River Walk

Watercolor

Oh my God, he uses black!

Yes, yes I do, even in watercolor.  Works good.  It's a perfectly good color if you know how to use it.  I could get along without it, but it's so nice for lowering chroma, and for this black dress it's kind of a good place to start.  As far as I know, no black on the market is a complete neutral.  Ivory black tends to be a bit on the blue side, carbon black is a little on the warm side, but with either I find color shifts to be less of a problem than with using compliments to dull a color.  If you really don't like black and find Paynes's Gray to be much more useful, you might want to check what it made with.  Most manufacturers make it with ivory black.

Doesn't really matter.  Color is an interesting thing and a pretty personal choice.  You can usually get to a given HVC with a variety of different mixtures.  One mix isn't really any better than any other as long as you come up with the color your looking for.  So have a big palette or a limited palette.  As long as it works for you and you know how to get the most out of it, you're good to go.  Personally I've got a big drawer full of paint -- three drawers actually, one for yellows, one for reds and one for blues, greens and blacks.  Most of that paint stays right there in the drawer.  I find myself regularly using about a dozen go to pigments.  Gets me where I want to go usually.

I didn't put a size on this.  I don't have it handy to measure, but it's not very big, about 12 inches high if I remember right.  It was a piece of leftover not pressed paper.

Curled in a Ball

14 x 12 1/2

Silverpoint on off white prepared paper

This is what I consider a perfect subject for silverpoint.  Light on light with no large areas of dark.  Yet I still think the lights and darks balance out fairly well.   It has the light, airy, etherial quality that plays right into the strengths of silverpoint.  Pretty happy with this one.

Child of Water

Silverpoint heightened with white gouache on light blue gray prepared paper

15 x 11ish

A lot of my favorite things here, white dress, reflections in water, hazy background, curly hair.  Well, maybe not so much on the curly hair.  Not that I don't like curly hair, drawing it can just be a bit of a challenge.  

detail about actual size 

This is a second version.  The first was doomed from the very beginning.  After I'd started and gotten well into it I just felt the paper was too dark to convey the mood I wanted.  After that it just got away from me probably because I'd already lost confidence in what the final piece would look like.  Lesson to be learned -- get it right from the beginning.  If a mistake is made, fix it right away or if it can't be fixed, cut your losses and start over.

A Little Drop of Rain

Watercolor on Hot Pressed Paper

22 x 30

They've changed a few things here on me.  I guess that's to be expected if you don't post in, what, two, three years?  Well, maybe that will change.

This seemed like a good image to start with considering all the rain we've had the past week or two.  Really squishy walking out there right now.

Normally you do the painting first then get it framed.  In this case I've had a frame for quite a while, and I've been looking for something that will look good in it.  This should do quite nicely due to the dress color.  Besides it kind of a nice image, at least I think so.  I think it's a nice blend of tight rendering on the figure along with a more splashy approach on the background foliage.  A lot of lifting off was done there.  That's one reason I chose to use a hot pressed paper.  That along with an addition of some extra gum arabic makes lifting out quite easy.  Much easier that painting around lighter areas.

One last unrelated thing for anyone that has commented lately.  Sorry I didn't get back to you, but I had to change me email and the link never got updated here.  So I didn't know there were any comment to get back to.  Hopefully that has been fixed.  All for now.

River Access

18 x 36

Oil on Canvas

I originally did this one quite a while ago, several years in fact.  I don't think I ever posted it simply because I could never get a good picture of it.  Just as well because I wasn't particularly happy with the first version.  So I started over from scratch, and within a couple days it's all done pretty much the way I'd envisioned it all along.  Still don't have a good picture though, please pardon the glare.  

There's a couple things I'd like to talk about in this picture.  First is the use of a limited palette.  In this particular case I used Prussian Blue (Milori Blue actually.  It's supposed to be a more stable version, but handles just about the same) Venetian Red and Yellow Ochre along with Ivory Black and Titanium White.  The blue and red make a really nice range of grays and they're dark enough together that the black was not all that necessary.  I'm not entirely sure I used it at all now that I think about it.  I do use black to gray colors as necessary so I'll include it here just because it's usually on my palette.   For this image those three pigments plus white is all that is needed and they worked perfectly.  There is nothing that says you can't add a higher chroma pigment if you need something to pop.  A limited palette is not magic.   It does have the advantage of making it easier to harmonize a painting's color.    There just aren't a whole lot of color combinations to deal with, but with these three colors you might be surprised at just how much color range you can get.  Again, if you want or need higher chroma passages use a higher chroma red or yellow.  The advantage of using an earthy red is that you can get a range of grays without adding the third color.  This isn't the only combination that will work of course.  Ultramarine and burnt sienna works nicely as does french ultramarine and raw sienna.  Both of those will give you a nice range to play with.  Another advantage of the limited palette is cost.  I know I have a lot of paint tubes that I haven't opened in quite a while.  Keeping it simple can keep the cost way down and in these times that can't be all that bad.

