Many artists – even established professionals – have an uneasy relationship with perspective. That’s understandable, given how involved it can be to figure out, say, the proper perspective of a complicated geometric shape with multiple vanishing points. It’s good, and I think necessary, to know how to do this. But, in the real world, I […]
There are multiple approaches to making an underpainting. A Grisaille is the simplest form, done with just black and white. Other forms include Verdaccio (done with shades of green), Brunaille (shades of brown), Dead Color (dulled, muted forms of the final colors) and so forth. An artist working with underpaintings will choose an approach based […]
I’m off to a scary late start to this week’s painting. Instead of getting to work on it Monday, which is the normal rhythm, I didn’t start it until Wednesday. And I still need to finish it by Sunday evening. Meanwhile, I’ve spent the last two days reorganizing my studio to improve the workflow, and […]
How did you do that? From time to time I’ll get a nice compliment about how I paint metal. This is often followed up with questions about how I do it. Unfortunately, there’s not a simple secret that I can reveal. I approach metal the same way I approach any other type of object: Observe […]
Keeping it Beautiful at Every Step Sometimes a minor shortcoming can illustrate a larger point. The image above is the completed underpainting for this week’s project. One thing you might notice is that the tones get cooler and bluer towards the bottom. As I got to the end of the working day, I ran out […]
The second step (after the drawing) for this week’s painting is complete. It’s a straightforward grisaille (gray painting) – probably the most common form of underpainting – using only Mars Black and Lead White. These are quick drying paints – an important consideration since I’m on a tight schedule with these weekly paintings. Ideally it […]
Most of my recent paintings have been in either a square or horizontal (landscape) format. This week I’m working with a composition that’s strongly vertical, and will be painting on a 14×11 inch panel. The video above shows the model I’m working from and discusses transferring the image to the panel. Once I’ve made a […]
“Ébauche” is a french word meaning draft or first pass, and it refers to a specific type of underpainting. Rather than using black and white, as is the case with a grisaille underpainting, an ébauche uses color. However, it’s not the full, saturated color of the final painting. Instead, it tends to be desaturated – […]
As I get this week’s painting underway, I thought I’d mention the humble thumbnail sketch. After setting up the model, it’s usually the very first piece of active work on the path to the final painting. The thumbnail is just a small, rough drawing that I use to establish the composition. It’s only purpose is […]
My Current Easel Arrangement Up until about 6 months ago, most of my work incorporated photography as at least part of the reference material. The current setup of my easel reflects that practice. Immediately to the right of it, I have a computer monitor where I’d display photographs I was working from. To the […]
Approaching the Underpainting Last night I completed the underpainting for this week’s project. Different artists have different goals for using underpaintings, and use a variety of approaches. It’s usually an opportunity to work out the composition and the values without worrying about color or detail. Basically its’ a very simplified first pass in black and […]
Up to this point, the videos I’ve made have mostly been about my works in progress. With this video, I go further behind the scenes and discuss some of my working methods. In my studio, I work both from life and photography simultaneously. Both are rich sources of information for me, and each has strengths […]
Today’s painting for you: “Two on a Vine No. 2”, Oil on Panel, 4×4 inches, 2010 Today’s painting from the vault goes all the way back to 2010. I employ a shadow box in my studio that allows me to create dramatic lighting situations with narrowly focused beams of light coming from above.