Latest Paintings

These are the latest paintings I've done mostly at Avon Valley Artist sessions.  I reiterate I don't post these as good just my current work. The only 'serious one' - by that I mean I was really trying - is the first one. I did have a record of her name but have mislaid it. It wasn't very lyrical though just several short indian words separated by hyphens.

Indian Maiden 16" x 12" Waterford High White 300gsm not

This was partially drawn at an AVA session then corrected at home. I then commenced painting. Finally I completed it last Thursday at the AVA session. I'm fairly pleased with the final result. You can see there is a lot of blue in the hair and the reddish skin colouring is Cadmium Red Light with a little Raw Sienna. 

Abstract ? Cornwall 210lb matt surface

The subject last Thursday was 'Abstracts',  I decided to look at the book 'Realistic Abstracts' by Kees van Aalst for inspiration. In it are some watercolour portraits by Slawa Prischedko. I then looked up agnes-cecille (Sylvia Pelissero) of the Deviant Art movement. Her portraits are quite startling and not to everyones taste. I find them interesting but wonder where she gets her inspiration. They have the look of a tortured soul. Mine isn't so extreme but would fit (I think !) in the Kees interpretation of realistic abstracts. Comments welcome. It was fun to do though and is one way of loosening up. I used Cornwall paper for this one and it seemed generally ok.

Hidden fawn 16" x 12" Waterford (?)

This was a wildlife subject at an AVA session

Butterfly 16" x 12" Centenaire

Same as the above.

Next week the subject is buildings - not my favourite subject - followed by Harvest Time. What I generally do is Google the subject then click on images, Usually something catches my eye, sometimes more than others.

Nora

This is my latest Indian portrait painted at the AVA session last Thursday. 

Nowad luk (Nora) Ootenna Inuit Amerindian 1915 16" x 12" Centenaire 140lb (300gsm) not

I downloaded the original photograph from Pinterest OR it may have come from the Facebook community `Moses on the Mesa', a treasure trove of old Indian photographs. I don't really do it justice as in the photo her beautifully groomed hair tumbles down to her waist. Frankly I didn't feel able to portray this in a way that does it justice. Artistic licence?

I made a pencil drawing, not over detailed then painted, starting with the eyes, nose and mouth then gradually the rest of her face. When dry I put stronger colour in for the shaded areas. Colours used were limited to Cadmium Red Light, Raw Sienna, Ultramarine Blue and/or Cerulean Blue. The hair is a mixture of Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber with some Raw Umber. With more thought I might well have used other colours as I did in the Amy Winehouse painting. The original guide photo, as usual with these Indian paintings, is in black and white tending towards sepia.

Brushes used were Isabey, Escoda and Rosemary travelling brushes from 6 to 10.

In general I think it reasonable. I masked out some areas around the eyes and left them the white of the paper. I've pondered whether that was correct - too much white - but as I'm uncertain decided to leave them as they are rather than touch them up with some pale reddish washes.

Weeks 8 & 9 Bath College Portrait Course

The final two weeks of this 9 week course were again painting our model Linda. 

Linda

This was my first effort  Week7  

Second effort Week 8 - 50cm x 65cm Canson 140lb (300gsm) not . I think I like this best of the three.

Early stages of `3rd attempt at `Linda'

Third and final painting 50cm x 65cm Canson 140lb not . This was slightly rushed with less time spent on it compared to the previous two.

In the first two instances I painted her at more or less the same, although not identically so, whereas for the final one I was moved around to the left so had a more sideways angle. With all three paintings I experimented with the skin colour as this was new to me never having done a black person before. The colours were mainly Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, Transparent brown (Schminke PBr41), a little Cadmium Red and Cerulean Blue. I think that's it but I've probably missed something out - possibly Ultramarine Violet. I used my Isabey and Escoda Kolinsky travel brushes with the larger sizes like 14 predominant. The final two are the largest paintings I've ever done.  The boards holding the paper, held by strips of masking tape, were absolutely vertical. While I do paint fairly upright, usually not quite so much as this. I've tried to follow Charles Reids advice to be a little `crude' and to some extent went for it with the possibility that a disaster would ensue. This didn't happen although you may disagree. Certainly the number of `likes' on the Facebook group `Portraits & Figures (People) in Watercolour', which I started - almost 13000 members so far - are not particularly flattering, very low compared to many other paintings posted. I've had a better response on my personal Facebook page.

