Sketchbooking: Painting for later

Sketchbooking is a very important thing for a dedicated painter to do. Much like sketching for an artist, or travel for a photographer, or even reading for a writer. Sketchbooking gives the painter a real life situational test for checking color and light in an environment that can change constantly, and helps us learn to see tone and color value quick in a live environment.

Below are two sketches I've completed this week- They both use watercolor as the main medium (as it is so portable, it is exciting to work in on the go) as well as some mixed media to extend my options. I took most of my rig from James Gurney's "Watercolor in the Wild" dvd download, with you can purchase here:

Starbucks Coffee- Southborough, MA: 1 hour

 

 Boulevard Diner, Worcester, MA- 1 hour

I highly recommend you pick up a copy and give it a read- so much can be learned from this one simple video!

Creative Assignments- the value of being your own teacher

Often times we as artists need to think about and remember that art, as a skill fueled by emotion and artistry, can become stale and stagnant. As we continue in what we are so very comfortable with, we really cease to grow. To that end, I suggest the following idea: Try and be your own art teacher at all times.

This sounds really obvious, but it is something which takes a conscious effort to work at. In our endeavors of creating art, it is very important that we continue to try new ideas, look at new work, and find new methods. Often times, the first results aren't great, even ok. In our world, driven by product, this can be depressing for us as artists. However, if you try and keep your eye on the idea of art being a process and journey, and not just a craft, it will really help you come to terms with this.

Here are 11 ideas to help get you started.

1. Try something with an entirely new medium- or even, try something with a medium that you know you don't do well.

-This can be frustrating, and will almost certainly lead to a failed first product, but will lead to the most learning. Stick with it, and the process will reward you in the end.

2. Try something with an out of the box subject which you don't attempt often.

-This one can sometimes end well, but you'll probably expose a weakness you have as an artist. It's ok- it will be a new place to grow!

3. Try sketching fast (less than 2 minutes)

- This one helps everybody. Find a place where you can do quick life sketches- a park bench, a mall, a starbucks... Sit with a timer, and just go!

4. Try working on a painting upside down, or even in a mirror.

- This one helps greatly if your issue is with rendering images or accurately doing something from life. Once you remove the stygma that you can't "draw faces" or whatever it may be, this gets better!

5. Listen to a classical symphony you've never heard before. As you listen, write down things you hear and what they make you think of.

-Symphonies are typically around 40 minutes long in total and are packed with inspiration. Even if you know nothing about classical music and have little interest in it, this one will help! Give it a shot, and by the end, you'll probably have a sound inspiration for a new piece of art!

6. Pick up a national geographic.

-Great for landscape work, this magazine is artistic gold. Even reading it through can inspire you in very indirect ways.

7. Read art blogs/Watch art youtube videos/ art tumblrs/ Stumbleupon: Art

-This is very intuitive for younger artists, but any of the above ideas can help spur inspiration. Whether its a new technique, or an artist you admire, this is always a good idea (and fun! pop some popcorn, grab a beer and watch some art youtube- a great evening! DONT FORGET TO TAKE NOTES:) )

8. Try and copy a masterwork.

-If there is a painting that simply WOWs you, try and replicate it. As long as you don't sign it and have no plans to sell it, this is perfectly legal for study- in fact, it's been done for centuries! ...If there is any information from the artist on his PROCESS, find and read it- this will help as well!

9. Go for a walk. (with a camera...)

-With HD cameras in all of our pockets, this is an obvious idea. I take a sketchbook with me everywhere.

10. Have a trip to a museum/art exhibit.

-Museums are often at reduced prices to seniors, students, and card holders of major banks. A day at the museum with a sketchbook can change your image of art drastically.

11. Find artist friends.

-Starting or joining a local art critique group can be one of the best things any artist can do- inspiration from other like-minded people can spur you forward quicker than anything else.


Happy Art!

List of 5 artists whose work have inspired me (the most)

Everybody loves "Top 5" lists. They're better than top 10 lists, because 5 is smaller than 10, and therefor there really are no "fillers" on a top 5 list. Every one of these artists have influenced me greatly, and as such, I have listed them in the most accurate order possible.

