Academy of Realist Art Boston Portrait Painting Class

Hey everyone I wanted to announce that I will be Teaching again at The Academy of Realist Art Boston with the addition of a new class. Along with teaching the Portrait Drawing Class I will be teaching a Portrait Painting Class.

Classes Start The 14th of January:
Portrait Drawing from 10-1pm
Portrait Painting from 2-5pm
Click here to contact the Academy of Realist Art for information and enrollment.

In preparation of this course I decide to make a panel with the stages of a Portrait Painting. Granted there are as many ways to paint a portrait as there are artist painting them. So the goal of this demo was to paint a portrait in a systematic way of learning that could appeal to artist at all levels.

With any well done painting DRAWING is the most important aspect the will make sense of all of the Hue, Value, Chroma questions that one will come across as the painting progresses. In this class students will first be asked to make a linear construct or "cartoon" on paper before transferring it to canvas. Like they say,"well drawn is well painted."

Block-In

First off I like to start with a block-in of the head. In a general way I tick off the largest height and width and measure their relationships to each other. At this stage every line is an approximation that I will be willing to move or change at any time. I feel that one must start somewhere and if there is nothing on the paper there is nothing to correct. 

I personally spend a lot of time on this stage of the drawing. I constantly refine the tilts and examine proportions to create a convincing silhouette. As simple as it my look it is the bedrock of what I will be building my portrait.

Blocking in the Features 

After spending a considerable amount of time on the block-in I have enough information in place to work on the features of the face. Keeping in mind that the refinements of the initial block-in are not fully completed I can still proceed knowing that my majors tilts have all been addressed. Starting with finding the angle and orientation of the center line I can then start measuring the heights of the other features. I like to start with making a mark where the Eyebrow Ridge is considering it is made bone and not likely to move. My next Measurement is from the Brow Ridge to the bottom of the Nose. In addition I'm constantly double checking how the features relate to the exterior block-in making sure all the puzzle pieces fit together in harmony.

Once all of the features are discovered vertically I can then run a plumb line in the orientation of the center line to find the width of all of the features.

Articulated Block-In

Here above you can see that I have taken the block-in and articulated the construct to bring out the character of the sitter. I used the same approach in blocking in the shadows as I did with blocking in the head. In a general way I sketch in the shapes of the shadows later to be refined like the exterior construct. When establishing the terminator line or "bedbug line"of the shadow I try to conceive in my mind what planes shifts or underlying forms are producing certain light affects. I image how the light wraps around the forms and try to replicate that impression on my page.

Finished Cartoon

After articulating the shadows I toned them in to compare the shapes to the whole. Once satifiy with the drawing it is ready to transfer.

The Transferred Cartoon

A couple days prior I toned some linen with raw umber and mineral spirits. I wiped it down until I could lighten it to about a value 6. Once the tone was dry I then transferred my cartoon to it.

Raw Umber Wash Heightened with White

Compressing my values I washed in a semi-transparent tone for all of the shadows. In relation to the shadow tone the background was slightly darker so I mixed a value appropriate to it.  With Lead White I scrubbed in the light areas keeping in mind their relationship to the forms and planes. Any value residing in the half-tones I left the pre-tone of the linen. I then leave this wash drawing to dry before I apply the color

Controlled Palette  

So I mixed several strings of color I believed I might find in this portrait. The strings to the left consist of Van Dyck brown and White for my neutrals. Then I have a grey/green consisting of Van Dyck Brown and Golden Ocher. To the right of that I have a grey/red made from V.D.B. and Light Red. On the opposite side is a mixture of Golden Ocher, Light Red and V.D.B. Next is only G.O and L.R. and last is a mixture of only Light Red and White. From this seemingly dull palette of mixtures I'm able to get a surprisingly beautiful natural variety of colors. 

Planar / Ébauche 

I approach my Ébauche Thinking about the Planes of the Head. I start with the shadow and then move to the half-tones. When I imagine shape of the planes I mix a hue with the relative value to the plane adjacent to it. At this point I'm not concerned with blending or modeling the form. If the values are correct then sense of the form turning will happen as a result. 

