Exploring Abstraction (May/June 2015)Rubber Cement.

Blind contour, hand. I need to do a few more blind contours on here and then I can paint it as an abstract.  It has a nice variety of shapes and will most likely have a decent composition for starting.  Blind contours are a great way to start an abstract painting.

This is the transferred shapes from the magazine cutout.  Finding a composition in a magazine is a good way to start an abstract.

Doodles.  Most people doodle.  Our doodles are unique to each of us.  I have used these often in abstracts and realistic paintings.

Plastic wrap texture.  This is  a technique to add texture to a painting - abstract or realistic.  It can also be used as the start of an abstract.  The paper tore as I was removing the plastic wrap and I like the tears, they are a good addition (mistakes/accidents can be wonderful).  You make these by wetting the paper, dropping in color (watercolor, thinned acrylic, or gouache), and pressing plastic wrap onto it and wrinkling it up a bit.  Let it stay until dry.

Rubber Cement.  This has a few more layers.  This is a technique I use for backgrounds, in realistic paintings, and to start abstracts.  For me this is fun and I do these often.

Splatter and drip - this is just a meesy texture technique and can be used to start an abstract.  I glaxed the yellow after it was dry.

Sponging.  I use sponging in paintings for texture or as backgrounds most often.  I glazed the pink after it was dry.

This is just painting with color and texture onto damp paper.

This is a print/press of the one above with a glaze of pink after it was dry.

This is a texture rubbing (placed the paper over an item, rubber it with a #2 pencil).  Leaves work well for this.  I glazed the yellow acrylic over the top and tore the paper while it was wet to get the nice organic edge.  I could use this for collage.

Wax paper texture.  This is  a technique to add texture to a painting - abstract or realistic.  It can also be used as the start of an abstract as well.  You make these by wetting the paper, dropping in color (watercolor, thinned acrylic, or gouache), and pressing crinkled wax paper onto it and weighing it down with some books.  Let it stay until dry.

Wet-in-wet techniwue with salt for texture.  I wet the paper and dropped in color.  Whe  the paper was shiny, but not puddles, I added the salt.

Colored Pencil Exploration (May/June 2015)

Colored pencil on Dura-Lar Matte.  This is the black and white side.  I shaded with a black colored pencil.  You can also use other mediums such as a graphite pencil or pen & ink for this side.  This needs a bit more work, but is close.

This is the black and white side after the color was started on the color side.

This is the color side after barely starting to add color.  I have used Dick Blick bordeaux red, yellow, burnt ochre, and a little prussian blue.  There is quite a bit of color work yet to do.

Continuing Watercolor (March & April 2015)

I have added more blueberries and leaves.  I have glazed a very light red over some of the leaves (to make the greens more real).  I started to add the stem at the top.  I have used the scrubber to make some white lines in the leaves and to life a few highlights out of the blueberries.   I want a variety of colors and especially values in the leaves and berries.  I am so close to getting the leaves done!

I have added the trees on the right side.  They need snow and a bit more texture.  I may also add a bit of brown to the trees (only a little) and a bit of purple to the barn.  I want to unify them a little.  Might add more blue to the sky.

I added a few more areas on the first pass.  I have also done 2 passes on the face and basket.  This has a ways to go, but is off to a good start.  This is an excellent exercise to hone those value skills!

Aqueous Acrylic & Gouache (March & April 2015)

Acrylic.  I am close to complete.  I have changed the shape on the back of the rooster and it needs another pass with the dark.  I added some details and enhanced some values today to improve him.  I will spnd some time looking and making small adjustments as needed.

This has a ways to go.  I worked on the background dark, the tablecloth, and the bowls on the right as well as the window (which still needs help).  I may add a glaze of a muted blue to the tablecloth.  I may slightly darken the window frame and I will continue working on the bowls and pots.

Acrylic.  He is close to complete.  The photo is a bit washed out.  I added color washes over the white today.  I made a few passes, one color and the other with white to re-establish highlights.  When you add the color it often diminishes the value contrasts and they need to be re done.  I will study him and decide what it needs.

Continuing Watercolor (March and April 2015)

I have added more berries and more leaves.  I am working towards a variety of values as well as varied greens in the leaves.

I worked on the trees on the right side.  I did a tiny bit on the doorway to the bard (added some white dry brushing).  There are more trees to do and a little bit of finish work, but it's close.

I wet the background and dropped in the color.  This is a value study so one color only for now.  After that was dry I did the band, wetting it and applying the dark on both ends with the highlight in the middle.  I then wet her face and neck and painted in the dark values and face shapes.  I adjusted the lips a bit later.  I later wet the should on our right and did the shadows.  I put in the stripes on the shoulder on our left.  I wet her arm and added the shadows.  This is the first pass.  More darks and details and shadows will be added.

Aqueous Acrylics & Gouache (March and April 2015)

Acrylic.  I added some details around his eye (the scribbles and white highlights), I painted some value and texture on his comb and behind it (negative painting) to make it show up more.

I fixed the table perspective on the left side.  There are more values and details needed there still.  I added shadows to the bowl.  it needs highlights.

I worked on the entire white areas adding more highlights as well as some shadows and details.

Continuing Watercolor (March & April 2015)

I used white gouache to fix the front body shape of the sheep (so that it no longer looked like a cotton ball...).

I added browns and darker gray to the barn, some as a dry brush technique (for texture). I added darks, worked on the porch, added details all over, used white gouache for the snow and to add dry brush texture to the barn.  I made sharp trees (so they would come forward visually) and used white gouache to make snow on the trees.  I will do the trees on the right next class.

