February Acrylics Classroom: a Layered Approach to Painting

[Quiet]

<b>February Acrylics Classroom: a Layered Approach to Painting</b>


Greetings fellow WetCanvasers! I was introduced to acrylics some ten or fifteen years ago. After gluing one paintbrush into a solid mass and attempting to clog the sink with dried paint that I mistakenly thought was water-soluble, I got to the actual business of smearing pigment onto various surfaces – and wondering if there was a “right” way to do it.

A few years later and I know now that there isn’t one right way, of course – acrylics can mimic oils, watercolor, and gouache, and just as well it can do things that none of those other mediums can. But I also know that whatever you are trying to achieve, it helps to have some sort of method to get through those bewildering stages between empty canvas and finished product. This is something I finally understood when I stumbled across a children’s book by the name of Dinotopia.

The following images are the work of artist and writer James Gurney, from the second book in his series, called “Dinotopia: the World Beneath.”

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-Gurney_whole.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-Gurney_zoom_01.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-Gurney_zoom_02.jpg

Gurney’s paintings are done in oils, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter are the pencil lines. Look closely, and you can see them all right there as a part of the finished image. On top of those plain lines are washes of pigment that look very much like watercolor. On top of *that* are globs of increasingly thicker paint, all the way to thick impasto. Some of the paintings in his books are little more than a drawing with light washes of browns. Others are fully-worked paintings topped with the markings of palette knives. (continued. . .)

[Quiet]

Gurney was following the steps of fat-over-lean that are required in oil painting, but I had the idea that the same steps could be used to produce a good acrylic painting. I started experimenting, and this is where I ended up:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-MechanicalGod_whole.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-MechanicalGod_zoom_finished.jpg

Partway through the painting I got paranoid that I was going to ruin it, so I ran out and had a color Xerox made. This is what the underpainting looks like:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-MechanicalGod_zoom_underpainting.jpg

So here’s how I did it:

The first step was a pencil drawing on illustration board. Probably half of the total time I spent was in getting that drawing right. (And yet I still bungled the legs on that mechanical figure. . . sigh.) Once the drawing was finished, I brushed a layer of matte medium over the whole drawing. The matte medium was to prevent me from obliterating parts of the drawing as I repeatedly dragged my brush-hand across the surface (which I do a *lot*), and to remove what little absorbency the illustration board has. Without the illustration board sucking water out of the paint, I’ve sometimes got a few seconds to wipe away wet pant when I mess up.

Anyway, after the matte medium was dry, I painted glazes of various neutral colors to establish the tonal range of the picture. I used this to establish the tonal range of the image.

In between the partially-finished version and the fully-finished one, I added additional washes of brown, and then I began to paint on top of that with opaque, saturated colors. You may notice that I never did paint an opaque layer on the buildings, though. They seemed done as they were, somewhat to my surprise. (continued. . .)

[Quiet]

If you are new to acrylics or new to this approach, rest assured that you don’t need to take on imagined scenes filled with multiple figures and two-point perspective in order to paint something wonderful. Start simple. Set up a still life. Point a desk-lamp at it, and follow along.

Here’s my still-life:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_still_life.jpg

My whole set-up looks like this:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-studio.jpg

This painting is going to be six inches by eight. I’ve measured out the dimensions on a piece of illustration board, and I’ve set up my workspace. You may notice that my studio is a wooden box and a piece of canvas on the floor. I’ll have to upgrade when the urge to paint giant canvasses overtakes me, but for now, my studio is the living room floor. ;-)

Paper and gessoed canvas and board can also work with this technique, but I prefer illustration board because it doesn’t wrinkle like paper can, and it can be drawn on and erased from repeatedly with ease.

I picked this subject matter because it is simple, because it only has a few colors in it, and is made up of flat surfaces. If you are new to acrylics and wondering where to get started, these are good qualities to pick in a still-life. (continued. . .)

[Quiet]

Here is the most important step: get the drawing right! Get the composition set up just the way you want it, and make sure the proportions and perspective are good. This method of painting doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle-room for adjusting these things after the drawing stage.

If you are very new to painting, I will warn you that the most simple objects can also be the most difficult to paint – and the best practice. A teacup, and empty vase, a cardboard box, a toothbrush, an egg – these are all items require a lot of looking. A basic understanding of perspective is very helpful, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to learn about that, don’t worry about it. The best way to learn is to look at an object in front of you, and draw what you see.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_01_pencil.jpg

Once that drawing is in place, brush matte medium across the surface. Gloss medium would probably also work well. Don’t be at all surprised if the graphite from your drawing is smeared in the process. That’s okay. Once the medium dries, it can’t smear any more, and you’ll be covering up the smudgy bits with paint.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_02_mattmedium.jpg

There are probably spray-fixatives that would do the job, too. In fact, I think that’s what Gurney uses to seal his drawings, though I can’t remember where I heard that. If you do use spray fixer, just be sure to do it outside. It’s toxic, and your painting will emit nasty fumes for days.

If at this point you’d rather use oil paints, I’ve never tried it so I can’t offer any pointers, but if you mess up, you should in theory be able to wipe the paint right off of the drawing and start over. (continued. . .)

[Quiet]

For acrylics, at this point it’s best to pick a neutral color. I like burnt umber, or burnt sienna mixed with hooker’s green. But don’t be afraid to experiment. I had a great time once painting a red landscape on an eye-poppingly green underpainting, and on another occasion I succeeded in making a landscape look downright frozen by making the under painting a brilliant blue.

In this case, I’m using the burnt sienna/hooker’s green mixture, since I am out of burnt umber.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_03_outline.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_04_glaze.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_05_glaze.jpg

I’ve made sure to cover the entire surface with at least a little pigment. This prevents the problem of later having specks of white board glaring out between brush-strokes. (continued. . .)

