Summer scheduling

I think life has speeded up since I left the day job at the end of February.  Not that I'm complaining about it.  I enjoy the pace and the variety and potential for the future that is unfolding.

Between working on a number of projects and commissions, I have managed to finish Flatrock Harbour and tackle another large piece that I'll share in a post another day. 

On Saturday July 18th, I'll be heading to the Wooden Boat Museum to do a painting demo of a new piece.  I painted at the museum last summer and its always interesting to meet people who come through and let them have a try at painting with a palette knife.  My new business cards should arrive next week, just in time to take with me as I'm running very low.

Then at the end of the month I head to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne to run some gyotaku workshops. A dash back across the island, then I get on a plane to head to Saskatchewan and Alberta for a couple of weeks. Finally at the end of August I'm taking part in a local studio tour that winds its way through communities close by.  I haven't done one previously so am looking forward to taking part and comparing notes afterwards.

Meanwhile renovations are taking place to put in a new kitchen, patio doors and deck.  With some delays making work run behind schedule, I've had to cancel the first two workshops for September, but hopefully all should be done before the last two workshops are due to start.  

So with my schedule I may be even more scarce on my blog than I have been this month, but I'll try to get more posts in when I can.  You can always find me on Facebook or Twitter and follow my adventures there.

Reduction printing

 Shallow Water

I have never done a reduction print.  I've done lots of lino prints, but nothing that takes a lot of left brain thinking like a reduction print.  I decided to tackle one - a very small one - and see I could create.  I had a 3" x 4" lino block and used Rosaspina paper torn to about 7" x 10" and Akua Liquid Pigment to print.  Reduction prints are also called suicide prints.  Pretty much sums up what I was considering after the first couple of steps!

Reduction printing involves cutting away areas of lino, printing a colour, then cutting away more, printing, cutting...until you have reached saturation point and have little printing surface left.  The final lino is no more than a skeleton of the print and has no further use.   Of course a registration jig is required as well to ensure effective lining up of colours and I did try that.

Original tri-colour print

Being me, I was in a hurry and didn't take quite enough time to make either the jig or the paper guide completely square so after applying the second print colour it made me think I was drinking.  What to do?  There was no point trying to adjust the registration jig so I thought I'd do them by hand and hope that the printmaking gods would be on my side.  I put on the final dark colour in the hopes it would pull it together a bit and it did to a degree, but I think I wasn't generous enough with the initial ink loads and the result was a bit patchy.

What to do with nine prints?  Add colour!   I used a variety of mediums from watercolour to coloured pencil to transparent marker to add layers of colour to the prints.  And this is the result.

What did I learn from the exercise?  Planning is everything.  Patience is everything.  Luck comes into as well as troubleshooting.  I will try another reduction print when I have time and I enjoy the process of printmaking.  And the good thing?  I found the etched plate I was looking for after I last cleared up the studio!

Flatrock Harbour

 
I tested some of my handmade charcoal for the underdrawing of a new painting. These are some small boats tied up to the wharf in Flatrock Harbour, in the town where I live.  Flatrock is tiny, with about 1400 people and rural.  Its on the coast as much of populated areas of the province are with a small fishing community, but most activity around the recreational fishery in July and August.

The charcoal that has been produced is what I'd call soft, meaning it gives a dark, rich mark.  Its very smooth to work with and to blend.  After the underdrawing, I sprayed it with fixative to prevent the drawing smearing and mixing with paint as I applied it.

I've blocked in colour for the background of the wharf and boats and will refine detail as I proceed.  I build layers of paint with a palette knife, which is my usual painting tool, the same way as I would with a brush.  The initial layers are thin as I establish colour and placement then I increase paint amounts to the final textured painting.

The palette is fairly subdued in the shadows of the wharf and boats with light hitting the ends of the flats (boats).  The foreground of the water is much brighter and will provide the visual interest with the subtle colour and value changes that I love to paint.  The painting is on a 15" x 30" canvas panel.

After the exhibition

I'm drifting down after the flurry of the last week with the solo exhibit opening last Friday night and the artist talk on Saturday.  Both were well attended and it was good to meet old friends and make some new ones.  Here's a look at some of the fifteen paintings that were hung at Peter Lewis Gallery for the exhibition.  You can see images of each individual painting on my website on the Wooden Boat page under What's New.

All the pieces are in oil and measure 30" x 40".  I think I'm going to paint in miniature after this!  The exhibition runs until June 26th if you have a chance to drop in and see it.

