Thinking BIG in a Small Space

Hello Folks,

It’s been awhile since I added a post, so many things have happened since I was here last. For one, I had an “epiphany” of sorts back in September.

I met a man who is quite an accomplished painter. He spent much of his life as a free-lance illustrator which meant he spent a lot of time drawing. Since he was always on assignments he could not avoid having to draw nearly every day. He said he made a fairly good amount of money during those free-lance days to be able, now in his early 50’s, to devote his time to painting. This is everyone's dream.

Actually, it was my son who introduced me to him and when I saw his web page and samples of his work I immediately felt I had “come home”. What astouded me was the fact that he works alot on small canvases, like 6” x 9”, or 8” x 12”. Of course, he does not limit himself just to those sizes. There are times when larger formats are necessary as well.

But the smaller sizes are what intrigued me. After some thought about why the small sizes I came to realize that it is a great “teaching” method to get me to thnk big in a small space. In other words, one is forced to see that grove of trees in the distance, for example, in its simplest terms, and not for all the leaves that are contained therein.

Sometimes we get trapped into a particular style of painting, like detailing, that we think that’s “our style”. Well, that’s not necessarily so. Try working on a small format and see how much fun it can be to change your thinking and work differently than we ever thought before.

Below is the second painting I turned out on a smaller size. It’s 9” x 12” only because the store didn’t have anything smaller. But it is quite a jump down from the 30” x 40” or 18” x 24” sizes. This fascinated me so much that on our recent trip to visit friends in Pennsylvania, I got up at 7am our first day and went outside and set up my easel and chair and began to paint the scene of the valley from their driveway. Soon people were coming by as they did their morning “thing” and stopped to see what this ol’ codger was doing. I guess they were just as shocked at the small size as I was. It looked so funny sitting on the easel like a postage stamp. But it was fun. I worked that painting in acrylics because I wanted it to dry quickly.

However, later on in central Pennsylvania, there’s a great trout fishing creek called “The Little Juniata”. You can google it and see what I mean. Anyway, this is the second of the small images. I was amazed at how my thinking is changed and the approach I took in creating the scene of the fisherman casting for trout.
This one’s in oil. It also teaches you about which brushes to use and how to use them. I used to think that on a large canvas one would use a large brush. And on a small canvas you would use a small brush. Well, try using a larger or medium size brush on a small canvas. Try using a rounded bristle brush about half inch in width. Wow! What a challenge.

Not to change the subject, but some of us just might be interested in finding a solution to our weight problems. You might want to check out this revolutionary program that just launched September 14, 2010 and grabbing a lion's share of the industry already. As for myself, I need to lose that belly fat one gets when they get to be my age. (Must be from sitting all day long and painting). Anyway, take a look and see if this fits for you.


Click Here!

A new painting I just finished the other day. It's a scene taken from the Little Juniata Creek in central Pennsylvania. The style is different for me, but I thought I'd try something different for a change. I recently met an illustrator who sometimes paints on small canvases. I realized why he did this: it causes one to "think big in a small space". It works. Try it sometime yourself.

Learn From The Masters

Hello Folks,

Remember when video cameras first hit the market? Everyone had to have one of these new gimmicks. Wow. Just imagine making your own movies. The disgusting part was watching the playback. Ugh. I would get nauseous looking even at my own first clips, let alone watch the clips of sheer amateurs who thought themselves as the reincarnated Cecil B. DeMille.

That was until I decided to learn from the pros. I would watch a movie on TV, or go to the movies. Instead of watching the story unfold, I would see how the cameraman handled his camera. When he uses the zoom, and how he uses it. When he pans, how fast, how slow. Most of the time he just held it still and LET THE CHARACTERS DO THE MOVING. That was a big revelation to me. After all, isn’t that what the video camera supposed to do?

Same with your canvas. Learn from the pros. Like Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Cezanne, the French Impressionists, Eighteenth century artists, etc. You can get some books out of the library. Better yet, if you can afford it, some books are a little expensive but well worth buying.

We have a large book of Monet’s work, "Monet--a Retrospective", his history and all about his life. Plenty of color plates and some in black and white. I like to sit in a quiet chair and just study his paintings. When you read the background behind some of the paintings, you’ll discover the thought process he endured in order to arrive at a particular "statement".

