Exploring Abstraction (May and June 2015)

I have added a few more skins.  This will need a lot more composition work through either adding more skins or painting.

I wet and painted this caulk painting.  Parts of it will need to be glued (since it was not pressed into the paper).

I continued work on the composition.  

I added more traced tape roll shapes and painted them.  It's coming along and is interesting.

Mono print.  This was made using plexi glass.  I put paint on plexi and pressed the paper over the paint, moving it a bit to make textures (you can see through to see the textures you are making).

Ripped mtape painting.  I used ripped pieces of tape to create paint resisted textured areas on the painting.

I added another layer of rubber cement and paint and then removed the rubber cement.

Tape painting.  I used tape to make lines and shapes on the painting.   

I did a little more pen work on this painting.

Colored Pencil Exploration (May and June 2015)

Colored pencil on tinted and sanded pastel paper (we used Colourfix).  I started with white and put in the light areas and the highlights.  I then used the light peach and added the skin tones.  I used a red brown and a brown for the shadows.  BTW, the eyes and mouth and the ear have issues (the eyes are turned differently and the mouth is to the left too far, the ear is too fat at the top - all need fixing).  I drew some of the lines in the scarf with white.  Then I shaded the light areas with white and the dark with blue (careful with the blue).  I then did red over the entire thing and added some yellow to warm it.  The ponytail I just put the colors underneath, need to add the hairs.  I started blocking in the clothes.  It has more work of course.

Colored pencil over a melted colored pencil background.  I worked on the feathers on the back layering some color and values.

BAL Mixed Media (June 2015)I added

This is the extra paint painting.  I poured the little bit of acrylic left onto the paper, sprayed it, and moved it around.

Acrylic (could also use watercolor).  I mixed a brown and started on the values painting the shadows and used white to start the highlights.  I added more green and orange in the dark areas.

Acrylic with Liquitex Clear Gesso and the start of colored pencil on top.  This is an example from another class.  It is not done, but getting close.

Pen & Ink.  I added yellow watercolor (could also use acrylic) to the background and used blues and greens for the berries and leaves.

Added a little more pencil in the shadow areas.  This now needs refining (next class).

First I used white, then blue, and last I added yellow.  Next is the red (next class).

This is a caulk tree on mixed media paper.

Exploring Abstraction (May and June 2015)

Acrylic skin painting.  The skins have been attached to the paper.  You can use things like matte medium or polymer medium to attach the skins to paper, canvas, a painting, etc.

Caulk painting with a coat of acrylic paint followed by a coat of Liquitex Clear Gesso.  After it has dried for a day I started applying some colored pencil (yellow, blue, and white).   

Caulk painting with a coat of acrylic paint followed by a coat of Liquitex Clear Gesso.  After it has dried for a day I started applying some colored pencil (yellow, blue, and red).   

Caulk painting with a coat of Liquitex Clear Gesso.  After it has dried for a day I started applying some colored pencil (blue).  I used the side of the pencil so the pencil was picked up on the tips of the texture.   

Caulk painting - I have been working on this working towards a finished piece.

I traced the objects on one of the paintings and started adding the "tape" shapes.

Weaving.  This is a full weaving where 2 paintings are cut into strips and weaved together.  This can be done keeping the 2 paintings in order which is interesting for representational paintings.  This is a good use for those paintings that are not going well or are boring.

Weaving - this is weaving used on parts of a painting.  This can be used in interesting ways on works in progress.

Rubber Cement resist texture painting.  I have done a little more to work on the composition and movement.

This is the leaf I demonstrated (rather quickly).  The right half is more complete than the left half.  The right side has more layers and has become burnished.

This is the melted colored pencil background.  I have of course worked on the bird.  I started in the darks layering some color before using black.  I had erased the white part of the head and added yellow and white as well as some shadow.  I layered color and value on the beaks and barely started the body.  On the body remember to follow the contour of the body and feathers. I also started on the water (it needs more of course).  Make horizontal strokes on water.  Vary dark and light shapes.  Remember I also added some dark water behind the pelican's head.  I may add more at some point, but it is a good start making the value change at the head have more contrast.

This is the watercolor background.  I barely started adding some color and value.

This is a different strawberry from the one I did before in class (it was from a presentation).  I used it to show how to darken the leaves and how to pop in the whites to make the strawberry shiny.  It of course needs more work  - refining, values, details.

Gouache NCBG (June 2014)

I have added more color, values and details.  It is close to complete, may need a bit more refining...