Finished Planar / Ébauche 

At this time I'd like to talk a little bit about paint quality. The Ébauche is meant to be thin sketchy wash.   In this Stage I dilute the paint with a mixture of 1 part linseed oil and 3 parts turpentine. I typically dip my brush in my medium cup and then wipe the excess oil off the brush. The remnant oil on the brush is usually enough to thin the paint.

My reasoning for painting this thin washy layer is to establish in a quick way all the colors and there relationships to each other. One might be saying to themselves this seems quite laborious to paint with so many stages. But for an inexperienced painter all of these stages can help the artist develop a stronger structure in which to finish there painting.

Form painting

The Form Painting Stage is when I repaint the whole head piece by piece to a finish. For some reason I almost always start with the neck. I slowly and carefully crawl over the form modeling the area section at a time. It helps a lot to have the Ébauche underneath, it allows me to think more about the modeling and less about the color. I try not to rush and move on to another part until the original section is finished. Whenever I catch myself moving ahead I take a quick break to regroup then I continue with patience. Often times when I rush I find I end up creating more work for myself later on. A lot of mindless feathering of paint doesn't amount to much but mud. So out of countless mistakes I've to be a little bit more deliberate with my paint application.

Painted Sketches

Hey Everyone, so I was able to take a few more photos of some of my Plein Air Sketches. These were all done quite rapidly and the purpose of these paintings were to capture the scene, mood and colors of nature. I may in the near future use these works as reference when working on larger studio paintings. We will see, in the meantime I hope that you enjoy these paintings.

Painting from N/S Lake

Another View of N/S Lake

Mountains at Platte Clove

These next paintings are of Sunsets. Every night we would gather at an overlook on a hill and try our best to capture the ever changing moments of the setting sun. Some evenings I was able to paint up to four stages of the sunsetting. Other nights I was lucky if I could pull one painting off. Each days posed a different challenge to confront, whether it be changing clouds, humidity, dust, heavy atmosphere, or last but not least those F@#*ing Bugs! I learned everything played a factor on the colors of the sunset. Although as time went on I became able to predict what color may arrive depending on the conditions of the day. This gave me an advantage in the painting because I could then begin to premix colors I thought I would see.

Sunset #1

Sunset #2

Pink Clouds

Sunset #3

 In addition to painting the sunset I also Painted with the sun to the back of me. Reverse Sunsets are very beautiful and a lot cooler in color.

Reverse #1

Reverse #2

Reverse With Moon

Elka Park Rock and Leaf study

Hey everyone I have more work to post from my time with the Hudson River Fellowship. This time I decided to make a rock and leaf study. I pretty much set up right in the middle of a creek for this painting. My easel was in the water and I stood perched on a rock hoping not to be too careless and take a surprise swim. I choose this spot because all day it was threatening to rain and close by there was a bridge to take shelter under. This painting was originally supposed to be a grisaille study in Burnt Umber. Later as I got into the work It seemed to make more sense to paint it in full color.

The Scene of the Rock

Burnt Umber Wash-Drawing

I started the painting with a rapid wash-in drawing in Burnt Umber. This allowed me to get the general composition and placement of the subject. To shape the forms I took a clean brush dipped in mineral spirits to pull away the paint from the panel.

Pulling the Shapes of the Leaves

Reinforcing the Drawing

After pulling out the general shapes of the leaves with Mineral Spirits I continued to rework the drawing.  More carefully I went back into the painting with the Burnt Umber trying to realize the correct shapes and forms of the leaves.

The Finished Under Painting

I worked the Under Painting to the point where I felt I had enough information to guide me in the over painting. If this was to be a  gallery painting and not a study I would have spent more time in the early stage perfecting the drawing and better interpreting the tonal relationships.  

Premixing 

I spent a little bit of time premixing some of the major notes of color I saw in the rock and leaves. I don't always do this but for this I really want to control may values from getting out of hand.

First Application of Color

I really didn't have a solid plan of action on starting the color. I figured I'd start in the darker values of the rock and then see where that would take me.

Further developing the Painting

As I worked I found my direction slowly developed the painting. By starting on one section and then working on the adjacent pieces the painting started to take shape. 