As you may imagine this was quite an experience. I felt I coped with it quite well and came away thinking I'd definitely learned something - not bad at my age! Prior to the course I was beginning to think my learning capacity had hit a brick wall. I'm considering taking a Life Painting course with the same tutor although the timing of it is a slight problem, being in the evening rather than morning..

Bath Portrait Course Week 5

Due to illness I missed week four and last week was half term so I resumed after a two week break. The model was the same one as the initial two weeks, and we were allowed to do `our own thing' in terms of medium and/or whether to do a full length figure or a portrait. I opted to paint in watercolour with all the others working in charcoal. I should also add this painting is on fairly thin cartridge 

 rather than watercolour paper.

In reality the eyes, and eye sockets, were rather darker than appear here so I (over) emphasized them.

Here the eyes have been toned down slightly from the previous example.

This was as far as I got by the end of the session. I don't intend to do any more although Jackie said it would be improved by darkening the clothing areas - just indicated.

Overall I was fairly pleased with the session. Next week is similar and I will probably bring watercolour paper and possibly experiment further. I have been reading the article by Aine Divine in the latest issue of `The Artist' (April 2015). She featured in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2014 and was a finalist, although she didn't win, not surprising as the standard was amazing and other mediums predominated. I like most - not all - of what she does but her technique is completely different to Charles Reid, who is my guru, and I'm not really prepared at this late stage to completely change the way I do things. For example she uses large flats, including cheap brushes and paints on 535gsm Bockingford Not. She uses many colours with Ultramarine Blue predominant with Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange and two greens amongst others with lots of layering. 

Children

This was the subject at yesterdays Avon Valley Artists meeting. I decided to paint my two grandsons as a portrait rather then a group of figures. I have painted them before but keep striving to produce the `definitive' version - not yet achieved if it ever will be. 

I used two photos and combined them. The drawings were the same size as the images in the photographs and I used a ruler to gauge the distances from top to bottom and out to the sides of the face. A 2B 07 Pentel mechanical pencil was the drawing tool. I have pretty much given up using normal graphite pencils.

Harvey and Mackenzie 20" x 14" Fabriano Artistico Extra White not 140lb (300gsm).

I used my small sketchers palette and colours for the face were Cadmium Red Light, a little Cadmium Yellow, with Cerulean added where I needed to darken. I was conscious that children's complexions tend to be quite light and lacking shadow, so care is needed to avoid making them look much older.  I painted the face initially starting with the eyes then the nose followed by the mouth,  not stopping at the margins but going into the hair. The hair is  Raw Sienna and Raw Umber. Brushes used were the Isabey travel brushes size 4 and 6, and the Rosemary Kolinsky travel brushes sizes 6 and 10. My inspiration for portraits is Charles Reid but I am also very impressed with the delicacy of Stephie Butlers work. I also admire many others, Stan Miller, Lin Fealing to name just two..

Yvonne Harry 

Jan Weeks - This is grandson Xavier

There were only 10 members present which is on the thin side. Next week it is Xmas Cheer - not a subject but a variety of `eats'.

Robbie

This is my latest portrait. For some time I have been collecting interesting photographs , mostly from the weekend colour magazines. This is from one such photograph. 

 Initial stages

`Robbie' 16" x 12" Waterford 140lb (300gsm) Not

I first made a careful drawing using an 07 2B mechanical pencil.  I try and get the features in the right place and the right size, often using a mechanical aid like a steel ruler or my brass variscaler. I refuse to wear a hair shirt and try and do it without aids. There was a recent article in The Artist magazine describing the growth of Atelier-type drawing schools where the emphasis is on super realism. In it the use of plumb lines to ensure accuracy was described. My understanding is that the old masters used all sorts of drawing aids. Generally I don't get it right first time and have to make some changes. When I haven't got things quite right  out comes the eraser. I stress I don't aim for a super realistic image but it is nice if the subject is recognisable.

