Don't waste paint

I haven't posted any art for 10 days because I haven't been able to paint. I went in a week ago last Wednesday to the podiatrist to get him to remove a small piece of glass from the bottom of my foot (in the arch right in front of the heel). I had broken a drinking glass in the kitchen about a year ago and, walking around barefoot in the summer, managed to pick up a stray piece in my foot that the broom didn't find. I immediately went to Urgent Care, where they numbed the foot, tweezed out the piece of glass, put on a Bandaid, and that was an end of it. Except that over the past few months I discovered there was still some glass in there. Perhaps it was deeper and had gradually migrated back up to the surface? but now I was feeling it when I pressed down on the spot or set my foot down unwarily, so I wanted to get it out of there.

Turns out, though, that there was no glass; instead, my foot had created a "plantar keratosis" in the spot where the previous piece of glass had been removed. So the doctor cut it open a lot wider than he had planned and removed the keratosis, and then he gave me six stitches, a bandage, a wrap, a sock, a boot, and a prescription for antibiotics, and told me it would take three to four weeks to heal! Talk about throwing a wrench into the Christmas season—not only has it been difficult to get around on it, but if I don't keep it elevated for a good part of the day, it hurts. So sitting at my desk painting for a few hours at a time hasn't been an option.

I have had one bandage change now, however, and taken all the antibiotics, and it's doing better. So I decided yesterday that I would paint a picture as a gift for someone. I painstakingly laid down a grid on the page so that the drawing would be accurate, then did the base drawing and started to paint, but after more than two hours' work it was turning into the most dreadful thing I have ever attempted, and I decided not to waste any more time on it.

That is a really long explanation to get me to the title of this blog post, which is  about not wasting paint.

The one thing that Emma Petitt says at least once and usually several times during every lesson is "don't waste paint." If you have a little white paint left, go back and hit your highlights one more time. If you have another color that goes with something in your painting—hair, background, clothing, whatever—then take your paintbrush and slap it in there. Leave that palette bare by the end!

Since I just started painting with acrylics this year, however, I haven't yet got good judgment about how much paint it takes. I inevitably either run out and have to add more, or overestimate from the beginning and have a bunch left of at least one but usually three or more colors. So since one of the tricks I have also picked up from Emma is creating interesting abstract backgrounds over which to paint my portraits, I am now making it a habit to pick up a pad of paper and my brayer (roller) at the end of the current painting and use the remaining paint on my palette to create the next background. Sometimes they turn out well, and sometimes they sit for a while before I can figure out how to use them, but either way, I feel relief that I'm not throwing away expensive art supplies!

So last night, when I gave up on that painting, I had paint left on my palette, and I used it for a new background. There were a lot of colors, and it came out pretty dark and intense; but there were some nice combinations and juxtapositions. This morning I gave up on sleep at 5 a.m. and got onto the computer to write a review of the book I finished at 1:00 before going to sleep; then I made myself some breakfast, did a few light chores, and thought about what to do for the rest of the day. The chores made sitting down for a while a necessity, and my eye was drawn to that new background. 

The other thing I have learned with the abstract backgrounds (this from Deb Weiers) is to look and see if there is already a "picture" contained within them, just waiting to be released. Sure enough, this one had a face and a couple of pseudo-Princess-Leia buns (that ended up translating to giant blossoms) staring out at me. So I looked around for a reference photo that would work, and found a dark-visaged girl with her features at the appropriate angle who was begging to be my model.

This is a little different from most I have done, in that I was so reluctant to cover up the interesting background that I did minimal coverage with the paint. Instead of using a big brush with broad strokes, I used a fairly tiny one and did almost a dry-brush effect on the face, using small dabs of paint and scrubbing them into the surface so that the underlayer wouldn't be completely obscured. Then I did the opposite on the clothing, by using a large brush with a thinned-out coat of paint that would darken without blotting out the underlayer. Between the two, I'm happy with her emergence from but lack of contrast with the background.

I also wanted a more definitive line than my usual Uniball, given the dark and challenging background, so I used a black Posca pen, which I think worked well. I'm pretty happy with her—and yes, I used the leftover paint for my next background!

Posca Pen and acrylic paints on Fluid 140-lb. coldpress watercolor paper, 9x12 inches.

Last LFI2021

It's been quite a year, doing Let's Face It 2021, and now it's over! I haven't done all of the lessons (maybe half?), partly because some were charcoal or pencil only, which didn't interest me, and partly because I got distracted by other classes and went off on those tangents for a good part of the year. But it was worth it, even doing just 25 of the 49 lessons, and I have signed up for 2022. I have also signed up for Paint Your Heart and Soul 2022, likewise a year-long class, so that I can choose whether to do one or the other or both lessons per week and discover yet more teachers with whom I would love to study! And of course I have a few leftover lessons from more in-depth classes that I need to go back and complete, and a few I haven't even looked at yet, and a couple of commissions... I think 2022 will be another busy art year!

