March Challenge

The March Challenge, between myself and Mick Carney www.thepaintingstruggle.blogspot.com/  was my choice. I realised recently I had neglected my landscape painting, leading to a deterioration, and with the plein air season looming chose a typical scene at my local Keynsham park. 

 River Chew Keynsham Park

This isn't an easy subject just look at all the clutter. The object always is to simplify, but the urge to copy what is in front of you, especialy from photographs, is hard to resist. I'm getting better but suffer relapses! 

First Attempt Keynsham Park 16" x 12" 140lb (300gm) Centenaire Not

This was overworked, particularly the reflections, although I thinks it looks better on here than the actual painting, which is unusual as it's usually the other way round. I rejected it and tried again.

Final Attempt Keynsham Park 16" x 12" 140lb (300gm) Centenaire Not

This is simplified compared to the first one. I have attempted to alternate warm and cool throughout with mixed success.

Colours used include Cerulean Blue, Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48), Hookers Green (Graham), Sap Green (Daniel Smith), Quinacridone Gold (Daniel Smith PO49), Gold Ochre (W & N PY43), Raw Sienna, Raw Umber  plus darks from Q Rust/Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. I'm not absolutely sure what else. I must start making a note of the colours as I paint. 

Brushes the usual with the Isabey 6228 Size 8 Kolinsky to the fore.

Latest Amerindians

Over the last week I returned to my Indian portraits.

Nez Perce Warrior Circa Late 1900's Courtesy www.firstpeople.us/ 

Nez Perce Warrior -Centenaire 140lb (300gsm) 16" x 12" Not

I was particularly struck with the light on this subject and his profile. After a loose but accurate drawing, using measuring to get the proportions right, After starting with the eyes, nose and mouth I then painted the shadows on the right and lower side of the face. Here I used quite dark colours, mainly Ultramarine adulterated with Burnt Sienna. For me the eyes and the nose followed by his chin were the key areas. The remainder is just supportive. The hair is a mixture of Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber. There are touches of Indigo (Daniel Smith). The eyes, tip and underpart of nose, plus the chin area were the usual Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cerulean and Ultramarine mixed on the paper. A pale wash of Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48) was added to the face which initially I left white. A second wash was added when dry. I realise the skin is probably too light and not dark enough to be accurate for a Nez Perce but felt my approach was needed for the benefit of the painting.

 The Nez Perce lived in the North West and suffered the usual mistreatment at the hands of the American government. They were not unfriendly to the white man but were eventually forced into armed conflict, and under Chief Joseph and Looking Glass made a remarkable attempt to flee to Canada with their women and children, pursued by large numbers of troops and militia. On a number of occasions they defeated the opposing forces but eventually numbers told and they were forced to surrender not far short of the Canadian border. A segment of the tribe did make it. 

Old Arapaho Indian Man circa late1900s early Twentieth Century (?) www.firstpeople.us/

Old Arapaho Man - Vivace 115lb (250gsm) 11.75" x 15.75" Not

My approach  was slightly different here as a good part of the face is in shadow. I used similar colours and completed the face in stages, starting with the eyes, nose and lips. As these were all linked together I did them in one passage. I then completed the lighter side and added the various lines and grooves when  dry. I assumed his hair to be a dirty white leaving most of it the white of the paper, with just a few hints of  heavily diluted Cerulean and Quinacridone Gold (Daniel Smith PO49). The pinkish red in both instances is diluted Permanent Carmine (Winsor & Newton PR N/A).

The Arapaho were a tribe of plains Indians usually associated with the Sioux and Cheyenne but not quite so feared, although still formidable, often fighting with them.

Brushes were my usual Isabey Sizes 6 and 8 plus a Size 6 Maestro.

A Hopi Man

To start 2012 here is my latest subject, once more with thanks, from the photo archives of www.firstpeople.us/ of a Hopi man.

A Hopi Man Circa 1900 (?)

