Youth - WIP

I made a start tonight on a new portrait in oils. The face of the young man was appealing and challenging too and the hair will prove interesting to create. Its on an 8 x 10 stretched canvas and this is the result of about 90 minutes of work so far. Lots more to go.


I 'drew' the basic shape of the head and face using dilute lamp black and a small brush then started to block in some values.

I keep covering the face with a base colour, refining the drawing as I go along as well as the colours.

I begin blocking in the hair using a scrubbing motion with an old brush to get a soft base value that I will add detail to later. I continue to shape the face, correcting the drawing, and painting and repainting the eye.

Direct purchase savings

Tripod Study in oils
6 x 8 - canvas panel

For Sale
in my Etsy gallery

Yes, I'm still on my Zorn kick and wanted to try it out on animals. This study of Tripod seems to work in terms of colour. Then again, with a limited palette, you can't really go too wrong as the colours do tend to be harmonious. There are no harsh, conflicting contrasts in colour that pull the eye away from the subject. I'm quite liking this little palette...

This is the first animal that I have painted in oils for more years than I care to remember. I like the solidity that the paint gives when applied in thicker strokes, making the fur seem deep and thick. And with Tripod it is that if the layer of hairs floating around the floors every day are anything to go by!

There seems to be a following of cat fanciers who Tripod - or his colouring - appeal to, so I will make this piece available by trying it out as a 'Buy Now' on the blog. Most of my original art work is for sale on Etsy, but I will occasionally put something here that can be purchased direct from the blog.

Koi

I always find fish interesting. The mere fact that they can breathe underway is fascinating and the play of light and dark in sunlit water as they dart about gives a challenge to capture it.

Koi carp have a long history and were used as a food fish with monks breeding them in moats. I recall in some Somerset canals, huge colourful koi swimming, being caught and released. They were the release of someone's carnival or pet store prize into the local waterway. These fish usually return eventually to the natural brown colour of carp but are often considered a nuisance, stirring up the bottom constantly and making the water useless, even for cattle to drink.

This was a quick sketch of a koi. I wanted a stronger sunlit effect but it didn't really come off. I need to darken the values, especially under the fish to get the effect of dappled sunlight. This could be a warm up for a painting. It has that colour that is appealing to me.

Over the last few months painting is taking a stronger hold in my life. I still love drawing and especially detailed pieces that I can lose myself in. Painting is a completely different side of me where I don't have to be so controlled. In fact, its almost a test to see how loose I can be sometimes and still provide a recognizable piece.

Brushes and portraits

Portrait study 1
oils - 7 x 9 canvas panel

I have kept playing with the limited palette and trying to achieve different skin tones with the colours that I have. This one has gotten a bit chalky and needs brightening. I'm not sure about pale skin tones with the Zorn palette, but perhaps I need more practice with it.

I treated myself to some new flat brushes and have a problem with one already. They are Royal & Langnickel which are usually very good, but in this one, the bristles keep disappearing up the ferrule and I have to grab them and pull them down again. I resorted to taking a hammer to the brush ferrule to flatten it further against the hairs, which seemed to do the trick. I'm presuming its just a fluke brush that left the factory and not a continuing problem.

The majority of the brushes I use for oils are flats with a few filberts as well that give a softer, more rounded edge. The number of brushes that are available are staggering and you do need to do a little research before heading to the art store to find what will best suit your purpose.

Empty Easel has a good article on brushes that takes some of the mystery out of them.

Portrait in Zorn

Bill - complete
oils 8 x 10

Bill - 2 hours
oils 8 x 10

EDIT: I thought I'd put the finished portrait here and compare it to the 2 hour session. I tweaked a few things, adjusted a few colour and now I'm calling it done. On to the next one!

I wanted to continue with the Zorn palette to work on a portrait and tonight there was a perfect chance as one of the images for the All Media Event on WetCanvas was a portrait.

This is my attempt after two hours. I still haven't got the angle of the head quite right, but its coming along. I quite like this limited palette for portraits and they especially suit the ruddy complexion of this individual.

I'll do some more work on it tomorrow and see if I can finish it off.

