Pastel and a Movie...2 hours of OP fun (7/19 to 7/25)

eileenclaire · #1 07-19-2004, 07:55 AM

Welcome to the weekly OP sketch thread!

The idea here is to complete a sketch in under two hours. It would be great if you could do it in one sitting; if not that's fine, but keep it under the two hour limit.

You can sketch from life, or a photo. Check out the reference library for some great images.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/RefLib/index.php

Post as many sketches as you like, we'd love to see them. The goal here is not to create a masterpiece, but to experiment, work loosely, and have fun. Can't wait to see your sketches!

RobynS · #2 07-19-2004, 08:25 AM

I am probably cheating with this drawing because I did it tonight at the art class that I go to each Monday evening but, since my holidays ended today and work will interfer seriously with my creative pursuits from a while I have to get in what I can. It is done from life and it did take me about 2 hours, so it does fit the constraints of the Pastel and a Movie exercise so ...

I used Faber Castell OPs on oil paper. The background is blended using turps but the coffee pot and the lemon (it is a lemon) are left as they were drawn, without blending. I find using the oil paper easier than the 300gm watercolour paper that I used for the eggs exercise. I tries to use the techniques of using complementary colours for the shadows that were discussed in the eggs exercise but it is a bit tricky trying to select the exact complement of a particular tint.

Kathryn Wilson · #3 07-19-2004, 09:09 AM

Hi Robyn, I like your coffeepot! Very well rendered -

CarlyHardy · #4 07-19-2004, 09:12 AM

Hi Robyn!
You're doing great...the painting is light and airy and with the shadows, your objects sit well on the surface of the table. I have to admit, my first thought was of a tennis ball....but then it seemed more obvious that it's a lemon with the teapot! Glad to hear you're working from life in your class. You will learn much more about color, proportion and perspective with a set-up instead of a photograph.

carly

eileenclaire · #5 07-19-2004, 12:46 PM

Robyn, your coffee pot is nicely done; I like the angle you've caught there. Glad you were able to post here. Sounds like you attend an art class regularly, and you can always post what you've done in this thread if it fits in the time limit. We'd love to see it!

I've done another dragon this week. But there is something off about the neck anatomy. If there are any dragonologists lurking out there, please feel free to help me out. Or possibly refer me to another animal that might give me ideas on the anatomy. I love drawing dragons, but I'd like it to look anatomically realistic, if you know what I mean.

My kids loved this one - I think they are drawn to the cartoonish look of it. It was done with their cheapo ops and plain paper.

Dyin · #6 07-19-2004, 02:51 PM

Hey, Eileen...I'm a Dragon Lady...born year of the dragon. Their necks actually go thin before the head...like those dinosaurs with the long neck...thick at the bottom and thinning upwards. Sheesh...do a Google search for dragon art...you'll see some way cool stuff that will give you ideas!

Robyn...this is great for this thread. Do you have a colorwheel? It will show you the exact complement which is always directly across from the color you chose. Other rules come into play with shadows too, they reflect some of the color from the object casting the shadow and show a bit of the surface underneath them. It just takes time playing and practicing, but one day kaboom, it all falls into place. This is a great sketch...and I knew it was a lemon (I read before opening

)

Ok...here's my 2 hours worth...I finished this in 3 1/2 hours so will just post what was done in 2. I tried the scrub-in-softies-with-a-sponge-brush technique that dee-artist has in the soft pastel forum classroom. I loved it UNTIL I found the softies acted as a WICK for the OPs...an hour after finishing I had a 1/4 inch oil stain all around the parrot. And this on Art Spectrum which never shows oil from the Holbeins, even with leaving the background plain. I had to cover to the edge of the parrot with mat acrylic glaze (which ruined the soft pastel effect) and then managed to save it with some colored pencil strokes over what was left. sigh....

RobynS · #7 07-19-2004, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Robyn...this is great for this thread. Do you have a colorwheel? It will show you the exact complement which is always directly across from the color you chose. Other rules come into play with shadows too, they reflect some of the color from the object casting the shadow and show a bit of the surface underneath them. It just takes time playing and practicing, but one day kaboom, it all falls into place. This is a great sketch...and I knew it was a lemon (I read before opening

)

Thanks for the encouragement. I do know the basic colour wheel but where I run into problems is with the variations in a colour and then finding its exact complement eg violet, purple, lilac ect are all shades of purple but to get the shadows EXACTLY right they would each need a different shade of yellow. Or is it not that vitally important?

