Ways to Learn Acrylics... Painting Project No. 3

'Little Ways to Learn Acrylics: 50 small painting projects to get you started’ by Mark Daniel Nelson is a great way to practice painting with acrylics.

System 3

Of the first three projects, this colour mixing pasture scene was my least favourite. Getting the lines clean when dark colours met lighter colours was really difficult. The hues weren’t very inspiring either, but for some reason I painted a second version.

Atelier

The Atelier Interactive paints are meant to stay wet longer and to enable the painter more time blending.  There was a visible difference between the two paintings. The first painting (in System 3 acrylics) needed three layers of paint before it looked finished. With the Atelier only one coat was applied and although a second layer would have made it look better… I lost interest.

This post isn’t very encouraging; for archival purposes I felt it necessary to post it. Sorry, dreary day, sombre mood.

‘3xWeekly’ Great Dane from Kids for Kids Charity Day

The Kids for Kids Charity Day was fantastic and along with drawing I took some photographs. The owners of the house had a Great Dane and of course pictures were taken. This project took me five days to complete and as usual there are things that probably could be better; however, my 3xWeekly challenge forces me not to be pernickety. Overall I’m happy with the painting and learned a lot from the process. Hopefully this experience will give me the confidence to paint dogs in their surroundings instead of just their faces.

‘3xWeekly’ Paint My Photo Rooster (or is it a Chicken)

This week’s paintings were just taking too long and the intended painting of a Great Dane couldn’t be finished in time. In order to stick to my '3xWeekly' promise I found a photo that could be completed quickly. The plan was to paint the rooster from Paint My Photo in a loose ‘Vibrant Acrylics’ style. It’s similar to the rooster that I did at ‘All About Art’; I’m really happy with the results and it only took about 2 hours.

Life Drawing at Ericaceous Art

Today in my drawing class at Ericaceous Art we concentrated on tone. It has taken me four weeks to have a better understanding of how to draw from a live model. I thought it would be the same as drawing a still life... but it’s definitely not. You have to overcome the fact that you are looking at a nude person and it’s o.k. to stare. Also, live people are larger than objects on a table so it’s a size thing. With a live model you have to draw smaller or move your easel to a position so you can draw what you see. I hope that this is the turning point for me and that I continue to get better.

‘3xWeekly’ My Friend's Dog - Totoro

My friend posted a picture of her dog Totoro on Facebook and he is absolutely adorable. Hopefully Lynn will think I’ve done an o.k. likeness. I made a few sketches in graphite, then a quick drawing in soft pastel, then another in oil pastel with colour. Although there was a lot of initial prep work, this painting didn’t come easily.

The final portrait was done in acrylic on 8” x 10” board without tracing. There are a lot of things that could be fixed on this painting, but I'm never going to get 3 a week done at this rate.

In hindsight, it might have been better to do a larger painting with less detail…maybe next time.

‘Vibrant Acrylics’ Third Exercise

Virtually seconds... well really, hours from completing two dog portraits; so I’m posting a painting from a ‘Vibrant Acrylics’ lesson instead. Prepared two or three weeks ago this is the third exercise in the book and it's titled ‘Resisting White’.

The painting is a combination of yellow ochre, sap green, deep violet, cadmium yellow, burn sienna, titanium white and lemon yellow. This was a fantastic exercise and although it didn't look exactly like the example in the book, I was completely satisfied. Thinking back, I did really enjoy an art class where we painted white objects.

Top 5 Art Books for Newbies

Daily Painting by Carol Marine - as I’ve said before…this book changed my life. If you want to paint and only can buy one book…this is it!!! Along with the book Carol had a DailyPaintWorks website and of course, it’s in my top five websites blog.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - in my blog, I reviewed two drawing books. Both were really great, but if you only wanted to buy one…this is it. The beginning of the book is mostly psychology so some people might be turned off; but if you are new to drawing it’s worth the read. The second half has more technical drawing information and the exercises are fabulous.