Tuesday Morning Class

Colored pencil, limited palette, on gray drawing paper.  I have added more detail and values as well as adjusted the color.

Exploring Abstraction (May and June 2015)

Rubber Cement Resist Abstract - This is the first pass with the rubber cement both by dribbling and using the brush.  I added color after it was dry.  This can be done with watercolor, gouache, and acrylic.

Rubber Cement Resist Abstract - This is the second pass with the rubber cement both by dribbling and using the brush.  I added more color after it was dry.

Rubber Cement Resist Abstract - This is the Third pass with the rubber cement both by dribbling and using the brush.  I added more color after it was dry.  I then removed the rubber cement.

Rubber Cement Resist Abstract - I have now started to think about composition, center of interest, and movement.  I am using value and color to work on these things, to create interest and to move the eye.  It has a ways to go yet..

Gouache NCBG (June 2014)

Gouache.  I added details and more values to complete this study.

BAL Mixed Media (January 2015)

Colored pencil over acrylic and pen & ink prepped with Acrylic Ground for Pastel (the AGforP was applied before the colored pencil and after the acrylic and pen & ink).  I have added quite a bit of colored pencil working on the details and values.  I added a bit of color to the background as well.

Continuing Watercolor (March & April 2015)

I worked quite a bit on this finishing, detailing, adding more value.  I used white gouache for highlights as needed.  I added yellow and blue glazes to the background and more color to the berries and leaves.

Mixed Media, Burlington Artist League (June 2015)

Acrylic - excess paint - I did this at the very end of class.  I had excess acrylic paint on my palette which would just dry and be unusable, so I wet a piece of paper and dumped the paint on and let it run and spread.  I can use this as a background, the start of a painting, or an abstract painting.

Acrylic on mixed media paper - I mixed an orange color and painted the bowls and jug.  I used the green I had as well as a brown and the orange to paint the background and table.  This will give me some color that may show through at the end.

Pen & Ink on bristol board (vellum) - First I wet the background and dropped in ink.  Next I did some pen & ink shading on some berries and leaves.  I also did one berry with an ink wash.

These are the various drawing techniques for ink (and pens and pencils too).

This is what india ink looks like dropped full strength onto wet bristol board. as well as top right what ink looks like on dry paper wet on one end.

This is the leaf with the 4 colors - after the yellow, red, and blue have been added separately and then another few passes with all 3 colors as needed and a little white in a few small areas.  I have not pressed hard yet.  I have used the side of the pencil

Exploring Abstraction (May & June 2015)

Some more acrylic skins.  I tried to color correct, but it is still way too yellow.

The caulk painting.  I started a composition.  Remember I told you to pick your favorite area and start accentuating it to form a center of interest.  You also want to accentuate interesting areas and move the viewer's eye around with value, color, and shape. 

I have softened some edges and am continuing to work on this to make it an interesting painting. 

This is the acrylic painting split into 5 sections so I could paint the 5 grounds/gesso .  From left to right - Winsor & Newton Clear Gesso, Liquitex Clear Gesso , Colourfix Clear, Golden's Acrylic Ground for Pastel, Daniel Smith Transparent Watercolor Ground.  I have added a little pencil in a few arwas (blue and yellow) as well as some blue and red watercolor over acrylic on the right in the watercolor ground section.

This is an object tracing abstraction.  I used rolls of tape, various sizes as well as my round containers and bottles.  I did a series of these with tape rolls long ago.  You can use any object you wish.  i have done keys, tools, rulers, kitchen utensils, etc. The idea is to make an interesting pattern and variety of shapes.  I of course need to do more, but it's a start.

Colored Pencil Exploration (May & June 2015)

This is a colored pencil background on hot press watercolor paper with a solvent used to melt and spread the colored pencil.  I used the side of the pencil and added yellow with blue on top.  I shaded horizontally because it's water.  I then used Goo Gone Gel as my solvent.  I applied it with a brush over the colored pencil to melt the wax and to spread the color.

This is a watercolor background on hot press watercolor paper.  I wet the paper and applied the watercolor horizontally (this is wise when painting water).  I have transferred the drawing and have added a little white and yellow to the head.

This is the acrylic painting split into 5 sections so I could paint the 5 grounds/gesso .  From left to right - Winsor & Newton Clear Gesso, Liquitex Clear Gesso , Colourfix Clear, Golden's Acrylic Ground for Pastel, Daniel Smith Transparent Watercolor Ground.  I have added a little pencil in a few arwas (blue and yellow) as well as some blue and red watercolor over acrylic on the right in the watercolor ground section.