Oil Painting In Cowboy Boots 101

[beetlesaab]

thanks for the info Jim. I work at a craft store and we sell W&N Winton paints, but not a very big selection. I'm gonna run to a "real" art store tomorrow and get the Indian Yellow and some good quality brushes.

[jim56]

Jenna, Cadmiums are about as opaque as it gets. See above what I told Donna. You could probably get by on this project but mixing any dark value that needs much yellow is going to be tough.

Some more comments on Catherine's post. A big part of learning anything is just doing it. I know a lot of talented artist who are not good painters because they don't paint. I had a very average art student some years back in a college class where others showed much more raw talent. But he went on to study with a well know artist and just plain worked hard at it. Today he is a really good painter making a living at it. My observation is that Catherine is going to become a really good painter simply because she just keeps painting.

I really believe that painting is quite simple. There are about 6 basic things to learn. Color, value, shape, composition, edges and perspective. Learn those and your all set. Then you can sit back and spend the rest of your life perfecting your skill. All of us know something about all of these. It is just a matter of becoming more sensitive to them in observation and execution.

So as we move forward with this or any other painting if you see flaws that is a good thing. You can't fix or improve on what you can't see. Some people can't see what they are doing wrong and they will keep making the same mistake over and over again until they do.

Learn to enjoy the process of just mixing paint up moving moving it around. If it look like something when your done, that is a bonus.

Notice I haven't told Catherine what to do next. I have a feeling she will do something no matter what.

[rugman]

Ok, gathered my oils, got pallete ready, got quick sketch done in pastel pencil (Im too chicken to sketch using thinned oil paint ). Tomorrow I will do monotone painting, just running out of gas for tonight.

I have Gamblin hansa yellow medium, which is semi-transparent. Thats the only transparent yellow I have, hope that will work for what your teaching?

Thanks again, Jim.

[wetbob]

I tried to paint an apple with the 3 colours and white. It s amazing what colours you can mix with it, learned a lot allready. I didn t understand you had to do a grisaille.
I looked at the colour wheel and the 3 colours looks like a split complementairy palette,

I have Gamblin hansa yellow medium, which is semi-transparent

I use winsor yellow, seems transparant accoring to the lable,
wb

[jim56]

Yes the semi-transparemt Gamblin hansa yellow medium will work.

[jennaboo88]

Originally Posted by jim56

Jenna, Cadmiums are about as opaque as it gets. See above what I told Donna. You could probably get by on this project but mixing any dark value that needs much yellow is going to be tough.

Oh no. Well, the man helping me at Michael's did say that I could get a full refund if the paint wasn't what I needed. The problem is that the art store is an hour away...guess I'll be late getting going in the first part of the class.

Thanks for letting me know. Hope to get the right stuff soon. Maybe I'll order it online and be sure to get the right kind.

[tuzigoot]

All righty then - got my transparent yellow at the art store yesterday. Gamblin Transparent Yellow - Earth, and it is browner than it is yellow, at least out of the tube. Will be able to start this tomorrow - my first real still life... no fear no fear.

[beetlesaab]

Originally Posted by jennaboo88

Oh no. Well, the man helping me at Michael's did say that I could get a full refund if the paint wasn't what I needed. The problem is that the art store is an hour away...guess I'll be late getting going in the first part of the class.

Thanks for letting me know. Hope to get the right stuff soon. Maybe I'll order it online and be sure to get the right kind.

cheap joe's has good pricing and with shipping you're paying about what you would at Michael's

[oldwomanpainting]

Hi all. I've never been in here. (I followed a link from oils) Hope you dont mind me joining in.

Here is mine...
5"x7" oil on canvas

[KJSieloff]

Well Jim,

I didn't get to town to buy paints, now I'm working 12 straight shifts. No trip to town now for at least 2 weeks. Dang it!!

BUT, I'm watching and I'll save this thread for when I do get to town! I swear I'm gonna go buy my paints and canvas, I'm gonna paint a pic this year if it's the last thing I do!!

Thanks again for doing this!
Kate

[jim56]

Janet, glad to have you with us.

Kate, hope it does not take that long to get to painting but I know how it is.

I am going to wait a few days to comment on paintings. There is no real deadline but when we have a few more posted, we can have a little critique and move on to the next step.

In the mean time for you over-acheivers you can work on honing your mixing skills by seeing how many colors you can out of these three plus white. You could even make your own color chart.

Google images artist color chart and you can find how other artist have made color charts of their palette. Yours would not be as complicated as most since you only have 3 color and white.

Part of the method in all this is to really learn what these colors will do and then add more colors later. To start out with 7 or 8 colors is way to overwhelming for most of us.

[max nelson]

Jim...this is going to be a very instructive thread for everyone. I have only been painting just this past year (if you ignore some pathetic attempts I made about 10 years ago). During this time I've studied with several prominent painters and not one has used a transparent yellow or for that matter even mentioned it.

I can see that some of the problems of my darks eminate from opaque yellow (cadium yellow ...pure) which all three have advocated using. I have some Indian Yellow that must be about 10 or 12 years old but I'm going to dig it up and give it a try)

I think that everyone who follows this instruction you are giving will be very surprised at what they can conjur up in different color combos with just the three primaries. I know I have been.

What they will immediately notice is that their harmonies will improve dramatically! I wasn't aware when I tried years ago to paint that all these auxillary colors that the manufacturers hawk are meant as color alterers....not to be used as a tube color. More like adding a bit of spices to the main course.

I have some bad examples of too much burnt umber, raw umber, burnt siennas,veridian etc used straight from the tube. Matt Smith straightened me out on that one.

I do have one question though...in your intro you mentioned putting the darks on thick and the lights thin. This is contrary to what most advocate, isn't it. I don't question your results..they are grand..but just curious as to your reason.

Thanks for doing this..it is going to be of immense help...I promise all who try will discover.

Max

[wetbob]

i wasnt able to mix the colours you all got, especially the darks. Maybe my winsor yellow isn t working, i don t have indian.
wb

[jennaboo88]

Everyone's work is looking great!

Originally Posted by beetlesaab

cheap joe's has good pricing and with shipping you're paying about what you would at Michael's

Thanks for the tip, Donna. Since I'm not sure when I'll be back in town, I did end up ordering online. I didn't think about Cheap Joe's...I went with Blick. The good news is that the Indian Yellow has shipped and will be here soon.

[Glade]

I just might have to give this a go... But it's turpentine for me - it just smells like art

Glade