[Quiet]

At this point, I’m satisfied that I’ve accurately caught the value-range of my metronome. Now it’s time for color. If I remember correctly, I used burnt sienna, hooker’s green, raw umber, and titanium white here. I’m trying to keep my palette simple because every color adds complexity, and those darn colors can get out of control in a hurry. I’m not thinning the paints with anything.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_06_color.jpg

My metronome has turned out to be a yucky salmon-color, and I’m not at all happy with the dark background, so I intervened at this point by draping a blue cloth behind the metronome. I’ve broken out the ultramarine blue and a wee bit of cadmium yellow. I also go back in with my dark hooker’s green/burnt sienna mixture to re-paint the dark lines in certain places.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_07_color.jpg

One final adjustment of colors, and some pesky details, and here’s the final picture:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_08_complete.jpg

There you have it! I hope this has been helpful. Please try this technique for yourself and post your results here! If you have any questions for me, just ask, and I will do my best to answer.

Cheers!

[Sanne]

wow, thankyou for posting this, it has been a very interesting read and i have learnt alot from it. i think i am going to give it a go ! .. my only problem is finding something i want to draw/paint, i seem to be stuck !

but again thanks again i think i will definately come back to this post again :)

[Charlie's Mum]

Excellent Michelle - thank you so much - this should be of great help to anyone with uncertainties..........also loved the illustrations you used at the beginning......thanks again :D :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Marty C]

Hi Michelle,
Wonderful first lesson, this will be a great class!
I use a spray workable fixative to secure my drawings. It works very well, spraying takes about 20 seconds and it's dry ready for paint in about three minutes.

[Lady Carol]

Brilliant lesson. Thanks for all the details and descriptions. These are very important in helping to teach the concept. I think you have done a wonderful job getting this together.

[Quiet]

Oy, thanks you guys! *happy dance*

Sanne – you could try any old thing that you’ve got lying around, even as dull as a tube of toothpaste. Look at a tube of toothpaste long enough and it becomes fascinating! I keep meaning to find a perfect cardboard box to paint, myself.

Charlie’s Mum – thanks! I know the paint’s dried and all, but can you make the thread sticky?

Marty c - *chuckle* I’m glad the spray stuff is working for you. I’ll stick to the gooey stuff - it smells better.

Lady Carol – I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. . . if you figure it out, let me know. ;-)

Cheers!

[Quiet]

I just started sister threads to this in both the digital and oil forums, in case anyone is interested in trying the same techniques in either of those mediums:

Digital: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3165886#post3165886

Oil: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3165912#post3165912

[Charlie's Mum]

Sorry I can't 'sticky' this Michelle - but it does have an arrow icon (I asked the Mods to do that this morning) and it also has a link from the sticky Classroom and Project thread which keeps track of all the monthly 'happenings' in the forum :)

[bjcpaints]

Thank you so much for this wonderful lesson! :clap: Just when I was getting discouraged you showed up! Hey, That looks just like the Seth Thomas on my piano - got it for my birthday in 1964. Now , a late blooming painter, I'm told I have more talent for painting than the piano. Wish they'd told me that in 1964! Thanks again for making it easier! Now I can see what my little paintings were lacking and why they looked scratchy and thin. LAYERS!!!

BTW The first thing I was told about acrylic painting was to never draw your picture in with a pencil - thank for giving us the OK to do that!

[Albert Wagner]

Thank you very much for an excellent class. I must admit that I was as impressed by your workspace as much as the quality of your work. Do you work on your knees, cross-legged, or laying down. You certainly leave no room for whining to those of us convinced that one more piece of equipment or supplies will make us really good painters. Thanks again.

[Quiet]

Charlie’s Mum: thanks!

Bjc - *grin* Acrylics play nicely with quite a few mediums. I used to draw on my paintings sometimes with colored pencil, when I got stuck and couldn’t figure out what to do with the paint. I’ve collaged in paper, and glued fake gold leaf on top. I’ve painted on top of charcoal, conte, and on ink drawings, and drawn with most of that mess on top of acrylic. Sometimes it was a disaster, and sometimes it worked. Pencil has been one of the most predictable* of all of the above when mixed with acrylic.



*Well, I did have a teacher who told us about a painting on which he’d meticulously painted Santa Claus overtop of a very dense coating of graphite. He used frisket (yuck!) to mask off Santa in order to airbrush around that area, and poof, Santa came off of the surface along with the frisket. The moral of the story: don’t forget that graphite is also an industrial lubricant!

Albert - *grin* I work alternately on my knees and cross-legged. And sometimes on my knees and elbows. It’s not ideal, but then I’ve also got the television nearby to prod me with noise if I need to be distracted through something particularly tedious, and I’ve got a big glass door to my right with a nice view and great light. My home computer also sits on the floor, on an old dressmaker’s stand. My love of floors is a relic of my strange childhood. ;-)

So. . . is anybody going to be brave and post a WIP? ;-) You can do it!

[jeff m]

Well here is my first effort, I couldn't think of what to paint so I used your sketch, but not your later pictures.
As it's a metronome I did it in 4/4 time (quick time) and unfortunately in the key of F (failure).

I was aiming for mahogany so that was ok, but that's about the only thing going for it.
Will do better next time.

James Gurney, I've just discovered, was a friend of Thomas Kinkade, an unlikely pairing!

[BeeCeeEss]

Wonderful lesson, Michelle. I'm so glad to find someone else who likes working with acrylics on illustration board! I rather like the initial way the unprimed surface "sucks up" moisture, however. I begin with thinned washes and prewet my surface first before applying those washes. I don't use a lot of water to prewet the area I'm going to paint into. Just enough to keep the paint moist long enough to draw it out smoothly and let me soften any edges that need softening. Eventually, the paper will become sealed and then the method is very much what you describe.

Re using pencil for the underdrawing, no problem with acrylics. You should not use a graphite pencil when doing any drawing that goes beneath an oil painting. The graphite particles can migrate up through the layers of oil paint during the drying/curing time and be seen on the surface. Charcoal or pastels are more suitable for use under an oil painting. Since acrylics are not as opaque as oils, I try to keep my pencil underdrawing as faint as possible to minimize having any pencil lines show through my paint. I also wear a special lightweight cotton glove on my right (painting) hand to prevent skin oils from getting onto my painting surface. This glove covers my hand and little finger only but leaves my thumb and other three fingers free to grip my brushes. Since I tend to rest or drag the edge of my palm and little finger along the drawing or painting surface for detailed work, this glove helps minimize smearing of my pencil drawing. I see from the examples you provided, however, that some visible pencil lines can add their own dash and charm to the finished painting.