The Hopi are a group of pueblo or village indians who have remained in the same territory occupied when first visited by Coronado's troops in 1540. They speak a Shoshonean dialect and mostly live on high mesas in the arid northeastern  area of Arizona. They are said to have adapted better to modern civilization than many other groups of Amerindians. A very good reference is `American Indians of the Southwest'  by` Bertha P.Dutton (University of New Mexico Press 1903 Revised Ed.1975). There is also plentiful information on the web - just Google `Hopi Indians'.

Hopi Man - Centrenaire 140lb 16" x 12" Not

For this painting I changed my colour combinations  as I wanted a slightly different, more expressive, result. As I've constantly stated my approach is based on Charles Reid's style so super realism is out! For the skin colour I used a combination of Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48) with touches of Burnt Umber and Cerulean Blue. This was to avoid the `pinkish' colour that so annoys Hap! For the first time I changed my usual Ultramarine/ Burnt Sienna/Burnt Umber combinations for darks and introduced Daniel Smith's Indigo (PB60/PBk6) in the hair. I used this straight, just varying the dilution, but sometimes added small amounts of Burnt Sienna. This can be the darkest dark imaginable but also dilutes down very well. I like this particular colour a lot and it may become a staple on my palette. Note PB60 as usually other makes of Indigo are based on either Prussian Blue (PB27) or Ultramarine (PB29). It is a convenience colour but WOW!! I also like the straight Indanthrone or Indanthrene Blue (PB60), without the black added, but it would be pointless to have both. There is also some Quinacridone Gold (Daniel Smith PO49) in the hair. The shirt has Yellow Ochre and  Raw Umber with touches of Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Carmine (W & N PR N/A),  and Cerulean (W & N PB36). I also mixed small amounts of Prussian Blue (Graham PB27) in the hair.

Brushes were limited to my Isabey Series 6201 Size 6 retractable for the features, with Da Vinci Series 10 Maestro Size 6 and the Isabey Series  6228 Size 8, all Kolinsky sables. Finally I used a Pro Arte Series 3 Sable Size 00 for the tiny dots of white Gouache for the eyes. As I've pointed out before the Isabey retractable is much smaller than a normal Size 6, more like a longer and slimmer 4, but is a lovely brush for detail. Jacksons sell it  www.jacksonsart.co.uk/  and there is also a smaller Size 4. Currently they are out of stock as I've recently ordered another 6 for a member of my AVA art group.

I'm pretty pleased with this one as a start to 2012. As usual I concentrated on the face and head, starting with the eyes, then the nose followed by the lips. The clothing was painted  in a minimal way just to suggest but not stress. In previous portraits I've had some problems wondering how to handle the clothing, especially not knowing the original colours, and in several cases overworked.

More Flowers and Fruit.

I tried another flower painting the other day allied with my usual additions of fruit. This time the flowers came from my small garden and I picked them with two things in mind. They were shapes and colour.

I first of all made a faint outline drawing then started with the centre dark leaves moving from there  to the other areas. I had no intention of drawing (and painting) flowers that are readily identifiable. The only ones that are are the yellow Coreopsis.  This is about shapes and colours which are identifiable as flowers but not specific. My drawing was the modified contour method pioneered by Charles Reid, but I realise I have a way to go as I don't have his sure touch. I also tried to link everything together in a balanced way. 

 Flowers & Fruit 140lb (300gsm) Centenaire 16" x 12" Not

Various colours were used including Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153) for the yellow flowers darkened in places with Raw Sienna. The centres are Burnt Umber. The purple flowers were Permanent Mauve (Rowney PV23) with touches of Permanent Carmine (Winsor & Newton PR N/A). Pinks are Permanent Rose (W & N PV19) and the greens were based on Maimeri Hookers Green with Green Gold (Rowney PY129), and some blue. The dark leaves are a mixture of Avignon Orange (Maimeri PR206) and Burnt Umber. The jug is Cerulean (W & N PB35) with touches of Cobalt Blue Deep (Rowney PB72). The apples were mixtures of Permanent Carmine and Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97).  The orange was Cadmium Yellow (Maimeri PO20) and Raw Sienna for the darker areas. The grapes were mostly Perylene Maroon (Rowney PR179). Mostly mixed on the paper. I've probably missed some colours out.

