Color Study 11/16/10

This is studying a cobalt vase. I like my shadows which were the focus. Not too sure about the vase.

Value Study and Measuring Sheeba - My Cat

Here is a value study of Sheeba. One of the world's most spoiled cat. After all, they are in charge. I will work more on it later to fix the front leg, add shading and detail.

Perspective Study from Last Week's Class

Here is a perspective study where you draw your eye level horizon line and find the vanishing point of the building. You can see all the windows, walls and panel converge to that vanishing point.
I was then chasing the shadows as I began to shade them. Took me about 2 hours.
Good study. Note: My son actually liked this drawing. First time ever!

Class Color Study 11/15/2010

Can you guess what this is? It needs more band to figure it out.
I learned while creating the composition to start at the interesting shadows and crop up rather than starting at the top or side of this setup.
I also learned that since I am working with glass, to remember to use warm colors in the shadows. I forgot that. Oops.

Color Study 11/15/2010

This is my incomplete morning color study. I need to add highlights and a few color changes.
As you can see, I did the bowl and lemon but on a warmer cloth. I wanted to see the effect of a pink pastel on the bowl and lemon than then the cool green form yesterday.
I also added the foot to the bowl. I didn't paint it in yesterday.

A Few Changes

I walked away from the morning study and returned later to gray it down more. I still think the colors are too sweet once I changed the lemon. The whole painting colors are now effected. Good lesson.

Color Study 11/14/10

Here is my morning color study. It is gorgeous here today. I put out a simple white bowl and a lemon. I had the stage 3 pretty good and goofed this up on stage 4. My husband came home and wanted to practice guitar. So I rushed through it.
Learning how to put the last bands of light and color in are my main focus currently. I am having problem thinking it through only because of distractions.
I will get there.

For the Shell of It

Here is my completed, class, color study. I was happy with my progress of showing values and improving my compositions.
I also like that I can see the color and light with each painting more and more.

Color Study 11/10/10

I think there is a thing as too much purple. I found this great purple bowl at a local thrift store and couldn't wait to paint it. I needed to put down more blue in the shadow but decided to call it a day.
The bowl is crooked. I need to learn how to fix that better. There is too much purple. A nice green block would have been a better choice than the white block.
Oh - well, good lesson.

Fixed Color Study from Yesterday

Here is the finished study from yesterday after corrections.I fixed my painting by correcting the bowl and block. The orange was also dulled down more.

Block and Color Study 11/09/10

It was too cold to walk this morning so I set up a color study. After working on this for a few hours, I then took my walk.
This bowl is difficult for me to paint because it is transparent and I get on the shape and color. I am pleased with the block and the orange. Not happy with the bowl values. I need to draw it a few more times. It has a flat lip it and the shadow side cast a warm light because it is a white transparent bowl.

Color study 11/08/10 Stage 3

Here is my color study at stage three. I have completed the stages for the lemon and now I am working on the vase and the shell. I have not finished the bands for the vase that are horizontal. I will need to continue the bands on the shell.
Afterward, I will need to compare my entire painting.
I am pleased with the values in the vase and the lemon. The shell is coming along but take longer. I am treating it like a white vase.

Streetscape color study

I had a difficult time making the street light enough. I was pleased with the trees.

Drawing Landscapes and Still Life Abstractly

Here are some drawings of abstract landscapes and still life. I am trying to crop them into a good composition. Interesting shapes in the landscapes. I enjoyed cropping them.

Landscape Study 11/05/10

I did a few perspective drawings this morning, worked with landscape values and did this landscape study by this afternoon.
Last night, I did an abstract study of my cat. I love to paint cats and this was part of an exercise in the book, Finding Your Visual Voice.

Color Study 11/04/2010

Here is my color study from class today. I love this stage, stage 2. Can you guess what I am painting?

Value Studies

Here are four different value studies from today's drawing class where the light was moved 90 degrees every 30 minutes. I had a choice of pencil, pen, charcoal and ink. I chose pen and pencil.
I had to remember to measure and compare darks with other darks and lights with other lights.

Finding your Visual Voice

I have taken many, many art classes through the years of artist who I admired. I watched how they put their signature painting methods together and would practice it. I did this not to reproduce their work but to improve my own painting techniques.
I have studied for years with a wonderful, award winning, working artist, Audi Stanton, where I learned how to draw, work with watercolors, pastels, acrylics, and collage. (I am sure I am forgetting something).
I have taken college courses in drawing and pottery.
I have been fortunate to take workshops with Charles Reid, Jan Kuntz and Susan Sarback.
I am now taking classes with an Industrial Designer, Bill Monaghan, at the School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, CA. My goal is to learn technical drawing such as perspective. Have you ever looked at a painting and something doesn't look correct? I call it the "giant cow" problem. The artist paints a beautiful paintings with a cow , barn and fence and it just doesn't look right. A trained eye looks at it and laughs. The perspective is off so much that if the painting was correct, the cow would be a 100 feet tall. This class is teaching me how to use two point perspective. I am also reminded to measure and compare constantly. I am excited about this because it is very left brained.
Now back to find your visual voice. I am reading a recommended book that helps you develop your artistic style. Why would you want to paint like someone else?
I identify with the author because she was good in science and math and took the logical road. Nursing. I have a degree in math and took the logical step into computers. She talks about reading where ignoring your passion is like dying a slow death. I agree.
Finding your Visual Voice - A Painter's Guide to Developing Artistic Style is a great book. After each chapter, you are given assignments to help you find your style.