Thanks again for the excellent demo.

Beverly

[metalhead]

Interesting, thanks for posting this. I often have trouble getting good coverage (always little white specks I manage to miss showing up.) and of course all the pencil lines manage to squeeze themselves right between where one color ends and another begins, so you sort of have to paint a little be too much, over the lines, then go back later and reclaim that area with the adjoining color. For me, this tends to be a back and forth, many tries operation, each color battling away, playing a game of chicken with the boundary.

[Quiet]

Jeff – nice work! It isn’t a failure if you learned something from it. Interested in trying again? Try setting up a still life next to your computer. Working from life is more of a challenge, but it teaches so much more than working from a photo.

Beverly – thanks! “I rather like the initial way the unprimed surface "sucks up" moisture” . . .yeah, there are about a zillion ways to use acrylics. The glove idea is great! Now where can I get myself a thin cotton glove? I’ve also heard that graphite can muck up oils, and that charcoal is traditional. . . but isn’t charcoal just as likely to make a mess of the paint?

Metal, I know what you mean. I swear, my painting process is sometimes reduced to endlessly repainting edges, painting the surfaces between the edges, and painting the blasted edges again.

Cheers!

[Striver]

Thanks for the article, informative. Would like to try like now but the wife and grandchildren have united to find me chores and not paint. I am sneaky tho.
Thought the matt medium would seal the drawing. I use binder to seal charcoal when painting over it.
Cheers
Les

[Albert Wagner]

Interesting, thanks for posting this. I often have trouble getting good coverage (always little white specks I manage to miss showing up.) and of course all the pencil lines manage to squeeze themselves right between where one color ends and another begins, so you sort of have to paint a little be too much, over the lines, then go back later and reclaim that area with the adjoining color. For me, this tends to be a back and forth, many tries operation, each color battling away, playing a game of chicken with the boundary.

LOL. I love your posts. You seem to always capture my latest peeve. I too have trouble refereeing this battle of the boundary.

[BeeCeeEss]

...
Beverly – thanks! “I rather like the initial way the unprimed surface "sucks up" moisture” . . .yeah, there are about a zillion ways to use acrylics. The glove idea is great! Now where can I get myself a thin cotton glove? I’ve also heard that graphite can muck up oils, and that charcoal is traditional. . . but isn’t charcoal just as likely to make a mess of the paint?



I recently found a package of two pairs of these cotton gloves in my local art store, but I've seen them in various art supply catalogs. They are the sort of cotton gloves that museum and art conservators wear when handling precious objects, photos, works on paper, etc. to avoid any acidic skin oils from being deposited on the object. (I worked in an art museum for a year so the wearing of such gloves was very familiar) The pack of gloves I bought were made for either left or right hand use. I just took a pair of scissors and cut away the thumb area and the first three finger coverings so only my little finger and the rest of my hand would be covered.

I have to smile at this because my first painting "glove" was a home-made one from a lightweight cotton sock! It would be a little difficult to describe here how I made a "glove" out of it, but I used to do a lot of sewing and it wasn't difficult to custom-make this glove for myself. Actually, it fits better than the real gloves that I bought at the art store. But the store-bought ones are much easier for anyone who wouldn't know how to thread a needle, much less use one. :wink2: Wearing this type of glove when I'm doing any art work where my hand may rest on the drawing or painting surface has become second nature. It is a great help since our skin oils or any residue of any type of hand lotion will help drag and smear pencil, pastel, etc. around the paper's surface.

I agree about the charcoal being very messy under a painting. I never use it this way. Any time I have seen someone lay out a drawing on a surface to be painted over, I usually see them use a spray fixative before painting.

Normally, I do my original drawing on a separate piece of paper, then make a tracing of it on tracing paper. If my painting surface is something like watercolor paper, I put that on a light box (or tape them to a big window on a sunny day) and put the tracing underneath it to allow the light to pass through and allow me to trace my drawing onto the watercolor paper with a pencil. I get a highly detailed and accurate drawing on my watercolor paper this way.

If I'm going to transfer the drawing to something like illustration board or a stretched canvas that light won't pass through so easily, I could use some of that transfer paper that comes ready-made in a roll, but I don't. They are made with graphite and that's a no-no with oils. I use a transfer sheet that I make myself from a piece of tracing paper with some Conte crayon or other hard pastel rubbed on one side. I shake off any loose pastel, then place this transfer sheet against my painting surface with the tracing of my drawing on top. I tape down the edges with masking tape to prevent any accidental movement, then I trace over my drawing lines with a fine point ball point pen (I don't own a stylus for this purpose). When I lift both pieces of tracing paper away, there is my drawing on the painting surface ready to paint. I often use a soft brush or eraser to remove a bit of this pastel so it won't be too dark and give me trouble with the not-so-opaque acrylic paints covering it. This way, I don't usually have to use a fixative to prevent smearing when I begin to paint it.

What is a light box? Well, you could probably make one yourself. I've seen directions for making them. But mine is an old one that used to be used in a hospital to view x-ray films on. It's a light box with fluorescent tubes inside and a frosted-glass top on which an x-ray is placed for viewing. My husband works at a hospital and brought it home one day because the hospital was converting all its x-ray technology to computerized imaging and all these old-style light boxes were being thrown out. But much slimmer, more modern light boxes are also available in art supply catalogs at varying prices. My light box is big and clumsy, but you can't beat free, so I'm happy to have it.

If you don't have access to a light box, the sunny window method is free, too. :)

Beverly

[Godzoned]

Thanks for the lesson. I reminded myself lastnight "Hey its Feb!" Look for the acrylic lesson tomorrow morning! So here I am.

I have always used pencil mainly 2B under all my paintings and never had any trouble with it. I don't prime overtop of it just paint straight over the top.

