Paint Along with Me - Orange Slices - Day Three

A couple quick notes. In a round about way, I found a post from the first time I worked on Pastelmat (the same paper I've RECENTLY fallen in love with).  It was seven years ago. Here's the link.

I'm trying to use only the colors in the NuPastel set of 24. It is difficult to get them OUT of the packaging. While the work is in progress, I leave each one I use tipped up for easy access.

Paint Along with Me - Orange Slices - Day Two

I'm working at the new wall-station in my studio. Love being right up close to the painting. I haven't figured out a pastel dust-catcher yet so I haven't looked down! But, I'm working on Pastelmat Maize color with a new set of 24 NuPastels. They're hard, so there isn't much dust.

This is the kind of work and the paper and pastels we'll be using in my Friday, July 22 Still Life Workshop. I need four students to join me, beginners welcome. A deposit will hold your spot with the Buy Now button. Scroll down to see more steps on this painting.

Let there be light!

Yay! Additional track lighting was installed today in my Studio. This makes two more work stations for students in my July workshops. Below is a photo of the bulb that I love.

Thursday, July 14, 2016 - Still Life FULL
Friday, July 15, 2016 - Landscape  FULL

Thursday, July 21, 2016 - Landscape 3 places left
Friday, July 22, 2016 - Still Life 4 places left

Paint Along with Me - Orange Slices - Day One

Another paint along with me - this time orange slices. I cut an orange into various pieces. This time I'm photographing them with my cell phone and natural light.

 Here's the side view of the oranges on the kitchen table.

 With the image on my computer display, I hold a cropping tool in front of the screen to better see possible compositions.

In Photoshop, I crop the image to a pleasing composition then resize to a 5 x 7 format. If you are super observant, you'll notice that I used the clone tool to make the far left orange slice larger to avoid the awkward position against the next slice.

I could take the cropped image to the easel and adjust the color "manually" by imagining how I want the finished painting to look. Instead, to eliminate many color decisions, I adjust the color using Photoshop to make a reference photo that looks the way I want my finished painting to look. Students note for upcoming Studio workshops with me: If possible, please color adjust your reference photos that you will be bringing to class so we can both visualize your painting goal. If you aren't already doing this in your everyday studio work, try it. It will simplify your life.

Paint Along with Me - Day Five

There comes a point in every painting demo that I quit talking...simply because I get so involved in the work that I quit talking and taking photos. I guess this is called "being in the zone." Whatever it is called, I begin working on intuition.  This is the last photo I took to show you how I lift pastel off the painting with a stiff brush. Remember, the ground was toned with yellow ochre. 

Apple on Glass Plate, pastel, 5 x 7 inches

Purchase

Now, after spending hours on a little painting, you will know the subject very well and the pastel sticks you used are all out in front of you. So...get out another piece of paper, same size but maybe a different color and paint the same subject again but this time, paint it in 15 minutes!

Apple II on Glass Plate, pastel, 5 x 7 inches

Purchase

Paint Along with Me - Day Four

With a very light yellow, I indicate lightest areas of the painting. This is to help me determine my value range. How dark do I want to go based on my lightest value? Note: this isn't stark white.

I begin to work the background choosing various colors. This is the time when, if you were actually here, that we would talk about color choices. 

I'm working more intuitively now and focusing on the glass plate. 

My colored pencil work of the past is well known for sparkling glass. In pastel, I want to handle my impression of glass much less precisely. 

The reflections cast onto the table: With a light color, I lay in a pattern of reflections. Then, with a gloved finger, I drag across the whole area to soften it. Sscroll back to the reference photo to see how the reflections soften as the plate gets father away from the surface it is sitting on. At the base of the plate they are sharper in shape and lighter in value than at the rim of the plate where they are less defined and darker because the distance of the rim of the plate in relation to the table top is increased. 

to be continued...


 

Paint Along with Me - Day Three

Three strokes shown here:
1. Place the side of the NuPastel on the painting surface and drag down. This stroke gives a textured look with the yellow ochre ground showing through.
2. Use the end of the NuPastel to fill in a heavy applicaton of color.

3. "Stroke" of my gloves fingers dragging over blue pastel for a hazy application of color.

In this photo you can see the three red hues I'm using: warm red (leans toward yellow), cool red (leans toward blue) and pink. I'll continue with these three pastel sticks using the strokes shown above.

To be continued...

