Painting Lessons: Acrylic Painting on Black
Kat Corrigan 2019
(based on Carol Marine’s Class and notes from August, 2011)
katjojo@hotmail.com/ 612-720-6675
www.katcorrigan.com/ katcorrigan.blogspot.com
(based on Carol Marine’s Class and notes from August, 2011)
katjojo@hotmail.com/ 612-720-6675
www.katcorrigan.com/ katcorrigan.blogspot.com
1- Painting is Courageous~
You must recognize that as an adult it is scary to admit you might not be great at something. To learn something new and allow yourself to make mistakes is a gift to yourself. Be nice to yourself and don’t judge your work by another person’s.
Benefits of painting small daily-
~ less emotionally involved
~ less fear
~ less tedious
~ less costly!
~ more inspired to experiment
~ quick growth (and that growth is VISIBLE) (number your paintings!)
~more enjoyment in the process
~ more confidence
~ more structure (scheduling your work-time HELPS!)
~ less fear
~ less tedious
~ less costly!
~ more inspired to experiment
~ quick growth (and that growth is VISIBLE) (number your paintings!)
~more enjoyment in the process
~ more confidence
~ more structure (scheduling your work-time HELPS!)
Benefits of Blogging
~ connect with other artists
~track your own progress
~ build up record of your body of work
~ new opportunities
~easier to show others your work when they ask!
~track your own progress
~ build up record of your body of work
~ new opportunities
~easier to show others your work when they ask!
2- GOOD Materials are NECESSARY~
Painting should be a pleasure, and a good new brush pushing around sweet, thick, slick paint on a firm smooth surface is one of my life’s joys! I hope it will be yours too~ that said, it is just fine to paint on paper or cardboard, if that helps you feel freer!
Drawing Tools~
Otherwise known as PENCILS. I LOVE woodless pencils (Koh-I-Noor is one brand), which are heavier than wood pencils, and I prefer softer (higher number Bs) ones which leave a wider thicker silver line on the black gesso.
Otherwise known as PENCILS. I LOVE woodless pencils (Koh-I-Noor is one brand), which are heavier than wood pencils, and I prefer softer (higher number Bs) ones which leave a wider thicker silver line on the black gesso.
Panel Sources-
~ buy sheets of masonite/hardboard at Home Depot and cut them yourself ~ www.dickblick.com- Ambersand Gessoed Hardboards, also plain hardboard panels and student quality value packs!
~ http://art-boards.com.htm Art Boards
~ http://www.michaels.com/bulk-art-supplies/canvas/985500754 many options
~ buy sheets of masonite/hardboard at Home Depot and cut them yourself ~ www.dickblick.com- Ambersand Gessoed Hardboards, also plain hardboard panels and student quality value packs!
~ http://art-boards.com.htm Art Boards
~ http://www.michaels.com/bulk-art-supplies/canvas/985500754 many options
Paint~
I prefer Golden Heavy Body Acrylics because they are smooth and thick and the color is strong. These handle very like oils, especially when used with medium. These are the colors I use the most.
I prefer Golden Heavy Body Acrylics because they are smooth and thick and the color is strong. These handle very like oils, especially when used with medium. These are the colors I use the most.
~ Quinacridone Magenta
~ Pthalo blue- red shade
~ Pthalo blue- green shade
~ Primary Yellow (or Hansa Yellow)
~ Titanium White (LARGE TUBE!!!)
~ Pthalo blue- red shade
~ Pthalo blue- green shade
~ Primary Yellow (or Hansa Yellow)
~ Titanium White (LARGE TUBE!!!)
For these classes, I strongly suggest you stick with these colors. My belief is that you should be able to mix just about any color you want from three primaries (red, yellow, and blue). And you may discover your own favorite three to work from, with an occasional highlight from another color. Using just these five colors (plus the black of the canvas) also keeps every color related to one another so that your work is more harmonized. Of course, if you aren’t careful it can also mean that your work is all the same color of mud. I love mixing grey though, and you will figure it out.
