Take It To The Next Level

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Comment by Franco on August 9, 2017 at 10:59pm

Nice to meet all of you,
I like to draw or paint portraits and I know I still have a lot to learn.
I'm also a passioned photographer. Drawing, painting and photography are a part of a unique word for me.
I hope to get your comments on my works and to exchange experiences with all of you.
Franco

Comment by Deborah Robinson on May 18, 2014 at 2:05pm

Hi I am a new member, Just checking in from Calgary, AB, Canada. I am a painter as well as a muralist, and musician.

Comment by Kenneth Browne on January 29, 2014 at 2:25pm

Hello everyone, 

I just recently joined this group and I wanted to say hi. 

Kenneth 

Comment by Christine Rossi on February 29, 2012 at 10:46am

I found a teacher who was classically trained but was open to different approaches and focussed on theory and techniques, supporting what ever direction you want to take. You have to find a teacher that you click with. So if one is discouraging you from making basic painting mistakes but encourages you to find your own style then I would start there. 

Comment by Laurel Sternberg on February 29, 2012 at 3:57am

Hi Sloane, Welcome back. A few of us have been discussing, and supporting each other in your absence. Congrats on getting inspired again.

I take the classical approach to training, which is beautifully described in Julia Aristides "Classical Drawing Atelier." If you're motivated and disciplined, you can do it on your own, but it still is good to get feedback from other artist's, because four eyes are better than two.

My style is hyper realism, which isn't trendy right now. But I'm interested in leading, not following trends. What's currently popular is loose, unfocused painting. The advantage is, you don't have to have great drawing skills and you can crank out a lot of product quickly. Most artists are satisfied with this level of work. It's a personal choice.

Let's see what you're working on and go from there.

all the best,

Laurel

Comment by Davina Parypa on February 28, 2012 at 11:30pm

Comment by Davina Parypajust now           Delete Comment

In my opinion what we use as references in our works is up to us. Give your self permission to have full artistic license in your work. I think if you limit yourself to just using photos or just "real life" we are limiting the creative process to just one thought. The more resources we have the more exciting our work becomes.  I love to work from life just as much as working from a photograph.  One of my art instructors stated that, " you can't always depend on working from memory, pretty soon you will run out.  You need to continue to collect as many resources to work from, as you can." I have never forgotten this statement. Because I have gone through blank periods where I couldn't paint.  I continue to collect resources because i don't want to get those blank periods with no resources or ideas to develop from. Don't miss understand me I love to paint and draw from real life. I actually think it is easier to work from real life than from a photograph. In today's technology we are fortunate to have all the tools and resources to work with. Why not learn to use them all?

Comment by Edward A Kingsbury III on February 28, 2012 at 7:08pm

I would recommend stay focused on one direction. For at least a couple of months. If you stop before it is not the right direction. I have worked in many mediums but one stands out for me. I do continue practicing in other mediums which consist of other technics but I continue with my prodominent medium and technique.

Comment by Laurel Sternberg on November 13, 2011 at 3:53pm

I wouldn't use all that white ( Alan's 80/20 idea) in a glaze. It will make the color either icy cold or your painting chalky. You can either thin an acrylic with water or use a clear glaze medium, to which you've added your color. 

In oil, as I said before, I work wet into wet, so I'm not glazing. You can always glaze on top of work which has dried, but I recommend oiling down the dried area first. Then you can spread a thin, transparent color. If you haven't gessoed the canvas to a very smooth surface, a dark glaze may reveal the texture of your canvas.

I love working on a very smooth surface, except that then you see every dust mote, brush hair, and cat hair. It's not a perfect world.

Comment by Christine Rossi on November 13, 2011 at 11:15am

Glazing techniques vary depending upon your medium:

Acrlyic:

Creating fluid paints

Fluid paints can be used like watercolors, or for glazing and washes. To create a more fluid texture, water is added to the paint. The ratio of paint to water depends on how thick the glaze is expected to be. An opaque glaze or paint consists of more paint than water, and will give a more solid color. A translucent glaze or paint will be the opposite, consisting of slightly more water than the opaque version, and will have a smoother texture. Translucent glazes show more of the colors underneath the paint compared to opaque glazes. Artist Keri Ippolito advises that the paint should be watered no more than 50 percent or the paint will not stick to the canvas.^[3]After mixing the paints, allow time for the air bubbles to rise to the surface. This will be crucial in many techniques, especially in pouring paints.

[edit]Painting glazes

Acrylic paint glazes are often used to create more depth in an image. These types of paints are light enough when brushed onto canvas to show the layers underneath. This technique is commonly used to create more realistic images. Light colored glazes also have softening effects when painted over dark or bright images. Artists can mix glazes themselves, or can buy pre-mixed acrylic glazes.

It is best to wait for each layer to dry thoroughly before apply another coat. This will prevent the paint from smearing or leaving unwanted smudge marks. After the application of several layers, rubbing alcohol can be brushed or sprayed on to reveal colors from earlier layers.^[4]

Oils: 

In oil painting, the simplest form of a glaze is a thin, oily, transparent layer of paint spread over the top of an opaque passage that has been given some time to dry. Light travels through the glaze and is reflected back off of the opaque layer below. This can cause a glowing effect similar to looking at a brightly lit white wall behind a film of colored cellophane. The thin oily layers of a glaze can facilitate the rendering of details that would be more difficult with opaque paints -- e.g. the complexities of skin tones.

When multiple layers of glazes are used, the colors in all visible layers can appear combined. However, the pigments are not physically mixed, since the paint is left to dry before each successive glaze is applied. The artist may apply several layers of paint with increasing amounts of oil added to each successive layer. This process of applying the fat layers (more oil in the painter’s medium) over the lean layers (less oil) can minimize cracking; this is the "fat over lean" principle.

Many painters juxtapose glazes and opaque, thick or textured types of paint application (that appear to push forward) as a means to increase surface variety, which some painters feel increases a painting's drama, brightness and depth.^[1]

reference: Wikipedia

 

Comment by Anthony Clark on November 9, 2011 at 9:04pm

Thank you Laurel,

 

By the way I love your musician paintings and all of your portraits.  You capture your subject in a very relaxed body gesture.  Very different than the usual stoney look of a prortrait.

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