The other thing I wanted to mention about this painting is details.  This basically a simple image, just a  basic value arrangement.  As such, I think it works fairly well.  But in something like this I like to hide a few little nuggets for the viewer to find.  Take a look at this detail. 

That egret just one example of what's hidden here.  It might not be big enough to see here, but there is a great blue heron and a handful of ducks to be seen if you care to look.  So the thing is give the viewer something to look at.  There's nothing wrong with a simple image, but that doesn't mean you can't make it rewarding too.

One last thing, there are a few things for sale over at the Drying Rack.  There's a link over on the side here.  If you'd like one get it now.  Prices will be going up the first of the year. 

Silverpoint Landscape

I did this one back in the summer when it was about 1000 degrees outside.  I thought maybe drawing a nice wintery landscape would cool me off some.  Didn't work, but it kept me occupied for a while.

Silverpoint on light gray ground

8 x 6.5

I've never really done a landscape in silverpoint before other than something seen in the distance through a window.  There's a reason for that.  Silverpoint just doesn't have the range of values to quite do the job. Now, this image isn't horrible, but if those closer trees were darker the whole scene would have so much more power.  This image really needs to have a more graphic quality.  I had wanted to do a version of this in ink just to illustrate the difference, but I just can't seem to find the time.  You'll just have to use your imagination.  If you're going for a more etherial look, silverpoint might be just the thing so maybe this is just a case of the wrong medium for the wrong image.  

I've seen a handful of silverpoint landscapes.  Most left me feeling like this one, not bad, but it would be better if there were darker darks to give some more depth.  I've also seen a few that fit the medium nicely.  They were all more dreamy, fog shrouded images.  But they were all mostly gray of virtually the same value.  So if you like mid-tone gray images there you go.

The thing I'm finding with silverpoint is that if you have one or two they can be really nice if they're not competing with something with more range of value or color.  If you get too many together at one time they start to take on an overall grayness and they start to blend into the wall.  That's a problem with drawing in general.  It just seems to be particularly problematic with silverpoint.  And that's why you don't see many shows featuring just drawings I think.  Remember this is coming from someone that likes drawings.  

Well, I'm rambling today.  Not quite sure where that came from.  Any of your thought are welcome.  Thanks for looking.

Blessings

Once again it's been a while since my last post.  It seems that I get just about as many views as when I don't post as when I do, so efficiency would seem to indicate that I'd be better off using my time on something else.  But that wouldn't really move things along much.  At any rate here's something new.

Oil on Canvas

30 x 20

Since it's been so long since you've heard from me you would think I would have a lot to say.  It certainly seems like I should, but I got nothing.  Tell me what you think, and I'll be back soon I hope.


I forgot that I had some preliminary studies for this.  Maybe they'll be of interest.

Forgotten Images from the Vault

A few days ago I was looking through an old portfolio.  It was full of older drawings and things from several years ago, and I wasn't entirely sure what I would find.  Since they were older I expected to find a lot of junk to throw out.  There was some of that, but not nearly as much as I expected.  What I did find were some of the things I did while relearning how to draw.  Some of them weren't half bad if I do say so myself.  At any rate I thought some of the old master copies would be of interest to you.  So let's see what I found.

Look familiar?  A nice little silverpoint copy of Leonardo's silverpoint study for an angel.  It's heightened with white chalk.  This is one of the earlier silverpoints I have done.  A handful came before this, but you don't want to see those.  Trust me on that one.  The ground is a watered down acrylic gesso toned with some dry pigment, prussian blue I think.

I love old master drawings.  The St Louis Art Museum has a gallery devoted entirely to works on paper, drawings, prints, the occasional watercolor, and I always make sure to spend some time in there.  When a list of the greatest draftsmen of all time is put together Leonardo is always on it.   Albrecht Durer always makes the list too.  If you're looking for drawings to copy he's got some nice ones.  He also has a great list of engravings.

Another pretty famous image.  Well, if you're going to steal, steal the best.  Now this isn't a bad bit of drawing considering it's me and all, but compared to the original it definitely blows chunks.  I've seen the original print several times, and it never fails to amaze me.  It's not very big, only about 10x 8, but there's a lot packed into that small space.

This might not be quite a well known, but still a pretty sweet image.  This is Goya's The Sleep of Reason Produces Demons.  It's from a collection of etchings (maybe they're classed as aquatints) Goya produced called Los Capricios.  Pretty sure I spelled that wrong, have to check.  For all the non-etchers out there an aquatint is a resin dusted over the plate.   The plate is heated just enough for the resin to melt creating a resist to the acid bath.  When etched it will result in a wash-like tone like the background here.  The longer the etch, the darker the tone.  In the case of my drawing here I used charcoal.  I always liked etching.  Really should have broken down and bought a press.