Zorn palette

I have been experimenting with using a limited palette for painting, and am trying the Zorn palette. This is based on a palette used by Anders Zorn, a Swedish painter who excelled in painting water and portraits, especially nudes and eventually incorporated the nudes and the water. He also became very proficient in watercolour and painted some of his best work in that medium. He also had excellent drawing skills as well as turning his hand to etching and sculpture!

The oil palette that he used consisted of only four colours, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, ivory black and white. This provides a warm palette that works beautifully for portraits, as Zorn showed. I'm trying it in a landscape here - a study of the same path that I painted in Chocolate Road, and the lack of blue can be limited to achieve those shadows. Obviously Zorn must have used blue in some of his paintings, especially water. Some individuals add ultramarine blue to the palette to expand the range of colours.

Les Demoiselles Schwartz
1889, oil, 39½ x 26½. Collection the Louvre, Paris, France

Ivory black is a sort of blueish black and the theory is that by placing a grey made from the black and white next to an orange made from the red, yellow and white, the orange will make the grey look bluish. This is because the eye picks up the orange and then ‘invents’ the complementary blue colour.

David Rourke, from the blog All the Strange Hours, has an interesting post about using a limited palette and it would be good to experiment with the various combinations of warm colours.

Using a limited palette does make you become more creative in mixing and choosing colours instead of just reaching for another tube of colour. I will continue to experiment with the Zorn palette and see what I can do with it for a portrait.

Any other Zorn experimenters out there?

Charcoal study

Head study 1

I haven't drawn with charcoal for ages, so pulled some out last night along with a piece of newsprint and played around with a study for a portrait. Charcoal is so versatile and goes from loose to tight with ease, depending on how you use it and what type it is.

I'm one of those people who like getting dirty and prefer vine or willow charcoal, but also use charcoal pencils to add detail. I don't often use charcoal powder but sometimes tone the paper by putting down a layer of charcoal then blending it lightly with some kitchen towel or a tissue. I use tortillons for blending small areas if I need to, such as eyes or lips where I want smooth transitions of shadows.

I'm still not 100% happy with the likeness I have for this study so will tweak it some more - another reason I like charcoal - its so easy to manipulate with a kneaded eraser or to add more charcoal to deepen shadows.

Inspiration Tuesday

Each Tuesday I choose an image that I allow others to use as they wish under a Creative Commons license.

Dandelions are one of the first things that bloom and in places they blanket the ground. Dandelions, while considered a nuisance by many gardeners, are one of the most beneficial herbal plants and are used to assist digestion. I use dandelion root which I dig in the fall to make a tincture that then lasts me til the next fall's harvest.

The leaves are bitter and eaten in spring when the plant is young as a vegetable and to help stimulate the appetite. The leaves are also a diuretic.

I need an apprentice

My blog is pushing 1,000 posts and now entering its 4th year. Sometimes I feel as if I've run out of words and inspiration to add more to it. I know that I still have information and art in my past, my present and my future, but sometimes it doesn't come out the way that I plan.

These last few weeks seem to be those of starts, but not finishes. There are sketches, half finished drawings, starts for oil paintings and now a lino block that I've started, but my body refuses to let me complete it.

With aging comes its own set of complaints and in my case its some arthritis in one hand - the drawing hand of course. It was exacerbated by an accident years ago when a sizable sliver of glass entered the joint of my forefinger on the right hand. It became infected almost instantly and was dealt with medically promptly. However the glass severed the nerve and there is a numbness from the joint to the fingertip which causes problems sometimes.

I started this lino cut a few days ago, but had to stop as my finger was too stiff and painful after extended pressure on it. I keep trying and may transfer the piece over to a softkut piece of vinyl that carves more easily and see how that works.

I think I need an apprentice. Isn't that what artists had years ago? A 'go fer' to mix paint, do the parts that the artist hated to do, like tedious backgrounds, and to cut lino blocks! Then I could come in and work on the fun part like printing. I've set Tripod with the task of searching online for an apprentice for me. He seems quite dedicated to the work...

