Monthly Archives: August 2013

Painting Big!

GOING BIG!

By going Big I do not mean simply painting on a large canvas i.e. 36 ” x 36 ” or larger, which has it’s own challenges but I mean you also need to enlarge the image you want to paint from. You may think it is an easy process but it is not. Not all images are easily enlarged. The composition can often become distorted when you crop and enlarge a photo. You still need to have all the design components of 3 focal points and a rest spot. Think – Georgia O’Keefe – and you get the picture – no pun intended

To start with, you need to have taken either a very good clear up close image or you can use a good clear well defined photo that you can enlarge certain areas of it. This is not the same as cropping a section of a your 4 x 6 photo and trying to work from that. I am saying you need to enlarge an area of a photo using one of your camera modes, save it as a separate picture then print it. Or once on your computer you can use what ever APP you have to crop, enhance and enlarge areas of your photos to save and print. I do all my enlargements, cropping etc. while my photos are still on my camera.

Once you have a nicely enlarged image to work from you can map it out on your canvas. Do not try and use a grid – use your eye to develop your image. I say this as you will see the proportions of your image will be dictated by the size of your large canvas and so it should be. You may want to continue the editing process as you map out your image, something you will not do if using a grid.

The next step is to paint an under painting. Not only will you be using colours to enhance your tops colours but you will be establishing your tonal values and seeing if your proportions are correct. I spend more time painting in this area than ever before especially when using a large canvas. I’ve found that I can easily make corrections at this stage without concern for finding and using the complex colours that I am seeing. Before I move ahead I check I have well balanced proportions, design and tonal values. The more time I spend on this stage the easier I know it will be for me later when all I have to do is think about colours and hues.

Now I can move to my top layer of that I see. I can push myself in this area as it is mainly all that I have to think about. How lovely is that!

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Framing Your Art Work

FRAME OR NOT TO FRAME – that is the question?

I am always saying to students they should use ready made canvases with wrap around edges because then they don’t have to pay a premium for a frame. That still holds true but – there is always a but – a good frame though will turn a good painting into a great one. May seem simplistic to say but it is true.

I recently completed a small painting as a demonstration about editing and composition. I had previously taken it to my local art supply store to find a ready made frame that I felt enhanced it. So when I showed the painting to the class there were the usual oh’s and ah’s. I had not told them I was going to show it as a framed piece because I wanted them to experience the effect without any bias. So I turned my back and popped the painting into the ready made frame and then showed the framed piece to the students. The look on their faces was amazing. Their eyes popped! They were truly impressed with the framed effect. So what does that tell us? Yes, we do not have to frame every painting but when you have completed something you know is good – a good frame will make it even better.

What makes a good frame?

First of all, it should do just that – frame your piece, not take over. So in other words if your eye goes to the frame first then it is too over powering. You don’t want folks commenting on the frame. You want them noticing and commenting on your art.

For acrylics and or oils you should look for a nice neutral off white ‘linen’ liner that is 2” – 4 ” wide depending on the size of your painting. Then choose a moulding that is either a natural wood or a soft silver or gold. Most art supply stores will have ready made fames in standard sizes, so take your painting to the store and try them out.

For watercolours or soft pastels or anything on paper you will need to frame it behind glass. For this you will need to find a good framer. Be prepared though for this to cost you , on average for a small i.e. 14 x 20 about $250 – $400. It’s expensive! One of the reasons I stopped painting using soft pastels although it still is one of my favorite mediums to use.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Green ; a challenging colour to paint

PAINTING GREEN – it’s a challenge

I always think of Kermit the Frog when I think of the colour green. He sings ‘ It isn’t easy being green’ and as an artist I know, ‘ it isn’t easy painting green’. Yet as Kermit tells us, there is plus side to being green..

I paint lots of florals as you all know and I am always looking for new ways to capture them. A few years ago though I decided I didn’t want to paint any flowers only the green foliage. I thought this would be a great challenging summer project. So off I went with the intent of taking photos of only green leaves. To some that may not sound too interesting but believe me, it was a challenge. So much so I ended up taking photos of , yup, you guessed it , flowers. Then at the end of the day as I was entering my apartment building I saw a great leafy plant. So started taking shots of it. I thought, what could be easier than a plant right out side my front entrance. I could simply walk out my front door and take random shots of the plant over the summer to capture how green changes during the summer light. I already decided on a simple title for my project, ’ The Green Project’ . But a few days later I noticed these odd shaped things appearing and not knowing what type the plant was I took photos of them anyway. Then a few days later they opened to what I thought would be more leaves but, no, they were flowers. I was so disappointed . I realized I obviously could never photograph anything that didn’t have a flower in it! So I continued to take photos of this magnificent plant and the Lilies as they turned out to be and how they transformed over the long summer. I aptly renamed my project ‘ The Green and White Project – The Lily Series’. It’s a lovely group of paintings you can see on my web site www.georgiayoungs.ca

I still got to paint green though in all its glory I just had a few white lilies added in as well! But I learned how to see ‘green ‘ and how to create them. The best greens do not come out of a tube and in fact even if you do use some of those lovely greens make sure you add some yellows, or orange to them. It is interesting to see how green changes tone over the summer and how the summer light affects it at different times in the day and season. Early summer it is all about light mid tones with a brush of Naples and Cadmium Yellow middle and touches of mauve and blue. By mid summer it is all about brighter tones with lots of Cadmium Yellow Deep and then by end of summer as the light cools so do the greens, having more subtle blues and purples in it.

Challenge yourself with your own Green Project. Find one plant in your garden or on your balcony and start at 8 Am taking photos of it. Then return at noon, then 4 PM then 8 PM – Study the photos and see all the subtle gradations of tones and hues. Using 4 small canvases paint all the variations of ‘greens’ as they appeared during the day in your photos.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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TONES

It may seem confusing when artists talk about ‘tone’ but the term means simply light and dark.

The two extremes tones or contrasting values are Black and White.

‘Hue’ refers to colour.

Successful paintings will have tonal contrast in them, or a range of values.

A painting that has a ‘high-key’ means you have created tones that are extreme and ‘low-key’ means you will have a range of low tones.

Painting with only mid tones you run the risk of your painting being dull and flat.

Using tones that have a wide range of values will make your painting exciting and interesting.

To fully understand tone, take colour out of the equation and create a Gray Scale. You do this by using only Black at one end and White at the other and create all the gradational shades of Gray in between.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

Yes, please go ahead and forward this email to a friend. This does not mean they will automatically be added as a subscriber to my news letter. They will have to email me at georgiayoungs@shaw.ca so I can add them.

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