Colour: A Workshop for Artists and Designers by David Hornung - this was one of the first books I purchased and really enjoyed it. If you are like me and have trouble with colour…this is the book for you. Of course, I bailed on the exercises but the book is really worth reading. For lazy people like me they do give you examples of the exercises so you don’t really have to do them.

Painting Abstracts by Rolina van Vliet - is another fabulous book that I fully enjoyed. Again, because I get distracted easily, I didn’t finish the book….but it’s on my to do list. I decided to learn to draw and paint more before getting stuck into abstract art.

Draw like the Masters by Barrington Barber - is great for people who are looking to draw from life. The book describes how the old masters did things; apprentices used to draw from images of the old masters for a long time before moving on to drawing themselves. This book has some great examples of line, tone, texture and form. If you can’t take a life drawing class, this book is a good substitute. It’s 127 pages, mostly pictures so even I finished reading it.

Painting & Drawing Class – Final Project w/ Joel

We had five weeks to complete our final project and being a masochist I attempted to do that same portrait of DeNiro, but this time in oils. Halfway through the project it became clear that white plus four colours: ultramarine blue, cadmium red, crimson red and cadmium yellow, weren’t enough.

I did some research and found a webpage detailing what colours to use for portraits. With additional help from Joel, I decided to add burnt sienna, raw sienna and prussian blue to my arsenal. While purchasing paints from ArtDiscount.co.uk there was a great offer for a studio easel….so I bought that too. The easel is fantastic; the same ones we use in art class, very sturdy and versatile.

After five weeks in class, DeNiro wasn’t finished:)). I fixed a few things at home, then got overwhelmed; but finally decided to pull my finger out. I’m posting today after moving the publish date of this blog too many times. Maybe someday I’ll be able to finish it, but for now this is... as good as it gets (I know... that was Jack).

Top 5 Art Websites for Art Newbies

Art Discount is a great place to find art supplies at reasonable prices. I bought a fantastic studio easel for only £45 and when you spend over £30 you get free shipping. www.artdiscount.co.uk

Paint My Photo is a free membership site to find great source photographs. You own the rights to your painting and are allowed to sell them; you don’t own the rights to the original photo. This site has just moved to new servers designed to provide faster service…I’m still learning how it works. www.pmp-art.com

Daily Paint Works is a fabulous website run by Carol Marine, the author of ‘Daily Painting’.  The website exhibits works of many daily painters who sell their paintings. Artists have a gallery page and links to their blog, website, facebook and e-mail.  I love browsing this site for inspiration and to see what artists are working on. www.dailypaintworks.com

Rosemary and Co is a great place for quality brushes. Ask most artists in the UK and they will tell you they have these brushes. I like the Ivory and Eclipse range. Delivery is free for orders over £30 and £1 for orders less than £30.  These brushes are not cheap, so if you are looking for less expensive brushes try the Daler & Rowney Graduate range. I mostly use filbert and short flat or bright brushes. www.rosemaryandco.com

Society for All Artists (SAA) is a UK group you can join to get discounts on product and free shipping. When you join they also give you a welcome pack, free exhibition insurance, entry to SAA competitions, a magazine every two months and a few other benefits. I’m a new member and haven't decided if it’s worth it. But you can use the website even if you aren’t a member and find tuition listings by artist and also buy products without the member discount. www.saa.co.uk

Art Class w/ Wendy – Still Life Acrylic Painting

In Wendy's class we had a sample of flowers to paint and we could do either a real or abstract painting. I decided to paint an abstract because a real life painting, even though small, would take me forever. We learned about painting backgrounds and then letting it show through. You were not supposed to leave the under painting showing, but I did and bright pink was the result.

At home I played in photo shop to see if any improvement to the painting could be made.

The only adjustments I decided to make were to fix the flower petals, brighten the yellow and add more layers to the background. On the background another layer of magenta was glazed over, then neon red was added to darken it some more. Not sure if these changes made much difference, but I had no further inspiration. Thought about adding butterflies; but didn't have the energy to work on this painting anymore. Will file it away and possibly work on it another day.

