Category Archives: Uncategorized

Lets wrap it up

Hi Folks,

Lets wrap it up!

I have been quite tardy in sending out my art blogs and to be truthful I have no excuse other than I’ve been busy.  But I thought I had better send one more for this year as my token Christmas gift to you all.

An over view of my year in teaching has brought some new insights for me on why people ‘create’  .  I hosted 3 art shows this fall:  1. for my adult students and another for my young students and lastly one for myself.  I found it interesting people’s expectations and reason for participating in these events , including my own.  On one hand if we look at the monetary gain , modest at best,  no one in their right mind would think about making a living by creating art in any form.  So why do we bother coming to class or sit in our studios and paint?    Good question you may ask!   We do it because of the joy it brings us.  We do it for it the challenges that face us on deciding what colours to use or how to create an image others will enjoy.   Art is a solitary endeavor, yet during the time we spend within our own minds we find through all the frustrating challenges, peace and contentment.  How many people do you know who seek happiness and never find it?  Yet you have found the secret !   So keep on painting and as an added bonus, as you have also discovered,  that coming to class  opens up an even great door, a door of  new found friendship and companionship.

To all of you I wish you a very happy holiday and a happy and healthy New Year

Happy Painting

Cheers   Georgia

As some of you know, the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation has come into force July 1 2014.. This is just a reminder that you are on my email list because at some point you gave me express consent to be added (e.g. you added yourself on my website, art show guest book or you requested to be added to my list). If for any reason, you disagree or you simply want to remove yourself from my email list, please just reply to my email address georgiayoungs@shaw.ca

 

 

Taking Your Own Photos

TAKING AND USING YOUR OWN PHOTOS

Hi Folks,

Now that  the summer is here and you are either traveling or gardening you  may find that you want to take photos of those amazing places you are visiting or your lush gardens.  This is a good thing,  so I am going to repeat some information I sent out over a year ago along with some new information that should help you take better photos.

When using a photo I have a stock saying  “what may be a good photo may not make a good painting”.   A good photo needs to have all the same components as the ones needed in a great painting.   It needs to have:  a balanced composition,  3 focal points, good colour and tone.

Most of you now use digital cameras so you can review your last shot to either delete it and/ or see how you can change or improve it. Here are some suggestions on taking better photographs:

  1. Pick a theme
  2. Decide on a specific day and time, so you have nothing else to think about or do
  3. Always be on the look out for new places or things of interest
  4. When taking your photo find the focal point or point of interest and zoom in to it
  5. Preview you photo to see if your eye moves around to points of interest naturally. There should a flow between to the points of interest – no more than 3
  6. Never centre your main object
  7. Once you have decided on your main focal point move your camera a little to the right or left or up or down to see other possibilities /ideas
  8. Bracket your shots – taking 3 – 4 in slightly different angles
  9. Think outside the box i.e.  kneel or go to higher ground
  10. Take your time – so it may be best to go out alone
  11. Keep it simple
  12. Take your time and for still life set the stage, eliminate unwanted objects and consider the light you want to use i.e. natural, evening , morning, back lit etc.

If you find a developed image contains too much  detail or ‘information’,  you can simply crop into the image by placing some white paper over the areas you want to block out  and you will be delighted by what you see.

Editing is different in that it is not cropping but simply eliminating some of the detail. i.e. you don’t need to paint all the trees or branches or people that are in the photo.

Then when you are almost finished your painting and you find yourself nit picking over details this is probably the time when you should stop painting and stop comparing your painting to the photo.  Stand back, put your photo away and look at your painting only and see if you like it. You probably will!

Remember if doing a commission NEVER let the client compare the photo to your rendering as they will only start to see how it differs and even if they love your work they will want you to change it.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

As some of you know, the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation will come into force July 1. This is just a reminder that you are on my email list because at some point you gave me express consent to be added (e.g. you added yourself on my website, art show guest book or you requested to be added to my list). If for any reason, you disagree or you simply want to remove yourself from my email list, please just reply to my email address georgiayoungs@shaw.ca

Your Palette

YOUR PALETTE

 Hi Folks,

Here is, as you all know, one of the issues that drives me crazy!   Why students have such messy palettes?  You should keep your palette organized!   This means you place you colours in the same order each and every time – not all over your palette willy nilly.  A good order is as follows:

Top centre      White

Top left           Your yellows

Middle left     Orange                                                                                  Middle Right              Blues

Bottom Left    Reds                Middle Bottom          Purple                   Bottom Right             Greens

This arrangement means all your warm colours are on the Left and most your cool colours are on the Right with purple at the bottom.

