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So, as I mentioned a few weeks ago in my introduction, I am new to painting. I have never picked up a paintbrush before a few weeks ago (except the few times that brush met a model car…) I started with acrylics and just wasn’t happy with what was coming of it. I had no idea on values, how to blend, nothing. I painted this in acrylic’s as my first painting, and hated it because it looked like something a five year old would do (fyi – I have schizophrenia, and I want to paint the things that I see to get them out of my head). This is a guy I have nicknamed Rage:
Again, I hated this painting. It had a style I was going for (surreal, thick black lines) but it looked so….bad. I had no idea what I was doing. So, I painted over it with blue, yellow and red and got a nice color combo that I really liked. I then set it aside for awhile.
I started researching oil paints, but having no money, I didn’t think I would be able to. I was gifted a starter set of Master’s Touch oil paints, some Linseed oil and oderless paint thinner, as well as some new brushes by a friend. I then had an idea. I wanted to paint what I call The Dark Man, a being that I see often, usually surrounded by light and colors. So, I took my tube of black and used almost the entire thing covering the blue, yellow and red painting I had done. I then used a pallet knife to scratch out the outline of the dark man, and all the space around him I scratched out as well.
I then dipped a different brush in a little bit of thinner, then dipped it in white. I wanted to give a few highlights to the dark man, just to make him appear three dimensional (something I very much failed on my first painting). So, I put some around the jawline, the cheek area, and where the eyes would be. I also put some around where the armpits would be. The problem I saw was the white around the chin and the right armpit was way too bright. I tried to smudge it to blur it some, but it was still too much. I gave it a day, then decided I wanted to go over it with black again and just try again later….
Big mistake…this is going on day three and it looks like this now:
So, what did I do wrong and how do I fix this? I feel this is a decent first time painting (I don’t count my other one) and would like it to be good…this just frustrates me…any ideas?
You can post images after your first two posts, so you should be able to post them now. I can’t help you on your painting because it is so far removed from the style I paint in.
I see Lady Mars helped you out.
If you're asking me for advice, I'm going to assume that you've run out of rational options.
My work on FacebookI merely wanted a slight amount of shading and outline to show that this wasn’t a flat black shadow, but something that had a bit of depth to it.
Don’t go right for the white and try to thin it down to make it… less white:). Try mixing a few dark grays to go from the darkest black shadow to how light you want it to eventually be, then you can blend between the gray shades and you’ll see some form happening.
You can paint over it as soon as the paint is touch dry, which could be the next day or several days, depending on the paint used, thickness of it, your environment, etc. Just touch it, if your finger is clean, you can paint on top of it.
Don’t go right for the white and try to thin it down to make it… less white:). Try mixing a few dark grays to go from the darkest black shadow to how light you want it to eventually be, then you can blend between the gray shades and you’ll see some form happening.
You can paint over it as soon as the paint is touch dry, which could be the next day or several days, depending on the paint used, thickness of it, your environment, etc. Just touch it, if your finger is clean, you can paint on top of it.
Awesome, thank you! And I didn’t think about the shades of grey, great advice! Thanks a lot!
Don’t sweat it. We all have ruined many paintings in the process of learning to paint. I know I have :lol:. Its very rare for a beginner to pick up a brush and paint something well, especially with oils… unless you are Picasso. There are no happy accidents with oil paint. I’d say keep working on it, then put it aside and painting something else and keep repeating the process. If you feel the need to return to that one subject, you can always do so in the future.
http://www.kylesurges.com/
http://www.nitpickyartist.com/ - Blog and Info
unless you are Picasso.
nah he messed up all the time too. Everyone does.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
I’m sure Picasso ruined some paintings, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly.
He was 15 or 16 when he did “Science and Charity” in 1897.
http://www.kylesurges.com/
http://www.nitpickyartist.com/ - Blog and Info
Shorlong, I had a few years as a teenager with schizophrenia, and it’s certainly not a picnic! But this is an upward path you’re taking, and I want to encourage you to just have patience. We all took a long time to get where we are, and if you stick with it, it’s the best thing you’ll ever do. I think you’ve got a good start here.
One of the things I do is start with the dark colors. The blacks are thinner and they dry more quickly. After the black part of your painting is dry to the touch, you can add the lighter thicker colors like white. since you scraped the white lines into the edge of the figure, you don’t need to wait for them. If the blob on the face is still a bit wet, you can rub it off, or at least the dampest part of it, with a rag or a paper towel.
Then while you’re waiting for the rest of it to dry, do some pencil sketches of ideas you want to paint – it’s a way to distract yourself from going back to the painting while it’s still wet.
Good luck, and remember that it takes a lot of time and effort to become a painter.
Nancy http://nancyparkfineart.com
All human beings are dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together. - Jack Kerouac
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