Glass Bottles on Parade WIP

[painterbear]

I am experimenting with a new painting surface for me — 300 lb. instead of my usual 140 lb. I am finding it a bit different and a little difficult to get used to, so I thought I'd do it here as a WIP to give me incentive to finish. :o

Reference: Photo (http://www.wetcanvas.com/RefLib/showphoto.php?photo=8819&cat=fav) by Chookbrown in the RIL. Thanks C for posting it.
Paper: 300 lb., probably Arches (came in a sample pack so I'm not sure)
Size: 8.5" x 11"
Paints: various manufacturers, all artist grade

Here is the pencil drawing before lifting with a kneaded eraser:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Nov-2009/9833-BottlesDrawing.jpg

This was the first day's painting progress. It felt as if I were painting on blotting paper. Certainly is making me paint a bit more loosely than usual:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Nov-2009/9833-Bottles4colors.jpg

I'm going to have to do some lifting and scrubbing to get back the highlights I've lost on the bottles. :o

Comments and suggestions invited as always.

Sylvia

[raxu]

Sylvia...
this is exiting :clap:, the drawing is :thumbsup: and the way the bottles look now make me really curious, as I never painted glass yet... Thanks for sharing, I will be following your steps...

[pjartwc]

Boy, you are brave to try out a new product for an audience. I like your start and am interested in how your paint lifting works. I always have trouble unless I use a scrubber- my preference is a wet brush. Jan

[Uschi]

Ohhh, you are painting THOSE glass bottles!!!!!!!!!!!! Very brave!!!! Yes, you'll have your work cut out to recapture the whites:) Great start tough, they are already looking good!! I have never painted on 300 paper but can imagine the difficulty considering this delicate kind of work.

Uschi

[CharM]

Hiya Syl... along with the marbles, this is one of my favourite references... I haven't worked up the courage to paint either of them, though...

You're very brave to paint all this glass while trying out the 300# paper!

I'm a little surprised that you didn't mask out any of the highlights... Because of the weight of the paper, though, lifting should really be relatively easy... and you won't have any of those hard edges to deal with.

I'm looking forward to your next steps!!

[olliewood0702]

Wonderful start Sylvia, I'm pulling up my chair. I've never tried painting these either although I've been wanting to. With the 300lb paper it will take ALOT of scrubbing so recapturing the whites shouldn't be too bad. I'm not a fan of the 300lb paper either....just more used to the 140lb. ;)

[Yorky]

Wow! This is a tough one Sylvia, especially at that small size.

You have made a great start. restoring the lights should be easier on the 300lb paper.

Doug

[gmarie]

Fabulous. What a delight, & wonderful challenge.
You'll do this just great.
I love that #300.
Cut out a tiny little template (the plastic that bacon comes on)
of the shape of the highlights you'd like to restore,
and place where you'd like to lift, then, "lift". :D :thumbsup:

[painterbear]

Thanks all for the lovely comments and encouragement. I just added color to the last two bottles and the table top.

I took Char's idea about masking fluid and masked out the highlights on the magenta and purple bottles. So we'll see which works better, saving the highlights with masking fluid or lifting them.

Great idea about a template, GM. I'll keep that in mind when the time comes to start lifting.

Raxu,
Both my teachers said the secret to painting glass is to paint the shapes you see through it. ;) That's what I'm trying to do.

I'm still not feeling the love for the 300 lb. paper I expected to though. :p

I'll try to take another progress picture tomorrow when I get a little more done. Stay tuned. :D

Sylvia

[ona]

I cant wait to see your progress and how you tackle the 300lb paper. I have some but am not brave enough to use it yet. Its a good start:thumbsup: Yes painting lass is all about painting shapes of what is behind it

Ona

[painterbear]

Thanks, Ona. I'm still not used to the way the paints work on this heavier paper. Still struggling with it, in fact. :o

I worked on it a bit more today and yesterday. I added the color to the last two bottles, then I put more paint on the blue and red bottles. Tried lifting paint on the yellow one, but I may have to resort to using Luma White to add the fine line highlights.

Here is where it stands at this time:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Nov-2009/9833-bottles2.jpg

[Yorky]

It's looking great Sylvia, love the clean colours.

Doug

[olliewood0702]

Lovely clean color and your glass is looking great! Keep on going Sylvia; it's looking wonderful so far.

[CharM]

It's really looking pretty, Syl... Your colour is nice and clear and your glass is already resembling glass... the star of this show, though, are the wonderful reflections!

[juneto]

Sylvia !!!!!!! I can't believe you are putting ALLthose bottles on such a Teeny piece of paper !!:lol: :lol: :lol:
I almost fell out of my seat when I read that .:D Having gotten over my shock , I see these are looking Terrific.
300 lb. is Super , it's just different . It it so substantial and stays wet so long. It does take time to adapt to it though .
carry on , Looking great !
June :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :)

[gmarie]

Just Super. Thrilling. You Can Do It. Pull It On Through.

[AnnV]

Hi Sylvia you have me sitting on the edge of my seat.
Must remember to breath. Such a fantastic job so far.
I wont be going too far.

