| Author |
Message |
 
Robert
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 10:31 am: |  |
Robert Wade uses a 1 1/2 white sable one stroke flat for 90% of his painting. Works well for him. |
Eric
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 8:32 am: | |
Greg, if you want to lose the detail, a good resource is Ron Ransom's books and videos. He uses a big, wide "hake" brush for almost everything. Or at least a bigger brush than you would think should be needed. This forces you to NOT be detailed. |
Robert
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 7:01 am: | |
Have any of you ever used a brush called a traceur? Made by Isabey, it has a firm sable core surrounded by soft squirrel. Makes a variety of marks. |
greg
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 3:56 pm: | |
I'd like to try a brush. When I
hold a pencil, I sometimes draw too detailed. A brush would force me to make fast decisions and
pay attention the brushstroke. Interesting that
you, (Marie) let the brush land where it may on the palette and make your own color choices. May be a
new game show....SPIN the lucky color wheel...
I'll take...."colors that don't make mud" for 500,
Alex....:) |
marie
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 5:51 pm: | |
By the way, I throw away a lot of paintings. When they're bad, they're awful -- and there's no way to save them. |
marie
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 5:39 pm: | |
Sometimes I draw with a pencil first, sometimes with a brush first. It depends on my mood (and how confident/energetic I'm feeling) and how likely the subject is to move. When I start in with a brush, I just think of the brush as a big, flexible pencil.
Given enough time, I prefer to draw with a pencil first. At the same time, I get a real rush from doing a sketch straight up with a brush. It's kind of like riding a roller coaster. If I'm not just a little frightened, then the painting/sketch usually comes out boring. I recall a reading a wonderful Sargent quote that described watercolor as "making the best of an emergency."
I don't pay much attention to color when I paint straight up. Wherever the brush lands on the palette is the color that winds up on the paper.
My problem is that I when I slow down too much, everything looks labored and tired. Greg, I really admire how you can get the all the details and still keep everything crisp and fresh. |
greg
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 4:51 pm: | |
when all of you do this, do you just start painting
or do a sketch first? Marie at an airport, people in restaurants.....how? paint as fast as you can?
capture a small gesture? I have to admit......I have never painted without a drawing to follow......call me crazy. Maybe when I was a kid, wait...no...
drawing first. I have never been able to paint
anything abstract...it always looks like a disorganized mess to me. But Marie, I love your work. It looks fresh and a moment was captured.
Maybe I don't have the drawing skills needed to paint that quick |
marie
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 4:29 pm: | |
I paint just about anywhere. I don't travel just to find something interesting to paint. However, when I do travel, I *always* make sure I have some watercolors, paper, and brushes with me. And I'll paint just about anything -- people in restaurants, light fixtures, garbage cans, waiting areas at airports -- I really don't care. I don't worry about planning or design, except in the most intuitive way. If something catches my eye, I pull out the paint box and have at it. I never sell anything from my travel pictures, but oh how I enjoy doing it.
I think I posted something recently about my plein air gear in another thread recently. As for other tips:
* I usually carry a full bottle of fresh water in my car. Just in case I find the need to paint, and there's no ready source of water around. I also usually keep a full roll of paper towels in the car.
* I keep several sizes of travel kits. The smallest is one of the tiny W/N field boxes, which I can fit into my purse. Then, I have a slightly larger kit that I use in restaurants and friends' houses. Then there's the full scale plein air kit, which is still fairly minimal, that I described the other day. Finally, there's the big thing on wheels with everything I could possibly want for figure painting and teaching. |
tachee
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 2:31 pm: | |
i paint close to home, too. travel as little as i can get by with. i have a 2 seater golf cart with a mini truck like bed in the back. i load trigger [yellow cart] and over hill and dale we fly. i have vowed to try more out of doors paintings this spring. so many ponds, a lake, covered bridge or two, woods i am wasting. |
kimarielle
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 2:16 pm: | |
Lately I have been "romanced" by the idea of painting more out of my studio...I do so much detailed, close work as a botanical artist that I feel the need to change now and again, and "loosen up". I've been trying to put together a small travel pack (any and all ideas are welcome) so that I can just get into my car and drive until I see something that I want to paint or draw. I live in Colorado, and it is absolutely arctic right now, so I plan to draw or paint from the front seat of my car! I'll let you know how it works. I'd love some feedback on what you all carry in your "away from studio" packs. On previous threads we've touched on palette choices...I'd love more discussion on that and portable ink pens, pencil choices, creative ways to carry water with you, etc. Please tell me how YOU do it. Thanks and I love you all- you're such a great help. This is the first thing I check everyday, even before my emails. |
Eric
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 1:23 pm: | |
John Preston mentioned a couple of days ago that most of his paintings are from subjects within a two mile radius of his home in Iowa. That brought me to ask whether you prefer travelling to find interesting subjects or do you like to kick around in your backyard or close to home in order to find ideas?
I guess I do both, but the more creative ideas seem to come from close to home. It might force you to be more creative and "make something from nothing" sometimes and to look at familiar things in different and creative ways. |
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