Painting & Drawing Class - Multiple Acrylic Techniques w/ Joel

We created four A4 tree paintings on heavy paper. There were two tree photos to choose from; mine was of the taller thinner tree so I turned my paper to the portrait orientation.  Other people in class did the larger tree using landscape orientation.

Firstly we did watery washes in blue; my washes were landscape (before I knew I was doing the smaller tree). The washes look a little strange but anyway.

The first tree was with a stippling brush, which I didn’t have, so I used a round brush and only lightly tapped the paper. The second tree was with a sponge, while doing the painting it felt too uncontrollable but in hindsight it was my favourite.

The third tree was with a pallet knife and the fourth with a large brush. The last one was done at home because I was slow in class, as usual. On this one I was able to change the direction of the wash. Doing these different techniques with the same subject and colours was a great exercise and I want to try it again someday soon. :))

Wendy’s Art Class - Landscape, Acrylic Paint vs. Oil

Today in class we created a small 5 x 7 landscape on canvas board. Everyone used Wendy’s photo and the results were amazing. Mine wasn’t finished because I always paint slowly. Instead of making any changes to the one I did in class, I decided to make another. This time using oil paints...it's been too long since my last purchase:)). The landscape was the perfect subject matter: pretty, small and easy.

After researching different types of oil paints, I decided to try water soluble oils to avoid the need for turpentine. Also these oils would be easier to use in classs because the brushes can be washed off with water. Being a novice, there didn’t seem to be a reason not to use them. After using Artisan in Liz Haucks class and looking at the different brands, I went with Artisan water soluble oil paint. I found a great discount website to buy artist materials: www.artdiscount.co.uk. Sticking to the less is more theory, I only bought Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow and Titanium White.

It took me no time, well two sittings, to get to the same point with oil paints as with acrylic… then another month or two of procrastination. Now it’s finished and I’m glad it's done. With only the three colours and white the painting was easily completed. The only real downside to painting in oil is the waiting, but it was enjoyable. Blending with oil is sooo much less hassle.

Art Class w/ Wendy - Loose Watercolour

In Class

In Wendy's art class we learned to do loose watercolours with masking fluid, salt, pins and ink, or, in my case, white gouache. The assignment was in the SAA March 2015 magazine. Everybody did the same thing but we all had unique results; it was a really great experience. Not everyone used the same hues and even if the colours were the same, the intensity was different.

At Home

I loved it and decided to do another at home using different colours and a lighter weight cold pressed paper.

Art Class w/ Wendy – Pencil Drawing & Landscapes

Instead of one class, now I'm taking two; Drawing & Painting with Joel and another art class with Wendy. With all my drawing practice I thought there would be improvement. But, in Wendy’s first drawing class, after a very intense negative space exercise… I'm not so sure. Not going to post a picture it was so bad. The subject matter was hard but that’s no excuse. I also drew a chair, the same from last year, and couldn’t even say that was better.

Oh well... in her second class we drew a landscape in pencil from a photo. Even though it's not finished; it’s better that the debacle from the negative space class. It's Alnwick Castle, the subject the artists painted in ‘The Big Painting Challenge’ on SkyArts.

In the third class we did a tonal painting of a landscape; I chose a picture from Paint My Photo by Dave Webb. Tonal paintings are much easier for me; in a later class I painted a colour version of the same subject... what a disaster. Somehow matching colours correctly to photos is not my forte; not sure if it’s the watercolour paint or me. I don't think I'm colour blind, but there is definitely something wrong.

Drawing & Painting Class - Line, Shape & Form w/ Joel

My last acrylic painting class at Surrey Adult Learning Centre was a success but the next class was cancelled due to low enrollment; so instead I took Drawing & Painting with the same instructor, Joel Wareing. This class turned out to be better suited to my needs because we had a lot more instruction on drawing. The first three sessions were dedicated to Line, Shape and Form.