Regards Ann

[painterbear]

Ah, you guys are so encouraging. I'll keep plugging away at it a little bit more each day, I am finding it easier to come back in with more color now that the first washes have sunk into this heavy surface, but will have to work on those highlights when I finish this part.

Thank you Doug, Darla, Char (glad you noticed the reflections :D), June, Gladys Marie, and Ann.

Sylvia

[ams]

Looking good so far. Thanks for making your observations about the difference between 140# and 300#. I'll have a better idea of what to expect if I decide to try it.

Anne

[Grannyof5]

The bottles are looking so sparkley already. I'm loving it. :clap: :clap:
Jean

[painterbear]

Thanks for watching Anne and Jean.

I did a little more work on a couple of the bottles today. First I used Brian Barnes technique for Resurrecting White Areas (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169809) using masking tape and a Proxa-Brush. I was more primitive with the tape than Brian, but it worked a little bit.

The red bottle taped up prior to scrubbing:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/07-Nov-2009/9833-taped.jpg

and here is the proxa-brush in my hand to scrub with (I was trying to lighten some sections of the bottle):

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/07-Nov-2009/9833-proxabrush.jpg

After scrubbing both the red bottle and the yellow bottle, I added another wash of color on the magenta bottle while the other two dried. Then I repainted the red bottle with a coat of vermillion to make it look a little more orange-red. I also detailed the yellow bottle a bit and hightened its color.

I decided to use my Luma White watercolor paint to bring back the highlights on parts of the bottles where the scrubbing didn't work well enough.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/07-Nov-2009/9833-painted3.jpg

I also added masking fluid to the magenta and purple bottles before adding more color to them. You can see it in the photo above.

More tomorrow.

Sylvia

[doppler]

Sylvia .. this is looking luminous! Looking forward to more :)

[CharM]

When I scrolled down this morning *Oh, Wow!* escaped my lips!!! This is really looking luminous as Annie has said!

[wcartistsr]

These are looking just great! They have the wonderful glow of glass. I am looking forward to the finish.

Shirley

[painterbear]

Thanks for looking again Annie, Char, and Shirley.

I added another glaze of color over the green, magenta, and purple bottles.

This is where it stands now:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/09-Nov-2009/9833-BottlesDarkened6.jpg

I'll remove the masking from those three bottles and try to finish it up in art class this afternoon.

I have a question for you now that I've got the bottles about the value I want them to be—do you think I should add more color to the background or leave it pale? I haven't done anything there since the first day I painted on this picture, and I'm not sure if it should get another glaze????

Sylvia

[ona]

Its looking AMAzING!!! I wouldn't touch the background. Looking forward to seeing it finished:thumbsup:

Ona

[olliewood0702]

:clap: :clap: WOWZERS Sylvia, it's BRILLIANT!!:thumbsup: :cool:

[Brian Barnes]

Lookin' good Sylvia! :thumbsup:

The BG looks like a wall that the shelf is attached to. What's on a wall usually? Well there are pictures with frames ... and there can also be shadows. If you want to get brave and experiment with it, there is this idea I tried in Photoshop .....

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/09-Nov-2009/33172-bottles.jpg

Risky. It's like "going all in" in poker. Certainly adds drama to the still-life ... and probably a shot of adrenalin to the artist who tries it. :lol:

BrianB

[zingeli]

Wow- this looks good Sylvia, those colors are gorgeous and I like the transparency you achieved with the bottles. :thumbsup:
As for the background, I don’t know if you should play with the background, unless you mask out the bottles again it’s difficult to redo a large area of background without it looking like a repair job has taken place. Let me reword that, I find it difficult……..:lol:
Bryan

[muchuela]

I don't seem to be getting along anymore reading all these threads and staying up to date - to think I almost missed this one, too:eek:.
Sylvia, this looks fantastic so far:clap: and a great WIP to share:thumbsup:. I could only do a quick check but will certainly go deeper into it when I feel like painting glass :lol:....
You should think about this very well because if you darken the BG you probably would have to darken the bottles as well - at least partially - as you can look through them. I guess I wouldn't dare it !!
Lovely work:music:
Marita

[Violetta]

Sylvia, this is beautiful! You have captured the light reflections and the deep color of the glass perfectly. As for the background, I like it light and simple. That puts the focus on the glass bottles which deserve all the attention. :D

You're right about 300# paper being a bit different. I use 140# and 300# depending on my mood and the subject matter and I have to remember to adjust a bit each time. I've also started using 200# Sanford Waterford and like it really well. It seems to offer the best of both 140# and 300#.

I'm watching along with everyone else to see your progress and big finish.

[doppler]

I'd be leaving the background alone too ... the muted colour makes the bottles appear jewel-like!

[MtLookout]

Sylvia,

This is turning out really explosive. Love the intensity of the colors. It's like a bright morning light is making them glow. Keep it up.

Tom

[ams]

This has really come to life with the extra layers. Just beautiful!