 

I produced a book to accompany the series that I distributed at the artist talk.  I've made the book and my presentation available as a download from my website if you'd like to read them.

Artist Talk, June 13, 2015

I've been drifting a bit in terms of starting new work and I think that's pretty normal after producing a series of work, exhibiting, etc.  I've freed up my summer (or tried to) until workshops resume again in the fall.  But I do have a couple of commitments.  I'll be teaching gyotaku (Japanese fish printing) workshops at The Glass Station in Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne on the west coast of the province in late July/early August.  Gros Morne is full of spectacular scenery and I can't wait to fill up on some new ideas for paintings while I'm there.

Tethered  16 x 20 oil

 On July 18th from1 - 4 pm, I'll be doing a boat painting demo at the Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton.  I did this last year and had a great time meeting and talking with people coming through the museum.  Now I need to decide what to paint while I'm there!

Final countdown

The final touches are in place for the opening of my solo exhibition tonight. Touch wood!

I left Maria, the gallery curator, busy unwrapping and hanging paintings at the gallery yesterday.  It really is a gorgeous space to have an exhibit in an old heritage building in the heart of St. John's.

On Saturday, I'll be doing a talk at the gallery at 2pm to provide the background information, sketches and photos of boats and areas that inspired the paintings.  I have a limited number of draft books that accompany the project that I'll be giving away at the talk.  I'll also be making the book available as a free download from my website and an option to purchase a hard copy.

I hope to video the artist talk and have it available online and will try to do a short video of the paintings hung in the gallery for people unable to attend and/or in far flung places.

I did an interview with The Telegram, a local paper, about the exhibition and series  which you can read here.

Crop from "Home Port" - J Jobson

So start your engines, I'd love to see you at the opening tonight and/or talk on Saturday!

Handmade charcoal

Vine charcoal sticks

I've dabbled at making artist charcoal in the past, but over the last couple of months I've gotten more serious about it.  With several grape vines in the greenhouse and lots of early spring cuttings before the sap rose, I thought I'd put them to good use.

Mark making with vine charcoal sticks

With a fair bit of hand work in cutting, seasoning and removing the bark, some experimentation was done on burn times to come up with a product that worked well.  Charcoal is produced by subjecting wood/vines to intense heat but eliminating oxygen so that it doesn't burn. Resins and water are eliminated and it becomes carbonized instead of turning to ash as it would in an open fire.  Prep time is tempered with patience and waiting.  Nothing about making charcoal is quick.

Peeled vine sticks, ready for a burn

The test burns have exceeded my expectations and are still ongoing.  The vine charcoal that has been produced so far is what I would class as a "soft" grade, meaning it gives a very dark mark on paper.  I'll be working with other woods available locally to see what grades of charcoal I can produce.

Test charcoal sketch

I've done a few quick sketches with the vine charcoal that I have produced and will create a full drawing on an appropriate paper to really give them a test drive. The wave above was a 10 minute sketch on the bottom of a letter that came in the mail, copy paper.  The streaks are marks on the paper itself, not the charcoal.

Erased lines in charcoal - newsprint

I'll do a pilot test with some charcoals later in the year through artists who are familiar with using charcoal as a medium and who are willing to answer questions about its quality and usability.  If charcoal is one of your primary mediums for drawing and you would be interested in testing some handmade charcoal, please let me know and your name will be added to a list of potential testers.

Tips for artist talks

As part of my upcoming exhibition which opens on June 12th, I am giving an artist talk on the day after the opening (June 13th).  For me, public presentations are not usually something that make me nervous as when I was working in my day job, I did a lot of public speaking at a variety of levels.

 

 I believe that if you comfortable with your subject, talking about becomes easier.  And for an artist, talking about their art comes naturally, or should!

To keep audience attention in any talk the following points should be kept in mind:

