SW CP class

The black and white values part of the process

SW CP class

I started adding color with spanish orange.  I put a light coat over all areas that are orange on the half I am demonstrating and in the eye, lightly.  I then used pale vermilion over the top of that and on the edge of the eye. 

Next I used sienna brown to add shadows and to darken some of the orange in areas as needed.  I added dark brown for deeper shadows and darker areas as well. 

I added a little chartreuse to the eye.  I then added a shadow with sienna brown under the lid, on the top part of the eye.  I darkened the top of that shadow with dark brown. 

I added more black to the areas around the eye.  I then used white to make the highlighted areas, to give that some form.  I used sienna, pale vermilion and white to work on the white area below the eye.  I gave it a fur texture too, basically "messing up" the edges.

I'm working on all transitions from the white to the orange.  I'm studying them and using white, pale vermilion and sometimes sienna brown to make the transitions.

For the black spots I am giving it a fur texture, "messing up" the edges with white and black and brown and orange as needed.

For the nose I added peach over the whole thing and then pale vermilion and then peach again.  Later I added more pale vermilion in the darker areas and some white for the highlight to give it some form.  I added some black texture around the nose area as needed.

Steadman's work

Steadman's very first colored pencil.  Nice work.

Steadman's second colored pencil.  Really nice work here!

SW CP Class

We added color in the background using spanish orange and peacock blue and a stump.  Now this bird needs some detailing, refining, and adjusting.  I spend weeks looking at it and making small adjustments.

I started with white and black on Strathmore Toned Blue mixed media paper.  I am working on shading the values.

SW CP Class

This is how it looked at the end of the last post.

I worked on the wing.  I started on the right side towards the middle.  I used black, white, and aquamarine plus some canary yellow at the end. I layered the colors paying attention to the values.  I added more white to the light parts as needed.  I had to reshape areas and change some shapes which is usual in something like this. After getting the layering far along I used a stump to blend and soften and hard edges, sometimes I used white to lighten, soften, or blend.  I worked across to the left and down on the feathers.  I added sand, light umber, sienna brown, and indigo blue to the white, black, canary yellow and aquamarine.  I worked on each feather shape layering the color and paying attention to the value.  If the original road map was too dark I lightened it with white and added the color.  Then I softened and blended with the stump (remember to clean it).  After I was done with that section I moved up on the feathers.  I am still working on the wing feathers.

SW CP class

This is the parakeet from the last blog post

I used aquamarine, light aqua, white, and sienna brown plus a little black/indigo blue on the chest area of the bird.  I covered the entire area with light aqua.  I then started shaping the feathers and areas.  I worked in the direction of the feathers using white to lighten and aquamarine to add medium values and black or indigo with aquamarine on top for the darker values.  I used the sienna brown, lightly, with light aqua over the top to make the gray brown area in the feathers.  I used white to blend, texture, and lighten areas as needed. 

I moved down the front of the body shading with light aqua over the entire area.  Then I added white in a textured pattern going in the direction of the feathers to the front and bottom.  I used aquamarine and a little indigo blue to the shadow under the wing.

Next I worked on the head adding light aqua and a little Copenhagen blue to the left side of the cheek.  I used white to lighten and blend the light aqua into the cheek area. make strokes in the direction of the feathers.

Then I worked on the stripes on the head around the eye.  I added feathery texture with white going in the direction of the feathers over the black and white stripes.  Using white and black I made and undulating pattern of light and dark on the stripe area under the eye. I lightened the white and dark in one horizontal stripe and then darkened the next stripe, and so on.  This is a subtle pattern so as not to make any hard horizontal lines. Above the eye on the head I lightened and darkened areas according to the values in the photo.

SW CP Class

This is how it looked in the last post.

I started adding the wings with black and white doing what I call making a "road map" in a confusing area.  After that I worked on the head.  I added yellow ocher to the eye and the beak.  I lightly added yellow ocher on the white are from below the eye to the beak and up around the beak and down the right side of the beak.   I also added sienna brown to the beak and on the head in the areas I put yellow ocher (do this lightly).  I then added canary yellow lightly from the yellow ocher up onto the head.  I added peach lightly as well.  I also added some of these colors to the cheek.  I used dark brown to make the shadow around the beak between the beak and the fluffy white.  I added shadows and highlights to the eye.  and the yellow around the eye using white, dark brown and sienna brown plus a little black.  I worked on the beak adding highlights and shadows as well as color.  I used white to add more white to the head working it into the areas shaded with color and making parts lighter that need to be.  Next class we will work on the back part of the head and into the wings and chest areas.