There are still apprenticeships available in some areas, and while they may resemble in some ways the apprenticeships of years past, the workload is less strenuous and the life not so harsh in the 21st century. The passing down of skills from master to apprentice is age old and very valuable. Only now are people understanding the loss of information and skills that can only be produced through person to person sharing and not through a virtual connection.

Skintones in watercolour

The week's hectic pace has run over into the weekend and I ended up having to go to work for a meeting on Saturday which ran over. Then running around afterwards trying to do some errands ensured that I didn't get home til around 5, so the day was shot.

I haven't had time to many inroads into projects that desparately need attention and tend to go off on tangents in the form of drawings or small paintings that aren't truly inspired or destined for anywhere but 'the' drawer. You know, the one where pieces that you lose interest in or that don't work out go to spend their days.

I did play around with a watercolour portrait, just to keep my hand in. I am continually working on the right palette for cool skin tones. I'm a real fan of blues for shadows for people with fair colouring, but they can be easily overdone and need to be balanced with reds and yellows to add some warmth as well.

This watercolour paper is Bockington 140lb and is very pale blue. The image here is taken in daylight and is quite cool overall. The image at the beginning of the post taken under artificial light and you can see that it adds a warmer tone to the piece.

I even remembered to take a couple of progress shots while I was doing this that may be useful to see the process of how I work.

Making time

This week has been so so busy, I barely have time to breathe so not a lot of time has been dedicated to art. Oh I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head. They come to me while driving quite often, as my commute is about 30 minutes each way. Its a good time to think and plan at the beginning and end of the day.

Most of my work this week has been starts of pieces, thumbnail sketches and snippets of drawings on sketchbooks or pieces of paper that are lying around. I have been fighting with a painting for most of the week, but its not doing as I want it to. I dot paint on it most days but it just won't come around yet.

So in times like this, I draw whatever comes to hand or whatever brings me comfort in terms of art. For me, its drawing eyes. Why? I really love drawing eyes, I always have. So this is where this start of a self portrait came from. Its unlikely it will go further - or not at this point as there are design faults that I can't be bothered to fix as it would mean a major redo.

Fatique takes its toll on drawing ability. I find I can draw best first thing in the morning. If I wake very early - 4 or 5am - and get up, its amazing how the pencil or brush flows. Tiredness affects my ability to think and to produce anything worthwhile.

But tomorrow I have a board meeting all morning, then the usual chores, so its unlikely I'll be able to devote a lot of time in the studio til late in the afternoon. Perhaps a nap first might be in order!

And now the macabre and strange that is sitting on my dining room table. And no, I haven't tasted it yet. I just like looking at it and anticipating a drawing with light through the glass.

Crystal Head Vodka. Designed by John Alexander and manufactured by Bruni Glass of Italy, the design of the bottle celebrates the mysterious legend of the 13 Crystal Heads found around the world and mentioned in the last Indiana Jones Movie. The 13 Crystal Heads are believed to be of ancient powerful origin by some, or a Victorian archeaological hoax by others.

In October 2008, actor Dan Aykroyd joined creative forces with American landscape artist and sculptor John Alexander to launch Crystal Head Vodka.

"Unlike most vodkas in today's marketplace that use additives, glycol, citrus and sugar to improve smoothness and flavor, Crystal Head Vodka is a pure spirit with no additives. It is quadrupled distilled and filtered three times through charcoal followed by triple filtration over Herkimer crystals from one of the planets rarest deposits of close concentrated semi-precious stones" said Aykroyd. The vodka is distilled by the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation and uses water sourced from the Province's deep aquifer glacial pools located over a thousand miles away from major sources of continental pollution.

Aykroyd is working with a leading US importer, The Infinium Spirits division of Wilson Daniels to market Crystal Head Vodka in the US. Crystal Head Vodka, which will be available initially in California, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana and Florida will retail for $49.95 per 750 ml bottle.

Perceived difficulties

When I started an anatomy course years ago, the initial thought terrified me even if I wanted and needed to do the course. All those body parts and systems and interactions and names. How would I ever figure them out, let alone get them correct in an exam. But I did and did well with it.