1. Know your subject inside out.  If you are not familiar with a section, practice it until you are.  If you don't know your subject, it will show as you "umm" and "errr" your way through it.
2. Speak in layman terms about your art.   While "art speak" may be the norm in some presentations about art creation, it does confuse listeners, even if they are artists themselves.  Explain what you created and why in as plain language as possible.
3. Inject a little humour into the talk.   Making people smile at the beginning of a talk sets the tone for the session.  Keep it general public appropriate, you don't know who will be in your audience and you do not want to offend anyone.
4. Have a logical sequence, don't jump all over the place.  Have a start, middle and end so there is a flow to the talk.  Give an introduction at the beginning outlining what you'll be talking about before getting into the presentation itself.
5. Use visuals.  You're an artist, of course you'll have visuals!  Visuals keep people interested where words don't, so sprinkle them liberally throughout the talk but make them relevant.
6. Keep questions til the end of the talk.  Questions that randomly pop up make you lose your train of thought and interrupt the concentration of others who are present.
7. Keep to the time allotted.  Stay within the time frame for the talk.  People have lives and places to go.  Anything over an hour and an audience becomes fidgety unless you are absolutely rivetting in your talk.
8. Thank your hosts, sponsors and those attending.  These people are the reason you are here.  Thank them warmly and genuinely.
9. Mingle after the talk for those back room questions.  Often after the talk, more questions arise.  With your coffee or glass of wine, talk informally with people.  Seek out quiet people and make a point of speaking with them.  Don't be monopolized by any one person.
10. Have lots of business cards available.  Provide business cards on a side table before and after the talk as well as have some in a pocket to provide to individuals you speak with.
    

Brush or knife?

 Deeper Water

8" x 10"  acrylic on panel

I made a transition to palette knife a few years ago and haven't really used a brush much at all since then, aside from sketches in watercolour.  I had some acrylics out for a value exercise in a class over the weekend and thought it might be fun to further test my brush skills.

Any tool that is used to transport paint to a surface has similarities.  The difference is more in the way you put paint on the support than the vehicle for getting it there.  Palette knives provide texture and cover canvas more quickly but brushes can have a similar effect depending on how thickly paint is applied. The process of building any painting is the same, starting with large shapes, blocking in colour and working down to detail.
I use the same technique with this brush work as with all paintings, with little blending, and colour placed one stroke at a time on the surface and keeping the edges soft.

 I don't enjoy using acrylics for palette knife work, even with a thickening agent.  For me, they don't have the same buttery feel that oils contain.  Of course either can be used, but acrylics are more challenging to use with a knife, especially on a larger support, because of their quick drying tendency - both a good and bad thing.

So will I return to brushes?   Unlikely.  I like the texture of painting with a knife and the loose impressionist quality I can get.   I think brushes will remain for some demonstrations and for adding colour to sketches.

Fast and loose

I ran a three day palette knife workshop this week on boats and water and it was great to spend time and concentrate efforts on the subject.  Every workshop, no matter what, I learn something new, I test myself and meet new people of all levels of expertise.

Like all my paintings, I start with an initial sketch and colour study before moving on to the painting.  Studies are fast (30 minutes to an hour) and loose.  Detail is NOT on the agenda.  It really does help to familiarize yourself with the subject shape, composition and test your palette colour choices. 

Here are some of the colour studies demos done during the workshop.  These are in oil paint on sized paper.  I could use acrylics for the same purpose, but my colours would be slight different than those in oils and the paper holds up well to the oil paint.

10 Needs of Working Artists

Terns - Salmon Cove beach

To be an artist you have to have many qualities. Like an iceberg many qualities are hidden from view but still present to make the whole. Here are 10 qualities of working artists that I have found to be true. 

Which of the qualities can you identify with?


10 Needs of Working Artists

You need to be entrepreneurial.  
You call the shots on what you produce, how long your working hours are, how you communicate with others about your work and how you judge forward movement.

You need to be determined.
You need to want to do this more than anything else.  You need to really want to make it work.  You need to eat, sleep and live art.

You need to be thick skinned.
For every piece of art you produce there will be someone who loves it.  And someone who hates it. Whether rejection comes in the form of not getting into a juried competition, being turned down by a gallery or someone in person making a harsh statement about your art, you need to rise above it and take it as input to improve.

You need to have some money.
It is expensive to get a piece from concept to showing to the public.  There are fees all along the way an artist must pay before work ever reaches the public eye.  Materials, supports, framing, entry fees, shipping, insurance, gallery fees, promotion...  It adds up, which is part of why art is expensive at the consumer end. 

Whether you have a nest egg in the bank, a credit card or line of credit or a supporting partner, you need money, plain and simple, to carry out the business of being an artist.

You need to be an extrovert.
This is always the opposite of most people's thinking behind what an artist is and in reality its true.  Artists do usually shy from the limelight and are limited in their ability to be comfortably immersed in crowds for periods of time.

However, at openings, artist talks, and in media interaction, the artist needs to be an extrovert.  At least on the surface.  Its a skill that is learned over time and can be turned on and off as required.

