white throated sparrow - using OPs as paint with solvent

[stee71]

This little fellow is a copy of a photo I saw in a magazine, it was meant to be a speed sketch to improve my drawing skills but once I started adding colour I started fiddling, so what should have been a 30 minute exercise actually took about 1hr30m.
For this one I didn't apply the op directly to the support at all. I scribbled the colours onto a china plate and liquified them with solvent (zest it) before applying with a watercolour brush. It lets me use my acrylic painting techniques but the OP enables you to blend and soften edges much more easily when required.
The support is dark blue canford card with a coat of clear gesso.
Size A4 (similar to US letter size). Mostly filia brand OP with some Neopastels.
C&C welcome, but bear in mind its only a sketch so any ideas for improvement will be taken on board and carried forward to the next one.

PS sorry about the image quality, whilst working away I'm stuck with crappy hotel lighting and my phone's camera ...steve

[halthepainter]

Steve it is wonderful. My finished work should be as good as your sketches.

[MaryThompson]

One of my favorite birds! You've done an amazing job with all the detail. All the sparrows are extremely challenging. I agree with Hal - I wish my finished pieces were as good as your sketches.

[Pat Isaac]

Sketch or not, this is a superb little painting. That technique works well for you. Does it take long to dry using the zest-it?

Pat

[reeta]

Sketch???? REAAAALLLLYYY??? lol This is terrific Steve! Your work is outstanding.

Ree

[stee71]

Aww thanks you guys, though up close it isn't anything special, the detail is implied with brushstrokes rather than actual painted detail, I really like using the OP's with zest it as a change from pushing the colour around with a tortillion....though I like doing that too. I can only describe it as working with something that approximates an oily gouache. Because the OP is so opaque it is very forgiving to mistakes which can be simply painted over.

Pat as for drying, this new Zest it solvent dries faster than the zest it paint thinner and brush cleaner, 5 min's under the hairdryer on cool - luke warm setting and it's dry (or at least as dry as OP's ever get. I would have to leave the standard zest it overnight to dry. The downside is this stuff doesn't have the pleasant orange peel odor. In fact it just smells like OMS, and in composition I think it is probably very similar. Once the solvent is evaporated the OP takes on it's usual characteristics and so can be blended and pushed around with a finger or stump.

[mollerman]

Stunning work Steve!!!

[Flycatcher10]

Steve this is a beautiful piece of work. From your composition, to the fur and body details of the Sparrow. It's an awesome painting.

If this is a study, just imagine . . . you must love those hotel rooms!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awe inspiring I'd say!

[TamaraB]

Did you just whip out a small masterpiece on us and call it a sketch? LOL

[E-J]

"It's just a sketch". Phew. Glad you clarified that. That explains why it's so rough and unfinished and the proportions aren't quite right and there's a complete lack of detail. Oh no, hang on. The opposite!!! This is brilliant, Steve!

What a great idea to use an acrylic technique with all the advantages of oil pastel ... I am tempted to try it. Need to tackle an assignment to paint fur soon in a wet painting medium and I'd rather be using OPs, so perhaps using this method I can cheat without actually cheating.

Great job.

[Mo.]

Brilliant painting Steve!! Notice I said painting not sketch, .
I use the same technique as you, I suppose it comes from painting with oils and acrylics for so long, plus it's much easier to get those details and of course the soft blending.

[Pat Isaac]

I would love to be able to get some zest it here. I don't think there is anything comparable.

Pat

[alangraham]

Damn, Steve, only an hour and a half? You are somthing. Very nice!

[stee71]

Sorry everyone I missed all the recent posts, thanks for the nice encouraging comments, I'm trying hard to get over a spell of artistic block at the moment . The best way for me seems to be these quickies, as if i don't invest alot of time then I don't feel so disappointed if a piece doesn't turn out as planned. I'll let you into a wee secret, the reason the painting isn't full paper size is I painted the bird first then started on the background and foreground, it wasn't going to plan so I downed tools before I got annoyed and wasted hours trying to fix it and went to watch TV instead ..... when i looked at it the next day in daylight it wasn't as bad as i had originally thought so I posted it. ...alas my biggest personality flaw is that I'm a good starter but rubbish finisher, so if a pic isn't completed in one sitting it never gets finished...the only exception is commissioned pieces an fortunately I don't do those very often.

[Sandra39]

Steve, this is a marvelous painti...oops, sketch. Love it. The dark BG made the bird stand out. You made a regular bird turning out so lovely. The "implied" feathers are really well done. Good proportion. Overall very good technique.

I use Turpenoid to thin out the OP by wetting the brush with turpenoid and wipe it on the OP sticks, after awhile I got tired of doing that so I press the stick onto the paper making some lines and dip my flat brush in turpenoid and use watercolor/acylic technique to apply strokes. This seems to go faster but not quite smoothly.

I may have to try your technique using Zest It solvent some times.

Sandi C.