Brushes~
Brights give me a sharp edge I greatly enjoy, but do try a few out because every brush feels different! Flats, rounds, filberts are some other kinds. I like the Long-Handles but shorts work just as well, maybe better for smaller panels.
I may use three sizes (or more!) on one painting~
I will have extras available for you to borrow and try out, and I have gone as far as to pull a brush out of a student’s hand and replace it with a new one...
Brights give me a sharp edge I greatly enjoy, but do try a few out because every brush feels different! Flats, rounds, filberts are some other kinds. I like the Long-Handles but shorts work just as well, maybe better for smaller panels.
I may use three sizes (or more!) on one painting~
I will have extras available for you to borrow and try out, and I have gone as far as to pull a brush out of a student’s hand and replace it with a new one...
Here are some of my favorites~
~ Silver Bristlon brights, 4-8
~ Umbria brights from Princeton, 4-8
~Royal Langnickle Soft Grip, 6-10
~Princeton Snap long-handled brushes, 6-10
~ Silver Bristlon brights, 4-8
~ Umbria brights from Princeton, 4-8
~Royal Langnickle Soft Grip, 6-10
~Princeton Snap long-handled brushes, 6-10
Washing Brushes~
~Old Master’s Brush Cleaner (what I always use- keep it under the sink in my kitchen)
~Murphy’s Oil Soap
~Old Master’s Brush Cleaner (what I always use- keep it under the sink in my kitchen)
~Murphy’s Oil Soap
Rub your bristles into the soap and get some bubbles going- rinse well in lukewarm water. Hot water can cause the ferrule to loosen the bristles~
Mediums~
A medium is an additional liquid added to your paint to make it dry slower or faster, or to add an additional gloss or texture to the paint. I use a basic glazing to extend my drying time.
GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Gloss) is what I love~
A medium is an additional liquid added to your paint to make it dry slower or faster, or to add an additional gloss or texture to the paint. I use a basic glazing to extend my drying time.
GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Gloss) is what I love~
Varnish~ I do like to varnish occasionally, and I use a Satin Varnish. These dry quickly and add more UV protection. I do believe that adding the medium into the paint helps as well and there are times I don’t varnish because I want the matte gesso and silver pencil marks to show through.
From the Ground Up~
I love painting on wood, which needs a sealing coat to make it truly archival (if you care that your work will last). The wood I use is either pre-made cradled panels (the cradle is the straight pieces of wood glued to the back- these keep the panel from buckling) or is masonite or hardboard cut by my husband. I gesso these panels with black Golden Acrylic gesso, which provides a surface for the paint to adhere to better.
~ I paint from black because the colors are more intense with that darkness surrounding and setting them off like jewels. Not all your paintings need to be from black up, but it is a good idea to have some color as your ground, rather than stark white. For one thing, a blank page is intimidating, and somehow already having color on there can make it easier to start.
3- Getting Started
STUCK-ISMS-
“But I don’t want to waste it…”! We often don’t put down or use enough paint, and if we get to the end of a color we would rather do without than squeeze more paint from our precious tube. OR we mix a lot of the wrong color and use it anyway rather than toss out a whole big pile of paint.
“But I worked so hard!”! We often want so much for every painting to be a masterpiece that we can’t let go, move on and learn from mistakes.
“If only I could get that red right!” We tend only to compare values/colors/proportion in one small area instead of everything in the entire painting.
”But the line HAS to be right!” we often tend to not waver from the lines of the drawing, which creates hard, tight lines and no looseness.
Before you begin, ask yourself these questions
(silently)
~ What is the darkest/lightest value?
~ What is it that makes the object appear round/shiny/flat/etc? (shadow? reflected light?)
~ How can I translate these things into paint strokes? (simplify!)
~ What is the darkest/lightest value?
~ What is it that makes the object appear round/shiny/flat/etc? (shadow? reflected light?)
~ How can I translate these things into paint strokes? (simplify!)
Other fun stuff to keep in mind~
~ Don’t fill an entire area with one color- mix it up- brush strokes are fine!
~ Consider sculpting your subject, with paint strokes.
