Tag Archives: how-to

How to paint the horse in watercolor - CD ROM

I have been updating my website. You can now purchase this CD ROM, How to paint in watercolors, the horse standing, through a Paypal cart on my site. Click on the ‘Books & gifts’ page on the site to order your CD ROM. This is an instructional CD and it is in a book format. It opens in a PDF file.
I also now have a Paypal cart button for my new book, Children & their 4-legged friends, a series of watercolor paintings & poems. That is listed on the same page as this CD ROM.
Happy shopping!

Debbie

Debbie Flood, Artist. Equine, Wildlife, and the natural world.
http://www.debfloodart.com

©Copyright 2008 by Debbie Flood. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Debbie Flood’s website.

The Painting Process: Panel Preparation

This work in progress is going to be a little bit different than most of those I post on this blog or on the On The Easel section of my web site.

This one begins with the preparation of the support.

I have been intrigued with painting square compositions since first working with a square in 2007’s Shadwell Estates brochure competition. That was followed in 2008 with the panel I painted for the Mural Mosaic Le Cadeau Du Cheval, which was larger, but was also square.

I also happened to have a piece of masonite left over from a 24″ x 48″ sheet. It was 22″ x 23″ or thereabouts and when I had Neal trim it, I decided to make a square out of it. So this piece of masonite is 22″ x 22″.

The first step in the preparation process is to remove the label from the back (rough side) of the panel and to sand the front side. I want to remove the ’smooth’ coating on the front of the panel, but do not need to do a lot of heavy sanding. To break up the surface, I might use a coarser grit sand paper, but most of the work is done with either 60 or0 grit sand paper.

Sanding work is done by hand. A good orbital sander would work very nicely for larger panels or for panels that have already been used. For example, I gessoed a panel that had ball point pen marks on it and the ink seeped through every layer of gesso. Neal used an orbital sander to remove the gesso and the ink and the panel looked fresh-from-the-store new.

A full sheet could also be sanded this way before being cut, but I prefer to do the sanding by hand and after panels have been cut to size. The reasons are three-fold.

First, I prefer to do the work by hand because that allows me to monitor the condition of the surface as I work. Smoothing my hand over the surface periodically tells me where the panel needs more sanding and where it has been sanded enough.

Working by hand is also slower and more deliberate. If I sand too much, it’s likely to be just a little bit too much. Getting carried away with a power sander could be destructive!

Finally, any marks made on the panel during the cutting process can be sanded off prior to any further work, thereby avoiding the problems described above.

All sanding should be done in a well ventilated area and/or while you are wearing some kind of breathing protection. I much prefer to do my sanding work outside, but know that’s not always possible, especially during the winter months.

Once sanding is complete, the panel is wiped lightly with a dry cloth to remove the dust of sanding. An old sock works great, but paper towel is adequate, as well. Dust can also be removed with a large brush such as house painter’s brush.

The next step is applying a ground. I use acrylic gesso and I use the best I can buy, usually Golden Acrylic Gesso. Colored gessos are available, but I have always used white. It can be easily tinted with acrylic paint if a color is required. Personally, there is something very nice about a pristine white surface when I begin to paint. Since I do a lot of glazing, white also works best and does not affect subsequent glazes like a colored or tinted gesso would.

Gesso is applied at least three times all the way around the panel in a very orderly fashion. One layer on the front and ends to begin with. When that is dry, I turn the panel over and put a layer on the back and on the top and bottom edges. That process continues until the entire panel (front, back and all four edges) have three layers of gesso.

If I want an ultra smooth surface on which to paint, I will sand each layer of gesso lightly to remove brush strokes. A very fine sand paper is recommended. Once again, 60 or 80 grit is what I reach for most often, but something finer would also work. Do not, repeat DO NOT, use the same piece of sand paper for this part of the preparation process that you used to sand the panel.

Another option for an ultra smooth surface would be to thin the gesso a little bit with water in the final stages. I have not used this method before, but have heard from other artists that it works very well to produce an almost toothless surface.

If I want a little bit of tooth to the surface, I may sand at the end of the gesso process or, I may leave the last layer untouched and not sand at all.

Gesso is applied horizontally in the first layer, vertically in the second layer, and diagonally in the final layer. With each layer unsanded, the result is a very nice canvas-like texture that works great on larger paintings.

Something I have often considered but have never tried is creating different kinds of texture by spreading various types of cloth over the final layer of gesso before the gesso dries.

A nice linen pressed into wet gesso and pulled up immediately and carefully, for example. Or a more coarse fabric like burlap. Anything might be used to create unique surface textures and painting surfaces.

After the last gesso has been applied, the panel is ready for drying. Gesso usually dries to the touch in an hour or less, depending on weather conditions, but I generally let panels dry at least over night and quite often for several days. It is not uncommon to prepare several panels at the same time, then store them until they are needed. One word of caution, though. If you do prepare panels ahead of time and store them, don’t store them one against the other. Larger panels should also be cradled with stretcher bars on the back or should be stored flat.

Now that the panel is ready to go, the next step in the painting process is developing the composition.

Thanks for reading and best wishes!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Finished - Always in Style

Always in Style
16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel

Always in Style is now officially complete! The final touch was brushing up the background with Titanium White and Manganese Blue first thing the morning of December 17. And that was it!

The portrait was photographed and a digital image sent to the client the same morning and approval has since been received.

This portrait will now be in the drying room for two weeks, then will be framed and sent to its next stop, the 2009 Michigan Harness Horseman’s Association Annual Art Auction.

