Category Archives for Tips & Techniques
Trying Other Mediums
We all gravitate to a particular medium, one that feels most comfortable and helps us “express” ourselves better. We can also get into a rut with that favorite medium, periods when inspiration dries up and it’s hard to pick up the brush. So instead of
trying to find some other distraction, try another medium. I find painting outside with pastels a great change of pace. It’s a quick response medium to the colors I’m seeing . Also more color mixing right on the image instead
Painting When the Light is Flat
I was painting in Catalina State Park about mid-day. The values were flattening out and all I was left with were gray or neutral violets and greens 
(the colors of the desert). Usually with grays at mid-day everything gets washed out, shadows disappear and the lights run together. What helps at times like these is to think of value and temperature first, not color. Your goal should be to think of the value of the large shapes in the landscape and what their angle to the sun is. For example, objects that are upright, trees, cactus, fence posts will catch the least amount of light at mid-day. Shapes or objects that are slanted, hills, rooftops, will catch a little more light, and shapes that are flat like the ground and roads will catch the most light.
Knowing the three angles allows me to push the value difference between them which creates more depth. The temperature of these shapes, warm or cool allows me to make objects Continue Reading
Broken Color
Mixing on the palette or the canvas when I’m painting outside on bright, sunny days I’ll see strong color that looks like it’s paint straight from the tube but if I apply pure color it jumps off the canvas. Other times I’ll see a number of colors on a flat plane and I’ll mix them together on the palette and come up with mud. A good solution is to combine both mixing on the palette and mixing directly on the canvas.
When I was painting the Pusch Ridge Cliffs near Catalina State Park, the rocks were a bright orange because of the late afternoon sun but there was also shades of violet, red and some yellow-green because of the minerals and age of the rock. If I were to Continue Reading
Painting to Learn
Painting is hard, and painting a subject that gives you trouble or moves you out of your comfort zone is frustrating and hard. It’s easier to go outside, find a favorite spot and paint what you’re comfortable painting. Painting what you’re not good at is almost paintful and a real shot to the ego. But in the long run it’s really helpful — no pain, no gain. It’s helpful to study how other artists see the same subject, how they simplify shapes and color, use thick or their paint. Then approaching the subject one step at a time. Painting a series of pieces that focus on value, then a series that focuses on temperature, or edges, working on one aspect of painting at a time.
When Good Painting Trips Go Bad
Have you ever been on a painting trip all excited and pumped about what you were accomplishing – visualizing wonderful larger studio paintings — only to get home and the paintings look flat Continue Reading
Why Spend Time Drawing if You’re a Painter?
There are three reasons why I spend time drawing when I have so many paintings I want to work on.
First is compositional drawing. These are thumbnail sketches for larger paintings, trying to come up with new ideas.
These are usually done with markers or 6B graphite.Continue Reading
Using a Palette Knife
Early in my career when I thought of a palette knife, I thought of the guys on TV who used a knife to lay in half the painting in thirty seconds or to paint the same stylized tree every time. Now I think of Richard Schmid using a knife to flatten a ground plane in the foreground or Trevor Chamberlain (painting shown) using a knife to soften edges or to flatten a dark plane against a light plane. The palette knife is a good tool to use when you want to simplify a passage in your painting or flatten it against a busier area. When the paint gets too thick in the darks and the heavy brushstrokes cause glare, use the knife to Continue Reading
Using a Palette Knife
Early in my career when I thought of a palette knife, I thought of the guys on TV who used a knife to lay in half the painting in thirty seconds or to paint the same stylized tree every time. Now I think of Richard Schmid using a knife to flatten a ground plane in the foreground or Trevor Chamberlain (painting shown) using a knife to soften edges or to flatten a dark plane against a light plane. The palette knife is a good tool to use when you want to simplify a passage in your painting or flatten it against a busier area. When the paint gets too thick in the darks and the heavy brushstrokes cause glare, use the knife to Continue Reading
Black & White Photographs
I have always used outdoor sketches and drawings for studio work. I also use photography for detail and composition, but rely on the outdoor paintings for color.
Since going digital and discovering Adobe’s Photoshop where I can “diddle” all day adjusting color, contrast and values it became easier toContinue Reading
Can a Limited Palette Mean More Color?
I’ve been using a limited palette for a number of years, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue. It started as a reason to get rid of some colors on the palette and to try and achieve a little color harmony.
For a while I got paintings that were mostly secondary colors, too green or orange. After a time and a lot of help I started using all three primaries in every mixture with one predominate color. That allowed me toContinue Reading