~ Don’t fill an entire area with one color- mix it up- brush strokes are fine!
~ Consider sculpting your subject, with paint strokes.
~The way you handle your paint is YOUR style! Watch how you lay the paint on the panel!
~ SQUINT and STEP BACK a LOT!!!!!!!
~ There are no RULES in art, just consequences~
~There is no right way to paint. I can only show you my way- take from it what you will!
~ When you’re feeling overwhelmed, FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT!
~ SQUINT and STEP BACK a LOT!!!!!!!
~ There are no RULES in art, just consequences~
~There is no right way to paint. I can only show you my way- take from it what you will!
~ When you’re feeling overwhelmed, FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT!
VALUE PRACTICE-
1- Create a value scale! Using a ruler, draw a 5 inch long rectangle and divide it by inches into 5 rectangles. Use a 2B or higher B pencil and fill in the first space as dark as possible, continuing on in each box with a lighter grey, leaving the last box the white of the paper.
2- Create a simple still life with a round piece of fruit. Do a pencil value study by greying your paper, and then darkening the dark areas and using an eraser to erase out the light areas. Look for 5 ranges of value similar to your value scale.
3- It is helpful to create value studies of your work before you paint them. Create a practice sketch, quickly laying down the darker and lighter values.
4- Value is Essential
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, and possibly the most important element in creating an interesting image. If you create a composition with interesting and ACCURATE value, you can really play around with everything else.
All the values in a painting are relative to one another. To get them right, constantly compare each value to all the rest. If you get one wrong, everything else will be off. Often it is a good idea to do a quick value sketch of your painting before you go to color.
In this sketch, you can see a variety of value, from darkest black to glowing white, which gives the flat surface the illusion of volume and depth. That is what you are attempting in your painting~ you are creating an ILLUSION- and what most people forget about are the darkest darks. In painting on a BLACK surface, you already have your darkest blacks, so you are looking at the lighter values and the middle tones.
Use your graphite pencil to create small studies of your painting before you start painting. Simplifying the values teaches you to see more simply! And constantly COMPARE- ask yourself “is this part DARKER or LIGHTER than THAT part?” An internal conversation is a big part of being an artist!
5- Drawing Tips & Tricks
Getting Proportion Correct is Vital!
Proportion-“a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.” Proportion is about how everything in your work fits together. Does the stem appear to fit where it is, is it too big or too small? Most beginning work is awkward because the proportions are incorrect. Proportion, like value, is relative. In order to get it right, constantly compare each distance, angle, etc to everything else. If you get one thing wrong, everything else will be off. It is the COMPARING part that needs to be consistent!
Look carefully and observe where the handle of the mug connects to the body of the mug. In your non-painting world, pay attention to proportions. Look at a building and compare the sizes of doors to the windows. Look at trees and check how tall they are compared to how wide their crown is. Use your eyes!
Use a Viewfinder
Your viewfinder represents the edges of your panel. You look through it as if through your screen of your iPhone, lining up your edges and judging the distances by comparing where parts of your subject line up with your marks. Taking a photo of your still-life can also help, but really, the viewfinder is a simple tool and you really only need it to get your initial sketch down. You do NOT use it to paint!
Your viewfinder represents the edges of your panel. You look through it as if through your screen of your iPhone, lining up your edges and judging the distances by comparing where parts of your subject line up with your marks. Taking a photo of your still-life can also help, but really, the viewfinder is a simple tool and you really only need it to get your initial sketch down. You do NOT use it to paint!
And believe me, you are not the only one who HATES to use a viewfinder! Get used to it- it is a VERY useful tool for judging proportion in still life and plein air.
Draw what you SEE, not what you think you see!
Your brain is your biggest stumbling block in drawing/painting from life. Fight back with these little tricks!
~ SQUINT! Helps you ignore what your brain is telling you~
~ Check the relative position-
~CONSTANTLY compare the positions of things
~ measure proportions with your brush or your fingers
~ get angles right by holding up a reference (CLOCK)
~ get a mirror and look at your set-up backwards
~ BACK UP!!!!!! look from a distance
~ see the subjects as shapes and forms, rather than what they are
~ take a break and come back to it (especially bigger work)
~ take a picture and look at it small on your computer (or phone)
IF if doesn’t work, WIPE or GESSO IT! free yourself and let it GO!