Also place your dollops of paint on the edge of your palette,  again not in the middle, there by leaving all the centre for mixing.  And by dollop I mean a nickel size worth, not a little smear.

When mixing your colours, do it in front of the colour you are using i.e. if mixing green it should happen down by the greens.

Why all this fuss, because keeping your palette organized helps to keep your mind organized and you never having to second guess where colours are or what colours you used.

Find a good palette you can use over and over again.  There are some that are better than others and if in question ask your art instructor who will have some good ideas.

You can always use disposable ones, they are especially handy in a classroom environment.

In my studio I can keep my palette operational for weeks by simply misting it and placing Saran Wrap  lightly over it and tucking in the edges.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Grays – how to make

Hi Folks,

I bet For those of you who have taken any of my art classes you never thought I talk about Gray . I know I am always going on about NOT seeing Gray as I am always trying/ hoping you will see colour.  When folks find Paynes Gray – they feel they have found manna from heaven as all they have to do is mix it with White and they have Gray!  Groan!  Or even worse they simply add White to Black to create Gray! Bigger groan!  So what’s a person to do when there is Gray?  Yes, I used the Gray word and didn’t choke or turn into a toad.

Making ‘Gray’ came about from a student experimenting with paint a few weeks ago.  I was making my rounds as usual around the room and came upon this student and looked upon her palette and there it was ‘Gray’.  I pounced in my polite way and asked ‘ how did you make that’. She said she was mixing Cadmium Orange and Ultramarine Blue to make Brown and then she added White to try and lighten it and it turned Gray.  No way I said. Couldn’t have happened.

But here I am to announce to one and all I learned something new and it has been there for all of us to make all along – those illusive Grays.  How odd we start with trying to make brown using Cadmium Orange and Ultramarine Blue and then add lots of White and then more Blue as needed.  It makes a very warm and lovely Gray.  Add more White to lighten and more Blue as needed.  You can make a Green Gray using Cadmium Orange and Hookers Green which makes a lovely soft Orangey Green great for those areas in the back ground and then add White to make a greeny Gray.  To make a purple Gray use Cadmium Orange and Dioxazine Purple which again make a very soft orangey purple again great for back grounds and then add lots of white for that purpley Gray.

I am always saying I learn as much from my students as they do from me and here is a great example of it!  So embrace your new Grays created through using colours.

Have not heard enough or tired of learning more about me, go to this new web site www.kccplaybook.org.  It has been created to offer news about our community and the folks in it and I was honoured to be selected to be part of this newly designed site.  Enjoy!

Happy Painting

Cheers Georgia

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How to ignore the details and why painting for short periods is best

IGNORE THE DETAILS ,  SEE AND PAINT THE BLOCK AREAS

DON’T PAINT FOR LONG PERIODS.

Hi Folks,

Now that you are getting back in the groove one of the more common problems I find students are having is fixating on detail.  I know it is easier said than done to try and not see all those itsy bitsy branches or all those little flowers but try you must.  One way to over come seeing all that detail is to squint.  You want to blur your vision so you see only blocks of colours and shapes.   Then paint those block areas.  The Rule of three  i.e. three brush strokes and stop,  will also help.  Another way is to turn your photo up side down and paint that way.  You will be amazed how this takes your mind set out of seeing what it is exactly what you are painting.  I have a few students who start their painting this way all the time.  Another way is to take a blank piece of paper to cover your photo leaving open only a small area you want to focus on.  Once you have blocked in your painting you go back and start putting in more and tonal values and some ( and I mean a few ) subtle details.

lately I heard a few students commenting on the lengthy time they were spending painting at home.  I was amazed how they would spend 5 – 6 hours  a day, each and every day painting.  Painting while not a major physical activity does require some strength as well as intense constant thinking about colour, composition and  design.   I find I can only maintain my focus for 1.5  – 2 hours at a time.  After that I find I am exhausted and can not concentrate or focus clearly on what I am doing.   I think if you can spend a good 1.5  – 2 hours every day or every other day,  you will find you are more productive.  After that I think you tend to make too many mistakes and all that extra time is spent correcting them.   So don’t feel guilty about not painting for hours and hours.  I think those short bursts of intense concentration and painting will produce better results in the end.  You want your picture to look fresh and not over worked.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Artist Block – How to Over Come

ARTIST BLOCK –  HOW TO GET STARTED

Hi Folks,

We’ve all heard about writers block but  ‘ artist block ‘ ?   Not sure if there is such a term but there should be.  This week as all my classes started up for the winter session I’ve never before heard so many students complain about having trouble finding their groove.  If I had a nickel I’d be rich for every time I heard  “I don’t know where to start”,  ” I’m so confused” ,  “I can’t seem to find the right colours”,  ” I don’t what image to paint”,  ” I’ve not painted a thing since the end of the last class”,   and on and on.  You get the picture. No pun intended!   I figure there must be a full moon and all this rain doesn’t help!