You need to be an introvert.
Artists spend a lot of their time alone.  That alone time is a requirement to produce good work.  It can't be done in a crowd or not easily.  And many artists prefer that solitary existence or become used to it as it provides a time for creativity and analysis.  If you are a social butterfly and need constant interaction with others, being an artist may never quite fit.

You need to know the rules.
You need to have conversations at many levels as an artist.You need to know the art world and its players and know how to play the game. You need to know the protocol of dealing with galleries, granting organizations, framing shops, print houses, museums and collectors and how to present yourself as a professional.

You need to have financial and business skills.
Art is a business.  It is no different than a restaurant or dress shop, you simply produce and sell a different product.You need to create business and financial plans, use a wide range of computer programs and accurately track and maintain the business side of art.

You need the tools of the trade, such as business cards, a biography and artist statement for each body of work as well as an up to date art resume.

You need to have excellent communication skills both written and oral.
Communication is crucial to getting thoughts across. A newsletter, website, a blog, social media, email, grant applications, reports, media releases - there is a lot of writing as well as painting.  Attention to detail and ensuring that what is produced is seen as professional and well written is important.   Often a written word is the first introduction made to the world and you will be judged on it.

You need to have marketing skills.
And lots of them.  Art doesn't exist if it is not seen.  To be seen, people need to know about the art.  Approximately 50% of a working artist's life is marketing and 50% in producing art. Marketing takes many forms from the now nearly obsolete posters to electronic and social media which includes newsletters and e-blasts.  Unless you can afford to pay a graphic designer and social media firm to promote your work, you will need to learn how to do this yourself.

Artist block

 Bed Thief - charcoal in sketchbook

I am finally coming out of the fog that is lack of inspiration.  I know it happens to all artists and its happened to me before, but never for this long.

I keep sketching and browsing through art sites and galleries, but when I come into the studio - nothing encouraged me to pick up the paint or pencil and get at it. 

Life drawing

 

But in the last week or so, inspiration is creeping back and I've been painting a bit, as well as continuing to attend life drawing sessions and ideas are flowing again.  The well is filling.  Its a horrible feeling being almost paralyzing, wanting to paint, but your brain not letting you paint.   But the good news is that eventually it does come back.  Sometimes it takes awhile.

Tips for overcoming blocks

1. Don't force it.  There is absolutely nothing you can do to make inspiration come to you.
2. Play around with other mediums, sketch, draw, move things around, anything that keeps you in the studio and makes you receptive to inspiration.
3. Visit museums and art galleries.  Look at art that you wouldn't normally look at.  Try modern or abstract if you usually like representational.
4. Do something entirely different.  Knit, sew, embroidery, reading, walking and let that take over your concentration for awhile.
5. Eat chocolate.  Okay, that may not be true, but it helps.  So does wine.

Ugly ducklings turn into swans

Network of Communication - SOLD

15" x 30"  mixed media

framed

Time has a way of providing fresh eyes and insight into what has gone before.

For paintings, you do what you think is good work at the time, but it could be weeks or years later when your revisit a piece, you know you can do better.  There may be lessons learned, techniques honed and more experienced hands and eyes to influence and enhance the past.

As artists we have the ability to use that experience and time to look again at a painting and see how it can be improved.  It is what I have done with this piece.

On my learning curve back to colour and painting, I was a bit timid with colour, but now I use it to my advantage. I took a rather subdued jellyfish and turned it into the star of the ocean.

This is the original piece.  I'm almost embarassed to show it now, as it looks so insipid in comparison to its makeover version.  But, at the time, it worked for me and it does have many good points.

The original was done in mixed media on a  15" x 30" panel and was custom framed.  But it lacked pazazz.  I grabbed a palette knife and oil paints and pushed colour and contrast and layers to give it impact.  I have some fluorescent oil paints that are amazing.  Not for the fluorescence,which I have not seen under a black light, but for their intensity of colour.  I wish a camera and computer screen could show the vividness of the yellow, orange and red touches in this painting of this paint.  No, it won't glow in the dark under regular lighting, but it will have impact in a room.

Don't hesitate to revisit an old painting and analyse it truthfully.  I believe we see through somewhat blinkered vision at our own work and need time and/or other eyes to see it, warts and all.  Armed with that knowledge we need to have the courage to just do it and see what the end result is.  Good or bad.  In this case, I think its good.

The benefits of pressure

I've been a bit in limbo for the last couple of weeks, trying to find something to inspire me and make me wake, anxious to get to the studio.  I think its finally breaking after some small paintings and a remake of an old piece. I still sketch each day whether I want to or not.  I believe part of the process is the process of just turning up and trying.

