Playing around with oil pastel

Friday, November 28, 2008

This was just trying out oil pastel on colour fix paper to see how it would work.

Lake Eildon Complete

Sunday, November 23, 2008

After a lot of work I have finally completed this painting. I was very pleased with this ones outcome.

Soft Past on A2 Colorfast Paper



Final Draft of horse landscape

I made a couple more changes to this one. First I increased the size of the fence to suit the height of the horses better and then I lifted the road a little. I will begin to paint this one soon now.

Forest Pond Complete

This is the final steps for my forest pond

1. Photo shows were I started from




2. Sky
First I mixed up an opaque purple leaving the colours unmixed. Then added it to the top to give the effect of sky. Make sure it is very transparent.




3. Complete Photo
Make up some lights and darks and with a small brush just define the trees some more and add in a figure to make an interest point.




To see the actural tutorial here are the links.

Forest Pond" Stage 1 Fine Art Tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HJZ6f7_Noo

Forest Pond" Stage 2 - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcihovomOL8

"Forest Pond" Stage 3 - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYa8mtW2LBc

"Forest Pond" Stage 4(a) - Fine Art tutorial

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ39QvutiFc&feature=related

"Forest Pond" Stage 4(b final) - Fine Art tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIY8V82PYOM

4. Up close photos








Hope you enjoyed

Up date of horse landscape

I have fixed up the perspective on this one as was all wrong so hopefully this is better now.

Horse Landscape WIP

Monday, November 17, 2008

I have a real love for horses so have started a WIP of this landscape. I am planning to paint this one in soft pastel. It's A3 Colorfast Paper. At this stage I am just play with the sketch until I feel it's right to go.

This is an update of my Forrest Pond painting

Sunday, November 16, 2008

So this is where I was at and here we have a very rough image the subject matter is raw which is how it’s meant to be.

So now I am going to define the trees by painting around them. So using transparent and optic colours so can get some life into the painting. Using Indian Yellow I have made up a very week glaze and where I added in the white scumbles last time in the centre I am going to glaze over them to give them a gold tinge. You need to be sure it is not running. You do the same with the reflections and then just add little bits here and there over the painting to give it a touch of the gold look.



You now need to mix up a bright green using Bright Yellow and Cerulean blue. These are very optic colours. Then using circular motions applying it to the trees as we did from the very start.

Now we need some depth now which is done by adding in some darks. So I mixed up Phthalo Blue and Alizarin Crimson then added it in at the bottom of the trees and a little just where it looked like it needed it. And of cause I did the same to the reflection. Again it’s important not to let it run.


For this next step I mixed up a muddy colour just using what was already on the pallet. Then I added in a light glaze just under the water edge.


Using a dark mix I then redefined my trees edge by just holding the brush side on and in one stroke running up the edge and then the same in the reflections.


I had to add in a foundation for the next step so I used a scumble mix of white and bright yellow using the knife at the bottom of the canvas. Then the same thing with a blue green and then again using straight white.


Now I need to let this dry once more.

Eildon Updated

Saturday, November 15, 2008

This is a piece I have been working on for some time now. It's from a photo I took quiet a few years back when I had taken my kids camping. I've finally finished working on the houseboat although I might have to do a few touch ups later one. I have also blocked in the background colours and are now slowly adding in the detail. Still much work to be done.

Bronco

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

This is just a quick fun sketch I did as a muck around challenge with Graham again. I'm thinking I might add a background to it at a later date but not to sure yet.

Indian Scene

This one I have done for a fun challenge on my forum. It's a mixed medium using Watercolour Pencils, Oil pastels and Staedtler Triplus Fineliner's. It's painted on Aqvarelle Arches Watercolour Block, Grain Torchon 100% Pur Cotton 185 g/m - 31 x 41cm. It's a mix of Indian paintings I liked combined to make an original of of my thing.

Feathers Challenge On My Forum - Birds

Monday, November 10, 2008

This one I have done on A3 Watercolour Paper. It's been put together for a fun competition being held on my forum at present. I had a lot of fun doing this one.



My Fun Challenge with Graham

Graham a friend of min and I like to have a bit of a challenge with each other and this time the idea was machinery IE car, train, plain, helicopter so on. I decided to do a helicopter. This isn't the greatest sketch but fr me it's a great sketch as I have just had surgery on my leg and I was laying flat on my back in bed doing this one so was really impressed with the outcome. It's painted in watercolour pencils on A3 Arches watercolour paper.

Horse

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

This one was also a little practice and to help take my mind of a few things. It's painted with Watercolour Pencils on Mont Marte Premium English Cotton Paper A4.

Tigers

This one was done for a little practice with Watercolour Pencils. It's painted on Arches Watercolour Medium 185gsm size A3.

Casual Stroll

Tonight while watching TV I found myself with the urge to try out an idea with watercolour pencils that come to my mind. So straight out of my mind.

this image appeared.

So as I sat to do some work rather nervously on this piece today, I began to realise a thing or two along the way. Firstly this painting style is really an illusion. When you sit on top of the painting it doesn’t look much at all. But when you step back away from the painting and look at it from a distance it looks reasonable good. I was nervous because in step three I realised that what you do with the painting changes the painting dramatically and colours become very important.

So the first step in the tutorial I had to do today was to make up a glazed mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson. Then with only one stroke I had to go back over my trees to re set them in again. I also added in a few more and then did the same with the reflections.








The next thing I did was made up another glaze of the same mix. I then used the mix to scribble in bits and pieces above the water’s edge and then again the reflections making sure to go in under the water’s edge doing both horizontal and vertical strokes.










Then I had to make up a new glaze using a tiny speck of Alizarin Crimson and Indian Yellow until I got almost and red/orange brown look, which I scribbled in here and there again, mainly above the last glaze and of cause, did the same with the reflection.










Using the Ultramarine Blue and the Indian Yellow I made up a darker green glaze not to runny and just in the places where it looked to need a little more colour scribbles it in and under the water line I bushed it on horizontally to make a band under it but being sure not to disturb the previous reflections too much.











Then using the Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson I made up another glaze this time more of a dark blue. Holding the brush side on to the canvas and only using the tip of the brush I added a stroke to each of the trees to re establish them once more and then repeated this on the reflections.






Using the same mix I ten added a little here and there making sure not to overdo it as it can be very powerful and the changes happen fast. I applied it to the op and then also in the reflections.
Now I made up what Robert calls a “Scumble Mix” again with Indian Yellow, Ultramarine Blue and White mixed them slightly with the pallet knife and then picking up some white and part of the scumble mix added in some light. I also reflected it in the water.








Then with the paint that was on the pallet I made up a dirty looking wash and brushed it over the bottom of the canvas filling in the gaps but being sure not to disturb the previous reflections too much.





This was all for step three I now have to sit and let it dry totally once more.