Category Archives: Techniques

Day 5 of the Challenge ~~ Be Safe

Day 5 brings another experiment off my beaten path. We were told in a workshop to draw a wandering line around our canvas without looking — and then turn it one way and another to see what it might suggest. We developed and painted expressive compositions out of our simple lines. I like how this turned out. I imagined the figure on the right as a mother and the other figures her sons, heading outside. She’s saying ‘Be Safe, My Sons!’ Now she’d probably be saying: ‘WEAR YOUR MASKS — and be EXTRA CAREFUL!!’

Be Safe, My Sons! Oil on Arches Huile Paper. 15 x 11.5

Paintings 24 & 25. Mock ‘Frescoes’ of Gouache Painted into Damp Plaster

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I’m currently taking a class on mixed media and was intrigued when teacher Susan Hostetler mentioned “mock frescoes”, made by painting gouache into still-damp spackle or joint compound slathered onto cardboard or other heavy substrate. I decided to try it. My first attempt was a simplistic sugar bowl sitting on our kitchen table. My quick contour was misshapen, so I touched it up with some water-soluble pencils, moistening the marks to blend them into the gouache.

I then plopped down a seashell (interesting shape though dull colors) and tried again. I was happier with that one, though disappointed when a little flake popped out sometime later. Maybe a fixative would deter this type of defect — will have to research it. . . .

: Seashell. Gouache on Damp Joint Compound on Cardboard. 7.25″ x 6″.

: Sugar Bowl. Gouache on Damp Joint Compound on Cardboard. 7.25″ x 9″.

: Post painting mess! Didn’t manage to get the shell into the picture.

Painting #23. Another Experiment ~~ 15-Stroke Shells!

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Sometimes it’s fun to challenge yourself: can you make a painting in a very limited number of strokes? Say, 15? I decided to try it the other day. I placed three shells from my beach-combing stash on a sheet of paper and attacked, carefully plotting color and placement of each stroke. At 15, I was itching to do ‘just a few more’ to beef it up ‘just a bit’, but gritted my teeth and concluded the effort. Here it is, along with a snap of the shell subject.

In keeping with the spirit of the test, I made only a few light guidelines for size and placement, before constructing the design via ‘color-shapes’.

: 15 Stroke Shells. Oil on primed Arches Oil Paper. 10″ x 8″.

: Shell Setup for 15-Stroke Painting.

Painting #22 – Birds in the Backyard and a CMYK Palette

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My most recent small painting features some bright cardinals showing off among their Plain Jane pals. It was based on photos taken last year. Our feeder is empty and there are few birds to watch now. (Our neighborhood has been encouraged not to use feeders so birds won’t gather and spread a new virus among themselves.)

For the artists who are reading, this painting was an experiment in “cmyk” colors — a very limited palette of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This group of colors is used with great success in color printing, but it’s pretty rare to see it underpinning an oil painting or water-based art.

For this attempt, I used the closest hues in my paint stash: manganese phthalo, quinacridone violet, azo yellow and ivory black. I managed to mix everything in the painting without resorting to additional colors ~~ other than the male cardinals, for which I dipped into cad red. I can’t say I enjoyed the experience or like the outcome! I’m not sure whether I’ll try it again!

#22. Birds in the Backyard. Oil on Primed Arches Oil Paper. 8″ x 10″

: Reference Photo 1

: Reference Photo 2

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Painting #10 – Cauliflower in Watercolor and Gouache

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One of my collectors has bought three of the veggie watercolors I painted last year as a consequence of a workshop with Wendy Artin. And she wants a fourth so she can group them in her kitchen. What to do? A pretty cauliflower was in our fridge so this is how I spent my evening in front of the TV. . . .

I made a few mistakes since I was painting it direct — without a pencil sketch, as Wendy had taught. So I resorted to a bit of gouache so I wouldn’t have to start over!!

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The Lion ~~ Baltimore Museum of Art

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I like to paint and draw sculptures, castings, molds and the like. It lets me focus on form and value without the distraction and mystique of glorious color. This majestic Italian lion from the BMA sculpture garden was great fun to paint.

painting of a stone lion sculpture displayed at Baltimore Museum of Art

Italian Lion, Baltimore Museum of Art. Original iPad Painting. 1:1 aspect ratio. 2017.

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Visit Me at Gallery B & Learn Some iPad Art Techniques!

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We Seven Palettes are taking turns ‘sitting the gallery’ during our art exhibit this month at Gallery B. I’m scheduled for more duty on Jan. 21, and 25, from 3pm to 6pm.

If you’d like to explore digital art a bit, grab your iPad and come sit with me for awhile. I’ll show you some of my favorite techniques! Here are some of my iPad images, illustrating how varied the results can be — from very detailed representation to impressionistic line drawings and quick notations at the ball park!

C & O Canal in Summer. Original iPad painting, 2014. 1:1 aspect ratio.

Fairy Lilies. Original iPad painting, 2013. 1:1 aspect ratio.

At the Nats! Original iPad painting, 2014. 3:5 aspect ratio.

Here’s how to find & where to park for Gallery B. If you’re thinking of coming by, let me know in advance so I can alert you to any last minute schedule changes.

Now paint some striped fabric!

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Danni upped the anty with her next assignment: paint striped fabric so that the stripes drape properly with the twists and folds of the material, with shadows etc.

I didn’t want to be boring with two simple pieces of material. So I composed a still life with a red and white striped towel, topped by a bottle of red wine, standing next to a bottle of sparkling water, atop a green and white striped towel. I thought of it as a ‘Face Off’.

2 bottles

Danni focuses us on portrait nitty-gritty: fabric

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If you’re going to paint a portrait, you need to know how to paint clothes and drapes.

Hence the homework assignment to paint two pieces of fabric so that a viewer would know that they differ in weight and texture. I didn’t have to look far for subjects: a blue denim apron friends had brought back from Sennelier in Paris and a red satin shopping bag made by a daughter-in-law. I draped them over a corner of my easel and set to work. Voila.

apron 2015-01-19 13.49

Torpedo Factory Portrait/Figurative Conference

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For someone interested in learning more about figurative & portrait painting, there are few places better than the Art League of Alexandria, aka the Torpedo Factory Art Center. My art buddy Helen Gallagher and I enjoyed hanging out at its first conference, celebrating a milestone anniversary. Here are a few of the pieces we saw demonstrated at the event.