Art and Stuff and Such

I finished mixing up 20 color swatches Tuesday night for class on Wednesday. We didn't get a chance to check back with them and see how we did but the general consensus was that everybody in the class had some difficulty with a few colors, but I think we all did fairly well. Also, we had a little demonstration as far as beginning to add color over top of an underpainting.

An Underpainting is a technique used in "Indirect Painting". It's the way that the old Masters would have painted, starting first with a value study. For instance, a black and white or a sepia photograph would be an example of a finished underpainting. The darkest values are a very deep brown while the whites and highlights would be something close to a very yellowish brown color. You get the idea...

After the underpainting is completed, color goes on top. Dark areas get treated with paint that is very thin, that way the color shows true and the value of the brown underneath pops through as well and creates a very dynamic color field. The lighter areas get thicker paint to cover up the browns underneath. The contrast between the two, dark/thin paint and light/thick paint, look really goofy when they're freashly applied. Taking a dry brush and blending the two areas together creates the midtones and the illusion of volume. It's something that I tried to get to tonight because I was excited to try a new method of painting but couldn't quite get to it in time before we shut down for the night.

I have a painting going right now of a Motorcycle Helmet with Goggles and Gloves. Once the underpainting is fixed up a bit I'll post pictures and log the color application, and the color swatches to with a brief explanation.

Time for bed, TTFN