Tag: Arches paper

Posted in painting

Finished by Friday – a Farewell

Posted on by Laura Kate

Taking a break from packing boxes this week, I decided to attend Open Studio at my local art association for a class conducted by mentor Cheryl Bryan. This will be my last class with Cheryl before I move away. She sent us this sketch…..

……and told us we would practice painting with only two colors. We were to choose two that, when mixed together, created a neutral black.

I chose to make my own sketch instead of tracing Cheryl’s. I followed her general design but simplified the line work in the lower left area. My chosen pigments were Winsor and Newton’s Ultramarine blue and transparent orange. This is one of my favorites for a good black, as I discovered when painting Winter Chicks in 2023.

The following morning, I cleaned up my edges, adjusted a few values and added tiny and minimal details using Micron pens and a soluble graphite pencil.

This was a fun, easy class that produced a highly-stylized result. I loved every minute. I call this one Dancing with a Seagull. It is 9 by 6 inches on cold press Arches paper

I will sorely miss these Open Studio sessions, the people at the association and especially instructor Cheryl Bryan. It will be hard to find another group like it in my new home. I’ll check in with Cheryl periodically, in the spirit of Apprenticeship.

Posted in painting

Sunday Squash

Posted on by Laura Kate

Not many people would call a pumpkin a squash, but I just love alliteration. I can’t help myself.

I’m a few weeks late in finishing my pumpkin painting. Painting was supposed to take place on the first Monday in October, when Cheryl Bryan conducted her once a month tutorial. I had prepped my paper and packed my traveling paint kit, but didn’t attend class. I was at a funeral for a friend that morning.

As the month wore on, I kept busy in the garden (and with stash-busting knitting.) So, it’s today that my pumpkin painting is ready to be viewed.

My reference photo is by Megan Lee, who generously shared it on Unsplash.

Thank you, Megan.

What attracted me to this image was the background primarily. I liked that the pumpkin is still in the pumpkin patch, surrounded by its vine, whose leaves are changing to yellow. The white tendrils (or roots?) which are visible throughout the image keep the eye moving through the scene.

My goal was to capture a spooky feeling, along with the intense highlights, as if a beam were focused on the pumpkin – the star of the show.

Did I achieve the goal? I believe so. What do you see?

Painted on Arches cold press using Winsor yellow, Winsor green, transparent orange, alizarin crimson, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. White highlights emphasized with Dr PH Martin’s bleed-proof white.

Posted in painting

Wednesday Watercolor – a new-to-me Technique

Posted on by Laura Kate

Last Wednesday, at the art association’s open studio, Cheryl introduced the group to a technique of painting into wet paper using a credit card instead of a brush. She referenced the work of Lena Gemzoe.

Very intriguing, but clearly, it takes a lot of practice to get results this good.

For the class, I decided to use granulating colors that would settle out into the texture of the paper. Working from my imagination I attempted a mountain view, with a stream in the foreground.

To finish it off, I used my brush to make a tree, island and grasses.

Cobalt blue, Payne’s gray, raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and a little white gouache on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper.

Posted in drawing, painting

Sketching Sunday: Inflight Study

Posted on by Laura Kate

This week I practiced drawing and painting sandhill cranes in flight

This study will be part of a larger landscape that I am planning. I used cerulean and phthalo blues, raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and a bit of Payne’s gray on Arches cold press paper. My reference photo appeared on the MPR website and was taken by Ben Hovland.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/13/record-flock-of-sandhill-cranes-at-sherburne-refuge

Posted in painting

Shawl Value Study

Posted on by Laura Kate

One more step in learning how to paint this pose

Photograph translated to black and white image

Completed value study, using Paynes gray on Fabriano Studio cold press paper.

I find that the values I painted are very close to the values in the photograph. But I came to the conclusion that there is insufficient contrast among the mid-tones.

So I will be “pushing” these tones when I paint the image in color. I think I will leave the contrast between the two shawl colors the same, but paint the background tones darker overall.

And maybe it’s time to get out the Arches paper.