Same with Michelangelo. I love to study his drawings. Drawings say so much more than the finished piece because once again, they show the thinking behind the work.
This is how you can really learn. True, it’s always best to be able to learn from a live situation, like a classroom, but many times that’s not always possible. The next best thing is to refer to those whose works are imbedded in history for all of us to gleen from.

Amazon has a wide selection of educational books to assist you in your study. Check out these personal selections. Go to Amazon.com and put "books" in the search box, then "master's paintings". Or, you can click on the image below which will take you straight to that page in Amazon where you'll find many more books on the subject.



This is an excellent book at an excellent price. Go for it and enjoy!

--Adam
Click Here!

Cleaning Your Brushes

My Dear Friends

Before we continue with our "lessons", I’d like to show you how to clean your brushes. This is the way the pros do it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working in oils or acrylics, you can still use this simple method.

First, "rinse" your brush in turpentine if you’re using oils; in water if you’re using acrylics. It doesn’t have to be thorough, just enough to get the massive amount of medium off your brush.
Then, scrub the brush with soapy warm water. Here’s how you do it: you can use cake soap or liquid dish detergent. I prefer the liquid. Squirt a small amount into the palm of your hand. Add a dash of warm water. Do NOT use hot water as it will melt the internal glue that keeps the bristles in place. Use only lukewarm water. Cold water only makes it more difficult to lather the soap.

Now take your brush and mash it into the palm of your hand and really scrub it. Don’t be afraid of ruining the brush, it won’t. What’s nice about this method is that the soad removes all the paint from deep within as well, you know the stuff that dries up and "spreads the bristles out".
Scrub the brush for as long as necessary to achieve a clean brush. Usually for a small brush about a half minute. For larger brushes perhaps a little longer. Use your own judgement here.

If you don’t have any liquid soap, then use a cake soap. Any soap is good but Ivory is best because it’s softer and lathers quickly. Once again, mash the brush into the soap until it lathers up, then finish the scrubbing in the palm of your hand.

Then rinse thoroughly and shake it out, like a thermometer. It will point the brush nicely.
For round brushes: if you’re cleaning them at the end of the day and don’t plan on doing any more painting, then do this-- after scrubbing the brush and rinsing thoroughly, immerse the bristles in the soapy lather again, only this time draw the brush through the lather and at the same time gently rolling it to point the bristles. Do NOT rinse. Leave the soap in the brush and let it dry overnight. The next day your brush will be like new

Of course you can clean your flats and other brush shapes the same way.

Happy painting.
--Adam

The Conte Crayon & Conte Pencil

Hello Folks,


I apologize for not writing sooner, but my computer has been to the "hospital" to get a tune-up. The Registry had been hijacked several months ago when we fell victim to ID theft. Unbeknownst to us at the time, whoever did the nasty to us left their calling card in the form of replicating their means of continually hijacking pertinent information, like passwords, etc.
So, if your PC is in need of a tune-up, I suggest very highly "mycleanPC.com"

Okay, we’re back online now, and you want to know what I know about other drawing media.

Next to pencil, I like the Conte crayon or the Conte pencil. Why? Because the blacks are black, if you know what I mean. Conte also makes their drawing media in white and also terra-cotta. A combination of all three colors make for interesting drawings.

Some time ago I did a drawing of an old pair of shoes, boots actually, using those three colors. A friend of mine liked it so much he bought it and gave it to his brother who was remodeling his basement. When the brother saw the drawing he then changed his entire scheme of the basement and began to remodel it around the theme of the shoes. Would you believe? I wish I had access to that drawing today so I could photo it and show it to you. Maybe even get a giclee reproduction of it, too.


Getting back to our topic today. If you’re going to use the crayon, they come in short square "sticks". You can use them as is, but I like to sharpen one end to a long point, using a single-edge razor blade. Nice things happen when you hold the crayon in the palm of your hand and control it with your thumb and forefinger. This way you can roll it while making a line, and nice things happen accidentally to that line. It also helps to keep the point sharp by rolling it. Go ahead, try it. You’d be surprised how this little technique can turn you into a master artist. Admitedly, you’ll have to practice at it like you would anything.

The Conte pencil can be used in the same way, although it can be held like a conventional pencil as well and still get excellent results. I think you’ll have more control over it than with the crayon. But, again, it all has to do with the "effect" you’re looking for. Both techniques are equally deserving of good results.

