That worked great. Than I ran the carpet cleaner across it to soak up the excess carpet cleaner.
I then called my husband and thanked him for not having a temper. He was about to go to meeting so I couldn't elaborate. Whew! What a day.

Overworked Block Study 10/10/10

Okay, so I decided to keep working on this study because yesterday it was too hot. Well, it was hotter today. I waited patiently for the shadows to be correct and just couldn't stand the heat. DONE and still unfinished.

A Studio Tour

Today, while I am waiting for the sun to hit my color blocks just right, I decided to give a studio tour of where I paint. You can see my easel, my block study setup and my studies drying in the sun.
And that concludes the end of my tour. Thank you!

Unfinished Block Color Study 10/09/10

It was very warm today and I just couldn't stand the heat. This is my unfinished block color study. The sweat was dripping down my arm as I painted. Hot, hot, hot.
So, I will get up in the morning and fix my lines and wait for noon to complete this study.
In the future, I will set up two different block studies and have work on them over a course of two days.

Block Study 10/08/2010

Here is today's block study.I did a very nice initial drawing and didn't follow through with my angles on this drawing. Then the yellow shadow became an obsession. I don't like the color but that is what I saw.
The darkest color was the background. The lightest was the table cloth. The dullest was that yellow shadow. The brightest was yellow block in light. The warmest was the yellow block compared to everything. The red was a cool red. The white was warm and the shadow was a warm blue. The next darkest was that yellow shadow. The next darkest was the red shadow. The table cloth shadow was darker than the white shadow sides.
Warm, cool, dark, light, bright and dull. All are being compare while I painted. Then I was interrupted for an hour and the shadow changed, as did the color.

Color Class Study - it's dull

This is the beginning of a stage 3 painting from Susan Sarback's class. The whole setup has dull objects and very interesting to paint. I painted the table cloth and it needed to be dulled down at stage 3 because the focal point will be the flower. Interesting.

Here is yesterday's blocks study - 10/05/10

I found a software I can use to post my pictures. My husband suggested it and I was too frustrated to look at it yesterday. I am calmer today. REEEEEE-LAAAAAAX.
Here is yesterday's block study. I learned to like it today.

Block Study 10/06/10

I worked on a yellow, green and orange block study today. I worked a long time getting the dulls right. It was difficult to get the yellow dull and then the orange shadow dull. I haven't had that problem before but I wasn't pushing it as dull as I did in this study.
It was full sun with a few clouds passing over. I didn't have to wait long. Lastly, I had to correct my drawing a few times.
Before painting this study, I identified my darkest dark and my light. I saw my brightest was the orange and the lightest was my table top. My dullest was my yellow and my orange shadow. The orange shadow was duller and darker than the yellow shadow. The darkest was the side shadow of the green block.

New laptops and Trial Versions

I am a ubuntu user but recently, I broke down and bought a new laptop. I haven't figured out yet how to install my ubuntu on it. I like ubuntu's software and it's free. I have made several attempts to have a dual boot. In the meantime, my trial version of a Microsoft product that I assumed came with my laptop has expired. Oh, well. I have my MS software that I can load where I own the license. In the meantime, I won't post pictures...
but I did work on a daily block study. This time before jumping into the painting, I identified the darkest, the dullest and the lightest. Then I looked for the brightest, the warmest and coolest. I continued the comparison throughout the painting. It was a good study.
I am pleased with the analytical process.

Color - Holy Moly

I went to class and continued with a new color study. Brighter, duller, warmer, cooler, darker or lighter. This is what is being put in my head as I paint. I decided you have to be very organized and treat it like puzzle pieces. How do each of the colors compare? Are they lighter or darker? Are they duller or brighter? Are they warmer or duller? This is what we are trained to do in the class and it may seem simple but it isn't...

Block Study - 10/03/2010

This block study was difficult because it was cloudy and sunny throughout the 3.5 hours I painted it. I had to wait for the sun to come back, the shadows and color changed, so I tried to rush it.
The white is over worked but the rest seems to hold it together.
I left the setup on my patio so I could make corrections tomorrow.

Block Study - 10/02/2010

Here is my block study for today. I setup two green blocks, a red block and a yellow orange block. I had difficulty painting the two greens. One was a hunter green and the other a lime green. They became too similar in the study. The yellow orange block, I believe, is not dull enough. I was too involved with the green to stop and see where my dulls were. I need to remember to look at my dulls and brights.
I did compare the colors in the study but not consistently.
Warms and cools, brights and dulls, bright and dark. I need to remember to compare of them and how they related to each other.
I did realize, quickly, that my background color and the yellow orange block were too similar. That was good.

