I'm approaching this one very differently. I've been wanting to paint with a pallet knife, so that's the first change. I also wanted to paint directly onto the canvas, without drawing first, so that's the second change. The big change is that I will be painting very thick layers of paint, from the background forward... … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – The Big Still-Life (a.k.a. 5th Still-life Project) – A New Approach
Fabrics – Colour Mapping Challenge – Part 2 – Some Resists & Removals
What you'll see here are 3 pieces of cotton and one of raw silk... all soaked in an alum mordant. The cotton is soaked in a cool turmeric dye bath. The raw silk was soaked in an acidic food colouring bath. (Made from watering down a direct application colour paste: alum, guar gum, vinegar, & … Continue reading Fabrics – Colour Mapping Challenge – Part 2 – Some Resists & Removals
Fabrics – Colour Mapping Challenge – Part 1 – Ready to Catalogue my Results
The main fabrics are cotton canvas and wool yarn. I've had some old canvas lying around for years... often used as a drop sheet for house painting. I had to scour (wash) it very well to remove as much sizing as possible (and other crap from it). My dyes are made from : Turmeric, Goldenrod, … Continue reading Fabrics – Colour Mapping Challenge – Part 1 – Ready to Catalogue my Results
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – I Have Chosen This Composition
Part of the delay in picking a final composition was that I hadn't reflected upon what I wanted to achieve or say with it. I'm still not sure what I want to say, but I know more about what I want to achieve and see in it. I desire it to have a Wabi-Sabi aesthetic... … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – I Have Chosen This Composition
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – ReConsidering My Composition
Every new painting finds me daydreaming about the next. I am very much enjoying this process and I think my subconscious mind is finding ways to continue painting... You see, I get a little sad when I finish a painting and don't like to start thinking of something else to do. I'm riding this train … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – ReConsidering My Composition
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Finishing Touches… for now…
I softened the shadows a little and bolded the highlights... this was a process done more by muscle memory... I used very watered down paint and many, many, many strokes... almost a dry brush technique, if that can be done with a watery brush. I didn't run with the though of overpainting the with weirdness … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Finishing Touches… for now…
Fabrics – Colour Mapping Challenge – Part 1 – Picking my Colour & Why…
Here are some of the early yellows: Turmeric.
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Bolder Brushstrokes
First, I'm thinking I still need to play with these shadows. They need to be longer. This shiny contrast between the items in the still life and the shadow is entirely what I see and is due to the pro-photo lighting I have about two feel from the model. It casts solid and crisp shadows... … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Bolder Brushstrokes
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Subtle Additions
I think my usual approach is to put in strong outlines first, then smooth them out with various brushstrokes. This time I wanted a more watercolour feel and tried watering down the Mars Black to give the subtle shadows I saw... or think I saw. I get impatient when I have to stare at the … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Subtle Additions
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – First Brushstrokes
Following a very light and loose line drawing on the watercolour paper, I pick my large surface colours. It occurs to me that I've forgotten how I pick them and why I choose one over another... is it to approximate the colours of the model? Is it for some deeper aesthetic reason? I've stopped reflecting … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – First Brushstrokes
The New Renaissance Mindset 