April 6, 2015

Shape Hunting

Authored By Christy Olsen.

Working from general to specific is an excellent approach to representational painting. It will help you stay focused on larger shapes to get the proportions accurate first and map out the value relationships before you hone in on the details.

Using a large brush at the beginning of your painting will help you see the bigger picture and help you avoid getting bogged down in those details. Note this is also why we love charcoal. It keeps us focused on the more oversized shapes, such as the eye versus the eyelashes.


North Light Window
North Light Window. Oil on board. 8x10.

Painting from life is the best! You will have to work harder to translate what you see from a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional canvas; however, it's worth it in the long run. The first step is what I call "shape hunting," and it's counter-intuitive because we humans have the remarkable ability to perceive depth.

To paint, we have to translate 3D objects into 2D objects. We are seeing to capture them with a brush. This is a very different concept from creating a contour drawing. You must mentally "flatten" out each object you see with your own eyes to mass in that unique shape with your brush. Pretend you are seeing a cross-section of each object and go for those larger shapes to get started and try not to get overwhelmed on the first pass.

Humans and primates can judge depth because we see with something called "binocular vision," i.e., two eyes merge each image within the brain. Monocular vision is when both eyes are used separately, so the field of view is increased, but depth perception is limited (i.e., eyes usually positioned on opposite sides of the animal's head like a horse).

This is great if you are driving a car. You know exactly when to stop before smashing into something. However, this works against you when trying to translate something from real life (i.e., a three-dimensional world) onto a two-dimensional (2-D) surface. Closing one eye is helpful for beginners. This gives us the monocular vision needed to flatten out the image. This is where good drawing skills come in handy for the more advanced, especially your perspective drawing skills.

For some of us, we do not always have the luxury of working from life, so we have to use photography. The downside of photography is that the color is almost always incorrect. The upside to photography is that it does an excellent job of translating objects into those flat 2-D shapes for us. The work is already done because the camera only has one lens, i.e., monocular vision. So if you have to rely on reference photography, do some color studies on-site with your own eyes to record the correct color. Some more advanced artists may play with the images in Photoshop to correct the color deficiency based on their own experiences of painting from life.

Go "shape hunting" at the beginning of your painting, and you will have more success later on as the piece progresses. Block in or mass in those larger flat shapes first. Afterward, you can always render, model, or blend it further. Blend more for a realistic or photographic look or leave objects less rendered for a more painterly look. 

April 3, 2015

Limited Palette Experiment

Authored By Christy Olsen.

Sometimes, if you experiment on a painting at home and it goes terribly wrong, it may discourage you. In the beginning, when you are trying to learn a skill, that's not necessarily what you want. The great thing about experimenting during a class or a workshop is supervision, i.e. there is a "safety net," so if you find yourself having a meltdown using that new color you just purchased at the art supply store, help is on the way!

When I take a painting workshop or a class, I learn from experience to challenge myself. I push myself outside of my comfort zone. That's it. I try to fail on purpose! I know it sounds crazy, but it also gets rid of those high expectations that you might have. If you try to experiment, you will get more from experience in the long run. The teacher is there to help and may have insight into what went wrong or great advice on a path forward.

Study by Christy Olsen
Still Life Study. oil on board. 12x16.

This study was done in a workshop early this year. I noticed during the demo that the artist only used a few selected colors from the multiple ones that were laid out, so when I went to paint my own, I used a limited palette. I wanted to see what would happen, and here is the result.

I used Rembrandt's Transparent Oxide Red, Holbein's Indigo, and Permalba White. I know using a limited palette can create harmony in your painting but somehow, seeing the concept happen in real-time before my eyes in that particular environment really resonated with me. It also made things much easier. I didn't have to worry about complex color mixing and noticed that I could then focus more on each brush stroke.

Study by Christy Olsen
Detail from Still Life Study. oil on board. 12x16.

Studies that I do in workshops are my class notes; each time I review them years later, I remember the epiphanies that I had at the time. There are some drawing issues with the symmetry of the pot on this one, but I left it alone to preserve the fantastic lesson that I learned at that particular moment in time.

The close-up detail shows the brushwork on the bottle that made me want to perverse the lesson without the overly rendered look.

April 1, 2015

Guest Speaker & Demonstration
Tucson Pastel Society (TPS)
(Fall 2015)

Invited to demonstrate and lecture.

Sponsored by the Tucson Pastel Society (TPS), this event will be held in Tucson, Arizona at the TPS Art Center. It is open to the general public and members of the guild. Admission is at no charge.

A New Approach to Color

Painting can be lots of fun; however, working with color is highly complex, with many elements to consider. Have you even introduced a new color in your artwork only to discover that something else is suddenly out of whack?

Let’s try a new approach, choosing colors in the context of relationships rather than in isolation. Packed with excellent tips and lots of information, Christy Olsen will demonstrate her painting techniques and cover all of the basics needed to create a successful painting using the pastel medium.

Pastel on sanded paper by Christy Olsen
Italian Crystal. 16x24. Pastel on sanded paper by Christy Olsen.

Date & Time

September 5, 2015 (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

About the Host
Tucson Pastel Society (TPS)

The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization established to advocate and promote the pastel medium and have fun doing art in the communities it serves. TPS is an active and vital art organization for pastel artists to flourish, fostering the skills and camaraderie of its members while encouraging community awareness of dry pastel fine art by offering exhibitions and events. For more information, visit the Tuscon Pastel Society.org.

Location

TPS Art Center
2447 N. Los Altos Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85705