This like many things that are unfamiliar to us seem daunting and are simply perceived as difficult. Once they are broken down into smaller parts and the understand becomes clearer, our comfort level increases and with it, our ability to function and perform within a particular area. The same applies to art.

There was a point when I was scared to death of using pen and ink. It seemed so permanent and unforgiving. I couldn't erase it and hide my mistakes.

Then I plucked up my courage and started playing with ink and different pens and discovered that it is a lot easier than initially imagined. This technique of pointillism is quite time consuming, uses a fine nib and, to me, is a very relaxing, soothing method of creating an image. I am by no means an expert in it, but I enjoy the process.

This piece was started some time ago and I rediscovered it during a clear out of a cupboard. I can still see a few areas that need tweaking to create perfect spheres, but for the most part its done and it makes me want to start another piece using this same technique.

Its on the list.

Inspiration Tuesday

Steps to Nowhere

I am sharing this image under the Creative Commons license. (see sidebar)

This is an image of some steps that once led to a home in the now abandoned settlement of La Manche. The isolated fishing community was resettled in the 1960's after severe storms wrecked fishing stages and buildings.

These steps are being reclaimed by nature with trees and moss blending them into the forestscape.

I started this drawing as a doodle then got caught up it in. The shoes were done in graphite, but begged for colour so I put in a layer of watercolour pencil that was handy. I'll continue working on it, purely for pleasure as this is a sketchbook piece and is originally this week's drawing challenge on WetCanvas. I loved the shape and lines of the shoes.

A peek into a sketchbook

Between painting and full drawings, I sketch a lot and have sketchbooks scattered all over the house, including beside my bed. I also carry one in my handbag and have one tucked in a drawer at work.

Sketches can be from life, from memories, from illustrations or magazines or photos that I see. As long as it keeps me drawing, that's all that counts.

I enjoy looking back at sketchbooks and reliving memories and seeing people that I have sketched. The pile of books rapidly accumulates and is added to with scraps of paper that I sometimes end up drawing on when there isn't a sketchbook immediately to hand.

Chocolate road - completed

Chocolate Road
6 x 12 oils

I spent some time early this morning and again late this afternoon finishing off this piece. The trees were problematic and I really need to practice more with them. En masse, like this, I needed to concentrate on subtle light and colour changes within them. Not much is green this time of year so keepting the colours that are there subtle is a challenge.

I spent most of a fabulous spring day out wandering the southern shore of the Avalon, searching for new inspiration in sea and land. I walked the East Coast Trail to La Manche and was rewarded with some stunning views of an abandoned village on the edge of towering cliffs above the ocean.

The hike to the cliffs was about 1.5km over a trail that was rough in places, steep in places, and fit only for mountain goats in places, but I made it there and back not too worse for wear. I need to take up running again to get back to the level of fitness that makes a hike over terrain like that not quite so strenuous!

In the abandoned settlement there is a suspension bridge leading over the water and upwards further onto the East Coast Trail. Suspension bridges, while fascinating, won't see me set foot on one unless life and limb depend on it so I just took a photo of it instead.

The chocolate road

There is a little path on the road to my house that leads off to a marsh. Because the area is wet, it often fills with water, especially after rain or melting snow in spring.

I always look up this road as I pass it just in case a moose is waiting to jump out at me, but often to check how much water is there and see the reflections in it. As I passed it the other day, obviously some ATVs had been through the road, likely hauling wood out and had stirred up the already muddy lane. It reminded me of a path of melted chocolate and I decided I'd like to paint it.

I painted this road last summer when it was fresh and green. Now in early spring, there isn't much green to be seen except for spruce or pine trees. There are tinges of reds and purples in the bare branches of dogwood and alder fading into the distance.

I started this piece tonight on a 6 x 12 gallery canvas and hope to finish it tomorrow.

Rhododendron bud - VSD April

Working through some logistical problems, I'm now calling this attempt at my rhododendron bud for this month's Virtual Sketch Date complete.

I started off with a pencil drawing on Arches 140lb paper, then added the base values for the flower. I covered the flower with masking fluid and did a watercolour pour for the background. It didn't go exactly as planned but isn't bad.