In the first lesson, we did self-portraits concentrating on drawing lines combined with using the cross hatching technique. Mine came out much better than expected and even though I wasn’t originally interested in portraiture, it might suit me. I didn’t come out looking like a great beauty but the portrait closely resembled me. Now I know why self-portraits often look so sombre… it’s because the artist is trying to draw and concentrate.

For the second assignment we looked at breaking down objects into their basic shapes; we had multiple still life set ups to choose from. Still life drawing is very difficult for me. I can’t see a good composition and have a hard time fitting everything on a page when I do.

After class I did a few drawings at home; you would think it gets easier over time, but I didn’t find that. This one was the best out of about four...

Form was our topic for the third class and again we had still life settings to choose from. Form as described in ‘Draw like the Masters’ by Barrington Barber is “work to show us that two-dimensional marks can be read as three-dimensional things occupying space”. We used charcoal for the background and an eraser to build form, this was easier than drawing with graphite on white paper. Of course I had trouble with composition, but this time drawing a violin was fun. It’s such an awesome shape but very hard to draw; I would love to have a violin to observe and draw at home.

Paint my Photo Hibiscus & Lightning Watercolour

While looking for a watercolour lesson on YouTube, I came across Lindsay Weirich 'thefrugalcrafter'; she has a ‘Hibiscus watercolor painting tutorial’. The lesson was easy to follow and my watercolour came out pretty nice. 

Lindsay used a photo from Paint My Photo, a membership website, that has photos you can use to paint your own works of art and sell.

The website has since moved platforms and, in my opinion, is not as easy to use. www.pmp-art.com is still a remarkably inspiring meeting place for both photographers and artists. With about 60 photographs loaded on the site... I'm just waiting for someone to paint my photo.

Each month there is a photography and a painting challenge. For the month of May I took part in the painting challenge. My watercolour wasn’t as fabulous as a lot of the others; but it was fun to submit something and I got to use my masking fluid.

http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/photo/flash-of-lighting

Acrylic Painting Class – Glazing with Joel

For Joel's next class we needed to bring in glazing gel; let me tell you... it’s not easy to find. Hobbycraft had ‘Winsor & Newton Galleria Gloss Medium’, it didn’t say glaze on the bottle, but it worked.

For our assignment, we were able to choose from a couple of black and white A3 photos. The first step was to add various shades of grey. In the second class we began to add colour. Even though the subject matter was AWESOME, this was probably my least favourite exercise. The shades of grey were applied incorrectly, so the glazing technique didn't work so well.

At home I did a portrait of my brother’s dog, and was happy with the result.

After class I went to George Weil  art store and bought ‘Daler-Rowney Glaze Medium – Matt’ because the W&N gloss medium was too shiny.

Acrylic Painting Class – Impasto Painting with Joel

For the impasto project we were asked to bring in modelling paste; I cheaped out and made my own from a great You Tube video.  The paste was pretty good and so far no cracking. Joel and the students in class tried it as well and liked it. You can alter the consistency to be denser or looser and it's way less expensive than the branded pastes.  Again we had to draw an object from the table that Joel prepared for us. Mine was a pepper, which Joel helped me to draw.

Inspired by the pepper, I made two paintings of them at home, sans paste.

Acrylic Painting Class – Colour Wheel with Joel

Joel asked us to bring three colours, plus white to art class (process yellow, cyan and magenta or cadmium red, cadmium yellow and cobalt blue). Of course, I brought all six and had a play with both sets. The colour wheel was as you’d expect; but the exercise after was pretty neat.

We were to make a grey background using the three colours then paint one of the white objects on the table in various shades of grey. My grey background wasn’t really grey, but I liked it anyway. It was hard for me to draw the object and see all the shades, but with a little help from Joel I did it.

Painted two objects from the kitchen at home and liked the results; even if the background wasn’t grey.

Then painted my white Samoyed from an old picture. Didn’t finish it because I didn’t want to ruin it. Note to self... have to get out of that mind-set.