Parallel Project Part 5

I’m really having a great time with the charcoal but in this part I’m hoping to extend work to some oil. I was really impressed with the work of Judith Tucker not only her charcoal landscapes but the night scenes. I want to paint one or two of my allotment scenes at night. Judith Tucker’s work captures a lovely palette in the night sky so I will try to replicate this in my scenes.

I am back to charcoal as it seems unreal that I can draw well with this medium. Is it all going to fall apart? I need to continue so that I prove to myself its not a fluke! I can draw reasonably well. I begin today with the scene containing the bear. The image is below.

The photo isn’t great as I had to use my phone and try to zoom in on that. The main issue was to get as good a close image of the bear. The landscape will include some poetic license and my scene will be more in landscape mode. I’m completing several works in A2 size and will ensure that they are all mounted and framed the same.

My drawing begins with the outlines of my main composition and the bear. I’ve got into my picture the main element I want to include such as the bird feeder and the water butt. I draw a couple of outlines on the butt as the butt in my photo its much bigger than the bear. As the bear is the main feature I will keep the butt to a reasonable size. The feeder in comparison is quite big but again I want the viewer to recognise what it is.

I keep progressing the drawing. building up the background through to the foreground. The next photo has all the foliage shapes in and the main areas are almost complete. What I want to work on is more filling in and erasure in the front foliage areas. I will probably also adjust some of the lines on the wooden structures. I do quite like the bear and I’ve made sure the light is on his left side as he faces me. For example I’ve given him a line of light on his arm and his hood is lighter on the one side. He does look like a bear. As I study the photo more its a pole on the left and is part of a mesh fence. The mesh is quite fine so I decide not to include it. I decide to leave it there and finish off tomorrow.

A little more work on the bear today. I worked a little on his sash and added a bird on the feeder. I also worked into the leaves a a bit more. I don’t want to overwork it and there is a danger of this if I’m not careful as there is a lot to look at. I’ll leave it there for now.

Having seen the artist recommended by my tutor, Judith Tucker I felt compelled to undertake one or two of the works I had planned for the allotment some night and twilight scenes. It’s difficult to leave the charcoal but have needs must and I do want to provide for my exhibition a variety of work around my theme. The photo I’m using for this one is below. I love the composition of the photo so I will try to stick to this.

As I proceed I keep saying to myself this is the first one of the night scenes and this may be a practice run! I mix up the paint and consider how I want to do this. Sometimes the colour of the sky can be reflected in windows so I will complete one of the paintings by using the sky colour in the windows. However in this painting I want to try a warm light in the shed. I want to try a wintery feel with the light from the moon creating the crispness and almost a misty feel. I’m using a canvas 16x20ins and I mix up some ultramarine and cerulean blue. I use some zest it and safflower oil as I try to be less toxic in the mediums I use. My paints are water based oils. I cover the whole canvas with the blue colour and then put in some lighter areas adding and mixing in white paint. I then block in the various areas, drawing in the shed shape, the darker and close up areas of darker blue leaves in the left corner. All of this I’m doing wet into wet and I start to creat the main planter in the foreground. I then test out the light in the windows. I shall use some of this orange in other parts of the painting to bring in some harmony.

I continue with the painting the next day and my painting is still a bit wet and tacky. I took this photo outdoors with no flash so the colours are fairly accurate. I quite like the distant trees and having put the moon in the picture the frostiness seems to work to a point. I keep reminding myself that I don’t have to replicate the photo of the scene but the more I look at the photo I shall need to add more details to some of the areas. I enjoy creating the long storks with a swipe of an old credit card. I’m not sure whether my box should be bigger but I will leave it for now. The thing I’m finding challenging is the dark and lighter areas in colour. I seem to do this okay with charcoal and my black and white’s work but I must crack this with the tonal colours. I want to create a misty scene but the light needs and will be picking up some colours. I will leave it for today. This is a good exercise if I can achieve the right balance.

I consider the painting again today. I’m going to alter the shed colour and accent it with light from the sky. The foreground hydrangea kind of flowers I shall make bigger in the foreground and accent them. I must get this right. What I’m happy with so far is the background trees and the sky.

I return to the painting having reflected on it more and it is dry. I decide I must try to play on the moonlight and to promote better colour harmony in the work. I want to create the illusion of the light falling on the foliage and flowers. I decide to change the shed colour to reflect more light too. I also start to work more colour into the front planter. I mix up for the shed a combination of titanium white, paynes grey and cobalt blue. For the front hydrangea I mix up some alizarin crimson, yellow and cobalt blue. I make two shades of this to reflect darker side of the flowers and the top where the light falls. I use some additives to the paint zest it and safflower oil. My paints are water based oils called artisan. My next stage of the painting is below. I also put in some darker shadow to the left of the planter. I also highlight the shed roof and add a few more stalks. I think its looking a little better as there was too much dark blue. There’s now more interest and harmony. I will leave again and try to add more details to the shed and to some of the mid ground. What I don’t want to do is over work it.