Common Surface Problems

Candle Light

Introduction A burning candle is an extremely deceptive object to paint. Although the flame of the candle forms the focus of the painting, there is almost as much impact in the effect this flame has on its immediate surroundings. The glow radiating from the flame itself should be the brightest area of the picture. The brilliance the flame casts on surrounding objects should be captured to heighten the brilliance of the flame, but nothing should outshine it. The flame itself contains some interesting characteristics. The flame extends from the base of the wick, where its a bluish, rather transparent color. As it rises, the flame forms a darkish, semi-transparent, yellowish arc. Then, at the top, the flame bursts forth in a glowing opaque yellow. Notice that no matter how still the surrounding air is, a flame flickers ever so slightly. This flicker can be rendered by carefully blending the flame along the sides and top in a slightly uneven manner, keeping the flame from appearing solid and rigid. Also, the surrounding "ghost," or glow, should be blended well into the background color to make it appear vague, but also contain varying streaks of visible color to produce a flickering effect. Flame presents one major hardship to the artist, which you'll see when you tackle this subject: when your eye moves from the canvas to the candle, the brilliance of the flame will tend to distort your vision so that when you return your glance to the canvas your sense of color will be temporarily disturbed. There is no remedy for this; awareness of the problem is your only defense.

Step 1. I've changed my tones for the layout a bit on this illustration. For the initial layout I use a combination of raw umber and yellow ochre in varying degrees. (with white added, of course) The outline of the flame and the dot representing the wick are a midtone of this mixture. I also use the same tone for the large, dark part of the candle in the center and on the right. The lighter portions appearing on the left and top right are the same mixture with more white. I've outlined the rim of the holder with the first mixture and then streaked the lighter tone lightly to indicate the stem and base of the holder. The lighter mixture is used for the shelf of the rim on either side of the candle.

Step 2. I've filled in the background with a combination of the original mixture but a bit darker than before. Of course, the lightest of these values go to the table. The flame is pure white and the burned top of the wick is a dot of the darkest mixture. On either side of this dot I've placed a stroke of the mid-tone which provides the impression of translucency surrounding the wick. I brushed some pure white into the midtones from before such as on the left side of the candle - which results in a nice off-white color. For the darkest right hand side of the candle, I brush midtone into the darker from before. The highlights on the rim are pure white with a little of the dark for emphasis along the center and right edge of the rim. The candleholder, like the candle, has midtone brushed into the dark from before. I use white for the areas of reflection.

Step 3. My objective is to lay in the colors needed for the final blending and refining in the last step. I add cadmium yellow, burnt sienna, raw sienna, yellow ochre, and phthalo blue to my palette. The tabletop is a mixture of burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and phthalo blue. The background is raw umber. I lightly brush white into the shimmer area around the flame, allowing the raw umber to remain dark all along the edge. This dark edge is characteristic of a flame and helps to emphasize its brightness. I lightly brush raw umber into the bottom of the flame around the wick and use raw umber and raw sienna for the center area above the wick. Then I brush a mixture of cadmium yellow and white into the brilliant upper portion and lightly into the white shimmer area. The candle is filled in with cadmium yellow and raw sienna. I use a mixture of yellow ochre and raw umber for the darker parts of the candle. White is used for the melted wax at the top of the candle and along the left side. I fill in the candleholder with cadmium yellow and raw sienna, shadow with yellow ochre and raw umber combined, and use burnt umber for the very darkest parts of the holder. I use white for the lightest highlights - such as on the front edge of the base.

Step 4. The flame is now basically complete except for the slight amount of ultramarine blue and white blended into the bottom of it. The wick is defined with black. I blended the shimmering "ghost" carefully into the background, but allow streaks to remain less blended to enhance the flicker effect. The edges of the flame are also lightly blended into the background. To render the transparent glow of the upper part of the candle, I make the lower part more opaque by brushing a little more raw umber and white into the base. Raw umber is also laid in under the ridge of drippings at the top to show the pale shadow. I finish the candleholder by blending and refining the work done in step 3 and adding white highlights where needed, such as on the edge of the rim.

And there you have it! Candle light can be a problem but it can be mastered with a careful study and a careful execution. Next time we tackle a pearl necklace! See you then....