I only just recently graduated from table top painting to easel painting. Was given an easel by my hubby that wanted to use the table. lol. We have a small place and no extra room for a studio so the lounge is also my place of painting.

So Matt or medium gloss is supposed to seal the pencil? Isn't that just a waste of money when you are painting over it anyway? I have a limited budget and don't often have any extra for the luxury of extras - I often use any extra money if any for canvas and paints. Is this essential in paintings when you intend to sell them?

[Quiet]

Striver – husband by day, ninja artist by night?

Beverly – wow! Thanks for all the info. I haven’t had much need to transfer drawings, since I’ve been just diving right in on the illustration board.

Debbie – I use the medium to seal my drawing out of necessity, because I have a tendency to obliterate my pencil lines if I don’t. After spending eight or ten hours figuring out perspective and pulling my hair out over faked figures, I don’t want to lose my work. But for paintings that aren’t so drawing-intense, I don’t find I need the layer of medium, but I generally still use it because I like the way that the paint behaves on top of it. In short, it’s up to your likes and needs.

So, are you guys going to try this? Come on, it’s fun! Be brave like Jeff! :-)

[JamieWG]

Michelle, I love your examples and explanations. That was a super demo with the metronome. I looooove acrylics painted on as washes, building up layers, and love them best on paper. I just got some illustration board too! 'Looking forward to trying out your demo on my own setup sometime this month. I think that quick layering is one of the things acrylics do best. Two thumbs up!

Jamie

[Quiet]

'Looking forward to trying out your demo on my own setup sometime this month.


Wooooooooooooot! *happy dance*

[DeAnne R.]

I am gonna ask a real stupid question here....what is illustration board? I am gonna go out on a limb and say obviously its not canvas board, hardboard.
That looks like a very interesting project. Just gotta get my still in order and find out about the illustration board...LOL

[tubbekans]

What is a light box? Well, you could probably make one yourself. I've seen directions for making them. But mine is an old one that used to be used in a hospital to view x-ray films on. It's a light box with fluorescent tubes inside and a frosted-glass top on which an x-ray is placed for viewing. My husband works at a hospital and brought it home one day because the hospital was converting all its x-ray technology to computerized imaging and all these old-style light boxes were being thrown out. But much slimmer, more modern light boxes are also available in art supply catalogs at varying prices. My light box is big and clumsy, but you can't beat free, so I'm happy to have it.

If you don't have access to a light box, the sunny window method is free, too. :)

Beverly

That glove idea sounds really handy! :clap:
I found a cheap way to make a temporary light box recently. I used one of those clear plastic storage boxes they sell at home centers. If you turn the plastic box upside down, and place a small flourescent light under it, you have a light box. The plastic box I have is not a flat surface on the bottom, so I put a sheet of clear acrylic plastic sheet on top of the box. This gives a flat surface. Free for me since I had these items already. Yeah me!
Oh and canvas is not a problem with this setup. I tried, just for fun, putting one of my canvas paintings on the homemade light box. I was able to trace my painting fairly well. Kind of backwards I suppose, but it surprised me how well this worked.

[cag152]

Looks like I'm going to learn alot from you...as a novice to this site I'm still blundering around it but like what I'm seeing.
I have a tendancy to sketch very little and move straight to paint, laziness or lack of confidence with a pencil, but I can see the virtue in planning properly studying your work...
Love it :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Quiet]

I am gonna ask a real stupid question here....what is illustration board?

That’s not a stupid question at all! Illustration board is pretty much paper on some sort of thick card-stock. So, essentially, it’s just thick, rigid paper. Your local art store may carry it, but it will probably be kept in a drawer or a cubby somewhere behind a desk, because like paper, it can be spoiled by shoppers putting grubby fingerprints on it.

Illustration board comes in two general surfaces that I know of: hot press and cold press. I keep forgetting which is which, but one has a very smooth surface, and the other has a little bit of tooth. (I think the toothy one is the cold press, and that’s what I typically use.) Hot press is baked in an oven to dry it, while cold press is dried over time without heat. Because it takes longer to dry during the creation process, cold press is usually a little more costly. But even so, it doesn’t cost much. By buying large sheets and cutting them down, I think I end up paying about a dollar per painting. (I think. . .)

Illustration board isn’t as fancy as canvas, but supposedly it’s archival, and it costs less, and you can stack many layers of it up under the bed. ;-)

Cag – wooo! I hope I’ll see your work here soon! Don’t be shy!

[BeeCeeEss]

...

Beverly – wow! Thanks for all the info. I haven’t had much need to transfer drawings, since I’ve been just diving right in on the illustration board.



That's another thing I love about working on illustration board. It's tough. It can take a lot of abuse without the surface suffering too much. I use my transferred drawings especially to preserve the more delicate surface of watercolor paper. I also tend to do very detailed preliminary drawings that I want to keep because I use them as a visual reference to help me complete my painting.

You've inspired me to drag out some of my stock of illustration board and get to work.

Beverly

[Yokovich]

great lesson Quiet--..give me a day or so and I might dig out my acrylics from my trunk fill of art supplies and give it a go. You did a wonderful job of describing and your final product is beautiful! well done!!

[Striver]

Hi
Had excatly 30 mins before invading grandchildren, thats what it took for my unstructured just go for it approach. Nice exercise hope you do not mind, lots missing of course. Enjoyed it so much will try another quicky sometime, good loosing up exercise.
You are welcome to C&C and twill be appreciated. Planning and Preparation always pays of, if you have the time.
Regards
Les

[Sanne]

wow so alot of you use illustration board for your acrylics ?
thats interesting .. are also acrylics on this as opposed to canvas ? '

i might have to give this a whirl .. hmmmm

[Quiet]

Beverly – “You've inspired me to drag out some of my stock of illustration board and get to work.” Awesome!

Cel – Woot! I look forward to seeing what you paint!

Striver – By all means, do post what you’ve got in progress! There’s nothing wrong with making good use of limited time.

Sanne – I don’t think illustration board is used widely by the folks here, and it’s certainly not required for this exercise, but I like painting on it. ;-) Give it a whirl!