Dyin · #8 07-19-2004, 06:42 PM

Actually it is vitally important...that's why a good colorwheel helps...it shows maybe a hundred variations...so you can see... if you're using an ochre yellow for example, which has a slight greenish tinge, then using a RED violet is going to work much better than using a blue violet. A blue violet will give a muddier look and a blue violet will work better with an orangey yellow. I know the basic complements too, but it's those off the wall shades...like which red will work with May Green. With a chart it's fairly easy to see quickly.

BeckyMc · #9 07-19-2004, 09:16 PM

I'm not sure this is going to work, but here is my almost 2 hour effort for the weekend WDE. Sennlier on gray Canson about 9x12. I'm not having fun yet with the MAC.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/atta...hmentid=147563

CarlyHardy · #10 07-19-2004, 09:49 PM

Hi Becky!
Beautiful atmosphere in your painting!

Eileen, I was going to say that the neck should be smaller behind the head but see you got that info already....so I'll just say, 'love the colors'. I took my daughter to see Pete's Dragon when she was about four....at first all was well, until the dragon appeared, at which point she screamed and shouted, "it's bad...it's bad...I'm scared....I wanna go home!" Needless to say all the other kids were shouting....shut up! And we left...to get ice cream

Sue,
I used some softies over the oilies for highlights and noticed later that some of it had disappeared. I think the softies do absorb oil. Glad you got your painting to work....that is a beutiful bird!
carly

Meldy · #11 07-19-2004, 10:49 PM

I love the coffee pot! Those are not easy to render. The suggestion of a really good color wheel is a good one. I need to find myself one of those.

The dragon is fun! You already got suggestions on it so I am just going to say I love the playfulness of it.

I really like the parrot. I love how the feathers are small strokes.. were they just quick dabs with the pastel?

You guys are doing great.

Dyin · #12 07-19-2004, 11:16 PM

Becky...thanks for coming over and adding that lovely bridge to our movie thread! You can use the uploader here too, it's ok (or does the Mac not allow you to???) Hope we see more of you now you found your way over!
Yep, Meldy...lots of little smooshies and dabs...it was fun that everyone thought they were detailed at the end...
thanks Carly...it's such a shame, sure wish I could figure out a way to make those kind of backgrounds work. But think I have a cool one for TOPP teehee.

RobynS · #13 07-20-2004, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyin

Actually it is vitally important...that's why a good colorwheel helps...it shows maybe a hundred variations...so you can see... if you're using an ochre yellow for example, which has a slight greenish tinge, then using a RED violet is going to work much better than using a blue violet. A blue violet will give a muddier look and a blue violet will work better with an orangey yellow. I know the basic complements too, but it's those off the wall shades...like which red will work with May Green. With a chart it's fairly easy to see quickly.

So now the hunt begins for a colour wheel that I can understand and use. I haven't been to the art supplies shop as I have spent way too much money over the last 3 weeks of mid year holidays. I did find this site on the Internet today, though and I am sure that it will be useful when I just figure out how to interpret it.

http://www.mauigateway.com/~donjusko/colorwheel.htm

Can anyone suggest any other sites that I could use, while I am waiting for the credit card to stop bleeding?

Dyin · #14 07-20-2004, 09:44 AM

Here's an excellent site for learning all about color..
http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html
I got a Grumbacher Color Compass really cheap many years ago, well worth the investment now, although it sat for a long time because I really didn't get it lol.

eileenclaire · #15 07-21-2004, 09:31 PM

Thanks all for the help with the dragon. I will do a search on that, good idea Sue.

Sue that parrot is incredible! Now that you have tantalized us with this, I will have to bounce on over to the WDE forum to see the finished piece. The background is so soft and lovely; I would never know by looking that you had struggled with it.

Becky, so glad you joined us! The lovely colors in this piece give it such a calm and tranquil mood. I'll be looking forward to seeing more.

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