I've thought about what inspires me and what makes me produce and have come to the conclusion that it's pressure and deadlines.  I've just completed the work for my solo exhibition, framed, ready to go, done the marketing plan, made the book, created the postcard invitations.  Now what?  There's a slump at the end of any project even if this one isn't complete until after the exhibition and artist talk in June.

Now I need to refocus on the plans I set out in January, my "Closer to Home" plans for creating work based on familiar places and things.  But without a plan, a deadline and pressure to work towards it, its easy to get sidetracked and go down any number of rabbit holes that may or may not be related to art.

For now I'm getting ready to put some pieces in a seasonal gallery and also a new gallery on the west coast, but once that is delivered, I can flesh out my plan and set myself some goals to move ahead with.

High Tea

High Tea - Sold

 6" x 8"  oil on panel

Isn't it funny how even water can taste better if its in a beautiful container?

Tea is the same.  Nowadays you don't see china teacups very often. I'm sure there is probably a whole generation who have never seen the ornate teacups that were commonplace years ago.  I inherited a number of china teacups from my grandmother and still use them from time to time instead of the usual mug.  The gold on this teacup is beautiful and with my love of reflections, it had to be painted.

I believe beautiful things are made to be used, not stored behind glass in a cabinet and admired from afar.

What is your favourite cup/mug/glass?  Have you ever drawn or painted it?

Complementary - SOLD

6 x 8 oil on panel

I've been busy writing more than painting over the last few weeks and it continues as I prepare for an online drawing workshop.  Its a big undertaking, more than I anticipated but I'm moving ahead on the writing sections and am working on the videos that go with them.  That too, takes time, more so in editing, aside from filming and I'm not in my comfort zone, but learning a lot as I go.  Of course there are always glitches and sections have to be redone.  The thing that keeps me focused is knowing that once it is complete, I should not have to do a lot more to it aside from an annual or biannual tweaking.

  

I've created a new website that is cleaner and more visually appealing that the previous one and has everything together under one roof.  And its less expensive, which is always a good thing. The backroom details behind domain transfers never goes quite as planned, but, touch wood, all is in place. Do have a look if you have a moment and let me know what you think.  Jeanette Jobson Fine Art

I have workshops in May at the studio then am taking the summer off to do other things.  After working in a day job most of my life, this will be my first summer of freedom and I want to take advantage of it.  I'll be offering gyotaku workshops in Rocky Harbour in late July/early August, then fall drawing and painting workshops will run again til December.

Learn to create browns and greys in a colour theory workshop

May 5   Introduction to Palette Knife Painting
May 8   Colour Theory
May 19-21 Three Day Palette Knife Painting Workshop - Boats and Water
May 27 & 28 Introduction to Classical Drawing

You can find full details and registration for my workshops online.

Doing what comes naturally

 

 Saturday Morning

 Artist's Proof  6" x 9" 

Original etching handcoloured with watercolour

Available on Etsy

I've been struggling with a painting for the last week or more.  So much so that just going into the studio fills me with dread when I face this piece on the easel.  

Today I thought carefully about why it makes me feel this way and its because its not in my comfort zone.  Yes, there's some water in it,but there are buildings, lots of buildings.  I don't do landscapes and really don't do buildings, so my usual flow isn't present for this piece.  I'll get through it, but I know I'll find fault with the end result for no other reason but the grief its giving me in its creation.

Artists starting out move all over the place in terms of subject and medium, but over time a repetition of subject and medium creep in until they are a recognizable style.  It could be subject or colour palette or how a medium is used, but, like a signature, it becomes identifiable with a particular artist.

After painting in that style and having the world recognize it as yours, its difficult to move out of that comfort zone.  After I finish a large painting, I do a couple of small paintings, tiny in comparison to what I usually paint.  These allow me to explore other subjects but my technique and medium, palette knife and oil paint, are the identifiables in them.

I see other artists imitating successful artists or subjects that sell well, but haven't yet found their own style and are trying to ride on the coat tails of others, which is never successful on several levels.  As for painting what you think will sell.  Simply, it won't because you cannot gage what the public wants or sees.  There is always someone out there who will love your art (as well as hate it), they just haven't found it yet.  That 50/50 mix of art and marketing are key for visibility.  And putting many kilometres on the brush or knife ensures that you develop your own style.