Paint Along with Me - Day Two

To continue this session of Paint Along with Me, print the color adjusted image on glossy paper then change the mode to gray and print another copy on regular copy paper. Or, make a b/w copy of the color image in your copier.

Draw an "X" from corner to corner on the gray scale image. This is X will help you transfer the composition to your painting ground.

I'm working on Wallis paper toned with Yellow Ochre Gesso. I use a light colored pastel pencil to draw an "X" on my ground and then indicate placement of the apple using light lines.

With a blue pastel pencil I refine the line drawing. 

NuPastel 405-P is a fairly dark blue/green. I use it to lay in darkest areas everywhere except in the apple. With gloved fingers, I drag color from dark areas over all except not on the apple.

No number on this NuPastel stick. It is lighter in value and brighter in intensity. Based on my reference photo, I add it for a bright spot of background behind the apple and where the light hits the edge of the scalloped glass plate. 

To be continued...

Paint Along with Me

A few days ago I received an email from B.S. asking when I would begin posting more fruit series paintings for sale on DailyPaintworks. Also, I've received many nice responses to my Studio Workshops from students who live too far away to come for only one day. So, I'm combining these two communications into posts on this blog showing how I paint a fruit painting from beginning to end. You can paint along with me! When the painting is complete, it will go to my Daily Paintworks Gallery and to Etsy for purchase.

To begin, I need a reference photo of my subject - 
this time an apple.

I take many photos!

This is the first photo I shot. 
Next, I'll adjust it in Photoshop.

I adjust the image to a more pleasing (and inspiring) hue.

1. Using PhotoShop Elements, I resize the image (uncheck "constrain image") to the same dimensions that I will paint, in this case, 5x7 inches.

2.  In Levels mode, I adjust the RGB colors.

3. In Hue and Saturation I make further adjustments.

Next, I'll print the image in 5x7 format on glossy photo paper. I'll use this as my reference photo when I go to the easel.

If you grab your smartphone or camera, a piece of fruit, a knife and a strong light you can take your own photos now to paint along with me. See you tomorrow...

A couple things...

Meadow Lights, pastel, 6 x 6 inches

A little more info about yesterday's post. Here is the final image you saw taped to my new painting station. This niche in my studio is about 8-1/2 feet wide. I mounted 3/8" Gatorbord to the wall with 3M Velcro fasteners. Now I can tape my pastel paper to the Gatorbord for painting. If you need another work station and have a little spare wall, this is an easy solution instead of setting up another easel.

Update for students

Just when I should be retiring, I'm coming back to teaching. Painting with others at the local community center has motivated me to provide a more structured environment for sharing what I know. However, my new studio is smaller than my previous one so I've considered offering mentoring online as well as private lessons in my studio. For now, I've decided to teach four workshops in my studio this summer. I'm adding two new painting spaces for students. Track lighting will arrive in a few days. I'll post progress photos as it is completed.

Four one-day Studio Workshops, July 2016

Still Life - Thursday, July 14, 2016  FULL
Still Life - Friday, July 22, 2016 

Landscape - Friday, July 15, 2016
Landscape - Thursday, July 21, 2016

Medium: Pastel, all skill levels welcome
Class Size: FOUR students each day
Location: My Studio at Mill Pond Cottage, Lake Sawyer, Black Diamond, WA
Time: 9 AM - 4 PM with an hour break for lunch by the lake
Cost: $100 per day
More details and supply lists will be available soon but if you are ready to paint with me, contact me to make a deposit on a spot in the three remaining workshops.

Note: I will teach a THREE DAY workshop for the Northwest Pastel Society Friday, Saturday, Sunday, September 30 - October 2, 2016. Contact Northwest Pastel Society, Workshop Coordinator, Deb Cepeda. 

Focusing on Workshops

My big art project is done and most of the garden is planted so I can begin to focus on upcoming one-day workshops in my Studio in July and a three-day workshop nearby (with visits to the Studio) at the end of September.

Garden: Looking East through the misty rain toward the lake. The Clematis is happy!

Garden: Turn around to face West, the Delphiniums are happy along the walk to the house. The Studio courtyard garden and patio are to the right just out of this picture frame. 

My big spring project was eight new paintings. Right now they are being photographed. I'll be able to tell you more about this project in a few months.

Workshops: Here is a link to the info I posted previously. Email me if you would like to confirm your interest (I have a list of names) or if you would like more info. By the end of May, I'll have the outline and supply lists for the Studio workshops. Email barbara newton at comcast dot net. I'd make a link a for you but I don't want all the spam it would generate.