Anne

[painterbear]

Thanks for the encouragement, comments, and suggestions Ona, Darla, Brian (:eek: I'm not THAT brave! :lol:), Bryan, Marita (yes, when painting glass, we need to remember what we see behind it or through it ;) ), Judyth (200 pound paper has become my favorite kind to use whenever I can find it, it definitely seems to have the best of both of the other weights all in one), Annie (I'm leaning towards that viewpoint also), Tom, and Anne!

I appreciate all of you taking the time to look and comment. :heart:

Sylvia

[brincrish]

I think the background is great as it is. Following with great concentration....you have captured the clarity and reflections of the glass so amazingly well!

[CharM]

So... what have you decided, Syl? I'll join the other voices in leaving the softer background... but, I really have to confess that I love Brian's suggestion!!! :lol: What a dilemma...

Like you, I've grown to love the 200# paper (Saunders Waterford) that I get from Curry's... It's a terrific compromise between the too heavy 300# paper and the much lighter 140#...

[painterbear]

To be or not to be,… wait, that's not the question. I have decided to move the table top line up a little bit more. Then I may add a bit more color near the table line and leave the top light.

I'll definitely take a cautious approach though. I don't have the nerve to try Brian B's suggestion. :lol:

I think eventually, the 200 lb paper may become the new standard. It really is a nice surface to work with. I'll watch for some Waterford..I've used Hahnemuhle but can't find it any more.

Sylvia

[Brian Barnes]

Just to let you know ..... I wouldn't have the nerve either :eek: :D

.... at least not without trying it elsewhere first. ;)

Probably need an airbrush to avoid moving underlayers from bottle to bottle. :(

BrianB

[painterbear]

Thanks for your patience...been busy the last couple of days and by the time we get home, I don't feel like doing much of anything except lazing on the sofa and reading. Anyway, I finally worked on this some more today, and I think I may be finished...unless someone sees something they think I might change. :wink2:

After I removed the masking, I did the dreaded softening of all the hard edges that were left behind, including the edge of the table top because I wanted to make it go a little farther behind the bottles.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/13-Nov-2009/9833-maskingremoved7.jpg

After I did that, I needed to make some of the edges and shapes more pronounced, so I worked on that this morning. I also added more brown for the table top behind the bottles.

Oh, I forgot, I did do another wash of green in the background, but kept it still in the light tones, just a tad deeper. :)

I must confess, I had to resort to Luma White paint to create many of the highlights because there was no way to rescue them. I should have masked them out carefully in the beginning, but that would have taken some PLANNING and I don't do that very well. :rolleyes: Of course, when I'm at the end of my painting, I wish I did. :o

Let me know what you think, this was kind of an experimental painting for me since I had never used 300 lb. paper before, so naturally I decided to paint glass on it. WHAT was I think of?????

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/13-Nov-2009/9833-finished8.jpg

Sylvia

[Yorky]

Lovely eye catching colours Sylvia. I like the reflections on the table too.

I tried a version o this myself some time ago and I can vouch for the difficulty.

Well worth the time taken.

Doug

[ReggieS]

Sylvia,
It is terrific! Your colors are great. The highlights are really well done and the reflections are superb!
You were gutsy taking this on! Good for you!!!!! It was well worth all your effort!

Reggie

[Brian Barnes]

Super finish! And your additions on the table made such a difference! :thumbsup:

BrianB

[wcartistsr]

Absolutely beautiful, Sylvia! Such a difficult subject with all that texture in the glass, but you handled it just fine. I actually think that the added white was better than masking. Not so stiff.
Again, really beautiful!

Shirley

[rickyhpierre]

Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this WIP with us.

Ricky

[happypaddler]

I didn't visit this thread because still life's and bottles don't do much for me. Normally. But this is really cool. My hat is off to you Sylvia. Great job on this.

[painterbear]

Thank you, Doug. I'm glad you like the result.

Reggie, You know the old saying about fools rushing in, ;) This was a real learning experience for me.

Brian, I'm glad I revised the position of the table edge too. If I preplanned like you do, I probably would have realized it was in the wrong place earlier.

Shirley, Those highlights were essential to give the glassy look, so I'm glad I had my bottle of Luma white at hand. :cool:

Ricky and John, I appreciate your looking and commenting. You made me feel :).

Sylvia

[Joan T]

Sylvia - This is a great WIP!!!! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I love it!

[CharM]

Super finish! And your additions on the table made such a difference! :thumbsup:

BrianB

This is absolutely gorgeous!!! :clap: WowieZowie! :clap:

[LynnM]

Very nice, Sylvia :clap: I think it is the end result that is important, and you really pulled it off! It's only judges at watercolour shows that care if you use opaque when they've asked for 'pure' watercolour.

[andymathis]

that really nice- I especially the darks on the table and corks making the colors pop.

I used to paint on 300 lb. paper all the time, as I was too lazy to stretch 140#.
I think you just have to use more water, or dampen the paper, or it just sucks the moisture right out of your paint mix and you get hard edges before 15 seconds is up.

I actually created a wet disaster at a workshop too. I was accustomed to using 300 # paper, and took 140# to the workshop. Needless to say I had everything too wet- the paper, the paint mix. I spent most of the day painting with a hair dryer in one hand, and paint brush in the other.