Still Life: Wash In or Ebauche
I wanted to share some more work in progress shots of a painting that I've nearly completed.
Here are the abbreviated steps:
Here are the abbreviated steps:
1: Poster Study
These are essential! With form painting sometimes its hard to see the big picture. Working on a smaller
5 x 7 or 6 x 8 can help you see the bigger forms and then you can reference this poster for you final painting.
2. Setup
Having a good setup is key to making a good painting. Notice how I blocked out the light and have one light directed on my setup but a separate light on my painting. The light is also over the top of me so that the cast shadows from my arm and brush don't fall across my surface when painting.
Having a good setup is key to making a good painting. Notice how I blocked out the light and have one light directed on my setup but a separate light on my painting. The light is also over the top of me so that the cast shadows from my arm and brush don't fall across my surface when painting.
3. Transfer Drawing:
I do a Oil transfer (put paint on the back of a printout of my drawing and go over the top of my printout with a pen to transfer lines [think carbon paper]), and then use Raw Umber to build my values before going in with color. This will guide me for the next step and also make it so I am not working over a white canvas.
4. Wash In or Ebauche:
Next is the first pass of color known as the Wash in or Ebauche. I try to get the general color and feel of my poster, transferred to my larger canvas. I use some turps to water the paint down and the painting has a watercolor feel to it.
5. Covering the Canvas with Paint (Second Pass):
Next I work towards covering my canvas with a second pass of paint. I try not to use any turps at this time as to stay to the "fat over lean" rule. I also begin to fully realize some forms (book, glass and red cloth).
6. Fully Realizing Forms:
I work towards finishing up the major and minor forms.
7. The Final
I do a Oil transfer (put paint on the back of a printout of my drawing and go over the top of my printout with a pen to transfer lines [think carbon paper]), and then use Raw Umber to build my values before going in with color. This will guide me for the next step and also make it so I am not working over a white canvas.
4. Wash In or Ebauche:
Next is the first pass of color known as the Wash in or Ebauche. I try to get the general color and feel of my poster, transferred to my larger canvas. I use some turps to water the paint down and the painting has a watercolor feel to it.
5. Covering the Canvas with Paint (Second Pass):
Next I work towards covering my canvas with a second pass of paint. I try not to use any turps at this time as to stay to the "fat over lean" rule. I also begin to fully realize some forms (book, glass and red cloth).
I work towards finishing up the major and minor forms.
7. The Final
Comments
It seems the trend to just snap a digital image kick it out on a printer and transfer it to a canvas and paint from life. Recent articles about daily painters and how to work with photo references seem to imply that this is a common technique used by representational artists. Thank you for sharing your work. Look foreword to your thoughts.
Thank you for the wonderful words.
I think as an artist it is imperative to learn to draw and paint equally as good. My process is to do a tight drawing, scan it into the computer, and print it out scaled to the size of the canvas that I would like to paint. The initial drawing is usually the most time consuming yet it is a ton of time that I spend analyzing and mapping over what the objects are doing (geometry of light etc., symmetry of the objects, understanding the perspective and ellipses as they relate to perspective etc...) in reconstructing the 3d world to a 2d surface.
I could see why people would just take a picture and transfer it to a canvas. Franky, it would save a ton of time. But I find the drawing stage very helpful as it will guide me to the painting stage (think of a golfer taking practice swings before hitting the ball).
I did not post the transfer drawing for this one as I did for a previous post and thought it would be redundant (even though this post is a bit redundant). See my olde post "Step by Step Still Life":
http://toddmcasey.blogspot.com/2012/08/step-by-step-still-life.html
Feel free to email me anytime with questions or just check in with the blog!
All the best,
Todd
I found your studio set up photos very helpful. I'm in the process of making my studio more functional/efficient for painting still lifes. I just finished building my own easel this weekend and I hope to have the shadow box and lighting set up done in the next two weeks.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Jose Pardo
Great to hear! As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions. I'm trying to post more educational things on my blog along with my work so people can just be enlightened.
All the best,
Todd