Preparing for a quick study with canvas paper and oil paint.

Every time I open my paint box it feels like this.

It is hilarious the times I do bring it with me to certain places people offer to help me carry it and many are surprised how heavy it is! One relative said that box is more than half your size!

I like to line up all the colors I am going to use for the day before placing

 them on the palette. In a spectrum-like fashion.

I like to use wooden palettes they take time and TLC to prepare before using a brand new one fresh from the store. The process is meticulous. To get everything to flow smoothly and glide on the palette to the canvas apply a thin layer of oil on the palette before use. I like to use Walnut oil it doesn't get me sick and slows your drying time. A lot of people like to use linseed oil and I get terribly sick when I'm around it.

Walnut in a glass jar. I cherish and look for glass jars like in Legend of Zelda.

Buy things in bulk if it is a medium you like and use a lot of. Art school taught me that. It can get pricey buying everything at once but you are saving a lot in the long run.

This is my favorite Alizarin Crimson comes in a tiny canister.

-Ivory Black

Cobalt Blue 

Ultramarine Blue

Alizarin Crimson 

Permanent Alizarin Crimson

Lemon Yellow Hue

Naples Yellow

-Burnt Umber

-Yellow Orchre

-Titanium White  

-Zinc White (Careful this one can be toxic can have traces of lead)

Packing all the materials for on the go.

Canvas paper. It has a nice tooth to it. And great if you just want to practice. 

Extra drawing board I use only for paints.

Tape up the canvas paper with masking tape. 

It comes off easy when using a hair dryer to melt the adhesive off. 

Gesture sketch with prismacolor col-erase 

Fixative time/Eat breakfast outside

Prepared palette on french easel.

Oily base wash. Ir is difficult to paint on a stark white canvas.

I did a terrible painting. ( wont show the end result) I don't feel discouraged just motivation to get better. I have a terrible habit of losing my drawing when I paint. Its either a great drawing or if I start out with color I am fine. 

Wet on dry Wet on Wet or Alla Prima are techniques you can use on painting.

Layers are not just a thing in Photoshop, Corel Painter, Art Rage, and Paint tool Sai.
One can work with on a dry surface with wet paint and build up from there.
Or you can start with a layer of wet paint before you start painting to be able to push paint around easier or for more softer edges.

I've been working a lot on Wet on Dry. With this method I used a combination of graphite from a lead holder and a draughting pencil to sketch out my initial image.

Go outside and spray it with fixative.  (I like Lascaux)



























Apply a thin wash of Oil Paint with a mix of walnut oil and turpenoid natural.

See how the underlying drawing is still visible after a layer of paint. If I did not spray fixative the graphite would be runny and leave stains on the brush.

































Fixative a type of varnish that tends to come in an aerosol can that seals your medium to the paper or material you are painting. Most are permanent so once you spray it you are done it seals the medium. There is workable fixative if you are not ready to commit it does not completely seal your drawing so if you want to if you are using charcoal or something you can add on to the drawing without smearing as much. I like to use Lascaux, it is expensive but you don't need as much and have to only spray usually one layer. It also doses not dull the color as much as other brands.

Alla Prima example. My friend Elizabeth Jose did this one. 

Alla Prima means in Italian first attempt. Usually with this technique one of the unwritten rules is the painting must be completed in one sitting while the paint is still wet. With minimal layers because of the time restriction. Normally I don't do too well in timed conditions like this unless it is a still life painting.

I learned a lot from watching El Coro's demo video and looking at his work. 

Take a look at Justin Kaufman's work here  http://coro36ink.com/gallery/personal

I've had the opportunity to hear him speak about art. And it was very motivating.

 He's a pretty funny guy. I'm kinda bummed I missed 

his paint lecture for another I can't remember going to.

I didn't find a link with a quick search to find the store it is located at. 

I was going through my stuff and found this old handout I printed that I had found on the Wacom site before. I couldn't find it online anywhere so I decided to scan these papers.

Now these belong and are copyrighted to Wacom, Dr. Hardo Darmstadt and their affiliates. I don't own the rights nor have written any of the material. Just sharing because it is good information.
Another good article about this topic can be found here also
http://www.automotiveillustrations.com/tutorials/computer-workstation-ergonomics.html

This is a good thing to know and be aware of. I don't have proper sitting posture but I am aware of my positioning of my hands and both wrists. Never have your wrist or arm suspended between your desk and you!

Happy drawing everyone.
;]

Happy New Years and Happy Holidays! :]

Hope it was really great and awesome!

It is day 2 of the New Year!
Started it right by waking up at a decent time making a strawberry cappuccino. Went to the portrait drawing group and did a decent drawing in the allotted time I was there for. One thing my mentor said when he used to teach classes he would joke whoever has the worst drawing would get decapitated. I didn't get decapitated today but other times I have felt that.
For some reason I am prompt and on time every place or appointment I go to but for some reason Most of the time I go to the drawing groups I show up fashionably or unfashionably late.  I was like I actually ate breakfast this morning! I didn't want to hear it about playing hooky even if I was kinda late.

 I prefer to catch people at their natural state and not posing in pictures and reference. I had to ask to take a photo so Robert "Posed" for me. His eyes were really wide and not relaxed like when we were drawing. He knew I was taking a pic so I tried again at his natural state when he was not paying attention. Makes a difference I think.

 I struggled a bit but then got my groove on later. Gramps was actually really impressed with the drawing and told me I have to something else next week.

I just did a sketch on canvas with the intention of adding fixative and then painting over it.

Don's painting

Ginny'a painting

One reason I have been doing these instead of painting is fundamentally I've been told by my mentor is the root of a bad painting is a bad drawing underneath. So I went back to improve on my timed drawings with likeness better. For some reason I've gotten myself in trouble with not listening to a teacher with good instruction and rebelling and when I finally do listen I improve drastically.




I wasn't shy today to ask a few of my fellow artists for pictures of what they did.

Kudos to people who have New Year's Resolutions. I personally don't because in my observations most people will set un-realistic goals and then beat themselves up for not achieving that goal. My theory that most don't like to hear is why wait until New Year's to become a better person or work on self improvement? Just why?

If I have to say I have one it usually is not to make one. Or maybe the coffee one mentioned earlier.

So welcome to 2016 and I do have a lot of things going on this year that will astound many. I have always been the underdog. ;)