Anyway, our last lesson this week for LFI 2021 was with Danielle Mack, and was an exercise to paint two women together in one frame, supposedly combining them from separate, individual photos. I didn't exactly adhere to that plan, because I was reading a review this morning of the new Paul Verhoeven film, Benedetta, and when I saw the picture of the two nuns, one peeking from behind the shoulder of the other, I had to paint them. Danielle was making a statement about woman power, and I'm not sure these lesbian nuns fit the description, but they were definitely risk-takers, given that it was the 17th century!

I did fulfill the assignment as far as drawing and watercolor went, and I abstained from adding any additional mixed media details with the exception of the rosary, for which I used my silver gel pen. But otherwise all watercolor, and mostly done with my loose and sloppy brush, somewhat in the mode of Fiona di Pinto, putting in the darks first and coming back in with the lighter colors. I'm pretty happy with it, although as usual I forgot to allow for borders. The faces are a little long, compared to the originals, but not horribly out of proportion. I just failed to get the slightly up-tilted chin on the front nun. Otherwise, not bad.

"Benedetta"—pencil and watercolor on Fluid coldpress watercolor paper, 12x9 inches.

The beauty of substrate

Ever since taking Emma Pettit's class, I am super conscious of paint usage. Her continuing mantra throughout her painting process is "Don't waste paint!" to the point where she will say, "Just take whatever is left on your brush and scrub it over the surface to give you some nice texture—use it all up!"

So, when I finished a painting session on the recent large figure portrait of Johnny and George and had a bunch of colors left sitting on my palette, instead of balling up the page and throwing it out, I got out a 9x12 piece of watercolor paper and my brayer (roller) and made a background (substrate) to use for a future painting.

The problem with these backgrounds Emma teaches is that sometimes they are so pretty that you don't want to cover them up! I didn't expect the combination of Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Lemon Yellow, and a little bit of Payne's Grey to mix so agreeably, but when I was done, I thought Ooh! What can I paint on this without covering it all up?

My solution was to impose an image taken from a black-and-white photo, and only paint the lights and darks, leaving the substrate to show through for all the neutral parts.

I'm not sure whether I feel like this is a success; for one thing, since the light was coming from behind her, the biggest highlight in the entire photo was the neck, which is always an awkward place to put such definitive white strokes and leave them unblended! It probably would have been better painted in inks or watercolor, but I wasn't sure I could even do that, over the top of an acrylic background, so...white and Payne's Grey acrylics, and a dark blue Stabilo All pencil for a few defining strokes.

"Substrate Woman," 9x12 inches.

And then, of course, I had white and Payne's Grey left over, so now I have a new substrate...

It's done...I think?

Once I got started painting on this project, it seemed like I couldn't put down the brush. I did 2.5 hours the first afternoon and then had to get out of the chair, stretch, and move around a bit; but after dinner and a couple hours of TV, I found myself distracted from what I was watching, and thinking about what I would do next on the painting. So I went and did two more hours before bed! Same story the day after, and this morning I got up and put in the bulk of the background.

It's not exactly what I was planning...but I think it works. I put in a wall-like structure to anchor the bottom without being too specific, and the rest of it feels to me like an out-of-focus rolling moor in the background. I had fun fuzzing out their hair so that it felt like it moved into the background a tiny bit, and invading her arm with some faintly foliage-like shapes.

Ironically, the thing I was least worried about—capturing their likenesses—came out the best. I was going for a light-and-shadow sort of abstract effect, but they still look like themselves, I think.

Here is a colorized version of the black-and-white photo:

I started out making his shirt dark green, but quickly realized that it would be way too much green if I was going to mimic the background foliage in any way, so it became shades of raw umber instead. I love how umber mixes with other colors to give you various shades, from mushroom to rust.

I knew I wanted her dress to be pale blue, but I wanted to give it a little pizzazz, so it has some turquoise in the mix with the cobalt and white, and although her belt didn't look this white in the b&w version, I liked it as another counterpoint to pick up the light, along with their faces and arms.

I kind of wanted to paint those feet in the bobby socks, but the "client" specified a three-quarter view rather than the whole length of the figures, so that's what I did. I do wish I had started a little lower on the canvas so there was some air above his head; and their heads feel a little big for their bodies, too. But over all, I'm pretty happy with my first foray into full-figure, double-figure, and in acrylic!