5. Feliks Topolski

Topolski was a Polish artist active in the mid 1950s. His work is somewhat unheard of in the USA today, but he was responsible for many advertisement paintings in the 50s and 60s. I grew up loving Topolski because he was one of my Grandmother's favorite artists, and she was my primary art instructor for years. Feliks did, in addition to his advertising work, some incredible charcoal work for his own pleasure and instruction.




















 4. Todd Lockwood

Todd Lockwood is one of the top 5 fantasy illustrators alive today. His work has been featured in Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and R.A Salvatore's novels. His originals are museum-grade work and he is celebrated as a an that can illustrate in all genres today. Although his work is incredibly realistic, his compositions are varied within both complex and simple subjects.











 3. Salvatore Dali

Dali's work and imagination have been constant inspirations of mine for years. This artist needs no explanation nor introduction. His portrait of Jesus is without a doubt my favorite piece of art in existence.



2. Jane Peek Cooper

My Grandmother, Portraitist Jane Peek Cooper, is a well established portrait watercolorist in New England. She paints in watercolor in a traditional style and was taught by watercolorists King Coffin and Charles Reid. Her work speaks for itself (I was incredibly blessed to be taught by her practically from birth)




 


 


1. James Gurney

My personal art hero, James Gurney is considered to be one of illustration's living titans today. A historical reconstructive artist for National Geographic in the 80s, and author and illustrator of Dinotopia, as well as active presence in the illustration and plein air communities, James Gurney is not only insanely talented and hard working, but is an incredible human being, sharing freely any and all of his knowledge.

How to fix bad composition (and make art better!)

Let's face it: we all make terrible mistakes when we have a wonderful artistic idea, and we execute it poorly. There is also really nothing quite so depressing. Think about it- you have a painting, and it looks so cool in your head... but it just ... doesn't on paper (or wood, or canvas)

Behold, the easiest trick in the book- the crop!

For centuries, great masters have cropped paintings. Afterall, there is nothing worse than having too LITTLE room on the canvas, so why not guarantee that won't happen, and always have too much. Take, for example, my zepplin and flying whale painting below: it was a cool idea, but not the best execution (honestly, I didn't plan the painting as much as I should have- I got eager, jumped right in, and made some stupid errors.) Rather than trash the whole idea, I decided to save the zepplin, and make him the feature piece of a new work, and bench the flying whale for a new painting later on.

At this stage in the game, I made sure to do some sketches and plan my composition- when you're talking about cutting a canvas smaller, you are also talking about entertaining the possibility of having too little space... this means plan accordingly!

Original crop- noticed the colors were weak, so I painted a quick color study and mixing wheel (not pictured). This helped me decide on a darker background, and a blue-based balloon.

 After cropping the canvas with tape-off lines, I was reinvigorated to continue working on the piece, and began to make some changes. The spurred energy keeps you moving through the painting, but the distraction of the sides outside of the crop can assuredly create a wall to block your painting's success in your mind. In this case, the area to the right was a good place to try alternate sky color ideas, but EVENTUALLY, I knew I had to cut and stretch the canvas anew to see my product. 

As I suspected, the final product looked much better! Trust in the process; it has worked for hundreds of artists over the last few centuries, and will continue to work!

Moonlight Sonata- In progress

I was really inspired by the idea given by my local artist guild- "A Piece of art that shifts from day to night in the same panel" Being constantly obsessed with creating fantasy elements in believably realistic paintings, I decided to draw from my other world of work- classical music. Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" has inspired generations of the power of programatic music and its influence on what we see while we listen to music in general, so I thought I'd try a surrealist painting wherein the piano changed the setting to night. Here's the process.

I started by splitting my canvas into thirds, blocked a grand piano and a woman playing it in, and then laid in a warm backtone to help saturate the background blues when they are put in.

I chose acrylic for this piece, because I really only had about 2 days and 8 hours total painting time- Oils weren't really an option.

Here, about 2 hours in, I have laid in some background clouds, as well as placed my moon. Values are really important early on, so I really focus on tonal colors and values over details. 

Here, about 4 hours in, I have laid in the backgrounds completely, minus some final details. Unfortunately, although the effect is already visible, you can't have a great painting of a woman playing the piano unless the piano and the woman are well painted. I saved the last 4 hours for them.

Around 6 hours in, I have finally gotten a picture of the woman and piano I'm happy with. I added starts flying from the piano too, just for some effect.

(its worth mentioning that I constantly work on multiple pieces, which is why you can see everything floating in the background and sides.)