SW CP Class

This is how it looked for the last post.

I worked on more petals and on the background adding more color and using the stump and/or white to blend.  I need to finish the rest of the unfinished petals and then adjust the values and add needed details.

This is the parakeet on a blue green mat board.  The first step was to work in white adding the light values.  Then I used black to add the stripes, pupil, nostril, and black markings.  I added some copenhagen blue on the cheek and yellow ochre to the beak and around the eye.  I also added a spot of spanish orange to the beak.  I used aquamarine and copenhagen blue on the beak.

SW CP Class

This was posted in the last post.

I worked mostly on the leaves, refining them and adding details and values.  I worked on the two biggest leaves on the left side.  I used the same color - dark green, indigo, canary yellow, and white. I added true blue to the mix.  I used the stump the most for blending.  I used white to make corrections and adjust values.  Then I started adding a background.  I used indigo blue first to shape the value pattern of the background.  Then I used dark green over the top following the value pattern.  Then I used canary yellow evenly over the entire area.  Next I used the stump to blend it all together. I plan to make adjustments to the background if needed after the flower and leaves are further along. This was done during our class time.

I continued working outside of class.  I worked on some leaves and petals using the same colors and process as before. In the background you can see the layers and stages of the process.  There is indigo only on the bottom left side, then indigo with dark green on the bottom middle and bottom right side, and then a section with the yellow on top above that, and then the blended colors on the top half of the background. 

SW CP Class

I started with white and indigo to work on the values, the lights and darks, over the entire piece.  If this were not a class demonstration piece I would finish the value part before adding color.  On the leaves I added canary yellow lightly over the entire piece.  Then I used dark green lightly over the entire piece.  I used a stump to blend and smooth.  I then did more light layers with the 4 colors - dark green, canary yellow, white, and indigo.  I used a stump and/or white, lightly, as needed to blend.  On the petals I used crimson red and added it lightly over the petals.  Then I used a stump and/or white to blend and smooth.  I re-layered with the crimson red, white or indigo as needed to shape the petals.  Think values, values, values!

This is a photo taken in a different light with my phone.  The color is not correct.  The colors of these photos change depending on where and when I take the photograph and with what camera.

I worked on the petals, layering and shaping with the white and the two colors, crimson red and indigo blue.  We used white to shape and blend as well.  We can also use the stump (it adds no extra wax).  This photo was taken in poor light so the colors are off.

 This is the flower after a little more work this morning on the leaves.  You can see the various levels.  The color of this photo is close to the actual color and was taken with my good camera in the white light tent during daylight.

Wake Forest Acrylic and Mixed Media Class

This was how the landscape was before class.

Using a mixed dark (black + red + yellow) I started shaping the tree lines.  I then mixed yellow into a section of the dark to make a muted dark green and added some evergreens.  I also used a mixed orange and red and yellow to ass some all trees.  Then, using white I added the light trees and further shaped the tree lines.  I also used the white on the left side at the grass line to fix an area.  Next class we will work on the grass from the back to the foreground.

First I transferred the drawing and dampened the paper.  I dropped in the local color of the background and the bird letting it mix together a little at the edges. In the next class, after this was dry, I used dark green colored pencil to add dome of the dark and start shaping the background.  I used white to add highlights and over some color to reshapes the bird a little.  I used sienna brown on the bird as well as slate blue, canary yellow, cream, indigo, dark brown, and black.  We are lightly adding color to make a "road map" of the bird as a start.  

Wake Forest Acrylic Class

I made the background by dampening the canvas and dropping in the color.  I added some water at the top to create the light effect.  I added salt to make the texture..  After the background was dry I transferred the turtle outline, mixed a brown (the 3 primaries leaning towards red and yellow), and painted the turtle brown.

I transferred the turtle details with white transfer paper.  Using white with a little warm yellow added we put in the highlights and light values.  With a mixed dark (brown with some black) I painted the shadows and darker values.

I continued with white adding highlights (it still needs more, especially on the head) and with a dark adding shadows, especially in the neck and under the shell on the underside of the turtle.  I mixed a reddish brown and glazed most of the turtle with this color. I also started adding details.
 

I dampened the canvas and added a light gray into the sky and halfway down, making it darker at the top.  I mixed a blue and made values with white and black and started painting the mountains.