More Developments  

At this stage of the painting I am still not too interested in the small details. I really wanted to focus on the major tonal and color shifts that where taking place. Once I have constructed the body of the forms I can then lay the fuzzy moss and varying edges.

Toning Shadow Areas

Transparently I applied more Burnt Umber to the areas that appeared to be cast in Shadow. I would later paint directly into this glaze to achieve a smoother transition from Light to Shadow.

Finished Lay-in of the Rock

Painting More Moss 

Along with painting the moss I started to introduce darker values into the shadows. I again painted the shadows transparently but this time using a mixture of Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue Deep.

The Final Study

The Cliffs at Platte Clove

Hey everyone, I'm back posting after a long break. Since my last solo show at the Royal Gallery I have been trying to improve my work by more studying and experimenting with new processes. Recently I have been taking a figure painting class at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston. They have a great atmosphere there and wonderful instructors. I will eventually post my male figure from there once I finish the back ground.

Besides my work at the ARA I have spent the last month in the Catskill Mountains drawing and painting with the Hudson River Fellowship. We have entered into a pretty rigorous daily work schedule of waking up at quarter to 6 a.m. and painting till sunset, along with painting the sunset. I have numerous drawings and painting to show you all but I'll post them at a later time.

The Cliffs at Platte Clove is one of the first paintings I completed on this trip. The Painting was done on a masonite panel I prepared at home and painted on location in two days.

My View of the Cliff

I started the painting blocking in the drawing with a half and half mixture of Burnt Umber and Burnt Siena. For the most part I worked the paint into panel with a dry brush and for the washes I mix the paint   with a little mineral spirits from my brush cleaner.

My Underpainting in Umber

I took a quick break to let the under painting set up am dry before I started to paint over it in color.

First lay-in of the Background

The background was laid-in with a mixture of Cobalt Blue and Naples Yellow to achieve an atmospheric base to work into later once my foreground subjects have been addressed. This was a fairly thin layer of paint so that bits of warmth could show throw and create some more interest to the eye.

Lay-in of the Foreground

At this point I would like to note that from the time I started the drawing to lay-in of the foreground the lighting had changed drastically. Essentially I started drawing in over cast conditions and now I'm noticing patterns of dappled light dancing all around the rocks. I'm realizing at this moment that these are experiences I would have missed if I where to just snap a photo and go along on my way. Because of these new influences on my subject I have to start making decision on what will be in the painting.

Modeling the forms of the Lay-in

At this point in the painting I decide to call it a day and pack it in till tomorrow. I have noticed and observed many changes throughout the day and I prepare to capture them when the come back around in day 2 of the painting. One thing I noticed was the reflected light was very warm in the morning and as the sun pasted over head the green of the moss bounded right into the shadows cooling them down considerably. Also my once cool atmospheric background became bright yellow towards the end of the day. All this and more to consider when I return to finish this painting.

Start of the Second Day

After sleeping on the ideas I came to the conclusion that I like the scene at mid-day. At this time of day there was still the background I like and I could have the best of both world with a little green reflected light creeping into my warm shadows. 

Modeling Moss

After laying down a base color of the rock I could next add the darker bits of moss growing from and around the cracks of the stone.

Light on the Tree

There was a moment where light was hitting the tree just right. I decided to stop what I was doing and paint the light effect While I had the chance.

Painting the Foliage

With a tiny brush I painted each leaf one stroke at a time paying close attention to the shape, character and direction hoping to ad life and motion to the rather still scene. Along with painting the foliage I started bouncing around the painting trying to refine and finish what I could.

The Final Shot

Thank you for visiting and stay posted for more work from my time at the Hudson River Fellowship.

The Oil Painter's Palette Updated

Hey all it has been year since I last wrote about my palette and colors. I am constantly trying new things to improve my working habits. When choosing my colors I look for pigments that are archival, fast drying and require little oil. I also like to use natural earth pigments and limit the uses of synthetic pigments as much as possible. For example a pigment like Lapis Lazuli would be replaced by Ultramarine Blue due to its high cost and varying qualities that are still in existence. 