So,  how does one motivate oneself?  How does one get over this impasse / slump?

There is no simple answer but I think the following may help:

I think the first step is not force the issue.  Accept the fact there are days you simply do not want to paint. Give yourself permission to put your brushes away,  go for a walk, phone a friend, read a book,  do something that will make you happy.

When you are ready,  take it slow.  Which means don’t take out your largest canvas and attempt to paint the most detailed image you can find.

I suggest you use an  8 x 10 or slightly larger.  Find an image by your favorite painter,  crop a section of one of his/her paintings and copy it.  Get immersed in their style and brush strokes.  Give yourself an hour or more to finish it.  Relax and sit back and admire your accomplishment.  Nothing is more inspirational than finishing something you like to motivate you to do another.

I also think for those of you who have been painting for awhile there are a few things you should consider.

1.  It may be time to get some new brushes

2. Because you are choosing  possibly more advanced images to paint you may have to consider you should also invest in some new colours .  The basic colours I suggested you purchase for the first session are just not enough any more.

Think positive thoughts.  Keep those images you completed last year that you loved near you, to remind yourself what you can do.  Take a photo of it using your phone so you can look at it when you come to class.  I am surrounded by own images in my studio.  I love looking at them to  remind myself  of how and why I did certain things.  Even the Cezanne I copied  I keep close as it reminds me when I start to use too many brush stroke,  to use the Rule of Three and to stack my colours, therefore  letting the eye do the blending.

Hope this helps.  Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing what to do next.  Take heart the feeling passes.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Good lighting and Space is Important

GOOD LIGHTING AND SPACE

Hi Folks,

I can not emphasize enough how important it is to paint with good lighting and in a roomy space. Recently I volunteered myself to do a demo at a Sunday art event with the end piece to be sold as a fund raiser. Upon arriving I was disappointed to find it was being held in a poorly lit very cluttered space. I tried t make the best of it and after 2 grueling hours left my ‘piece of art’ to be auctioned off on a small local social media site. it didn’t sell! When I went to pick it up and brought it out into the daylight I was appalled at the colours. Instead of all the lovely bright greens I knew to be in the original photograph I used, the colours were dark , muddy and uninspired. It weighed so heavily on me to have even attempted this under such dire conditions and produce such a dark piece I could hardly wait to get back to my studio and repaint the whole canvas. Which I did! I then sold it in a silent auction to raise funds for my students annual art show. So in the end it found a home and raised money for a better cause.

If I had a nickel for every time a student said to me, ” I painted for hours last night and when I got up in the morning the colours were all wrong, they were so dark and muddy” I’d be rich! So good lighting is important and that mean day light ! I recommend if you can only find time to paint at night to invest in a day light lamp or purchase day light bulbs from a Home Depot or lighting store and put them into your own light fixture.

Best light though is good old fashion day light, preferable NE or NW light so not to get the harshness and extreme shadows created by a southern exposure.

What about space. It too is important. I can always tell when a student is painting in a small cramped space as the picture again will be uninspired and feel crowded. Painting in a closet is not a good thing , although it may be nice to be able to close the door and leave all your stuff out. Try and find a space where you can stand back from your work often so you can see at a distance what needs to be changed.

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Shadows and Highlights

CONTRASTS – SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Hi Folks,

One of the more challenging questions often facing a student is:

Should I make my bright areas brighter or darker areas darker? Another conundrum!

You try, I know, to paint what you see but that is not good enough. You have think as an artist and use your colour sense i.e. using secondary colours on your edges, in shadows and in areas that in the back ground. You also need to make sure your tonal values as well are enhancing your perspective i.e. bringing areas closer and or make them recede. Remember dark makes things come closer and light makes things recede. As well you need to make sure your tonal values are in balance. A lot to think about but it all makes for a better painting!

You think you are finished but when you stand back to appraise your work, your tonal values seem to have a sameness. Your first thought is perhaps you have to make the bright colours brighter but they already seem so bright. Instead, go the other route and think perhaps you should make your dark colours darker, using dark purple for areas in the background and dark blue for those areas in the fore ground. Then stand back you will be amazed how your bright colours pop now because you have increased the contrast between your lights and darks. It is the opposite of what you thought you should do.

But you now have to make sure both your lights and darks are in balance. Squint and look at only the lights first, then look at only the darks. They should be in balance and your eye should move around your canvas, coming to rest on all 3 focal points.