Aqueous Acrylic & Gouache (March and April 2015)

Acrylic.  Worked on the eye adding highlights and shadows.  Added some yellow to the red.  Added some highlights and shadows around the eye.

Acrylic. Worked on the pot and the bowl.  Remember I used white, a dark reddish brown, and a very dark reddish brown.  The values (esp. the highlights) make the pot look shiny.   I need to work on the background and fix the perspective on the table as well as work on the bowls and utensils.  

Added more white to the shirt, hat, face, and beard.  Concentrate on the lights and darks for this value study.

Multimedia Musings

An Art Exhibit by Kate Lagaly

Opening Reception Friday, April 10  

at the Kirby Upstairs Gallery, 213 North Main Street, Roxboro, NC 27573

The exhibit can be seen by appointment through April 28, 2015.  Call - 336-597-1709.  The Kirby Cultural Arts Complex hours are from 1 - 5 Tuesday - Friday and Saturday from 10 - 4.  

The exhibit can be seen by appointment through April 28, 2015.  Call - 336-597-1709.  The Kirby Cultural Arts Complex hours are from 1 - 5 Tuesday - Friday and Saturday from 10 - 4.  

Continuing Watercolor (March & April 2015)

I lifted some of the color with the magic eraser sponge.  I added some orange color starting to put in some of the matted hair shapes.  I used gouache to change the outside texture and made it softer.  The front is too round and the shape needs to be changed (I'll do that next class).  I added some shadows to the face.

I added a few more berries and some shadows and details.

First I wet the barn and painted the gray on the barn.  Next I wet the paper and added some blue and purple (very light) to the front snow.  I wet the sky and added blue and a pink/purple.  After it was dry I re wet the sky area where the trees go and started putting in the trees (and scribbles for bushes) with a purple gray.  There will be more layers of trees.  I wet the windows and added the dark.  I painted the eves under the roof.  The barn needs a warm brown at some point.

Aqueous Acrylic & Gouache (March & April 2015)

Acrylic.  I added dark to the rooster's body.  I worked on highlights and shadows and added details basically drawing with the paint.  I added brown for the eye with a spot of black (it needs highlights still). 

Gouache.  I added highlights and shadows as well as some details.

Acrylic.  I made an orange/brown color for the dishes.  I painted them paying some attention to shadows.I added a glze of the dish color to the white window trim.  I added a blue glaze to the left side.  I added a very light glaze of the orange/brown to the utensils.

Acrylic.  The photo is not good, if I can get a better one I will replace it.  I transferred the drawing with Saral white transfer paper.  I then used white paint and started to paint the highlights.  This is a value study of light on dark.

Continuing Watercolor (March & April)

I wet the sheep and dropped in orange and purple to start getting texture and form (for this "blossoms" are your friend.  A blossom forms when you drop water into a wash that is starting to dry which creates a texture).  I used a glaze of cobalt on the background (because the new colors did not go well at all with the background).  I mixed a dark to add the face details and added a few more shadows.  After this dried I removed the masking.  I had some areas to fix and adjust (as always with masking and have not finished this).

I painted a few more of the blueberries and leaves.  I added more blue rather than green berries than in the photo.  I am working to get a variation in greens (from yellow to blue) as well as values in the leaves.  I used a wet brush to work on some of the color from the background that had pooled at the edges.  It is coming along.

Aqueous Acrylic & Gouache (March & April 2015)

Acrylic.  I painted the red and let it dry.  Then I started adding highlights and shadows.  This still needs lots of value work (lights and darks/highlights and shadows) as well as details.

Gouache.  I painted the red and the black.

Acrylic.  I painted the white trim and let it dry.  I painted the dark shapes and let it dry.  I then did white over the trim (as I got a bit too dark).I painted the shadows under the table and alongside the window as well as the shadow under the tablecloth.

Acrylic.  I used the paint I had left over from today and painted the background for the next project.  I wet the surface and dropped the color in and moved it around. I wanted it to be a dark color for the next project. 

Continuing Watercolor (March and April 2015)

I transferred the sheep and put masking fluid in the shape of the hairs around the edges to preserve the hairs.

I wet the paper around the sheep and dropped in color making a horizontal pattern.  May do a wash or two over this before I remove the masking (not sure yet).

I transferred the drawing, editing some of the leaves out and making up some when I could not tell what exactly was happening in the drawing.  I wet the background and dropped in burnt sienna and cobalt.  This photo was taken with my phone in class, so the colors are not correct.

I worked on a few berries.  I wet the blueberry, dropped in the color paying attention to the highlights and shadows.  While it was still wet I added other colors for either shadows or color details.  I worked on a few leaves wetting them first and adding the yellow and green or the blue greens depending on the color in the photo.  The leaf colors vary quite a bit.

Aqueous Acrylic and Gouache (March and April 2015)

Acrylic on a canvas panel (prepped with flat white house paint).  First I wet the panel and dropped in color.  Then I added sea salt when it was shiny, but not a puddle.  After that was dry I removed the salt and I transferred the drawing.  Then I painted the black part of the rooster with a medium-dark gray.

Gouache on paper.  I wet the paper, applied color, and put scrunched plastic wrap on top.  I left this until it was dry.  I will use this to paint a gouache rooster.

First I drew a square where the window would be placed.  Then I wet the square and added the landscape colors.  After this was dry I did the outside of the square with a warm gray.  I spritzed it with a fine water spray after it was starting to dry.  After it was dry I transferred the drawing.

Continuing Watercolor (January and February 2015)

I worked on this adding more values and highlights as well as a bit of color.  I worked mostly on the top portion as I had not done much there before now.  I added a dry brush texture to the background and a bit more linen texture to the cloth.