6- Composition “Rules”
Composition is the arrangement of objects in your visual space.
~Rules are meant to be broken - BUT- it is better to know the rules first so you can choose whether they are worth breaking.
~ Trust your instinct. If you are constantly thinking of all the rules, your process can be stilted and your paintings boring.
~ If it looks awkward through your viewfinder chances are your painting will be awkward.
~ Trust your instinct. If you are constantly thinking of all the rules, your process can be stilted and your paintings boring.
~ If it looks awkward through your viewfinder chances are your painting will be awkward.
Number 1 “Rule”
~ Never make any two intervals- of distance, length, spacing, size of subjects- the same-
~ The human eye loves variety.
~ Don’t have any two things “kiss”, or butt up against the edge of the painting
~ Never have a line of anything go directly off a corner of the painting (tangents!)
~ Never make any two intervals- of distance, length, spacing, size of subjects- the same-
~ The human eye loves variety.
~ Don’t have any two things “kiss”, or butt up against the edge of the painting
~ Never have a line of anything go directly off a corner of the painting (tangents!)
“Rule” of Thirds
If you divide your painting space into thirds horizontally and vertically, you have four points. The idea is- if you put your center of interest at one of these points you will have a more balanced and interesting painting. Paintings with a central focus point (right in the middle) don’t give the eye anywhere else to go.
If you divide your painting space into thirds horizontally and vertically, you have four points. The idea is- if you put your center of interest at one of these points you will have a more balanced and interesting painting. Paintings with a central focus point (right in the middle) don’t give the eye anywhere else to go.
Avoid the Floating Still Life~
~ How do your objects interact with their environment- do they leave a shadow? Does the glow from one object lighten the shadow of another?
~ Make sure you have something, anything, that goes outside the frame! Could be a shadow, a plate, a table, background gradient, etc! This allows the eye to connect the space with the outside world, rather than just circling within the picture plane.
~ How do your objects interact with their environment- do they leave a shadow? Does the glow from one object lighten the shadow of another?
~ Make sure you have something, anything, that goes outside the frame! Could be a shadow, a plate, a table, background gradient, etc! This allows the eye to connect the space with the outside world, rather than just circling within the picture plane.
Try, Try Again!
~ The best way to learn to compose is to TRY LOTS OF STUFF. It may take 1 minute to find a good composition, it may take 2 hours.
~CROP~ if you are using a photo for reference, crop it to make the composition more dynamic!
~ Follow your instinct~ if it looks funny to you, try again.
~ The best way to learn to compose is to TRY LOTS OF STUFF. It may take 1 minute to find a good composition, it may take 2 hours.
~CROP~ if you are using a photo for reference, crop it to make the composition more dynamic!
~ Follow your instinct~ if it looks funny to you, try again.
COMPOSITION LESSON:
1-Set up a still life with a simple object going off your painting to the right. Be sure to include your shadows.
2- Follow the rule of Thirds and be sure to place your point of interest in one of the 4 possible places. Be really obvious with this!
2- Follow the rule of Thirds and be sure to place your point of interest in one of the 4 possible places. Be really obvious with this!
3- Create a non-floating still life. Place an apple and light it dramatically, with shadows going off the frame.
7- Thoughts on Color...
~ Monochromatic - all the hues (tints and shades) of a single color ~Complementary - colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel ~ Analogous - colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel
Dominant Color or range
This idea is similar to that of dominant value. Having a dominant color or range of colors gives your painting a more cohesive feel.
This idea is similar to that of dominant value. Having a dominant color or range of colors gives your painting a more cohesive feel.
Dynamic Color
Complementary colors create a vibration between them, a tension that creates a dynamic painting. (Complimentary colors are the ones opposite each other on the color wheel~ orange-blue, purple-yellow, red-green)
Complementary colors create a vibration between them, a tension that creates a dynamic painting. (Complimentary colors are the ones opposite each other on the color wheel~ orange-blue, purple-yellow, red-green)
You’ll never get the color right...