Here’s an example of Conte crayon. It’s one I did in school many moons ago.

Let's Draw

Are you ready to have some fun?

This is probably my favorite pasttime. To me it’s more than just making an image on paper. It’s laying the foundation for making an image “come alive”. It intrigues me how simple lines can evolve into something beautiful.

Experimenting with various techniques, varying the pressure on the pencil, for instance, to accent the dark and light patterns of an object, stimulate the creative juices and therefore make it fun to do.

The sketch here illustrates that technique.


Study carefully the varying tones of line and how they help bring the image “alive”.

There are many helpful guides for you to achieve excellence in your work, even if you’re a beginner. There’s a great book “Drawing for the Absolute Beginner” that is available from Amazon.com for less than $15. (See Links Below)
Also, another book which I highly recommend, “Keys to Drawing” by Bert Dodson, offers the enthusiast some important elements to good drawing. For instance, sometimes we overlook the importance of a basic tool as perspective. As elementary as it sounds, it is an important tool toward good drawing and we all should know and understand how it helps to create a structurally sound drawing.

There are several viable media to use in creating your drawing. There’s pencil, Conte Crayon, Conte Pencil, charcoal, charcoal pencil, felt pen, pen & ink.

For me, my favorite medium is good ol’ HB pencil, or a #2. It has the ability to accomplish the necessary lines to capture the flavor of the subject matter. The above sketch of the water fountain was done with an HB pencil. Oftentimes the finished drawing becomes the finished work of art and has no need for transforming to oils or other media. But, you are the judge of that. You decide when it’s finished. However, if my intention is to create the sketch as a finished piece, I mostly will use a conte pencil and make use of its black-black. Pencils, as you know, are graphite and produce a gray color. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference.

In our next post we’ll explore some of the other techniques which hopefully will whet your appetite for more fun with drawing.

Peace to you,
--Adam

Let's Get Started

Okay...

I know you’re anxious to put the brush to the canvas, but before you do you have to decide your subject matter. People often say to me “I don’t know what to draw”. Well, dummy, go outside and look around. If that’s too much then stay in the house and look around. What you’re looking for is something simple, maybe a fancy vase, or even your window. You can make a still life out of ordinary kitchen utensils. I did a still life once years ago of a beer stein with my dad’s Kaywoodie smoking pipe alongside the mug. I did it in Marabu temperas. Really came out nice. At the moment I can’t show it because it’s somewhere buried in my daughter’s basement. She promised me that she would find it and that I could have it back for copying. So, when that happens I’ll post it on this blog.

Anyway, simplicity is the best. Some people will go directly to the canvas with their brush and “draw” the subject while painting it. That’s good if you have good drawing skills. I would suggest you draw it first on paper either with a #2 pencil or HB softness, or conte crayon. Drawing it first like this will give you a “feel” for your subject and help you better see it when you’re painting it.

I mentioned drawing skills above. We should touch on this subject in a subsequent post. I will mention this important fact first: a teacher of mine once said “before you can abstract your subject you must first know how to draw it. You need to know how it is “constructed” so that when you re-created it, it doesn’t fall apart”.

You’ll need some tools to help you. First thing is a drawing board, or a lap-board. Most drawing pads come with a stiff backing, but that is not sufficent enought to withstand even the slightest pressure from your drawing utencil. You can pick these up in any art store. Or you can purchase a piece of board from your local lumber yard. Size? Somewhere in the range of 18” x 24” should do just fine.

If you’re a beginner at this you’ll probably want to explore the various media at hand for drawing, like different softness or hardness of pencils, or Conte crayon, and most anything else that can make a mark. I would however, stay away from felt markers for the moment. They are a permanent ink and difficult to sketch with. Later on you can experiment with them for various effects.

In the beginning of your drawing pursuit a newsprint pad would be more than adequate for your purposes. The strathmores and bristols are for more finished products. For now you should be only attempting initial sketches.

Okay. I think I’ve whetted your appetite enough to get you started on your very rewarding journey. If you gather up the various items mentioned in this post, by the time you’ve finished your preliminary sketch of whatever you decide to “memorialize”, you will be ready to read my next post.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave it in the comments area.

Thank you for listening.
--Adam
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