Always stand back from your work often and when you feel you are finished, leave it for a few days then look at it with fresh eyes, assessing if everything is in balance. The final check is to ask yourself are your contrasts in balance and enhance each other and does your eye move around to all 3 focal points ending at the rest spot. If all of these work sign your painting !

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Benefits of Mistakes

LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES

A few missteps to look out for

Improper cropping of a photograph

Not using enough colour

Edges not rounded

Tonal values all the same

 

Hi Folks

I assume in a perfect world there would no mistakes but we don’t live in a perfect world – thank heavens – because it is by making mistakes we learn. Or so I’ve been told. First step though is to admit to or at least see you have made a mistake. Ah…. there is the problem you say and it’s true. How do you see what you have painted may not be perfect or correct? To your untrained eye it may look great! So perhaps there in lies an answer. You need to start looking at what is well established great art and really looking at it with a critical eye, seeing how the composition works, how the use of colour keeps you engaged etc. Taking drawing lessons would go a long way in helping you see how design and composition is important.

If you are using photographs make sure they have been taken by a good photographer who knows how to take good photos as they too will be well balanced and have all the compositional elements I talk about i.e. 3 focal points. You will be able to crop a good photograph as well and still have all the elements needed. One thing to look out for when cropping a photo though is to make sure you crop it so it has the same dimensions of your canvas i.e. if your canvas is square you should cropped your photo into a square or if your canvas is a 16 x 20 try and make your cropped area as though it was a 16 x 20. Makes your life so much easier and yet I see all too often a student painting on a rectangular canvas using a square image. Mistake number one! Easy remedy! Matching you photo size to your canvas size.

If I had a penny for the number of times I say to a student , “paint like an artist using your colour knowledge and see more than the obvious colours. The more colours you can use the more natural it will all look.” When that light bulb goes on, the student’s work soars. Mistake number two – not using enough colour.

Checking your edges. Making good use of your secondary colours – orange and purple to round your edges. Mistake number three! Not rounding your edges using your secondary colours especially orange and purple.

Checking your tonal values. Are they all the same? Things far away need to be lighter/ less intense and things closer darker /stronger. Mistake number four! Tonal values need to reflect perspective.

I just heard this phrase and it is so true ‘ real growth comes through taking chances’ ! So take chances, make mistakes and you will grow!

Happy Painting

Cheers

Georgia

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Tips on Marketing Yourself and Your Art

>ON YOUR WAY TO BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

Hi Folks

FORGOT TO SIGN YOUR ART WORK –

I must admit I am guilty of having done this! It’s so embarrassing but it happens. It is especially annoying if you have had it professionally framed and even worse if it is behind glass. What to do? Well, there is no simply solution except take it out of the frame and sign it. It is something that should be on your ‘ to do’ list , to always check your work before it leaves your studio or home.

Practice your signature before you sign your painting, placing it in the lower Right hand corner. No need for a date.

TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL YOUR WORK

As students you may think this is not necessary but it is for a few reasons:

1. It is a good way to keep track of how much you have improved.

2. One day you may be in a position of mounting a retrospective of our work or applying for a grant and you will need to provide images of past efforts .

3. Placing these images in a portfolio is a excellent record of what you have done and what has sold.

PORTFOLIO

A portfolio is not just for professional artists! As I’ve mentioned above it is an excellent way to keep a record of your work. When you are part of an art show it helps clients see what you have done and if you add a red dot on those pages it shows what you have previously sold. All this makes potential clients realize you are serious about what you are doing.

In setting up your portfolio find a good leather binder, using heavy plastic pages to insert your written pages and images. The first page should be your Cover Page with your name at the top in bold letters, under which list the medium(s) you work in , then your style and lastly perhaps place an image. Leave nothing for the client to assume. The next page should be your Resume, listing your achievements, art
shows, exhibitions, gallery representation, number of years you’ve been painting etc . This page can be a problem for some if you have not done much so you may need to keep it simple listing art programs you’ve taken. The next page can be reserved for an Artist Statement. When you write this page , again keep it simple and not too ‘artsy’. I’ve read too many of these and then wish I hadn’t. They can be a turn off for clients as well, so I often suggest for artists to skip this page all together. Mount the photographs of your images a single one per page, under which place it’s title, size, and medium. Place a red dot on the page if it has sold.

BUSINESS CARDS

Again this shows potential clients you are serious and business -like. All in an effort to help sell. Your cards do not have to be fancy, in fact keep them simple. Use a clear large font, listing your name, title – i.e. artist and contact information i.e. phone number and email address and website if you have one. No need for street address.

Happy Painting

Cheers Georgia

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