Block Study

Here is my block study of a white block, green block and blue block. I put an orange on top.
This was done quickly in the morning sun. I put pure yellow on the warm side of the white block then added a pink and white mixture to it.
I think this is good study.

Block study 09/24/2010

Here is my daily block study. I am afraid it is overworked. It was hot outside and I was getting a bit warm so I hurried through the drawing and the painting. Not a good example of a full sun painting but of a artist in need of air conditioning and ice water.
I didn't even take time to do an initial drawing. Bad habits are hard to break so I will remember to slow down next time and wear shorts.

Finished study

I finished my copper pot, bottle and orange study. It looked like a piece I would do in the 8th grade. I just couldn't get communication between my left brain and right brain. I was stuck, dumb founded, confused and fearful to continue. I had no idea what to do next. I have painted copper using the Helen Van Wyk method but could not transfer the information to a copper study.
So, today I am back to block studies and I will start doing cylinder studies, also. Color is hard.
Oh, and I saw my buddy, Rob Decker. He is doing great and loving the class, too. Love his new pastel set of colors. Very cool.. and warm.
We agreed traffic here is like a scary fair ride. We parted ways as he head South and I head North. I will see him in two weeks as we both continue studying color.

Block Studies in Full Sun Light

These block studies are more fun than I thought they would be. I can definitely see the benefit of painting them. My goal is to paint one or more a day. It is my understanding that Hensche had his students paint the block studies over and over for 30 days.

Artist Block

I have taught classes in computers and math for many years and all these classes start with learning the basics and the steps to understanding these subjects. I always had students in Algebra not wanting to show the steps to their work. They did not want to learn the steps. They wanted to leap ahead. When they didn't learn the steps, they could only successfully go so far in Algebra before they ran into problems.
I have done the same thing when trying to learn color and paint with oils. I have been told time and time, again, that block studies are important.
Because I was not progressing like I wanted, I went to my local hardware store, went through their scrap wood piles. They gave me the scraps for free! I love free. They even cut a few pieces for me. Very nice.
Then I went to my local craft store and bought acrylic paints, primary and secondary colors.
I told my instructor and she said to be sure to gesso the pieces first and then add the acrylic.
Here are some of the completed blocks for my studies. I have red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, green and white. I need to make an yellow-orange, viridian, cerulian and a pink.
Off to hardware and craft store I go, again.
The blocks are also great for perspective.
I know it takes years to learn color but I am willing to accept the challenge!

Don't call me Sweet

I am working on color to get rid of the sweet in my paintings. Here is the stage 3 and beginning of stage 4 in this study. I am finding it easier to see and paint color but after an hour, I can't concentrate on the color any more and need a break.

3 days later...

I am still drawing daily with block studies. Over and over and over, again. I know how I learn and I learn by repetition. So, I went to my local hardware store and asked them for wood scraps. I have several wood blocks and books. I draw for several hours the wood blocks and books to ensure my understanding of perspective drawing. I still struggle with it but it does seem to become easier as I keep practicing.
I would love to some day sit and paint a cityscape. This wasn't my original goal but now I see the beauty in urban and cityscapes and I want to be a part of it.

A harder study than bottles? Oh, no...

Here is the start of my stage 3 study of a copper pitcher, an opaque bottle and an orange. I have completed the orange and I need to start working on the shadows and the background. Then, I will start on the copper pitcher. Last... is the bottle. It is going to a great learning experience. I will bring a aspirin.

Vanishing points

Learning how to draw man-made objects isn't my favorite. Probably because I don't like to do them and I don't like to do them because it takes time. I like to get the drawing done and start painting. So, I am taking a class to learn technical drawing. It isn't easy for me but I am getting it. It is math being taught my an artist. I can do this.

The finale of the study of glass

So hard. So much too remember and so much already forgotten. Here is the finished study of glass. I am now working on copper, a white, ceramic bottle and an orange.

Another onion study

I noticed in this study that the yellow on the lower right it too bright. I need to dull it down a bit and mix some of the shadow color better as it recedes from the onion.

Drawing and painting

I am taking a drawing class, again, to revisit values and technical techniques. I am taking it with a wonderful instructor who worked in the industrial arts industry for years. It is an excellent review of things I knew and forgot.
I am continuing with my oil painting classes,too. My bottle study is almost done. I learned why my paintings sometime go back to a "sweet" look. I am have a tendency in the 4th stage to use the same two colors. It is important to add several colors to keep them dull rather than go back to bright. This dull is so important in painting.

Onion Study - no tears

Here is my daily study. It is of an onion. I like it.

Red Apple Study

This is a red apple study in full sun light. Notice, there isn't much pure red in this study.