This is the original post of this painting before I made some final changes. The color is more representative in this shot, the warm tones are accurate here.
Although the color is off, I wanted to show the improvements made in this piece. The two trees on the right are now forming one large mass and the dark shape above the lower tree is removed. I've added more texture in the tree masses and some in the grassy areas. The rest is untouched, what a difference in color! Not even photoshop would help me out. (June 15)Click on image to enlarge.
"6x8" Oil on canvas mounted on board
This addition to my garden series was painted yesterday in one session (about three hours). The scene is once again from my neighbor Kelly's yard and appears just as I have painted it. Her daughter's play house is a cute little "hide-out" that I'd love to have for myself.
After the last two pieces were painted on gessoed Strathmore board, I was wanting to feel the texture of canvas under my brush. I had enjoyed the easy flow of the brush on the smoother board but something about the canvas was calling me back to it. Painting on the two surfaces are such different experiences and the final product is noticeably different. In my critique, I find that the board surface produces many hard edges for me. Maybe it's just a matter of me learning how to soften the strokes. Carol Marine can work on hardboard and use flats and still get wonderful soft edges as well as sharp. Of course the canvas produces much softer edges naturally, but I don't seem to get the more loose and fluid strokes. I'm still trying to decide which I like best, but for now maybe I'll keep switching back and forth. If anyone would like to give an opinion of my work on these two surfaces, I'd welcome your input!
9 comments:
......and then there is all those times when hiding out is not so comforting. I can do it again, I suppose, but I'm worried that this is the first place they would look for me! Barflys are bugs too.
You are so helpful, Ginboy.
Lovely painting. You're getting quite a bit of mileage out of your friend's yard!
Whenever I paint on board I find it very easy to get a soft edge as long as the paint isn't too impastoed.
Maybe it depends on how much paint you're using? For alla prima, I tend to work less thickly at the start and build up the surface texture in stages, then apply a more hard-edged impasto in places where I want the punch.
If thick paint is applied throughout, it's still possible to soften the edges after the fact with a little scumbling after it "sets up". (Alla segunda?)
I will say that with most gessoed boards, the surface is so much less absorbant than canvas that the paint really sits on top of the surface a lot more. If you like a rigid surface but want more absorbancy and grip, you might enjoy trying multimedia art board. You don't have to gesso it at all, so it's more absorbant than gessoed boards. Or you could experiment with some ungessoed and some with one and two layers of gesso and see how they compare.
Of course, you could also experiment with different canvas weaves to find one that works for you. Personally, I loooves me some fine woven linen.
Thanks for the "surface" tips and ideas. This multimedia board that you mentioned, is it a hardboard, paper board like illustration board or can you describe it or give a brand name?
I agree with Jennifer on the "less thicky" prima vera. I also prefer my impasto al dente. But that's just my personal opinion. I hope this helps, because.......Look Ms. King there's only so much I can do.
Multimedia Artboard is the brand name. They have a website, but you can buy it from Jerry's and DickBlick. It's very thin, but rigid--a heavy watercolor paper encased in a thin epoxy resin. I gessoed some and took it overseas with me because it was lightweight and not bulky. It accepts oils without gesso, but I heard some people prefer a less absorbant surface for oils.
Since I've used this very recently, I plan to blog more about my experiences with it soon.
Marilyn, I just found your blog threw Jennifer's. I am so loving your paintings and sharing some of your computer whoas. Ebay is something I want to try. But, I am just getting the real hang of blogging. I need to do flicker too. Oh boy!
But, I am going to try using Multimedia Artboard too. So much to learn :0 ). I am going to now "stroll around" your blog a bit. amy
Amy,
I'm glad you stopped by. You were the first to see my new blog design created in the wee hours of this morning.
I've only been "blogging" since February and there is quite a learning curve. I started posting on Flickr not long after and now five months later, opened the ebay store. Having another job makes it difficult to find the time to learn this, but I'm loving it. It's really quite empowering. Because my goal is to one day create art full time once again, these are all steps to reach that goal. I try not to hurry too much, just take a slow , and steady commitment to learn, learn, learn, whether it be computer or artist improvement.
Multimedia Artboard is a new one on me.Much more for me to learn too!
I visited you also and love your light and airy, romantic styled art. Very nice indeed!
Marilyn, hello.
Lovely painting, you must experiment all time, this never ending, I know that after 40 years painting, I believe that all depend in the final results of a particular work, the next will give you another challenges and again new experiments and so on...
Hugs.
Alex
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