BLACK IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK

 

What many people think is "black" in a painting may not be black at all! When the photo for this portrait was taken, instructions were given to wear black and white. As you can already tell, it made for a fantastic photo! In the clothing, I indeed used a pure black paint - Ivory Black. And it worked well. But for the background, I really wanted something that was not flat and that had some color and warmth to it. So I created my own "black" recipe from a combination of paint colors, and it really "pops" the people. What I mean is that it moves them forward off of the background and makes them look even more 3-dimensional.

I have been working on completing the face and hair of this guy (David). He is now completed to the stage that only final detailing is left. That means eyes, teeth and a few other minor adjustments. I ordered some very fine brushes to do that detailing with, but the order was held up because of one item being on backorder. I just received notice that it should be shipped this week, and then I can complete him. In the meantime, it is on to the brother next to him...

GREENS ARE DONE

20" x 24" work in progress

I have had some fun guesses as to what this could be from friends on Facebook, but none has been correct so far... The closest guess was bamboo.


The greens are completed, and will dry over the weekend. Then I can begin on the next color. Does it help you to know what it is if I tell you the title? It's going to be called "SLICES". 


Have a great weekend!

Oil Painting Stage 4

I have to find out from my friend who gave me his photo to paint where exactly this spot is. It is either in British Columbia or Alberta - but not sure which.

Now you can see where the painting is heading. I am loving how the river is looking, and the brights of the deciduous trees in fall.

Next posting should be fairly close to being finished... or maybe even done!

Pair of Pears

                         Pair of Pears

                         oil on canvas

                             8" x 8"

I admit that I have no clue what I am doing! This is my first ever oil painting on canvas. A while ago, I tried oil on a birch panel, and now on canvas... and it is all experimental. Because this is still tacky, I took a photo of it instead of scanning, so it is not "the best" representation of the painting,  but pretty close. :-)

 I will say that I learned a lot from the process. One thing about oil - you need a TON of patience. If you go too far in one sitting, you can end up with all your paint just mushing together and becoming like mud. If you wait too long, you can't change something that you want to tweak. It is all about process - knowing when to go back in, how to mix colors, how to work from darks to lights, which is counterintuitive for one who has worked with watercolor painting for a number of years. I also find that having a good knowledge of color theory is an asset when working in oils. They don't mix in the same way that acrylic or watercolor do.

BUT, I LOVE how brilliant the colors are. I LOVE how you can blend so gradually from one color to the next (well, you can if you can!). And I LOVE how I can still get the smooth creamy look that I so like in watercolor. Many oil artists prefer to show lots of brushstrokes in their paintings, but I prefer the realism which is the style of artists like Jelaine Faunce,  Marcia Molnar, M. Collier, Neil Hollingsworth, or Karen Hollingsworth. When I visit these artists' websites and blogs, I am inspired and long to be able to produce vibrant beautiful images such as theirs. When you look at their work, you may think it is easy, but believe me, these people are highly gifted artists. What may look simple - a tea cup, some cherries on a cloth, a glass of iced tea - are really very intricate and complex paintings which have fantastic understanding of the oil medium, composition and technique. Oh, to learn from today's masters! But as far as I know, none of them give workshops, nor has any of these people written an instruction book.

In fact, I have yet to discover a teaching technique book on oils which describes how to achieve the very realistic painting style which I want to pursue in oils. If any of you have seen one which teaches this smooth, life-like technique, I would be grateful for the title and author!

For those of you who are saying, "WHAT??? She's painting in OILS????", don't worry... I am not about to give up my watercolors (yet). Anything that I learn in oils will only help me become a better artist, whether in watercolor, acrylic or oils.

If you are interested in purchasing my 1st oil on canvas, contact me at jogiesbrecht@gmail.com

My prices are very reasonable - you might be surprised! :-)