Friday, November 4, 2011
Oak Leaf in Oil
Here's a quick one in oils. This medium is so different! The paint is available for mixing right on the support, for hours. I learned a bit about smoothing with a fan brush. Tried mixing paint with oil to lighten consistency. Began working with a brush for each paint. I'm putting in hours with oil paint instruction on YouTube. It's an awesome resource. Only thing is that I feel like I'm painting while wearing mittens! :-)
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Why does it feel like painting with mittens? The brushes, the thickness of the paint?
ReplyDeleteMy unfamiliarity with the medium leaves me feeling without proper control. But you're spot on, Mary! Brushes, paints, and supports--they are the makings. My brushes sometimes felt too large for this 5x7" panel and I refuse to bring in my Kolinskys for watercolor and egg tempera, at least for now. Also, I may have gone a bit too oil rich making it difficult to build layers,
ReplyDeleteThe panel is drying after last night's session and this evening I will be able to tune it up a bit. Also working on an egg tempera version.
You may feel as of you are painting in mittens- nice analogy- but I think you have captured the form and 3 dimensionality of that oak leaf beautifully. And that colour palette is just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI do love the palette, Judith. Natural Pigments offers sets of earths and it is amazing the range of colors possible. I'm really having a lot of fun exploring this medium.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy very much that even while trying a new medium you were thinking about what colours to use to show the subject off. That glowing pale blue -- cerulean? -- is lovely behind the leaf and brings it springing forward. I tried oils for the first time a couple of months ago and found it very hard to work with something that stayed 'wet' so long. No layering, or it all turned to mud!
ReplyDeleteThat's Nicosia Green Earth which leans towards the blue with a little white to lighten and blue it a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I do like the medium; it's full of surprises as the amount of oil is varied. I can work for about two hours and then it's wet all over and that's that. Figure that good brush and medium handling will extend that.
Wow -- that's a green? Nicosia Green Earth; I'll remember that ... Isn't pigment amazing?
ReplyDeleteI love pigments. The green earth here is a tubed pigment but I have five or six green earths as dry pigments with a couple of Veronas that lean nicely warm. Each time I come across another green earth, I must add it to my collection.
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