Gesture Speed Painting

This week at drawing group I played around with doing the 5 minute gesture poses with paint and it was sloppy fun.

I used Bienfang Graphics 360 Marker Paper, 12x9, and Rembrandt burnt umber thinned with a little medium that was a mixture of linseed oil/OMS in about a 60/40 ratio.

The description of the paper is "Graphics 360 is a 100% rag, non-bleeding, translucent marker paper. It retains true color with permanent as well as watercolor markers." I think the paper is considered archival but not sure if the oil paint will have an affect on how archival the piece will be. More research needed.

I really liked the way it handled. The wetness soaked into the paper slow enough that I was able to rub out some forms, yet the paper did not buckle. I've used canvas paper before and it was too thirsty. It soaked in so fast that the rubbing out did not work well.

If I decide to finish these off I'll matt them and frame like a drawing.

I plan to experiment with the new arches oil painting paper and find some vellums to try. If you have anything you like to work on let me know. I'm looking for something not too expensive since coming up with a winner while speed painting 2-5 minute gestures poses is hit or miss.

Steampunk Professor Rattus and Lois Lane

Tomorrow may be my birthday but today held a big, happy surprise.

My painting Professor Rattus and Her Royal Court, The Incognito Project, is featured in an ad for Principle Gallery in the American Art Collector's March 2013 issue.

And in the same issue, my painting, Fast Lane, is in the article about collecting art in the Washington, DC & Mid-Atlantic States area. Thank you Principle Gallery and American Art Collector!

Just for fun here's a video of the rat wrangling it took to get photo reference for Professor Rattus.

 
And here is a video of in progress shots and details of Fast Lane.



You may find a blog post with Professor Rattus and details here, and details of Lois Lane in Fast Lane and the companion piece Call of Duty, here.

All three of these paintings are featured in The Incognito Project book, which is available at Principle Gallery, through Matter Deep Publishing or from my website.

Harlem Shake Video or a Typical Matter Deep Publishing Board Meeting

Our little family business, Matter Deep Publishing, had some fun this week making our own version of the Harlem Shake video meme currently zipping through cyberspace. If you haven't seen the phenom you can check it out at KnowYour Meme.

The video includes my son Kyle, dancing solo at the beginning; my daughter Carly as Cookie Monster Girl; her fiancee, Will, in the lampshade; my husband in his Mr. Valentine costume; my daughter-in-law, Amy making an appearance with Linus, the beagle with a bowtie; our other granddog, Apollo, looking confused; and me with the Hulk hands. Even my mother got it on it. That's her in the background with a rain stick and crown, cause she is the Queen of the clan, you know?

It's a shame we never have any fun and that our kids are so inhibited. Hope you enjoy this we bit of madness!

Painting Light and Shadow

I took new pictures of a painting from 2010, with my new lights, new camera and come to think of it a new tripod. Seems there have been many upgrades in the studio over the last couple of years.

Enlightenment, 24x24, oil on panel. 

The tripod I'm in love with! Ravelli APGL4 New Professional 70" Tripod with Adjustable Pistol Grip Head. The pistol grip thing is great and the ball joint to shoot vertical is very smooth.

It is heavy and I wouldn't want to use it for hiking but in the studio I love it. I have broken three canon tripods in the last few years, seems there are always little plastic pieces breaking off. So this time I spent a little bit more to get a better quality and I think this one will last.

My camera is one I bought to produce The Incognito Project book. We needed larger than life-sized super close-ups for two page spreads. It's a Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera.

The Activist,  detail, The Incognito Project book

I am still using an upgraded lens I bought a few years ago, the Canon, 24-85mm, Ultrasonic.

Read my other posts about Enlightenment, or about shooting photographs of your paintings.

Art Instruction Blog

There is a super informative website called Art Instruction Blog. The webmaster collects demos and lessons from all over the web and posts them under different topics:

~Featured Painting Lesson

~Featured Drawing lessons

~Featured Artist Interviews

~Recommended Sources

~Artist Spotlight - Featured Artists

This week one of my demonstrations, Oil Painting Underpainting Tutorial, is featured on the Painting Lessons.

There is also a You Asked! page in which you can submit a question and people in the know will address it.

And a Lesson by Subject page. And a Lesson by Medium page.

Basically, what I'm saying is, don't start looking at this site right before bed or you will be sitting in front of your easel very sleep deprived the next day!

Oil Sketch Inspiration

I went back to life drawing group after a few months off and it was fun. I did feel a little rusty and as always there wasn't enough time. This was three 20 minute sessions, a total of one hour with the model.

Anders, 12x9, oil on panel. 

Looking for inspiration, I found a few oil sketches I snagged off the internet to share with you and my students. We are starting a head study from life in my class tomorrow. This will be a first life study for most of them. We've done still life but not the figure before. I will keep you apprised. In the meantime, enjoy these lovelies.

Bryce Cameron Liston

Michelle Dunaway

Stephen Early

Fongwei Liu

I love looking at work like this. It's so inspirational and at the same time makes me realize how much I have to learn!