I find that I read/watch what artists have learned, apply it and see results.
An inching forward then pausing to learn. Here's Hershey, a real dog at Animal Aid.
I found a couple of good books at our library. This first one is packed with
information. I learned about primers (the surface you prepare before applying
oil paint) and coloring grounds (covering the white surface so you can better judge tones
and values). I took this chunk of info and applied it to my painting this weekend.
I had been painting on illustration board primed with gesso. The surface was
gritty and too absorbent, pulling paint right off of the brush. Stiff application=stiff results.
I switched to priming with airbrush (acrylic) medium...
recommended on a youtube video (I'll link it here later).
After fixing my preliminary sketches with workable fixative spray, I chose four
thinned down colors for several primed boards. I tried to match the ground color
to the mid tones in each dog's coat.
I made a note of the color on the back and added it to my palette.
In this case, thinned Gamblin Chromatic Black.
I was able to skip a layer of painting by starting with a colored ground.
This will need about 2 more painting sessions. The surface is smooth doesn't
pull the paint off the brush. A much better surface for me.
Also trying to work on backgrounds which work with the dog's colors.
I see a big difference here. Put away that Portland Cool Gray.
This week I'm working on brushwork and this book covers it better than any I
could find. Also looking at Impressionist brushwork. Amazing. This is my
next challenge, to make the marks more interesting and powerful.
Speaking of marks, look at the result of steaming the buttercup tamales for
one hour. Mother nature is always the best artist. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.
