Jan 27 | Coffee NOW

“Coffee NOW”

6x6” oil ($75)

This is a compilation of a number of cat photos, mainly because trying to see a black cat's features in a photo isn't easy!  I saw a cat poking its head through a pink blanket and decided I liked the color with black.  The eyes were from the first photo and the eyes I had to paint.  Intense and demanding.  Loved them.  

ART TIP

I love using a Kemper Wipeout tool and its double sided tool.  Thank you Dreama Tolle Perry for introducing it to me.  Beside wiping out, they are terrific drawing lines when painting wet into wet.  You can use it for whiskers! and signatures and just drawing in a line you've lost to help you place your paint better.  They should have them at your local art store in the ceramics department.  If not, almost all the online art stores carry them.  
 

Day 5 "Gullagain"

Day 5 | 2016 | 30 in 30

I haven't quite figured out a title for this one so for now its

“Gullagain”

6x6” oil ($50)

Yesterday' painting almost painted itself.  That usually means the next couple of paintings I try too hard and struggle.  Does it ever get any easier?  I guess then it wouldn't be a challenge.   One of the things I hope to come away with after painting 30 paintings is to paint faster and more efficiently.   I know that's when I paint my best.  Sounds simple but its anything but!  

I am painting on Gessobord, experimenting using a scrapper not only to remove paint, but to draw with in the paint.  

Art Tips

cardboard backing

As much as I enjoy painting on Gessobord, it is hard to handle without getting my fingers in it.  For larger pieces, I cut out a "backboard" from 1/8" Masonite an add a 1/4" lip on the bottom.  For the daily smaller pieces I don't need a bunch of little Masonite backboards so I decided to cut them out of cardboard.  Just cut a piece about 2" larger than your board (don't worry about exact sizing, my cardboard backing is 8x8ish for working for these 6x6s").  Then I hot glue a ledge piece to the bottom to stabilize the cardboard and keep the gessobord from sliding.  Role a couple of pieces of blue painter's tape to hold the Gessobord on the cardboard.  Works like a charm.  I recommend once you finish the painting and if you leave it attached to the backboard you store/dry laying flat .  Otherwise, remove and put the panel in a drying rack. 

toning

I took a great workshop with QIANG HUANG.  He recommends spreading a very light coat of linseed oil on your board or canvas before beginning to paint.  I like the way the paints goes on.  Just don't forget to wipe it down before you start painting so you don't have too much Linseed oil on it or your paint will run.  Once I wipe it down I am toning the boards with Transparent Oxide Orange (Rembrandt).  It blends nicely with the lighter paints applied over it.  Something I learned from DREAMA TOLLE PERRY is if you put down just transparents first for your first layer, they will not get muddy.

 

"wipe out" drawing

 

Rather than draw with pencil, charcoal or conte crayon I'm drawing with a wipe-out tool.  I have different types, but I really like the Kemper Wipe Out Tool DREAMA recommends.  It is actually a ceramic tool so the rubber tips are a bit stiffer and it has a tip on each end which is handy.  Great thing about drawing with the wipe out tool is if you don't like something you just brush it out and redo.  

 

 

 

laying in the paint

 

The thing I'm struggling with painting wet into wet is getting really good darks.  Hopefully, after a few more paintings I'll figure it out. Looking at this now, I'm kind of wishing I'd left the background more tonal ... I like the effect. 

#4 - HoHoHo

HoHoHo

6x6”, oil on board

This year the holidays flew by so fast it seems like the decorations just came out.  I'm not quite ready for the holidays to be over so I decided to paint this little Santa before I put him away.  He sits on a spring so while I've been painting every time I touch the table he dances around and makes me smile.  He proved more challenging to paint than I'd anticipated. I'm still struggling with warm highlights on red that don't look chalky...anyone who has any tips let me know. 

Like many of the artists doing the 30/30 challenge, I think it is a good time to experiment a little so I'm planning to try a few different things on these "quick" (don't I wish) studies.  For my last 3 paintings I started with white gessobord, brushed on burnt sienna + a touch of linseed oil, then wiped it down leaving the board toned and very little linseed oil.   I used a Kemper wipeout tool (one of Dreama Tolle Perry's favorite tools) and drew into the wet paint.  Normally I also use it to wipe out some of the highlight areas.  For small canvas its easy to make corrections...just brush out as needed.  

Check out the other artists doing Leslie Saeta's 2014 January Challenge, 30 paintings in 30 days.