New painting, underpainting
Today, I finished the underpainting for the new painting Girl in the Lavender Dress. I based the design on several photos taken around Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, so the painting is part of the Playhouse Square series. Girl in the Lavender Dress, after my second session, is on the easel in this photo. On the Square, another
Studio journal 2/5/17
I’ve titled this new painting Down on Prospect Avenue. The other day, I shared the painting after my first painting session with it. I finished the under-painting on this canvas and started “over-painting.” What’s the difference between under- and over-painting? During under-painting, I treat the painting like a pen and ink drawing. The lights
Review: Richeson’s Rectified Turpentine
Have you read many turpentine reviews lately? How about ever? I use turpentine every day in my oil painting. Winsor Newton is a pretty reliable manufacturer. Their oil paint, while not the best, is very good and it’s reasonably priced. Their English Distilled turpentine is my usual choice. It handles well in my medium and performs
In the studio 10/16/16
This painting, Girl in the Purple Boots II, is typical of how I work these days. Like the earlier version, Girl in the Purple Boots I, the painting is based on a mash-up of several photos taken around the same time at the same location. In the case of the Purple Boots paintings, the photos
How I paint: mediums and thinners
This photo shows painting cups in front of my custom-made palette. I always use this selection of mediums and solvents when I paint. In the left-most container is my medium. My medium is very drying which means, among other things, that it is very rough on brush heads. Not only does it dry out the brush hairs,
Drawing, drawing, drawing
Drawing is the heart and soul of art. If the drawing is strong, you have to work hard to screw up a painting. If the drawing is weak, you have to work hard to just produce mediocrity. I’ve gone through periods during which I did more drawing than painting, especially when I was young and painting
In the studio 7/24/16
I’ve nearly finished the underpainting of Man Pushing a Baby Carriage. I showed the initial drawing for this painting in a recent post. By underpainting, I mean the first sessions during which I start modeling the dark tones and apply local colors. I use the neutral ground for lights, as on the shoulders of
Starting a painting
After completing the cartoon for this painting, I transferred it to a canvas, as you can see in the photo. A cartoon, I remind you, is a drawing used as a template for a painting. Cartoons are made to the exact dimension of the target surface. Typically, they are used for large paintings and murals but are often