With that completed out comes the paint. I spray the paint with water from a small spray bottle about 20 to 30 minutes prior to painting, that is if I remember to do so - not always the case. As seen in the top image I used a combination of Cadmium Red Pale, Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna, mostly the red with only small amounts of yellow. Cerulean is used for emphasis and to darken where necessary. Colours mostly mixed on the paper. I have been trying to be less precise and going for a`cruder' approach than in some of my earlier work. With this in mind I studied the portraits in Charles Reid's last book `Watercolour Solutions' and also viewed his painting of the man in his latest `Figurative Watercolour' DVD. Attempting to follow CR's teaching I did not leave an abrupt line between the face and hairline in the initial wash, but strayed beyond as this would be covered when the hair was painted. I realise by now I should know these things off by heart but unfortunately regression can set in all too easily.

The hair was painted using various dilutions of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna - lighter/darker as required. There is some Raw Umber in there and I added white gouache when fully dry, quite thickly in places. For the white I have been trying Galeria Titanium White and also Vallejo Acrylic Titanium White Gouache as an alternative to the standard white gouache.  This is something I've seen Yvonne Harry do but so far have not reached a final conclusion which is best for me.

I re wetted areas of the face and added both Cadmium Red and Cerulean to get stronger tones. The very last thing on the face was to add small white highlights on the pupils. His jacket and shirt are mixtures of Ultramarine, Cerulean and Ivory Black.

My usual brushes, the Da Vinci 44 No2 and Isabey Nos 4, 6 and 8, the small retractables used for detailing the eyes. If you wish to paint portraits in the general manner of Charles Reid then I recommend his last book `Watercolour Solutions' and the DVD `Figurative Watercolours'. You don't have to copy him exactly - very difficult in any event - and he himself says you shouldn't try.

 .

Harvey & Mackenzie

I recently achieved, after several tries, a reasonable painting of my grandaughter Evie - well I like it and so does she! Unfortunately (actually I LOVE IT) I have Gerard Hendriks study which is a tough comparison. I also have two grandsons and want to paint decent portraits of them. Earlier efforts weren't too bad although silence from the parents makes me think they weren't impressed. These are the latest and I stress I am not trying for an exact likeness, although I do want them to be recognizable!

Harvey 8, but we often say 8 going on 18! This was the guide photo I used. I have others and will be making other studies but little steps....

 Harvey. 16" x 12" Fabriano Artistico 140lb (300gm) Extra White Not

My procedure remained as normal. First I made an as accurate drawing as possible using a 2B pencil. Then I commenced the painting with the eyes first followed by the nose and mouth. Skin colours were Cadmium Red Pale, Cadmium Yellow Light and Cerulean Blue, the Cerulean being added for the darker areas. The eyes are Cobalt Blue with Ivory Black for the pupils. The hair is mainly Raw Sienna and Raw Umber with a little darker colour made from diluted Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. The blue of of the tee shirt is Cobalt Teal Blue (Daniel Smith PG50). The eyes are far too blue but I can alter them. Next came Mac, although they were painted several days apart.

Mackenzie Aged 6

Mackenzie. 16" x 12" Centenaire 140lb (300gm) Not

The procedure here was the same as for Harvey and the colours are identical apart from the blue of his top which is Cerulean. For both paintings I used mainly the Da VInci Artissimo 44 No 2 Kolinsky, and the Isabey  6228 and 6201 Kolinsky sables, sizes 4, 6 and 8. I am reasonably pleased with both although Harvey's could be better. I probably will start from scratch with another try. I think Macs hits the spot more.They are on an improving curve and more studies will follow until I get a really good result - will I ever I ask myself? I showed both to the boys and got a muffled `good', they then carried on with their computer games! 