Using a sponge and thinned white paint I sponged transparent white over the sky and mountains to soften the edges and textures as well as to lighten it.  I did this in thin layers.

before adding the foreground vegetation I glazed the sky and mountains with a thin transparent red.  After that was dry I mixed various greens and added it at the bottom working up and also adding yellow here and there.  I spritzed a fine mist of water to keep things wet as I was working on both the palette and canvas.  I then mixed red into the green to make a few browns.  I added those at the top, dropping in red in some areas.  Using a small brush I made the top textured with vegetation. 

Art & Ale Mixed Media, March, 2020

So you can see the various stages of the colored pencil in this one.  The grape on the left is probably 80-90% complete.  The others are less complete.  On the red grapes I layered white, scarlet lake, and black grape or indigo for the dark.  I have done 3-4 layers of the color with some white layers to blend in between.  I have also darkened and lightened the background around the grapes in order to add contrast so they pop forward.

I started working with colored pencil over the ink.  I have many more layers of colored pencil to do in order to get the texture, color, and values I want for this piece.

When class resumes I will continue with demonstrations on these two pieces.  Stay well and email with any questions.

NCBG Gouache, March, 2020

I worked on a few more petals and leaves adding light and dark plus details. I have also glazed some warm yellow on some petals and some leaves so far. I have kept the bottom portion of the petals and a few leaves undone in case they are needed for demonstration in a future class.  In the next class I will demonstrate adding a background on this project.

I started shading with the white paint, in layers, to get the values correct from the lightest to the darkest areas.  I am not done with the white on this piece yet.  I then started the color glazing part a little to show you the direction in which we are heading.

This is the background I made that I may use for the mushroom.  I have a few others that are possibilities as well.

NCBG, Gouache, March, 2020

I worked more on the flower petals with the white gouache, dark red, and a muted dark purple.  I also glazed a little warm yellow on some areas.  I left some petals on the bottom undone in case more demonstration of this part is needed.  I also worked a little on a few leaves.  Have many undone to demonstrate on.

I have transferred the almond branch onto my dark background.

Art & Ale Mixed Media, March, 2020

I added more pen & ink to the owl.

I added more watercolor pencil to this background to make it a little darker.

Art & Ale, Mixed Media, March, 2020

First I transferred the grape drawing.  Then I wet the paper and dropped in some color.  Then I used a small strainer (sandpaper works too) to grate watercolor pencil onto the paper to create the texture.  I may add another layer to darken the piece a bit before class.

First I transferred the owl drawing.  Then I dampened the paper and dropped in/painted the local color paying attention to the owl colors somewhat.  I wanted the paint to move and blend together some.  When the paper was still wet, but not puddled, I dropped in salt (I used larger coarse salt).  After this dried I started drawing the darks with my black ink pen and lights with my white gel pen.  I hope to get more done before class.

NCBG Gouache, March, 2020

I started this by transferring the drawing and painting in the solid local color with watercolor.  After that dried I started painting the highlights and light areas with titanium white gouache mixed with a little warm yellow into the flower (I added warm yellow to the white since titanium is very cool). I then mixed a dark red color which can be done by adding a little of it's compliment, green, to the red.  Next I started painting the highlights and lights on a leaf and mixed a dark green (by adding a little red, it's compliment).  I also showed glazing on the bottom leaf on the right side.  I used a very thin yellow and painted that over the leaf to warm it up.

I posted this to remind you that the background you make for the next project needs to be medium-dark to dark.  It will make the next step easier.  If your first pass is not dark enough you can do another layer or two over the top.  let them dry completely between layers.

BAL CP&MM Feb., 2020

I added a little more pen & ink and some colored pencil on the top turtle.

Did a little more work on the branches and background.

Started to add a background.  I used a red, green and a yellow so far.

I worked mostly on the eye and the nose and a little on the mouth.  This is how it looked after class.

I have been working mostly with values to start creating form.  I have used a lot of white and dark brown along with some terra cotta, scarlet lake, Spanish orange and peach.  I will add some other color and more detail to her face and hair as I get the shape and form the way I want it.

BAL CP & MM

This was how it looked after last week's class

I did a little more work especially with white and also added some blue in the eyes (lightly) and some scarlet in the skin (very lightly) and tera cotta on the lips, eyebrows and hair (very lightly) and a little dark brown in the hair.  I will do more of this in class as I develop the form and values.