A copy of Rembrandt's etching Woman with an Arrow.  Another of the world's all time great draftsmen and one of the great etchers too.  Nobody's quite sure what's going on in this image.  Venus giving an arrow to Cupid?  Maybe, as good a back story as any.  Personally I don't really care much.  I just like the image.  That's the reason I did most of these.  I also tried to copy them as closely as possible, trying to figure out the whys and wherefores.  Honestly I don't remember what I learned on any individual drawing.  It was more of a cumulative effect.   I have sketchbooks full of quick versions of things like this and other assorted objects.  The more you do the better.   One more today.

Recognize this guy?  If you don't you're in the wrong place.  I'm sorry, you'll have to leave.  I can only take this inclusive stuff so far.  I mean we're talking Rembrandt here.  Okay, the pose is based on a rather well know Titian portrait, but this etching may well be equally famous, and I do like a good etching.

Last thought for the day comes from Rembrandt while we're on the subject.  "Take the brush in hand and begin.  When you have said all you wish say you're done."

Playing with the Wind

Silverpoint on off white prepared paper
14 x 10

This is the companion piece to the last one I posted.  The size and paper color is identical.  The value range is about the same too.  If it looks different here blame it on the white balance.  It also illustrates the problem in photographing artworks.  I've seen the same image posted on different sites, all well respected art sites, that look totally different.   So maybe I'm not such a bad photographer after all.  Well,  I'll admit to being adequate.  Now there's something to aspire to.

I've been trying to think of something to actually say about this piece, but I really got nothing today.  The two drawings do go together fairly well.

or you can put them together the other way which I think I prefer.

That's not so bad a pairing.  I've considered doing a third figure to put in the middle, probably a standing figure about twice as big.  I think that might look pretty good.  Gotta give that some more thought.

Silverpoint and its limitations

I've been posting silverpoint drawings at various places on the net for a few years now. I usually don't get any comments at all which is depressing but I can live with that. I don't say much either so I can see where that is coming from. One comment I do get quite a bit is, "Your darks need to be darker." Uh, how many times does it need to be said, "This is as dark as it will get." Depending on the image that can be a deal breaker. But for the most part silverpoint will give me darks that are dark enough.

Silverpoint on off white prepared paper
14 x 10

 I think the people are used to seeing highly retouched photos with totally black darks and almost pure whites. Very contrasty and eye catching, but not really true to nature. Let's do something I usually don't do. Let's look at the reference photo I used for this drawing.

So here we have a very usable reference photo from the lovely auroradreams. I made a couple minor changes, but nothing earth shaking to be sure. Now look at the darkest darks, hair, eyes and the shadow under the knee. Silverpoint won't get quite that dark, but it will be pretty close especially when its aged and the silver has tarnished. Definitely not a problem though. Now look at the folds in the drapery. The shadows are light and airy with plenty of light reflected in them. Certainly no real dark darks there. But that's exactly where people want to see more contrast. Well, let's do a little retouching and see what that looks like.

That's certainly more dramatic. It's also becoming a completely different image. Better? Maybe. Worse? Maybe. Kinda depends on what you're trying to do. Again look at the darkest darks. All detail is gone including the reflected light on the knee. It just disappears into a black hole. Of course just because it doesn't show up on the photo doesn't mean I can't put it in anyway and I would, but it would have to be extremely subtle or the form wouldn't look rounded. And back to the drapery. The shadows are darker, much more dramatic with much, much less reflected light. A bad thing? Again, depends on what you're trying to do. Rembrandt made a pretty good reputation doing that. To my knowledge he only did one silverpoint though, and honestly it wasn't his best work. While we're on the subject of Rembrandt let's take this a little further.

Not quite Rembrandtesque but it's getting there, and I think we're close enough for our purposes today. I've darkened the midtones a bit more. I actually had to lighten the head and shoulder some because it was disappearing into the background. We've come a ways since the original image. Better, worse that's up to you. It's largely a matter of taste and really what you feel like at the time. Honestly, I think this retouched version is really a pretty good image for a drawing ...... in charcoal. I could get the background this dark in silverpoint, but the shine would be really annoying for quite a while. Charcoal or an ink wash would be a much better choice. I've learned it much better to not fight your medium, and silverpoint does have it's limitations. You want dramatic, use something else.

 I also think that's why silverpoints don't hold up particularly well in big shows. You don't get the high contrast, eye catching images that you can with other drawing media.  Silverpoints also tend to be small simply because they take a while to do. Those darks have to be slowly built up. So you have a big show of large, dramatic, eye catching pieces surrounding a few small, basically gray drawings. No matter how good they are they tend to get overlooked. Now before you start thinking this is all just sour grapes let me say I don't show silverpoints. These are just done for fun, and to keep my drawing skills sharp.

So if silverpoint is such a crappy, unmarketable medium why use it? Because I like it. It's perfect for smaller, intimate drawings.  I like those.  It just has a quality that is like nothing else.