When I removed the masking fluid, it roughened the paper in spots, making it difficult to add detail to the flower. I tried more layers then thought I'd add some pen and ink to it. Of course then I couldn't find my Rapidograph and started in a dark blue ink Micron pen. This morning I finally found my pen and added some more touches to the piece tonight.

Am I happy with it? Not completely, but isn't that the way with all pieces we create? There are elements in this which work better than others and I think I may use this reference again with a different medium and see what happens.

Water on Earth Day – Newfoundland’s pristine reputation?

Newfoundland benefits from being an island in terms of its ecological footprint on the earth.  Lack of industry limits pollution of air and water, but the simple act of living creates its own challenges.  Raw sewage still pours into the ocean from harbours, as it does in many parts of Canada and the world.  The problem is being addressed, but it will be years before the harbours are fit to see anything besides seagulls in them.

There has been clean up of rivers in the past few years and one success story is the Rennies Mill River which now teams with fish and wildlife.

 

Fish are the equivalent of the canaries in the mines and are the first to show that something is not right with the water.  Frogs as well are never present in polluted waters.  I am lucky where I live in that both are there in the water that flows from its source to the sea.  If they leave, I will know there is a problem.

     

The Atlantic ocean is clean by many standards but still poses problems for fish and mammals that make it their home.  The fishing industry is dead or dying so the incidents of whales becoming entangled in fishing nets is limited.  Ghost nets still roam the sea, making life a misery for those who encounter them.

Plastic carrier bags and rings that hold six packs of cans together cause death on a  daily basis for both sea creatures and those on land through slow suffocation or entanglement.

While Newfoundland is blessed with clean air and clean water, we still have a way to go towards a cleaner environment and a smaller footprint on the world.

Inspiration Tuesday

Ryan's Gate - summer
click on the image to view full size

Welcome to Inspiration Tuesday. This image is yours to use under the Creative Commons license (see side bar) if you so wish. If you do create a piece of art with it, I'd love to see it.

There is something appealing to me about old fences and this is a favourite of mine. I've drawing it before in silverpoint, but in winter. It is the entrance to Ryan's meadow where hay is made each summer. The gate and fence are hand made from trimmed trees and hammered straight into the ground. They eventually rot with wet soil and weather but are generally fairly long lived.

Rhododendron bud - part I

I've been working on the reference image that I used for this month's Virtual Sketch Date. Flowers are not my forte, but I like to keep challenging myself.

I thought I'd try a poured background for this piece and used a mix of acrylic inks and watercolours. The paper was 140lb but not as sturdy as I thought as it roughened the flower bud when I removed the masking fluid. This is the piece in its current state and I have to try to give the bud some shape as well as add in some leaves to balance the piece.

Stay tuned and cross your fingers!

The master syrup maker

Maple syrup is synonymous with Canada and one of the rituals that spell spring. It is delicious syrup but labour intensive to reach that final amber liquid.

This image is one provided by Paulette for a drawing challenge on Drawspace. She's lucky enough to have a relative who is in the industry - this is the syrup master at work, monitoring temperatures of the boiling sap. I did a quick sketch then added some colour to it.

Some facts about maple syrup:

• Canada produces 80% of the world's maple syrup - the majority coming from Quebec.
• Maple trees most commonly tapped for sap collection are Sugar Maple, Black Maple, Red Maple, and Silver Maple. These maple trees are common in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada. The Sugar Maple and Black Maple provide the highest sugar content, and therefore are ideal for a better maple syrup yield and shorter boiling times.
• Production is concentrated in February, March, and April, depending on local weather conditions. Freezing nights and warm days are needed in order to induce sap flows.
• It takes approximately 40 litres (10 gal) of sap to be boiled down to 1 litre (1 quart) of syrup.
• In Quebec, New Brunswick, eastern Ontario, and New England, the process has become part of the culture. One tradition is going to sugar houses (cabanes à sucre) in early spring for meals served with maple syrup. A typical offering is pancakes, baked beans and sausages, followed by a Tire sur la neige (in Quebec), maple taffee (in English Canada), and sugar on snow (in the United States). This is thickened hot syrup poured onto fresh snow and then eaten off sticks as it quickly cools.