Bull_Goes_Hunting

This is my latest Indian portrait. It is of an old Indian photographed by Edward Curtis around 1900 (?).

Bull_Goes_Hunting Apsaroke Indian 

www.firstpeople/us

What a face! Obviously old (ancient?) with greying hair. The Apsaroke, better known as the Crows, a name given them rather contemptuously by the whites, were a warlike tribe although not especially numerous, who inhabited the Rocky Mountains. In the Indian wars of the mid to late 1800s they frequently served as scouts for the cavalry against their deadly enemies the Sioux and Cheyenne.

Bull_Goes_Hunting 16" x 12" Centenaire 140lb (300gm) Not 

I initially made a careful drawing, not over detailed, and used a limited palette with Cadmium Red, Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48) , Raw Sienna and Cobalt Blue (Rowney PB72) plus some Cerulean for the skin tones. The hair was varied dilutions of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. After the initial washes I let it become fully dry and then added the furrows and fissues in the face.  Finally, the following day I applied some white goache quite thickly in places shown as white in the photograph. 

Brushes were the Isabey Kolinsky sables Series 6228 sizes 4, 6 and 8.

Mat Stams

Mat Stams was a Maricopa Indian. This photograph was taken in 1907 by Edward Curtis. I have painted him previously and wanted to take a slightly different approach.

The Maricopa live in Southwestern Arizona, where they have been for hundreds of years. For more information on the tribe see www.bigorrin.org/maricopa_kids.htm  

www.firstpeople.us/

 Mat Stams 16" x 12" Fabriano Artistico Extra White Not

This was painted on a Fabriano block of 18" x 12" size. As my prerred sizes are either 16" x 12" or 20 " x 14" I have reduced the size by marking off an inch  on the long  18"side of the block.

I  first made a preliminary drawing attempting to get accurate proportions. As usual I started painting the eyes, nose, mouth, then the rest. After the preliminary washes I added darker colour - more blue - where appropriate. I've a tendency to start into areas before they are fully dry, something I must resist. The features and skin colours were mixtures of Cadmium Red Light, Cobalt Blue Deep (Rowney PB72), Raw Sienna and Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48). The hair is a mixture of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. There is some green (Hookers - Graham) and yellow (DS Hansa Yellow Medium PY97) in the background. I mostly mix on the paper. I added the yellow in the background to brighten and warm up the otherwise coolness. Brushes used were the Rosemary Series 33 size 12 plus some Isabey smaller sizes.

For those who are interested I've just started a `Figurative Watercolours' group on Facebook.

Robert William Grice - Lifeboatman

Sheringham Lifeboat `Augusta' circa 1890s R.W.Grice is amongst them

 Robert William Grice

A while ago I became friends with a fellow `WetCanvas' contributor, and watercolour enthusiast `Tred', actually John Softly, who lives in Australia. John's family hail from East Anglia and he sent me some old black and white photographs of his great, great, grandfather Robert William Grice, who was a fisherman and lifeboatman at Sheringham.  Being a lifeboatman is dangerous at the best of times and in these early days it was extremely hazardous - many lost their lives attempting to save seamen in distress. John doesn't know a great deal about him other than he was born in 1851, married with three children, one of whom was Johns grandmother.

Robert William Grice -Lifeboatman - 16" x 12" Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140lb (300gm) Not

I recently acquired  the DVD `Figurative Watercolours' by Charles Reid and although I have only viewed it fully once have already taken something from it. Always new things to learn! The portraits of the artist Fealing Lin  - wonderfully atmospheric - were also studied. When in Amsterdam this Spring my wife and I went to exhibitions at the Heritage and also the Rijksmuseum where I was able to study portraits from greats like Van Dyck and Rembrandt. One can live in hope and dream!

As usual I started with the features using a mix of Cadmium Red Light or Pale, Raw Sienna and in this instance Cobalt Blue rather than Cerulean partially mixed on the paper. This was to achieve a darker skin colour representing weather beaten features, typical of such subjects.  The dark areas are mainly Ultramarine Blue and/or Ultramarine Violet with occasionally Burnt Sienna, while the yellows are Raw Umber and Raw Sienna. The beard and moustache has  some white gouache, quite thickly applied. and slight touches of Cerulean Blue. I think that's mainly it. I used a Rosemary Series 33, size 12 for large areas and Isabey 6228/6201 Kolinskys sizes 4/6/8 for the rest.