[DeAnne R.]

Quiet posted Illustration board comes in two general surfaces that I know of: hot press and cold press. I keep forgetting which is which, but one has a very smooth surface, and the other has a little bit of tooth. (I think the toothy one is the cold press, and that’s what I typically use.)

The only thing I seen was watercolour paper in the hot and cold press, would that be the same?

[Quiet]

The only thing I seen was watercolour paper in the hot and cold press, would that be the same?

Nope: watercolor paper and illustration board are two different things. probablly the biggest difference is that watercolor paper (or any "paper") can be rolled up. Illustration board, although it is another paper product, is rigid.

[Striver]

Hi all
Seems my 30 min painting did not load properly. As before C&C welcome. Unfinished and some detail missing I am aware, squeezed it in before the terrors G/Children arrived. Not layered, just slapped it on.
Les

[BeeCeeEss]

Quiet posted

The only thing I seen was watercolour paper in the hot and cold press, would that be the same?

Besides the "rigidity" factor about illustration board, there is one other important difference between watercolor paper and illustration board. In both cases, you want to look for 100% cotton in the make-up of the paper. But watercolor paper has a sizing applied to it to control the absorbancy of the paper. When you soak the watercolor paper prior to stretching it before use, some of this sizing is rinsed away. I like to work on watercolor paper that has not had any of this sizing removed so the absorbancy of the paper is very controlled and predictable.

Illustration board does not, to my knowledge, have this sizing applied to its surface. I usually work on standard illustration board which is about 80% cotton fiber and 10% wood product. There is 100% cotton illustration board, but I have a lot of the standard stuff to use up before I "upgrade" to that.

With watercolor paper, the more you soak it before stretching it, the more of its sizing you will rinse away. The removal of the sizing will allow washes to spread much more rapidly than they would on paper with more sizing.

It all depends upon how you like to work. Choose the surface that suits your working techniques.

As to the working surface, hotpress, cold press, rough, etc., watercolor paper comes in many different working surfaces. Beginning with the smoothest and going toward the roughest, watercolor paper comes in hotpressed (plate smooth), coldpressed (a little textured), rough (much more textured) and something called elephant or somesuch (very, VERY textured). Recently, at least one company has produced a watercolor paper that I like very much called "softpressed". It is ranked between hotpressed and coldpressed in texture.

I believe illustration board comes in hotpressed (plate smooth), coldpressed (slightly textured) and rough (more textured).

Beverly

[AquaChimp]

Hi, this was a lot of fun. I don't usually draw before painting and it sure made life easier and less messy. I chose way too hard of a subject. I want to try this again with something smoother and less complicated.

I need help with how to put on the opaque colors. I liked layering the thin washes of brown, that was like sketching. But I was afraid to cover over what I'd done with color. Like the front of the shoe could have been painted completely brownish white but it would have looked flat then. How do you add on the opaque color?

Thanks

This is my 1 1/2 year old's shoe. So cute

[Godzoned]

Hi all
I've decided to give all this a go.

I found some illustration board amongst my art stuff.

My subject is a mini desktop easel.

I have posted my reference and my start drawing. I have sprayed the surface with "super lacquer spray paint" for I have no matt medium.

I'll put in the referance gallery my ref photo of the mini desktop easel for anyone that wants it. ;)

[Quiet]

You guys are all doing fantastic work! I hope you’re having fun.

Striver – For thirty minutes, impressive! I spent four or five hours on the demo piece. Now that you’ve done the metronome, why not set your own still-life up and do another? You could do it over the course of several days if you don’t have enough consecutive time. Just make sure the grand kids keep their grubby paws off of your still-life. ;-)

Beverly – thanks again for all the information!

Aqua – stunning shoe! I love the marks that you have made with the paint, and in this case, I don’t think you should cover them all up with opaque layers. As to the “how”, I’m still learning, and I’m really not sure. Sometimes I’ll just mix up exactly the right color for a spot and just fill it in there and it’s done. That tends to result in a gouache-like look. At other times I’ve sort of snuck up on opacity through layers of paint that were somewhat transparent, thinned down with medium. That looks a bit more like oils. And there’s my usual method, in which I paint on an opaque color, realize it’s all wrong, and then paint over it two or three more times, sometimes drybrushing one color over another without much of a plan, getting unexpected results. I do that a lot. ;-)

I don’t think you picked too hard a subject. It both challenged you and turned out well. That’s a perfect level to be at, because it has pushed you to your learning point and it didn’t trip you up.

Godzoned – ooh, I like your easel! Are you going to draw in the rectangle and the boards it’s sitting on, as well? Those add a lot to the composition in the photograph.

It’s great to see you’re working from life. You’ll have an extra challenge chasing the shadows as the sun moves through the sky. ;-) Sunlight makes beautiful shadow colors, so it should be worth it.

Cheers!

[Yokovich]

Hi Quiet---thanks for this lesson--I used your technique to do this from the "weekend drawing event" (that is where photo references are given to you to paint from--I chose this kitty). My camera was low on battery or I would have photographed my drawing that I painted over with gloss medium (amazing that stuff still works after 12 years in a cupboard--lol) --I learned stuff with your lesson--firstly that I don't hate acrylics (I thought I did---lol) your lesson is so helpful because I can't remember sealing the drawing ahead of time and I know this came out better than usual because I could see my "underdrawing" for a long while. I did this on acid free foam core.
Very generous of you to provide the lesson, Quiet!--you're a natural born teacher!
By the way, the "WDE" is a fun and good way to sharpen skills for interested parties! "weekend drawing event" (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=133)

[Quiet]

Cel – Haha! I’m so glad to have helped you not hate acrylics. They're unruly, but sometimes useful. ;-) Thanks for the kind words!

Care to pull up a still-life and join us for another round?

[Godzoned]

Wasn't planning on doing the green mat and table. I might do them now. Lets see. :D

[Godzoned]

Me again.
I tried sketching in the green mat and table. But something just didn't look right so rubbed out those items.