There is no perfect mix, no “right” color. You’ll never match a color perfectly, and you wouldn’t want to- because then you’d be as boring as a computer. However, getting close is a good place to start. Once you’re more comfortable with painting, mixing will become second nature and you’ll be able to improvise more naturally.
There is no perfect mix, no “right” color. You’ll never match a color perfectly, and you wouldn’t want to- because then you’d be as boring as a computer. However, getting close is a good place to start. Once you’re more comfortable with painting, mixing will become second nature and you’ll be able to improvise more naturally.
Greys~
If you look at a color in your subject and you can’t quite figure it out, it is probably grey. Grey is a mix of red, blue and yellow, and usually a little white. The trick is to mix it, put it down, step back and consider, remix if you have to and repeat. Grays will supplement all of your colors, to allow them to glow against something.
If you look at a color in your subject and you can’t quite figure it out, it is probably grey. Grey is a mix of red, blue and yellow, and usually a little white. The trick is to mix it, put it down, step back and consider, remix if you have to and repeat. Grays will supplement all of your colors, to allow them to glow against something.
YOU will get good at mixing and seeing greys!
COLOR LESSON:
1- Mix the most grey grey possible. Now use that to create a value scale. How do you make it darker? Lighter?
1- Mix the most grey grey possible. Now use that to create a value scale. How do you make it darker? Lighter?
2- Make a painting using mostly one color, with a small amount of the opposite color
A FEW MORE THINGS TO REMEMBER~
~ accuracy is impressive! An accurate IMPRESSION of reality can be even more impressive!
~ It’s great practice to copy paintings you like! Don’t try to sell them~
~ It’s expected that you borrow things you like from other artists
~ it’s fine to paint lots of different things
~ it’s fine to paint one thing over and over
~ paint what you love- it comes through in your work
~ don’t get pigeon-holed into painting one way/thing because of some long-held belief that doesn’t work for you anymore, or maybe never did
~ your style is what sets you apart - it’s your voice- it will develop naturally over time as you learn and grow and become comfortable with the tools
~ make “seeing” an obsession- as artists, we see more than most people. Inspiration and education comes from seeing everything around you.
~ accuracy is impressive! An accurate IMPRESSION of reality can be even more impressive!
~ It’s great practice to copy paintings you like! Don’t try to sell them~
~ It’s expected that you borrow things you like from other artists
~ it’s fine to paint lots of different things
~ it’s fine to paint one thing over and over
~ paint what you love- it comes through in your work
~ don’t get pigeon-holed into painting one way/thing because of some long-held belief that doesn’t work for you anymore, or maybe never did
~ your style is what sets you apart - it’s your voice- it will develop naturally over time as you learn and grow and become comfortable with the tools
~ make “seeing” an obsession- as artists, we see more than most people. Inspiration and education comes from seeing everything around you.
BOOK & LINK RECOMMENDATIONS!
http://painterskeys.com Robert Genn’s blog, continued after his death by his artist daughter, Sara, who painted with him. Great bi-weekly newsletter with historical, philosophical, artistic and human commentary. I love it~
http://carolmarine.blogspot.com Carol’s blog where she posts her daily paintings and more commentary about being an artist and living a creative life.
mnartists.org Our local artist-centered website with articles and calls for
art!
reddotblog.com from Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ- Jason HOrejs runs this gallery and blog, and has also written several great books to help artists approach galleries~ one is …
"Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art” by Jason Horejs
This is a great, friendly, easy read with excellent advice~
Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland
A very helpful and well-written book that can talk you off that cliff when you start getting all down on yourself about your art! I find it a great re-read too, just popping into the book at times to help me.
Daily Painting, by Carol Marine
I really learned a ton from Carol, and she isn’t teaching workshops anymore, so you may want to nab this book and see what she’s done! It’s very readable and has great tips for any painter!
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Great book about creativity and keeping on!
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