My Wooden Hand Palette

From my post last year I spoke more about the tubed paints bought from the art store and nothing about grinding ones own paints. My last stay in Florence I really focused on changing my working habits and started getting back to basics. Mulling my own pigments became one of those tasks of enlightenment in the field of oil painting. Having an art store like Zecchi close by provided me a great opportunity to purchase and experiment with a wide variety of pigments. I practiced using the cheaper nontoxic pigments to get the hang of it and find the consistency I like to work with. It made no sense to me to mull up some costly Vermilion off the ripe and mistakenly over saturate it with too much oil.

Venetian Red with Muller 

I have found many pros to mulling my own pigments. It is true that the colors are much richer and brighter than store bought paints. I believe that the fillers and extenders of store bought brands make for short and chalky paint. When choosing your pigments you have a much large selection to pick form. Raw Umber depending on the which region of the world can be bright and transparent or grey-green and quit opaque. Some vermilions can be warm and look like cadmium orange while others may appear cool and similar to cadmium red deep. 

A Domestic Yellow Ocher

The Cons I have found is that you must put in the elbow grease to do it yourself. The other more serious Cons are that some pigments are very poisonous and is not recommended to be handled without proper protection. Even the nonpoisonous pigments when airborne can be unhealthy to breathe.

Yellow Ocher During the Mulling Process

So the colors on my present palette are: 

•  Lead White #2 ( From Natural Pigments mulled in Walnut Oil with no fillers. ) 
• Cadmium Yellow ( I switch between Cad. Yellow light and Cad. Yellow medium depending on the paintings I'm working on. ) 
• Yellow Ocher ( This is the only earth yellow remaining on my palette to this date. I discontinued using Raw Sienna because it requires over 200% oil which can then lead to rapid darkening. ) 
• Red Ocher ( Pigments such as Sinopia, Venetian Red and English Red are often make their rotation on my palette. I find them very useful in painting the flesh. )
• Burnt Sienna ( Like Raw Sienna this pigment requires a lot of oil, about 180%. But I find it a useful color because it's more orange and less opaque then the earth reds. )
• Cadmium Orange
• Vermilion Red or Cadmium Red medium ( Lately I have been using more Cadmium Red over  Vermilion. Current research I've found states that depending on Vermilions preparation and exposure to sunlight can lead to irreversible blackening and splotchiness. Although I have not experienced this in any of my painting I figure it is better to be safer then sorry. If anyone reading this knows any better about this pigment please contact me about your findings. )
• Alizarin Crimson or Matter Lake
• Raw Umber ( I tend to use a medium tone Cyprus Umber from the Harz Mountains. I love the Warmth and transparency of this pigment. )
• Burnt Umber ( I had stopped using this pigment for a while because I hated the way it would sink in so drastically. Recently I found myself using it more and more. I lean towards Burnt Umbers that are warmer similar to Red Umber. )
• Manganese Blue ( I started using this instead of Cerulean Blue. When painting skies in landscapes I find that it is much more of a vivid and transparent color. Cerulean Blue had always been too pasty for my liking. )
• Cobalt Blue ( A Fast drying blue. )
• Ultramarine Blue Deep ( I use this blue the most. I often mix it with Burnt Umber to create my darks and substitute using black.
• Bone Black ( Lately I haven't be using it that often but still haven't kicked it off my palette. I use black as the last resort dark color in the final layers of the painting. )

My Glass Studio Palette

My Plein Air Painting Box

Lastly I wanted to share with you all a couple examples of what I do when testing out new pigments. I like to make color charts and mix colors that I wouldn't normally mix together to find interesting color to put in future paintings. I found making color charts very helpful in figuring out interesting and beautiful flesh tones. At times they can be boring to do but in the process not only do you learn more about color but also the individual characteristics of each of the pigments. You may find one is more transparent or opaque then the other. In other situations you will also find the tinting strength and drying times varies from pigment to pigment. So Below is a couple examples of my color charts.

Flesh Chart using mostly Earth Pigments

Flesh Chart Using Cadmiums and Earth Pigments

A Yellow Chart mixed with other colors on my Palette

 

I hoped you enjoyed this post and knowing me I'll most likely be updating this next year with new habits and discoveries. Thank You stopping by.