These are "George and Aunt Johnny," pencil and acrylics on canvas, 18x24 inches.    

We'll see what Aunt Johnny's niece has to say about it. My friend Phoebe likes it, and that's more than enough for me!

Getting my nerve up

Today I finally went back to my first real "canvas" painting, which is also my first with full figure, and actually with two of them. I ended up imposing a grid over the photo and then duplicating it on the canvas so as to locate everything properly, although the proportions were not identical and I fear that the vertical boxes on the painting will be a bit elongated. But since I am not going for an entirely literal portrait but rather doing a more abstract study of light and shadow, I don't think there will be any harm done.

So far, I have put in the preliminary drawing, which has already gone through multiple changes and I'm sure will evolve further as I get out the paintbrushes. In fact, just the act of photographing it and looking at the photo shows me where I need to make adjustments—funny how different things look once they're in a still shot.

I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but it's also exciting to try something new. I'm taking a lunch break and then breaking out the paints.

Oh, and as a bonus...a rare photo of the uncooperative model Gidget, in her perch on the patio in front of my prolific lemon tree.

A new substrate

I did an interesting lesson with Deanna Strachan-Wilson of LFI2022 (a preview bonus session) today. I thought I knew most of the permutations of working with watercolor, but Deanna introduced me to a new idea—using some form of partial "resist" to slow down and loosen up the application.

We used toned mixed-media paper, and put a thinned-out coat of gesso on it. Yes, gesso, as the base for a watercolor. Considering the frustrations I have had with gesso as an undercoating for acrylic inks, I would have said no thanks, but her watercolors are soft and hazy, a little smeary, and completely appealing, and I wanted to learn, so I went along.

This is an example of Deanna's.
(She's also doing some kind of
thing with masking tape, but
we didn't do that part.)

The effect of the gesso is to make the watercolor at least partially bead up on the surface and be slow to dry. So you can blob it on all over the place, and still go back with a damp, clean brush to push it around, remove some, smooth it out into the creases of the gesso, and finally let it dry while sitting on the surface, and thus get all kinds of soft, fun effects.

You do have to have patience to let each layer dry, once you get it where you want it, before trying to apply the next; with normal watercolor paper, the color is going to sink in and be immovable pretty quickly, but with the gesso running interference, it's a gradual and kind of random process. But once you start layering it up, you get some beautiful soft shadows using just a few colors; Deanna encouraged us to also be vague about such outlines and structures as hair and clothing, and indicate rather than define.

The other thing that makes her faces pop is going back in with the gesso after to brighten up all the whites, which stand out beautifully on the toned paper and vague background. And you can sort of push the gesso into the color and blend them.

I don't think I would choose this as my preferred method; I enjoy too many other techniques to be exclusive. But I will certain try this again and see what I can do with it!

I picked my own reference photo from which to work, so it wouldn't be a duplicate of everyone else's. This is...

"Dani"—gesso, pencil, and watercolor on Strathmore toned gray 184-lb. mixed media paper, 9x12 inches.

Canvas

I finally got up my nerve to start a canvas this week; up to now, I've been painting all these acrylics on watercolor paper. But this one is a sort of commission; I was intrigued by the project and told the person whose reference photo it is that I would attempt to do it in the style we both admired and, if she likes it, she can buy it from me. If not, hopefully someone else will want it. Or, it will have simply been a good experiment.

The subjects are 3/4 figures of a man and woman standing outdoors in front of foliage. But the objective is not a realistic portrait—the photo is black and white and the contrasts (light and shadow) in it are extreme. We agreed that I would try to paint it sort of in the style of artist Michael Carson. This means the background will be color blocks that suggest rather than specifically convey the atmosphere, and a figure (or two in this case) made up of contrasts, with likeness not being as important as mood.

I got a bit literal with my color blocks on this, since I wanted to have both a light and a dark green and a khaki color for the foliage, some blue for the sky, some orange/yellow for sunlight, etc., and they are way too discrete and solid. But I have taken the initial step of going over them with a thinned-out mix of Naples yellow/green (a sort of green-tinted pale cream color) mixed with a little Cobalt blue and thinned out with Acrylic medium. I did one coat and let it dry, and will probably go back in with more, and then add some dry-brush paint for a "scumbled" effect in certain areas.

Also, once the two figures are in, they will cover up about 85 percent of the background, and then I can play around with whatever remains around the edges, until it is "edgier," ha ha.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots of my prep work so far:

The raw background squares...

The glaze...

And with the first layer of the "knock-back" color applied...

More to come as this progresses...