Any body else paint with sunglasses?!

[Lorijo]

I do, I often use clip-on polarizing sunglasses. Since they are clip-ons I can raise and lower them to check things. The light here in Florida can be intense even with a hat. Lorijo

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[jecoe]

Sorry to bump this thread back up, but I tried this today and it does work.

In this landscape – done looking right into the sun around 4-5pm (contra jour)-and wearing my dark, neutral gray sunglasses — my values seem to work fine, and to be in key with what I was seeing, and the colors are all in key with eachother, as well. It was too windy to use an umbrella, so I was relieved to have the sunglasses cut the glare on my palette.

Like others who have commented in earlier posts, I had always been told that you could not paint with sunglasses on- and it seemed to make sense to me. But I feel that I’ve demonstrated, at least to myself, that you can do it. I’ll be curious to know how others fare in their experiments.

Jim

James Coe

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[Pilan]

Okay, this is a very good thread. Like most here, I understand and realize the desire to keep the colors as close to what is in nature. However, my eyes gets very tired and burns with the open air blowing even if gentle. Also, I have allergies that I end up sick with being out 3 days in a row this week. I think it is better if I wear glasses to keep my eyes clear of pollen.

So just to make sure of the lens your using, is it the polarizing kind?

Thanks
Pilan

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[Lorijo]

Jim, your painting looks swell! I painted the bottom picture over here wearing my polarizing sunglasses. https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185304 Lorijo

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[Pilan]

that does it! I am getting polarizing flip ups for my glasses.

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[TomHart]

I should have mentioned this before, when this thread was still “young”. But I hope someone will still be interested. Actually this is a slight twist on the original topic of painting outside with sunglasses…

Obviously, some of the pleasing contrasts and colors I see with my sunglasses on disappear when I remove the glasses. The colors I see through the glasses are not excessively altered from the true colors, maybe they have a slight “Maxfield Parish” cast, if you know what I mean. These glasses are amber shade, not polarized, but they are prescription sunglasses.

Anyway, I’ve toyed with the idea of trying to rig up something that would allow me to see the scene through the glasses, but to see my canvas without the glasses. I suppose this would be a jury-rigged “bi-focal” sort of arrangement: something to hold the glasses a little off my nose so that when I look downward, at the canvas, I wouldn’t be looking through the glasses. (Probably what keeps me from doing this is that I’d look even odder than usual!!) In other words, my plan – yet to be realized – is to do a painting that does NOT take advantage of the theory, mentioned in above posts, that the eyes would “correct” the colors if you both looked at the scene and painted through the same sunglasses. What I want to do is reproduce the colors and contrasts that I see through the glasses, not correct them out of the painting.

Make sense? Any thoughts? Am I certifiably nuts? (don’t answer that last one).

Thanks,
Tom

[Marc Hanson]

Quote from TomHart-Anyway, I’ve toyed with the idea of trying to rig up something that would allow me to see the scene through the glasses, but to see my canvas without the glasses.

Hi Tom- I think that for those that can work this way, you’d need to be looking at both the painting and the scene under the same influence for it to work at all.

What you describe would be similar to having your palette in the sun, and your canvas in the shade when painting.

That means that your mixtures made in the shade, when applied to the canvas would be different and a tough one to adjust for.

So you look at the scene (with glasses), make a descision on color, mix it, and when you try to compare what is on your canvas (without glasses), to what you’re seeing (with glasses), how would you know what is correct?

Try it and let us know how it works. I have decided that I can’t even use any sun glasses to paint. I tried it but I was taking them off so often to see color that I have decided that for me it just won’t work. Maybe I’m nuts!

Keep painting,
Marc
[FONT=Verdana]Marc R. Hanson's Oil, Pastel Paintings and Workshops
Blog: Painting My Way Through Life

[Lorijo]

Tom, you are no crazier than the average artist, or at least you appear no crazier. (Jumping to conclusion after reading one letter from you )

Amber sunglasses would give a lovely golden glow to things I would think, very Maxfield Parrish. I remember loving my prescription rose colored sunglasses from the 70’s.

If you can get yourself some regular prescription glasses without the tint, then you can get some flip-up shades and do what I do. If you use them on the amber glasses, everything might look like mud, I don’t know. My flip-ups are very thin plastic so you could take some scissors and cut the bottoms off, giving that bi-focal look. Sounds like it would look awful, but it could give you the nutty artist look. Which might be good for sales, that I don’t know either, my sales are awful right now. (non-existant since april :rolleyes: ) Lorijo

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[TomHart]

So you look at the scene (with glasses), make a descision on color, mix it, and when you try to compare what is on your canvas (without glasses), to what you’re seeing (with glasses), how would you know what is correct?

Thanks, Marc and Lorijo for the really fast replys!!

Hey Marc: I decided this morning after seeing your most recent posted paintings, that I wanna be you. Or at least try to get to one of your workshops someday. You’re a real inspiration.

Also, Marc: I’m not sure if I misunderstand your post, or if I didn’t explain myself well. I want to mix and paint the color I see through the glasses. I’d be mixing and painting while I’m NOT looking through the glasses, trying to duplicate the color that I see through the glasses. In a way, (except for looking awfully strange and probably being uncomfortable) it shouldn’t be any different from looking through a tinted window at the scene, and (obviously) not looking through that same window at my palette and at the painting.

Lorijo: Thanks again. My prescription is very slight and is for distance, so I won’t need the prescription glasses to view my palette and painting. (And as you may have noticed, I mis-spelled “Parrish”.)

Tom

I know what I really need to do is just try this idea…some day.

[Marc Hanson]

I want to mix and paint the color I see through the glasses. I’d be mixing and painting while I’m NOT looking through the glasses, trying to duplicate the color that I see through the glasses.

Thanks Tom.

I did misunderstand that. So what you will end up with is a ‘tinted’ painting…like through the tinted window…but not like nature!? Am I understanding that right?

Would be a fun experiment, just wouldn’t do much for learning to recognize color in nature.

Of course if the Ozone disappears, we’ll all be wearing protective glasses at all times, so your work would look just right!!!!

Keep painting,
Marc
[FONT=Verdana]Marc R. Hanson's Oil, Pastel Paintings and Workshops
Blog: Painting My Way Through Life

[TomHart]

Thanks Tom.

I did misunderstand that. So what you will end up with is a ‘tinted’ painting…like through the tinted window…but not like nature!? Am I understanding that right?

Would be a fun experiment, just wouldn’t do much for learning to recognize color in nature.

Yes, that’s the idea, Marc. The glasses I have are pretty mildly tinted, and impart just a slight gold hue to everything. Sort of like the gold you see at sunrise. (Really does look like a Parrish painting.)

Thanks again!

[Marc Hanson]

Hmmm…….”seeing the world through rose colored glasses…”……………

Keep painting,
Marc
[FONT=Verdana]Marc R. Hanson's Oil, Pastel Paintings and Workshops
Blog: Painting My Way Through Life

[Royallie]

yeah, that’s true

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