Next two posts...
1. Used Olive Green and burn sienna mix for painting over the pencil lines. with my number 1 rigger synthetic brush (usually my watercolour brush :D ).
2. Used the same mix for background. Cross hatching as I went with my number 3 flat hogs bristle brush. Then "coloured" in the easel with Raw Sienna.

All I have to do now is establish values, put in shadows and finish. :wink2:

The layer of clear spray over the lines really did the trick. Thanks for that. I now know what you mean about no smudging when you paint over the pencil after you put that coat over top of the initial sketch. I was a bit confused by that and thought it unnessarsary but it is definately worth doing. :D

[Godzoned]

Golly me again.
Has everyone gone on a break or something? Where's the bickies and coke?

Oh well I was always the one to stay behind in Art class for I was so hooked in what I was doing. :wink2:

I finished.
Added browns/blues to my painting. Don't ask me what for I used the acrylic paints from my wet pallet that I did on another painting and forgot what colours I have mixed together. :D

I liked what Van Gogh did with his backgrounds so tried to do the same in this one. Crosshatching colours etc. It kind of works.

C&C welcome - its how I learn.

[Quiet]

Great job, Debbie!

The best part is up around the top of the easil, where tou took the blue paint all the way to the edges. Nice screw!

Anybody else want to give this a shot?

[JamieWG]

Anybody else want to give this a shot?

Absolutely! It is still in my Game Plan for February. :D

And there’s my usual method, in which I paint on an opaque color, realize it’s all wrong, and then paint over it two or three more times, sometimes drybrushing one color over another without much of a plan, getting unexpected results.
Thanks so much for my laugh of the day! Glad I'm not the only one who fumbles around. Ha!

Have you tried this approach with other color schemes and objects? For example, transparent items like colored glass, which require a color purity? In that instance, would you underpaint with the color of the glass rather than an earth tone?

Jamie

[Charlie's Mum]

This class is progressing well - there'll be some gold stars soon :wink2:

Debbie - thanks for posting the stages of your work - that's good for all to see ~ and I agree with Quiet - it's better when you paint right up to the object and fill in the background (cos we don't have emty holes around us!

Striver - would love to see a painting of a still life which you set up - it's so valuable to paint from life - please give it a try.

Aqua - the shoe is very well observed and painted - you've used the lesson but applied it in your own way and that's excellent.....what's next?

Keep going everyone - like Jamie, I intend joining in as soon as time allows! :D

Quiet - thanks again for this - it's so encouraging to see people trying out the lessons.

[JamieWG]

This is a teeny tiny mini---2.5x3.5". I did the steps as close to the way they were presented as I could. It was painted from life on my kitchen counter and lit from the side with a halogen lamp. These pics are shown actual size, so they are small! All paints used were Golden fluid acrylic.

Here's the pencil drawing, painted with matt medium:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Feb-2005/13766-Quiet_Classroom_apples_2x3_wip_1_250.jpg

Next, I went over the lines with transparent red oxide:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Feb-2005/13766-Quiet_Classroom_apples_2x3_wip_2_250.jpg

I laid in some monochrome values, and did a light wash over the entire painting, still using the trans red oxide:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Feb-2005/13766-Quiet_Classroom_apples_2x3_wip_3_250.jpg

Adding hansa yellow light, pyrrole red, ultramarine blue, and titanium white to the palette, I brought the painting to this point. I'll probably tweak it a bit more to resolve some issues, but it's just about finished:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Feb-2005/13766-Quiet_Classroom_apples_2x3_wip_4_250.jpg

I popped it into a mini frame to get a photo. This gives you an idea of the actual size in relation to a penny:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/12-Feb-2005/13766-Quiet_Classroom_apples_2x3_wip_4_framed_400.jpg

Quiet, thank you for a wonderful classroom! I had a great time test-driving your method!
Jamie

[Quiet]

Hi everyone!

Jamie – Awesome job on the apples! Thanks for sharing your in-process steps, too! My goodness, that’s a tiny painting.

I really haven’t boiled this approach down to a science. I’ve tried various approaches to painting various materials, with varying luck. ;-) I did try painting a raw egg today – lots of transparent goo – photographed it at various stages. I’ll probably get that edited and posted in here on Monday.

C’s Mum – thanks!

[JamieWG]

Quiet, this guy does "A Painting a Day" and he just did a raw egg a couple of days ago! Scroll down the page and you'll see it. His work is awesome and inspiring:
http://duanekeiser.blogspot.com/

I used to do all my oil paintings with an underpainting technique similar to yours, but with no pencil drawing----just going in with paint. For acrylics, it's even better for many reasons. The underpainting dries so quickly, and it takes away some of that artificial look of the acrylic when you paint more transparently and let the underpainting work for you. I'm looking forward to doing more experimentation with this method in acrylics. I'll probably leave out the matt medium step next time, as I like the paper to be more absorbant than what I got once the medium was on.

Jamie

[Godzoned]

Great job, Debbie!

The best part is up around the top of the easil, where tou took the blue paint all the way to the edges. Nice screw!



Thankyou. It was a nice change to paint an object. :)

[Quiet]

This approach can be used in a much more painterly manner, too.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Feb-2005/49891-egg_01.jpg

I was inspired by artist Duane Keiser (thanks Jamie! I’ve been drooling over his work for days) to try painting an egg from life. This time I started by glazing my whole surface first, and then on top of that I drew my egg with paint. (And a nice, simple drawing it is! All that pencil stuff gets tedious.)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Feb-2005/49891-egg_02.jpg

I added the first colors in transparently.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Feb-2005/49891-egg_03.jpg

continued. . .

[Quiet]

Starting to get opaque with the paint. . .

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Feb-2005/49891-egg_04.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Feb-2005/49891-egg_05.jpg

Now you try! Set yourself up a still-life and have fun!

[Godzoned]

wow your egg is really cool!

Something so plain makes just such a great painting! It really pops! :clap:

[rickymanchester]

Hey Quiet,

That egg is great! I also took a look at that Duane guys site a few days ago when I followed a link from the PAD thread. His work is so amazing... you must be proud to be starting to emulate him...