Medal awarded to Robert W. Grice for 20 years service using the rocket life saving apparatus

Winslow Homers `The Lifeline' Oil on Canvas

Fealing Lin

During the last two years I have become aware of many new watercolour artists,  some via WetCanvas and many more recently from Facebook. Keest Van Aalst's book `Realistic Abstracts' started me off exploring many new (to me) artists. Amongst several of those who have made a big impression is Fealing Lin. Actually I now recall it was an issue of `Watercolor Artist' where I first saw one of her paintings. I had intended to do a feature for some time and providentially the latest issue of `Watercolor Artist' June 2012 has an article about her,  specifically on portraiture. Portraits are only part of her repetoire though as some of the following paintings will show.

Originally from Taiwan, where she studied painting under Professor Ching-Jung Chen, before then moving to the United States where she now lives. She is a renowned artist who has won many awards and is a much sought after workshop teacher.

Fortunately the magazine article gives us an insight into her methods and materials. Her favourite paper is Fabriano - presumably Artistico - 300 lb hot pressed, but she also uses Canson for smaller figure paintings. Her favourite sizes are either 16" x 12" blocks or 21" x 15" Sheets.

With regard to paints her favoured brands are Holbein and Daniel Smith. She uses only transparent colours, no black or white. Her portrait and figure painting palette consists of Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Light, Alazarin Crimson, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Quinacridone Gold, Hookers Green, Mineral Violet, Cerulean Blue, Turquoise Blue and Ultramarine. Despite saying she uses only `transparent ' colours note some of these are opaque, especially the Cadmiums.

Brushes, which she says she's not `picky' about are mostly rounds in sizes 10 to 16 plus some squirrel mops. This presumably is specific to her portrait work, because a report on one of her workshops on landscape painting quotes various sizes of flats.

Drawing is accomplished with a 3B pencil and she occasionally uses liquid frisket - masking tape to us Brits - to preserve small lights.

Her tecnique involves using large brushes and working upright at an easel. She is definately one for `drippy' washes allowing colour to freely mingle on the paper. She does use several layers of paint but keeps brushstrokes to a minimum to avoid overworking. She lets each layer dry before proceeding further. According to the article her paintings can take `a couple of hours', `a couple of days', a few weeks or even several months depending on what she is working on and as she says `luck'!  She does work from live models but mostly photos and intially draws carefully. She uses contrasting or complementary colours to draw the viewers eye. Like Charles Reid she emphasizes painting shapes rather than things. Her final advice is to study design, make good shapes and always return to the basics. This specifically refers to her portrait painting and she differs in other subjects. A tough one to emulate.

Her website is www.fealingwatercolor.com/   The following links give information about her workshops etc www.cheryldevoto.blogspot.com/2010/11/fealing-lin.html and www.nancystandlee.blogspot.com/2009/11/fealing-lin-watercolor-workshop.html there is also more stuff on www.artistsnetwork.com/medium/watercolor/lin-landscape-gallery

I have also e-mailed her with some questions about her landscape work and will publish her reply when I receive it.

Note added 12/06/12: I received a prompt reply from Fealing LIn to the following questions.

1.What is your landscape palette?

2. What brushes do you use for landscapes?

3. What paper do you use?

"My basic palette of watercolours: Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Turquoise Blue, Prussian Blue, Green Gold, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Alazarin Crimson, Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Opera."

"I use brushes as large as possible both round and flat. My favourites are 2", 11/2", "1", 1/2" flat and No12 round. Riggers , old oil brushes, tooth brushes and palette knives are very useful for me".

"D'Arches (presumably this means Arches) 140lb cold press in sheets or blocks are the ones I always have in my paper drawer but I use all kinds of brands on my sketch books"