Oops - forgot to post my finished study from 10/28/10

Oops. I don't know how I forgot to post my study on 10/28/10 but here it is. Oh, I remember now. I made homemade pizza when I got home from class, super cleaned the condo, took care of the cat and husband, cleaned off the patio, scrubbed the bathtub, packed the car and watched Big Bang and Grey's Anatomy. That pretty much took are of my evening.
Here is the finished study of sunflowers and copper pot.
Improving design is my next goal. I was terrified of where I placed my leaves in the finished study.
I was afraid I would make a mistake. Well, if you don't make mistakes, how can you learn.
I am too old in life to worry about such a thing. I need to invite this process into the paintings and learn from them. How else can I improve design?
The important thing about adding the leaves, stem and the bud is that it should not distract you from the focal paint. The large sunflower sitting on the table top.
The leaves and stems contained some color form the flowers.
Just like when you paint a landscape, the trees, foliage, ground, surrounding areas and water, contain sky colors. You should add them into the landscape colors.

Two New Books - Big Art Small Canvas and Collage Discovery Workshop

I have two new books that I am enjoying. You can buy them at Half.com or any other online book selling site. I prefer half.com.
The first, Big Art small canvas by Joyce Washor, is full of information on perspective, color, value, bright and dull, setting up still life, equipment and just an all around great book on painting. I love the demonstrations and all of that in one reasonably priced book. It even suggests a small studio setup and supplies on a budget.
The other book, Collage Discovery Workshop, shows so many background techniques that I didn't wait to buy it on-line. I had to have it now and bought it was Michael's but you can find it cheaper at half.com. I bought it because I walk every day and look for found objects to put in a collage. I found a skateboard wheel the other day and was so excited.

Block Study 10/27/10

After I prepared this study for my post, I realized I don't share after I fix my drawing and adjust some color. These initials studies are posted after I complete them without any adjustments. I let them sit for a while and then I will check the drawing and make changes. I need time away from the study to see where I need to made any adjustments.
Okay - so here is today's study. I was fighting the clouds coming in and completed this in an early morning sitting and an afternoon sitting. Yes, the blocks are sitting models.

Block Study 10/26/10

This was a good block study. The white block and the tabletop in full sun stumped me for a while. I needed to really see what was lighter. The block or the tabletop. The tabletop was lighter but I still needed to paint the block so that it was white.
I enjoyed the study.

Stage 3 Color Study

Here is my stage 3 color study of a copper pot with sunflowers.
I just started working on the flowers and in stage 4 add the highlights, the leaves and stems.

Weekend on a Lake

I spent the weekend on Rollins Lake at the Lakeside Inn. Great little inn that had cabins available with a patio on the side, cable tv and internet access. We were happy it was available because it was raining. Enjoyed a slippery walk to the shoreline and eating berries on the way. Not the ones close to the ground. You know... the ones within peeing distance of local animals.
I forgot my paints but realized, I didn't really want to stand outside in the rain. We enjoyed the electric fireplace and the cozy chair. Curled up and watched documentaries we don't get to see since we canceled cable. Ate cheese sandwiches and listened to the rain. It was nice.
I came home and finished my drawing homework. I am still working on value studies. It is important to notice that the shell is not as dark as the tabletop behind it. The background is the darkest; therefore, the rose is not as dark as I made it. Good lesson.

Raining on my Block Study is a good thing

I put my block study out this afternoon and made sure I had a good drawing. Then I finished laundry and put things away. An hour later, I returned to my block study and realized it was raining. I knew it was overcast but didn't expect the rain.
I started my block study as if it were a sunny day and couldn't get it as cool as it needed to be.
My tablecloth should have been very cool instead of a dull yellow. The red block should have started as a cool magenta on the light plane. The pink block's light plane might have been a cool purple. Instead, it was all warm in the light planes and this is incorrect for an overcast day, let alone a rainy day.
There were no shadows that I could see.
Good study because I learned to trust what I know. Cool colors on the light planes when overcast or rainy.

Learning color is difficult... add a flower and watch my head spin

Here is a color study that made my head spin. The bottles were easier to paint but the flower... OH MY GOODNESS. The focal point should never be that close to the edge as I have painted it. To my defense, though, that flower kept growing!

Value Drawings

I spent the day drawing dark values. This was a recommended exercise. I need to practice seeing and drawing values to help me with my painting. Light and dark, dull and bright, warm and cool are all part of a seeing color.
I found I had a difficult time keeping my values dark and light. Therefore, I started drawing more with charcoal.
I, also, more pink to my color study from yesterday and adjust the painting.

Block Study 10/19/2010 - studying is hard and so is learning color

Today's block study was done quickly. The sun is now best on my porch about 1:30. I exaggerated the color that was reflecting on the blue block. The darkest was the background of the porch. The lightest was the tabletop. The dullest was the darkest shadow side part of the yellow orange block. The lightest part of the blue block was warm. The yellow orange top in sunlight was very warm.
The shadows cast by the block were dull and cool.
I learned this weekend when you have a bright area, you want to lay the color on top of it. If it is very dull, you want to mix at least color and mix it.
Remember to go between warm and cool in the an overcast or foggy landscape.

Completed studies from this weekend

I went to class yesterday and bought another one of Susan Sarback's paintings. It shows an overcast day and is a good example of the colors, values and dullness I should use on the Oregon coast.
Here are a few of the studies I completed today from the weekend plein air class I took.

It's Rainy on My Study

It rained today while we painted at the park. It was a great way to learn about painting cool landscapes. Everything starts cool. Nothing is a warm color in the first stage. Then you go between warm and cool colors about four times to dull the color down significantly. The sky is still the lightest then the water. The values are still relatively the same just everything is cool. Lots of purple, greens and blues with white.
Good lesson. I just need to figure out how to break up the bands.