I've not been painting for a short while and Maureen reminded me in my recent post about these Monthly classes. I've come and had a look - and it all looks great.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get off my butt and join in. I would do it now but it's late here, and I really should be thinking about going to sleep to help get rid of my man-flu. :rolleyes:

Best Wishes

[Quiet]

you must be proud to be starting to emulate him...


Awwwww, thank you! *turns pink* I’ve got a long way to go yet. . .

Get well soon, and then come play in the PAD thread! ;-)

[rickymanchester]

Here's my attempt - not one of my best i think. I always have real trouble loosening up and it shows.

Maybe I'll give this lesson another go someday soon - just gonna do some general practice until that time.

Regards

[Quiet]

Nice job, ricky :-)

Something that you might want to focus on in your studies is using light to make your objects look round. I hope you don’t mind: I popped your apple into photoshop and played with the shadows and hilights on it.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/18-Feb-2005/49891-apple_2.jpg

(And by the way, I’m struggling with this exact same thing in acrylics, which is why I’m painting eggs over in PAD. ;-) Come share your practice work there!

Cheers!

[Godzoned]

Hi all :clap:

I have decided to give it another go and have the finish look a bit like James Gurney's paintings on page one of this thread.

Ok a big deep breath here.......

Ref photo shown - River in Murchison - Tutaki Valley.
Sketch with clear spray overtop.

I'll be doing a bit tomorrow on it too.

[Striver]

Debbie
Looks interesting, will follow with anticipation and bated breath. Good to see this thread developing. Just survived four days with Aliens (2 grandchildren 5 & 14mths) Boy & sceaming girl. lost my sanity somewhere. Given them back now but house renovations pressing or I would be doing more here. Still good to visit and see it happening.
Les

[Striver]

Debbie
Is this on paper or board, does not look like canvas.
L

[Charlie's Mum]

It's great to see some work by others! :evil:
I've been painting postcards like mad for a project - but think I might combine with this 'cos it looks so interesting.
I've just managed to catch up with the thread, so checked Jamie's link to Duane's site - wowee!.......his lighting at times is very like Vermeer's, so definitely something to aim for!

Michelle - I thought your 'chunky' egg was delightful - loved the translucency you got and I like your bold, strong brush strokes.

Just knew Jamie would get a mini in somewhere :evil: :wink2: - but that's cool too!

Waiting for the next episode of the river Debbie!

Celestia - come back! Want to see more of the lovely paintings you've done in oils - but in acrylics :evil:

I'll post as soon as I have something to show :)

[Godzoned]

Debbie
Is this on paper or board, does not look like canvas.
L

Get ready to cringe - its cardboard from some packaging from something I bought.

This is an experimental painting for I have never painted like James Gurney and want to give it ago. Not sure if it will work out and didn't want to waste canvas if it didn't.

If it works and I like it enough I might paint it on canvas again to sell. We'll see.

Striver you are lucky you can give the little Aliens back - I have one 8 month old girl that loves squealing and will crawl any day now. Which freaks me out a bit. I may have to paint in a playpen!!!! Wait - I have to get a playpen! Mummmmy!!!! lol

Got to have a shower and get ready for the day. Man! 10:22am already! I've been here too long!

[Godzoned]

Did some more of the landscape yesturday. Didn't have any time today. Try to work on it tomorrow. :wink2:

Painted the lines with burnt sienna - oops there goes the James Gurney effect!

Next I did an underwash of watered down Raw Umber. Probably didn't need to because of the colour of the cardboard already but wanted to keep up the habbit. :D

[bjcpaints]

Have you tried this approach with other color schemes and objects? For example, transparent items like colored glass, which require a color purity? In that instance, would you underpaint with the color of the glass rather than an earth tone?
Jamie


Hi everyone. I have been lurking and learning. I keep waiting for someone to answer this question as I am very curious as to how people are able to paint glass and have it look so real. Clear glass and colored glass as well - any tips? Anyone? I know February is almost over but I do intend to participate here - hopefully over the weekend. I have taken on too many projects which is probably not uncommon for WC members. :D Thanks again for this lesson and everyone's contributions here.
Barbara

[Quiet]

I keep waiting for someone to answer this question as I am very curious as to how people are able to paint glass and have it look so real. Clear glass and colored glass as well - any tips? Anyone?

I wish I had a good answer for you. I haven’t painted much in the way of glass, but this is how I would go about it: set up a still-life and then treat it like any other object. The only difference is that the glass (if colorless) will have hardly any of its own color. Instead, the colors are made up of whatever is visible through the glass, and whatever is reflected from the surface of the glass. If the glass is colored, then the colors of what is through the glass and what is reflected on the glass are both going to have some of the glass’s color, too. So, a blue glass object sitting in front of a red object would be purple. A blue glass object with a red light on it would have reflections that are purplish around the edges and red in the hot spots. I think. :-)

The best way to learn how light behaves in transparent objects is to set up a still-life and just carefully copy down the colors. Repeat this until you have a light bulb moment.

Here’s a glass object I did back when for the painting-a-day thread:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/24-Feb-2005/49891-049_Bottle.jpg

Nice landscape Debbie! I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. . .

[jeff m]

Quote from BJCPaints

Hi everyone. I have been lurking and learning. I keep waiting for someone to answer this question as I am very curious as to how people are able to paint glass and have it look so real. Clear glass and colored glass as well - any tips? Anyone?

Barbera,
Nitsa, Anita did a "WIP paint along with me" demo on glass, that was soo good, it made it so easy. When I say easy, I don't mean all our contributions looked like Anitas. But was very easy to follow.
It ran earlier this month, but just reappeared by pop demand.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247018

[bjcpaints]

Thank you quiet and jeff m. Yes, I have seen some of Nitsa's paitnings - particularly that one with the cut glass that looks so real. I did miss the tutorial and will go look. Thanks again.
Barbara

[Charlie's Mum]

I keep waiting for someone to answer this question as I am very curious as to how people are able to paint glass and have it look so real. Clear glass and colored glass as well - any tips? Anyone?

Barbara - I've just painted these glass marbles if you'd like to take a look ~

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3252495#post3252495

.......sorry it's not a WIP!