Brushes were my usual Rosemary Series 33 Kolinsky Sizes 6 and 9. Note also my second try with Centenaire paper. On this subject I also think it worked well. 

I'm very happy to receive comments. What do you think?

On watercolour paper

My friend Mick asked recently how I was getting on with the new Waterford `High White' paper. So far not very well. Ken Bromley http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/  writes, in the most recent catalogue, that St Cuthberts Mill made the new paper after requests from professional artists who were searching for a whiter shade of watercolour paper, but without compromising on quality. It also goes on to say `With the new `High White' shade the paint pigments will appear more vivid, and with more sparkle, giving the whole a fresher look....a whiter shade will make finished paintings more contemporary looking, as artists have commented that they felt the original white colour created a more antique look to their finished compositions'.   Incidentally Bromley are also advertising another new watercolour paper called `Millford' This is a replacement for Whatman, which has been discontinued, and is 100% cotton rag, mould made and trimmed four edges. Discounted price is £17.95p per pack of five 30" x 22" sheets.  Slightly cheaper than Arches.

This is news to me and I wonder who these professional artists are? In any event a very good  `Extra White' shade of Artistico has been available from Fabriano for some time  http://www.jacksonsart.co.uk/  but Bromley don't sell it.

Myself and two other artists from my Avon Valley Art Group tried this new paper, in all three versions, HP, Not and Rough. The others, both very good painters tried, respectively, the HP and Not. neither liked the new paper and Yvonne, who is an excellent flower painter, said she would stick to Artistico `Extra White' which she considered much superior.  I have so far attempted  three paintings with it and none have been satisfactory. Of course I'm only a poor old amateur so take my experience how you will. Possibly it takes some getting used to but I have done many paintings on Fabriano `Extra White' and found the paper generally excellent. I won't give up on it yet and will report further in the near future.

Recently another new paper has been introduced by the German company Great Art http://www.greatart.co.uk/. They are making quite large claims for it `prices never seen before for such a high quality range'. `the very finest watercolour paper' etc etc. It is made from 100% cotton but so are many other good papers including Waterford, Artistico, Lana and others. This paper is called `CENTENAIRE' and you can order  a sample which I did. Unfortunately this is only about six inches square. I ordered the Not version, also available in Rough, which  has quite a smooth surface and duly tried a few swatches of several colours. On this very small sample I can't see what the fuss is about especially as the prices quoted are not particularly keen. It is available in blocks of 20 sheets, six sizes from 18x26cm to 46x5lcm and also sheets 56x76cm. The block prices are reasonably comparable, being dearer than Waterford but cheaper than Fabriano, although Fabriano sizes are slightly larger, 18" x 12" for example as opposed to 16" X 12". In the case of sheets they are not competitive except with the dearest available which is Arches. Five sheets, the only option, are £13.75p. I recently completed a survey for Great Art in which I pointed out their paper prices were not as good as Bromley and Jackson's where they sold the comparable makes. Great Art do have a much larger range of watercolour paper overall. Incidentally if you buy as an art group, Great Art offer 15% off catalogue prices when the annual edition is launched and subsequent orders 10% so this is a factor but not for the individual artist. I paid £3 for the first catalogue to get this deal then another three arrived (separately) unsolicited!

It will be interesting to see what the artist's magazines have to say about these papers if and when they review them. I take such reviews with a big pinch of salt because invariably they are more concerned, so it seems to me, about their advertising revenue and appear to pull their punches and then some. I've never seen a bad review yet. I recently was in communication with The Artists editor about Windsor and Newton's Cotman policy, sending her copies of my e-mail correspondence with the company.  I was fobbed off with `very interesting I'll take it up with W and N when I meet them in March' or something similar. Needless to say nothing has appeared in the magazine so take what magazines recommend, and some professional artists, with a pinch of salt and a healthy dose of scepticism. Incidentally I don't have a grudge against `The Artist', subscribe to it and think it  excellent on most counts.