More on Value and a WIP

My Mom (who is 90 years old) had some medical tests run last week and sitting in the lobby waiting brought back memories of when she had a stroke several years ago.  At that time I was in a critique class led by Polly Hammett.  Polly is a master at design and composition and really emphasized underlying abstract value designs.  She suggested that we take old art show catalogues and look at the value patterns of the winning entries and/or paintings that we liked.  By putting a piece of tracing paper over the photo one could see the larger value shapes in each painting.  I happened to have a sketch book that I had made by putting a sheet of drawing paper and then a sheet of tracing paper, until I had enough pages for the book.  To pass the time while at the hospital I started my Value Patterns Book...

Award winning paintings

Value Patterns of the paintings

Award winning paintings

Value Patterns of the paintings

Stephen Quiller

 I filled an entire sketchbook with the underlying abstract value patterns of winning watercolor paintings and also with the paintings of artist whose work I admire.  It was a very soothing exercise and I think I really learned a lot from doing it.  One thing I began to notice in all the value patterns was the use of large value shapes.

Value Patterns

Arne Westerman

Today I finished the drawing on my next painting and got the first glaze put on!!  Yea me!  Persistence and perseverance... one little step at a time.  Any progress is good progress... as long as it is progress in the right direction!

Work in Progress

Be Still My Art,


Kay

On Composition and Design

When I read watercolor books and also when I go to workshops or to demos I always take a few notes... or at least scribble on some note of interest.  Unfortunately I don't always label where I read what I wrote down or where I was when I heard some tidbit of interest.  I have all these "floaties" stuck in various places around my studio to inspire me or to remind me of something I need to be doing.  I'd like to pass them on... and I will give credit when I know for certain where I read or who said whatever it is.  Unfortunately, I don't know where I picked up the following information.  However, I thought it might be of interest to you or someone you know.  Just know that the original credit doesn't belong to me.  (A lady in a class asked me once why I didn't write a book.  My answer was that everything I know I learned from a book that has already been written... why write it again?)

When planning your painting concentrate on the following:

• Balancing shapes
• Harmonizing color
• Making the eye flow through the painting
• Simplifying forms
• Giving the painting clarity

Before completion of the painting ask the following questions:

• What is dominant?
• What shows repetition?
• How is it balanced?
• Do we see gradation?

Do you have "floaties" with bits of wisdom in your studio?  Maybe you'd like to share some with me.

Be Still My Art,


Kay

Gladiolus

Gladiolus
Watercolor and Pen and Ink
4.5" X 13.5"

I wish I could say that I stepped out into my yard the other day and cut these gorgeous gladiolus from my flower bed... but since I have a major brown thumb I would be fibbing if I said something like that.  The best I can do is pick them up at the store... but they are still gorgeous.  I took a few minutes after breakfast to do a contour line drawing of one of the stems.  I wanted to do a small painting to see if I liked it enough to do a larger one later.  For me this painting wasn't much fun.  That "wow" factor had been missing from the get go so my heart never was in it.  Even though it was a small painting I really had to push myself to stay involved enough to even complete it.  Do you ever find yourself in a spot like that?  Since I had started it I felt like I should follow it through to the end but it was almost like punishment.  So, maybe for me a lot of the "Wow!" factor comes in the "discovery" of the painting and the planning that goes into the painting at the start.  I love to design the paintings and work with the values and most of that preplanning was missing from this painting.  Maybe next time I should work with a better light source and the dazzle that is so necessary for me will be there!! 

Be Still My Art,

Kay

So Many Paintings, So Little Time

It seems to me lately that I go to bed on Monday and when I wake up the next day it is Friday already!!  Time is just whizzing by!  And that creates a dilemma... I have so many watercolor paintings to be painted and so little time to paint them.  Yesterday the grandchildren were all here for Father's Day and everyone went to the community pool to swim... except me and I went to take photos!!  With 3 boys and a girl all ranging in age from 15 to 4 I knew I was bound to get at least one great painting prospect ... and sure enough I got two!

I know you are probably wondering what I see in this photo that is worth painting (besides my granddaughter!)  Look what happens when I put it in photoshop and tweak it a little:

I really like the radial composition and I think that is what makes this work even though her face is right in the center.

And this photo:

becomes this reference for a painting:

Now all I have to do is complete the three paintings I am working on and I have two more ready to start... well almost ready.

How about you?  How many paintings do you have going?  And, more importantly, do you have enough time in the days to do all the paintings you have in your head?  Me either...