Only 2 hours left of my original 8, I'm now working details. 

Thanks for keeping up- a new professional photo will be taken soon, and prints will be available then!

How the sketchbook can keep you inspired

We've all made the choice at one point or another to go watch TV or play a game rather than paint. There is nothing wrong with this choice: after all, painting is a very mentally intensive experience for most of us, and after a hard day, sometimes all we need is to just kick back and relax with some Netflix. Here is a quick and easy trick for you to keep your inspiration everywhere you go:

Carry a sketchbook.

Seriously, that's all there is to it. You may be on the train, waiting for lunch or coffee, or just sitting in your house after work. Then, all of a sudden, you see something, or you think of something. With one quick move, you pull a small sketchbook out of your pocket/bag/purse, and with a small pen/pencil, you are already creating art.

Another great tip along with a sketchbook is that anything you do in the sketchbook can later become a full sized painting. Remembering that every painting you plan comes from preparation and inspiration, and that time to be inspired doesn't always come when needed or expected, it is only too important and convenient to carry a sketchbook.

My final tip on sketchbooks- Decorate your cover- make it look like a piece of art in and of itself. If you do this, you will feel slightly more attached to the sketchbook, and be less likely to lose it!

Happy Art-ing!

Alex

Doing the prep work

 With paintings, it's often second nature to want to jump in and start painting the fun stuff. A project I've been working on is actually excellent for illustrating my point here. Two days ago, I spent 5 hours working in the studio, and all I got accomplished were the two pictures above and below.

This was obviously not the most fun day in the studio. We've all taken classes where we had to do perspective drawings and color wheels, but before tackling a fantasy painting that you want to render as realistically as possible, these steps actually save you a ton of headache.

When it boils down to it, we're talking about 5 hours of planning now, or 25 hours of restarts and corrections later. 

Seems like a good idea when you put it that way.

Painting using alternating limited palettes 

OR

A guide to making a subject stand out and fit in

A few years ago, I came across a book by a well known fantasy artist and personal art hero of mine, James Gurney. In the book, Mr. Gurney talks about limiting your palette of colors to help create an environment within your composition that allows everything to fit together as best as possible. It's almost the greatest trick to cohesiveness in painting as there has ever been. The trick falls under a broader group of color control tricks Mr. Gurney outlines and calls "Gamut Mapping". I decided to give his limited palette strategy some tries, and have been completely hooked by the idea. My work has leaped forward in skill and successful execution, and I'm really having much quicker solutions to painting problems through its use. 

Below is an image of a painting almost finished. Having used a limited palette of one red, one yellow and one blue for the background, wherein I have 1 dominant chroma color and 2 weaker ones (I chose Deep Magenta, Cobalt Blue and Yellow Azo) and a little bit of white, I was able to sell the background as a fully cohesive system. I decided that I wanted to create something different for my foreground, and added 3 completely new colors for my foreground (Deep Turquoise, Cobalt Teal and Burnt Sienna), and used them primarily as my palette for the foreground. As I go through the working process, I will try and explain:

Here, I began to lay in my basic shape of the citadel. I used a basic mixture of my colors, and worked with basic warm and cool undertones, trying to vary everything a bit.

I didn't want to jump into details too fast, but I basically worked a bit with ground tones on the buildings to try and define shapes. Because of the light playing onto the citadel, I had to use some highlights and warm undertones, which is where my Gurney "Starved Palette Science" had to come into play:

I had to break my color palette in the foreground and influence those colors with my yellow azo from the background, as well as my warm and cool tones (yellow azo with deep magenta, and yellow azo with cobalt blue) to try and glue the foreground to the background. This way, my foreground castle, (which jumps out because of the new colors) fits nicely into my background (of which it shares no main colors) because of the mixed lighting colors that are hitting it. This palette theory stuff is awesome!

A quick up close look at trying to get the colors right. Now that I have added the magic fireflies to the mix, I have to worry about lighting from the foreground color palette AND the background color palette! 

I most definitely changed some color options a few times... the biggest joy of acrylic as a medium is that you can always paint another layer.

 Here we have a couple dry run finished photos of the piece under different lighting conditions: Haven't quite been able to photo the actual colors- photography is definitely a science that escapes me!

And the finished (NON PROFESSIONAL) shot. Professional Photos and prints coming soon!