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Author: carly_clements, Contributing Editor
| Using the same technique of blending on the petals as I used for the background, the colors are smoothed out gently, but not liquefied, with the brush dipped into turpenoid and wiped off.
Be sure to keep a paper towel convenient. You'll want to wipe the brush clean from color to color so you won't contaminate and mix the colors too much. |  |
 | After the petals have all been slightly blended with the turpenoid, I chose a white to scumble over the petal shapes. The flower's local color is white and I want to achieve the translucent texture of the petals. Using a white at this point will not only add more paint to the petals but lighten the values of the colors already laid down.
In the pic you'll see arrows pointing to the upper petals where no white has been added. In the center area, you'll see the white added but no blending has been done. The lower petals have white added and the blending of the colors is complete. The blending at this stage has been done using the large blending stump. I don't like to use my fingertips for blending because they are wider than the blending stump tip and I usually spread the paint further than intended without realizing it. |
 | Now that all petals have been blended with the stump, the overall pattern of color and shapes becomes even more important. At this point, I'm often tempted to jump into the details but, I take a break and consider several things.
Have I achieved a sense of light direction according to my initial plan? Does the light pattern lead the eye into the painting? and, is my focal point getting the attention it needs? When these questions are answered, I'll begin painting again with clear direction. So join me in a cup of coffee while we contemplate! |
| After deliberation, I've deepened the values in the shadow areas by adding more blue or lavender. I didn't feel that the focal area was strong enough, so that has had some added color also. The centers in both blossoms has been strengthened with a touch of English orange (Sennelier) which is very transparent. The blending at this point is done lightly either with the blending stump or just a touch with my pinkie finger. Sometimes just pressing the new color in a bit is more than enough to achieve a blended effect without actually 'stirring' the layers already established.
The petal that turns outward needed warmth so a light yellow was blended softly with the stump into the white. Very tiny touches of deep violet increased the visual impact at corners and background 'holes' in the petals. The background leaf structure was strengthened by adding ultramarine behind the leaves, pushing them out a bit, and allowing a third dimension in the picture plane. Leaves were also warmed up a bit with another scumble of yellow. I don't blend the leaf shapes...their texture should not be the same as the flower petals and they shouldn't compete for attention. Now with the questions answered, I'll allow the painting to sit overnight to "harden" a bit before adding any dots and dashes. This also gives me some distance and I'll have a clearer viewpoint in the morning. You probably noticed that the painting has a title now....sometimes, they seem to name themselves! |  |
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| After the painting sits overnight, it's easier to add final touches without lifting the initial layers of paint. I've also had time to approach the painting with a fresh eye.
I notice that the one leaf on the right of the canvas draws attention because the paint is too heavy, so I scrape that back some and scumble the blue and yellow over it again. I also add a few touches of blue behind the center of the upper blossom to create a bit more contrast. A touch of yellow-green calms the lower center a bit and adding tiny dots of white to the feathery tendrils of the upper center brings out the focal area more. I hope you've enjoyed watching the painting evolve and emerge and hope the demo has given you some new ideas that you can utilize in your own oil pastel work. ....and until the next time, thanks for joining me in the studio! |
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