Be Still My Art,

Kay

Contour Line Drawings

One of the best ways I know to improve your drawing skills is to do blind, semi-blind and regular contour line drawings.  I haven't always felt that way because I remember back (W-A-Y...back) when I was in college I thought it was stupid that we had to do them... but then I thought everything was stupid.  I didn't really learn to appreciate contour line drawing exercises until I taught them to my students at school.  After standing and demonstrating how to do a blind contour line drawing 7 times a day several days a week I began to notice my own drawing skills were improving.  It didn't take long to convince me of the value of doing contour line drawings.

Blind contour line drawing

A blind contour line drawing is done by looking only at what you are drawing and not the drawing itself.  It is supposed to be done using one continuous line and not ever picking up your pencil.  Obviously the objective is not to produce a great drawing but rather to learn to really look at and thus really see what you are drawing.  It stands to reason then that since drawing is seeing, one's drawing skills would improve proportionately to one's ability to really see objects.  A semi-blind contour line drawing is when you look at the drawing only once in a while to adjust your pencil (without picking it up... just move the line to where you should be).  In doing a true contour line drawing, one is constantly looking back and forth from the object being drawn to the drawing itself.  It is still done in one continuous line without picking up the pencil.

As is the case with many artists, I take my sketchbook with me wherever I go... even to church.  As I listen to the sermons I draw... usually a modified contour line drawing (which means I do it however I want to do it :0}  ).

Yesterday I had a heart fluttering moment as I looked at the light hitting the beautiful cannas blooming outside our backdoor.  I cut them and brought them in to my studio where I took the time to study them just a little.

 I can feel another watercolor painting about to bloom.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Be Still My Art,
Kay


P.S. To see some really good contour line drawings turned into paintings see Nancy Fleagle .  

Two Woo Hoos and a New Product

Today was a two Woo Hoo day for me!!
First I got an email advising me that my painting, "The Prodigal", had been selected for the 48th Annual Membership Exhibit of the Southwestern Watercolor Society.  Woo Hoo!!!  Alex Powers juried this year's show.

The Second Woo Hoo is for completing (well, almost... still have a little tweaking to do yet) the commission portrait I have been working on.  I am close enough to give a shout out anyway!! Woo Hoo!!

Commission Portrait near completion

Have you had any Woo Hoo days lately?  If so, give a shout out yourself!!

Before I started work on this commission I had ordered a new product from Daniel Smith.  It is called Watercolor Ground.  It looks a lot like gesso and it brushes on like gesso.  It is supposed to make any surface paintable with watercolor.  I couldn't wait to try it out so periodically when I was on break from the commission portrait I worked on a canvas that I had brushed with the watercolor ground.

Painting in beginning stages

This is a 12 X 12 gallery wrapped canvas that I am in the process of painting with watercolor!  It has been a lot of fun because it is a different feel and the watercolor handles differently on it than it does regular paper.  To me it seems to be like a cross between gessoed paper and Aquabord.  It is very easy to rub out areas.  I noticed it can be difficult to get a hard line (see close-up of the eye) and also, you can see the texture from  brushing on the ground.  Sometimes it just makes a neat texture on its own. (see close up of hair)  

Notice how the brown of the iris ran at the top?

At the top of the hair you can see fine cracks created by the ground.

Have you tried any new products or colors lately?  If so, what and how did it work for you?  There is still lots of exploring to do with this new ground, but it promises to be much fun... and soon I will have more time to play.  I wonder if it can make my heart skip a beat or flutter with excitement just a little.  

Be Still My Art,

Kay

 

The Value of Value

I'm still working on the portrait and suspect I will be for several more days.  Right now it is not fun...grrr... paintings that just seem to paint themselves are so much more fun.  Don't you agree?  I have been struggling with the values in the ladies face all day.  If she were here and I could look at her I would probably have better luck seeing the values, but she isn't and I am working from a photo so I am struggling.  Not long ago I was working on a painting and I knew there was a problem... but for the longest time I couldn't put my finger on it.  Then the light came on... (that happens once in a while cause I think I have a short in my brain somewhere!!) I grabbed my camera and took a photo of the painting, put it in photoshop and turned it black and white and printed it out.  I wanted to compare it to the value study I had done earlier.  As luck will have it sometime, the problem stuck out like a sore thumb... all the values seemed to run together.  Oh that all problems would be so simple to fix...  today I came across a color value chart I made several years ago... you may have one like this...

Since it was made so long ago I couldn't remember if I ever checked the values in black and white to see how close I had gotten with the colors.  So, I checked it... like I do my paintings.

And, another light has come on... so I'm going to take a black and white of the portrait and see if I get a little better perspective on how it is really coming along.  It may be a heart thumping moment after all.

Be Still My Art,

Kay