Sure wander around and play, but remember where your comfort zone is and what makes your work unique to you.  So the moral of this story is that I will not take on a subject that I know I won't enjoy painting.  Like commissions sometimes, when the subject isn't one that naturally attracts you or is your own idea, you'll struggle and become frustrated.

My other struggle was this print.  This is an artist's proof from a plate that I etched awhile ago.  I etched more into the plate after the proofs then put it aside.  Now I can't find the plate!  I've hunted high and low and it still hasn't turned up.  It will eventually.  Meanwhile, I've added colour to two of the artist's proof with watercolour.

Its been one of those weeks and its only Tuesday!

Ice season

Spring Break - SOLD

12" x 36"

oil on gallery canvas

At last spring has come and the snow is retreating.  Of course it does it in its own sweet time.  One day pleasant and sunny, the next snow flurries or cold rain, but it is here.

The ocean has its own spring rituals as slob ice breaks up.  This can play havoc with shipping and has done so this year with the worst sea ice in 30 years.  It delays ferry crossings for passengers and freight and as trucked in food and goods are the norm, it can leave some supermarket shelves looking a little sparse at times.

Ice even becomes an industry, with ice breakers and harvesting of icebergs in season to make water and vodka.  Yes, bizarre I know, but true.

Making studies

 

Queen's

24" x 30" oil, masonite panel

Nearly every large painting that I produce has had a study done of it before I dive in to the final painting.

Now I know that not everyone likes to do studies.  They consider it a waste of time and want to jump right in and paint.  But studies can save you a lot of time and frustration on your final piece.  They don't have to be large or complex.  They are designed to work out ideas for composition, colour, values on a small scale before investing time and supplies discovering the same things on a large scale.  Great if you like your experiment on the large scale.  Not so great if you don't.

Study for Queen's- pen and ink/watercolour in sketchbook

I look on studies as similar to guage swatches in knitting.  Bear with me if you're not a knitter, but a guage swatch is a measurement tool that shows how many stitches per inch a particular yarn and needles provide, how loose or tight your knitting is and provides a pretty accurate idea about how your final knitted piece will turn out.  If you avoid it, you end up with a sweater that has arms well suited to a gorilla.  Yep, been there...fine yarn too.  The knitters will be sagely nodding at this last statement.

Colour studies and sketches are the same.  They are the test for shapes and colours and 30 minutes to an hour of your time devoted to a sketch and colour study can save you a lot of heartache later on.  I can safely tell you this because I've avoided studies in the past and dissolved in a fit of frustration and annoyance at myself when a large scale piece goes in the completely opposite direction to where I wanted it to go.

Hangin' WIP

Its quite common to start a painting and not finish it.  There are many reasons.  It may not be working out as you imagined it; you may lose interest in the subject; you may not have time or other projects are more pressing.  

 

This was the case for this piece. I  started it quite awhile ago using brushes on canvas and it wasn't quite doing what I wanted so I put it aside.   While cleaning up the studio today, I found it again and thought it was time to revitalize it using palette knives and to change the background for more contrast.  You can see my progress on the first two toys today as well as the background change from the pale blue to the darker greens.  I think the contrast gives more impact to the pastel toys and the texture of the knife should provide a more realistic look of fur.

I don't toss a lot of paintings, but the ones that I do put aside are usually returned to and reworked at a later date.  And that date can be years later.  I think I must hold the record for not returning to a portrait for over 20 years!  Unless I plan to completely rehaul the painting, I don't gesso over it, but simply oil out (if using oil paints) and make my changes.

Getting to grips with reflections

 Foiled

6" x 8" oil on panel

Available on Etsy

Whether its water, metal or glass, its the reflections that interest me.  Many people believe that painting or drawing reflections is difficult, but its all down to close observation of shapes and colours.  And of course magic. Joking!  There's no magic in art, there's lots of looking, lots of thinking and lots of practice.

So how to get to grips with reflections? 

1. Slow down.  Take time to really observe what is in front of you.  Our brains like to rush us past things; we take in the overview but never really see the detail.  The detail is what makes or breaks reflections.

2.Look at the environment.  Reflections pick up colour or shapes from objects nearby or the environment surrounding them. 

3. Highlights aren't all white.  The very brightest highlights where light hits the object straight on are often white, but even they have a tinge of another colour in many cases.  Subtle value changes in the same or complimentary colours show how light wraps around a subject by changing from lighter to darker values.

4. Look at shapes.  The shapes of light and dark areas, not just the subject is what reflects light.  Plan your underdrawing to include the shapes of all areas where light changes.  It becomes your guide for placement in painting.