Oil Painting outdoor – Voice of Spring vol.1
Oil Painting Outdoor by Hongkong Artist Kwong Ko Wah (not a Speed Painting video)
Launching Your Oil Painting Career
One color can be painted over another, drawing and proportions can be corrected, and all the nuances of light and shadow can be studied experimentally. The painting can be put aside at any time, to be picked up and continued at a later date.
Some beginners choose oil without considering other media because of a reverence for the “genuine oil painting.” When they take up painting as a hobby they want to produce “pictures that show the actual brush strokes.”
Many other amateurs, who would like to work in several media but feel that their time is too limited, select oil after checking with teachers or schools or experimenting on their own. Even a person who is more interested in another medium may find, as I have, that by using oils he can more easily study color subtleties and can acquire basic knowledge that will later be applied to the medium he prefers. The old adage, “One medium helps another,” is especially true if the first one is oil.
As you progress you will soon discover that there is more to oil painting than the surface quality of the brushwork. The type of surface you work on, the preliminary staining of the surface, and the under painting all affect the finished result.
However, in your initial efforts you will want to work in a direct manner, particularly when painting outdoors. Later you can experiment in the studio with various types of under painting.
If you are just beginning to paint, you will do well to start with a reputable brand of student color. Most color manufacturers make a line of student colors along with their professional grades. These colors are appreciably less expensive and the selection is nearly as wide as in the professional line.
As you progress, you can replace the student brand with colors of professional quality, which have far greater covering quality, particularly in the Cadmiums and Blues. There are several good brands of colors available. My own choice is the Grumbacher line.
I recommend the following colors for basic use: Alizarin Crimson; Cadmium Yellow, Light; Cadmium Red, Light; French Ultramarine; Ivory Black; Light Red; Thalo Green; Yellow Ochre; Zinc or Titanium White.
These nine colors will enable you to mix the various shades of other colors that you will need for most purposes.
However, you may want to supplement these colors with: Cadmium Yellow, Deep; Cadmium Orange; Cerulean Blue; Burnt Sienna; Viridian; Cobalt Blue; Thalo Blue; Raw Umber.
Once you get your paints in order, you’re going to need something to paint on. The best and most receptive surface on which to work is stretched linen canvas. Linen, however, is relatively expensive, and cotton canvas is a good substitute.
The cotton canvas panels that fit in your paint box are the most convenient for painting outdoors and are inexpensive. They are light in weight, too, and have the added advantage of not taking up much space when stored in your studio. These first few tools are essential components of oil painting. Once you get these, you’ll be on your way to creating your masterpiece.
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Figure Drawing: Practice Makes Perfect
figure drawing skills is to practice. Even if you are primarily interested in landscape painting, you should be able to depict incidental figures to give a feeling of life to the subject. The figure is a foil to a landscape, and if it is not executed convincingly it can destroy the effect of an otherwise good canvas.
Life drawing should be a part of your training, and, if possible, should be acquired in an art school. However, you can learn to draw the figure well by sketching people at every opportunity. Sketch people in the subway, in the park, at home, at play. Draw at all times.
Observe how people walk, sit, and stand; notice their gestures. You will discover that you can often identify someone you know at a distance by the way his head rests on his shoulders, and you will see the different postures of the old and the young. Make notes on how clothes are draped on a person, and how wrinkles form in a sleeve when the arm is bent, raised, and hanging at the side.
The drawings do not have to be large – from 2 to 6 inches will do. They will probably have to be small if you are trying to capture any action. Indicate the line of action first and then draw the figure around it. Some of your early attempts may resemble scribbling, but get the action.
Obtain a small sketchpad that can fit into your pocket or purse and carry it with you at all times. Fill the pages with sketches, using a pencil, a fountain pen, or the newer felt-tip pen. If you use a pencil, don’t use an eraser. You are not out to collect neat pads of figure drawings. If the line is not right redraw a corrected heavier line over it.
The advantage of using a pen is that it leads to a more direct handling. But do not be concerned about technical handling of the pen. Put the lines down as you feel them. Observe how the shape of a suit or a dress is affected by the figure.
In time your pads will contain a collection of both action sketches and studies of form. As these pads are filled you will develop your figure drawing and acquire enough knowledge to place a single figure or a group of figures convincingly in your composition.
While constant sketching will increase your powers of observation and general facility in handling incidental figures, some time should be spent learning at least the rudiments of anatomy. Study bone and muscle structure, so that you acquire knowledge of how it affects the figure. It is not essential to know all of the anatomical designations, but you should be able to identify and know the function of the main bones and muscles. You should know the relative proportions of the male and female figure. Most important is to know the working of the movable masses, that is, the head, the rib cage (chest), and the pelvis.
There is no substitute for drawing the figure from life, but you can get a great deal of help from wooden or plastic manikins, which are for sale at most art shops. They can be studied to advantage by checking with an anatomy book in arranging the various positions.
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Art Lesson: Learn About Color Schemes for Your Next Painting
Painting is all about harmony. Harmony in a painting is when the arrangement of colors and objects are pleasing to the viewers eyes. As a painter you can either put too much into a painting or not enough. If your painting is too chaotic you may scare the viewer away. On the other hand, if your painting lacks something, it may be perceived as boring, and your viewer will not be engaged, so it’s important to have balance in your color arrangements.
ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEME
This color scheme uses colors that are next to one another on the color wheel. With an analogous color scheme, one color is usually the dominant one, while the others serve as an accent to the dominant color. You are limited in colors when using this scheme but that does not mean your paintings have to be boring. Just vary the intensity (how dull or bright a color is) and value (how light or dark a color is) to make your painting more interesting and pleasing to the eye. An example of three colors next to each other on the color wheel, that can be used in an analogous color scheme are orange, yellow and yellow-orange. Use only a few different colors with the analogous color scheme. If you add too many, you may destroy the harmony in your painting.
COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEME
The complimentary color scheme is a good choice if you want strong contrast in your painting. Complimentary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Examples of complementary color schemes are reds with greens, oranges with blues and violets with yellows. You shouldn’t feel limited when using this color scheme. For instance, instead of using plain orange, you could use colors on either side like red-orange and yellow orange. Instead of using plain blue, you could use combinations like blue-violet or blue green. You could also vary the intensity and values as well. It can be difficult to create balance with this color scheme. To avoid ruining harmony, choose one dominant color and use the complimentary color as accents. For instance in a yellow and violet complementary color scheme, you could make the main subject and background violets and accent remaining parts of the painting in yellows.
TRIADIC COLOR SCHEME
The triadic color scheme uses three colors that are evenly spaced or equidistant from one another on the color wheel. This scheme produces strong contrast but still retains harmony. This color combination is more challenging for beginners. You can get carried away by making all three colors too intense thereby destroying the balance in your painting. You should allow one color to dominate and use the two other colors to accent the rest of the painting.
MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEME
This color scheme is probably the easiest for beginners to work with. The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in value and intensity of only one color. Beginners like this color scheme because they only need to create a value plan using one color, which makes things a lot easier. Your painting will not be as exciting as other schemes that utilize more than one color, but your painting will produce a peaceful and soothing effect.
SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEME
The split-complimentary color scheme uses three colors and is a twist on the complimentary color scheme. Instead of using the colors compliment, you will use the two colors adjacent to its compliment on the color wheel. For instance, Red, Yellow-Green and Blue-Green could be a split complimentary color scheme.
Don’t let color theory intimidate or discourage you. Working with color in your paintings takes some getting used to. With time and practice you will begin to develop the eye of a good painter. A great way to learn more about the use of color in paintings is to view the art of experienced painters. Make some plans to head out to a museum or visit an online gallery. God Bless and Happy painting!
Tips For Painting Landscapes In Watercolor
When painting a subject, whether it be a person, landscape, wildlife, etc., it is important that you first carefully study and observe your subject. You need to get intimate and personal with the subject you are painting. If you want to learn how to paint great landscapes, then you should spend time in and around the area that inspires you to paint. Only then can you really get a sense of what it is you are seeing, and how to re-create that scene on paper.
Before you even touch the paint though, head down to your location with only paper and pencils. One of the best ways to become closer to the scene you are painting, is to spend time there doing sketches. This will really force you to observe what you see and burn the image and the environment into your senses. You will be amazed at how much you learn about a scene by simply doing a few drawings.
Painting on location can be rather challenging, especially when just starting out. As the day progresses and the sun changes location in the sky, the scene you are painting can change dramatically. There are certain watercolor techniques that require the paper to be at certain angles, or the paper needs to be saturated to a certain degree, etc. To get everything right within such a short time span is difficult. If you feel you will not be able to capture the scene with paint, bring a camera with you. In the beginning you should probably choose compositions that are not overly detailed or complex. Once you find a composition that you like, take a bunch of pictures at different distances and angles. When you get back to your studio you will now have some great reference photos as well as the drawings you created.
Another great way to immerse yourself in watercolor landscape painting is to find artists who share the same interest. Search online for any groups or websites for landscape painters in your area. Start chatting and get to know everyone. Many of the artists in these groups love to connect with other artists and plan painting trips. This is a great way to gain experience.
When painting on location you don’t need to bring an entire studio worth of supplies. Some artists make the mistake of bringing far too many supplies with them, which becomes more of a nuisance than anything else. Only bring the colors and supplies that you really need to work on a particular scene.
Remember, things change very quickly outdoors. Lighting conditions and weather can change in a matter of minutes. You must be able to paint quickly without being too sloppy. Block in all of your large areas first then go back and start adding your details. Many landscape artists usually block in the sky area first. The sky is generally paler than the rest of the painting, which enables you to work from light to dark. The sky area also influences the way you paint the rest of the objects in your painting.
When painting objects in the foreground that require a lot of detail, do not try and paint every single leaf or blade of grass that you see. This will create too much detail and will draw focus away from the center of interest in your painting. It also consumes too much of your valuable time. Besides, a painting is not meant to be an exact replica of what you see, rather your unique impression of the scene. If you want exact details, you are better off taking a photograph.
Don’t be afraid to use your imagination. If you are painting a scene and feel that you should add a few trees here, or a bush there, or a bird on a branch, then by all means go for it.
If you find one particular location appealing, and have already painted there once before, don’t hesitate to go back and paint it again, only this time go out on a cloudy day instead. You will be surprised how different a scene can look when the weather changes.
I hope these landscape watercolor painting tips have helped. If you ever find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated by your progress, don’t give up. Instead, welcome and learn from your mistakes. It will make you a much better painter.
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