Actually, take Quiet's advice about studying - really looking hard - then paint what you see, not what you think! Forget glass, break it down into shapes and colours and relationships.........shout if you need help!

[Nolita]

Hi,

I think I'm in, but I'm not sure. What are the rules for cross-posting paintings? I mean, if a painting is applicable to projects in two different forums, is it okay to post it in both? I had allready started a painting for the Portraiture forum(of a toddler) and was allready using this technique(though, I was using the Paint Your Own Vermeer, and Flemmish Painting Techniques tutorials as guides. It's awesome having this thread, so that I don't have to have 4 tabs open when referencing instructions.

Because I chose to include the most difficult thing in the world for me to draw, a hand, and it's a baby's hand to boot(even trickier since I don't have a baby lying around to reference), I'm still in the drawing phase, I'm just happy to have my composition down. As soon as I get the hand right I can jump into the painting phase(am so much closer to having the drawing down, but not quite there yet).

My birthday is the 28th and my mom only just realized that the perfect b-day gift for me is an all in one printer/fax machine/copier/scanner. It's orderred but won't arrive untill sometime in March(hopefully). As soon as it gets here I can set about scanning all my analog art Yay!

Incidentally I allready use a similair technique with digital. I think one of the best aspects is when it comes to detail and dimension. For example, when painting eyes, if you use this technique, you can get amazingly realistic looking eyes. All moist, with nicely detailed irises:).

[Quiet]

What are the rules for cross-posting paintings? I mean, if a painting is applicable to projects in two different forums, is it okay to post it in both?

It's fine by me if you want to cross-post stuff. ;-) I think the general rule for cross-posting is just don't spam every sub forum with the same piece of work. But a couple of cross-posts are usually fine.

I look forward to seeing what you make!

BTW, there's a version of this classroom over in the digital forum, if you want to try it in digital. But you'll have to dig for it, since it's sunk way off of the first page.

Cheers!

[Charlie's Mum]

Nolita - it's fine to do a couple of xposts.........it's also OK to use what you're doing in another project, as this is really a Classroom situation rather than a project :) ...............and although another Class is starting this coming week/month, these classes never really close, so please join in as and when! :)

Quiet - Michelle.......I'd like to say 'Thank you so much for doing this' - it's been a very valuable class and, as already said, remains in the archives for good! A good teaching resource - thanks again :)

[Godzoned]

Hi all :wave:

Finished the "River" on Friday.

This is the Tutaki River, Murchison, South Island, New Zealand.

Painted: 25 Feb 2004 on Card Stock 10" x 13"

I am very happy with this one. Esp. the water.

As I painted around the river I put the colour,I used as a wash in the river. It worked really well.

I also white washed the background a little to "fade" it a bit to create distance. Just trying something new and not quite the James Gurney style I was looking for - but I think it has still worked. :wink2:

[Quiet]

Nice one Debbie! You got some very watercolor-like effects that I wasn’t expecting to see on a brown cardstock surface. ;-) Do you do any plein air landscapes? If not, you should give it a try. It’s so much more satisfying to paint from life. But anyway. . . great job, and thanks for sharing your results!

C’s Mum – thanks! And nice marbles, btw.

Nolita – happy birthday!

[LouAnn]

Thanks for a super job.
not sure how much of this is left. but I entered it twice somehow. So I'll just leave this 'thanks' in.. LouAnn..

[LouAnn]

:clap: :clap: Wow, thanks so much for the lessons and pictures. Descriptions are great but with the added photos it's so much easier to understand. What a super presentation. Spent the last half hour reading and rereading your 'lessons'! My 'studio' is a corner of our kitchen (no room for tables in our hacienda!) and it's nice to know that the pencil work CAN show. Actually, it probably would take on the aspects of shading! Since I paint rocks, generally, my pencil work is very limited. But think I will try to use it more. I was afraid the graphite might keep the paint from adhering to the rock, but so far, no problem! Thanks for a super job.
Next on the agenda... portraits!! I do so dearly want to draw someone and have it LOOK like THAT person! Hope there's a 'lesson' on that here! LouAnn..
www.geocities.com/suggary666/sugspage.html

[bettyfaye]

At this point, I’m satisfied that I’ve accurately caught the value-range of my metronome. Now it’s time for color. If I remember correctly, I used burnt sienna, hooker’s green, raw umber, and titanium white here. I’m trying to keep my palette simple because every color adds complexity, and those darn colors can get out of control in a hurry. I’m not thinning the paints with anything.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_06_color.jpg
REALLY LIKE YOUR PAINTINGS. GOOD JOB. YES, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. IF YOU WOULD PLEASE EMAIL ME, AND ANSWER IF YOU CAN. I AM ALMOST ASHAMED TO ASK THIS, BUT HERE GOES. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS PLEIN AIR? HOPE I SPELLED THAT RIGHT. I SEE IT A LOT OF WC, HAVE SCRATCHED MY HEAD A DOZEN TIMES TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT ON MY OWN. I AM SENDING MY EMAIL, IN CASE YOU DON,T SEE IT ON WC. BETTYFAYE@SBCGLOBAL.NET WEEKS AGO, I SENT IN A PAINTING ON PLAM TREES, GOT SOME NICE COMMENTS ABOUT IT. THANKYOU IN ADVANCE, AND KEEP THAT BRUSH MOVING. NOTHING LIKE PAINTING I ALWAYS SAY. THANKS.
My metronome has turned out to be a yucky salmon-color, and I’m not at all happy with the dark background, so I intervened at this point by draping a blue cloth behind the metronome. I’ve broken out the ultramarine blue and a wee bit of cadmium yellow. I also go back in with my dark hooker’s green/burnt sienna mixture to re-paint the dark lines in certain places.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_07_color.jpg

One final adjustment of colors, and some pesky details, and here’s the final picture:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/31-Jan-2005/49891-metronome_08_complete.jpg

There you have it! I hope this has been helpful. Please try this technique for yourself and post your results here! If you have any questions for me, just ask, and I will do my best to answer.

Cheers!