The 2009 auction and District 2 Annual Meeting of the United States Trotting Association will be held on Saturday, January 24 at the Detroit Novi Sheraton Inn in Novi. Artwork being offered during the auction will be on display all day and the auction will begin at 5 p.m.

This portrait was purchased at the 2007 MHHA auction and I was able to meet and photograph Always in Style a year ago this month. It is a delight to be able to now present the finished portrait as a sample of my work for those who will be bidding on the current donations.

Many thanks to the owners of Always in Style and of this portrait for allowing this use of their painting.

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Always in Style, Part 12

Always in Style

16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel

December 15, 2008

The end is near! Very near!

Today, I glazed Burnt Umber over the mane, forelock and the insides of the ears to warm up those dark, dark shadows, then stroked in highlights with a mixture of Titanium White and Manganese Blue with either Burnt Umber or Raw Sienna mixed in depending on where the highlight was.

I also enhanced the highlights on the muzzle and the face below the nose band, rubbed Burnt Umber into the darks above the nose band and dry brushed the blue tint around the highlight in the eye. That pretty much finished the horse.

The next thing on the list was the halter, which I am building strap by strap, buckle by buckle. The leather was painted with a combination of Titanium White, Burnt Umber and Manganese Blue, with the addition of Raw Sienna in reflected light areas. The hardware is Titanium White, Raw Sienna and a little bit of Manganese Blue and Burnt Umber.

The halter was complete when I finished for the day, but I wasn’t confident enough that the painting was done to touch up the background. One more look tomorrow or the next day and that should do it.

I followed that up with some additional work on the halter on December 16. This time through, I used a lot of Raw Umber to enhance shadows in the halter, the mane and forelock.

It is definitely looking like the painting can be finished tomorrow unless I see glaring problems when I look at it again.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photographs of the painting in these interim stages because of cloudy weather and gray, flat light. My apologies for that oversight.

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Selling Original Art vs. Reproductions

One of the most common questions I have received from emerging 2D artists is whether to sell their original works or reproductions. Another popular question from emerging artists is “How do I make reproductions?”

Before getting into these two topics, let me share a piece of advice I received early in my career. I once had inquired of a mentor: “What should I draw? I don’t know what people will buy.” His reply echoes in my mind to this very day. Very directly he stated, “Forget what people will buy - you draw what you love.”

When one creates from a place of love or passion, the creative power that comes forth is quite strong. When one creates with the intent of manipulating circumstance (i.e. getting people to buy something), the creative process is distorted. Start with what you love or are passionate about in some way, then let the ideas flow from there.

Now, should you sell original works or reproductions? The answer for me from the start was a hearty “both!” Some artists do not like to part with their originals, and that is indeed a personal choice. My own feeling is that too many works accumulated in my storage area creates congestion, both physically and metaphysically. I like to keep the work moving out, so the consequential vacuum allows new ideas to flow in. Nature abhors a vacuum it is said, and you will find that the moving-out process invites the flowing-in process to continue its natural cycle.

Having said that, I always create a hi-resolution (hi-res) image of an original before it is posted for sale. This hi-res image gives you the freedom to reproduce the work later, and can be archived until such a decision is made. In past years a hi-res image meant a 4″x5″ transparency shot by a professional photographer. These days it usually means a digital file that is created either with a scanner or a professional digital camera. If you do not have studio photography experience, then pay for professional quality image recording of your work. I repeat, this image needs to be the highest quality possible. It can be used later to make reproductions, advertise your work, apply to a juried exhibit, etc. This is not the place to pinch pennies.

Stay tuned to upcoming posts as I will be discussing some of the options and “how-to’s” for reproducing two dimensional artwork.

©Copyright 2008 by Kelli Swan. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Kelli Swan’s website.

Horses in Landscape, Part 4

Dinner with Friends
30″ x 24″
Oil on Masonite

Colors Used: Titanium White and Raw Umber

This painting is going through a phase in which I am grateful for the under painting technique I use. One step forward and two steps backward, to be sure!

In the last post on this painting, I was working on the two horses at the right side of the painting. A lot of time had been put into the dark colored horse and, after taking a backward step on it, I thought I had it figured out.

But when I looked at it the next time, I found some major flaws in the dark horse and didn’t much care for the light horse, either.

I hadn’t worked on the painting for a week. That meant it was nice and dry, so when I went back to work, I didn’t pick up a paint brush. I picked up a piece of sand paper. I didn’t put paint on the canvas; I took it off

Sanding focused on the two horses and when the paint had been sufficiently removed and the surface was nice and smooth, I wiped the dust off with a rag. Only then, did I begin painting again.

But instead of working on the horses, I decided to paint all of the meadow. Lots and lots of tall grass. I did that for a couple of reasons.

The first one was to further cover up the horses. Concealing mistakes is often the best way to fix them and I thought I would do some more drawing on paper to figure out the problems, then repaint the horses.

Since it was the last day to work on this painting before the weekend, painting in the grass would allow for the prompt completion of a large portion of the painting and would provide sufficient time for it to dry while I figured out the horses.

Raw Umber and Titanium White were applied in horizontal bands across large sections of the grassy area. Sometimes they were blended lightly at that stage, sometimes they were not blended at all. In a couple of areas, I used the tube of paint itself to apply the paint.

Using a #20 white bristle brush (shown here), I pulled the colors into and over one another to simulate grass. In some areas, the paint was dragged with short brush strokes. In some areas, I simply pressed the length of the bristles into the paint, letting them spread and create random patterns. That actually worked better, so I went over much of the ‘pulled’ paint with the ‘pressing’ method after the entire area had been painted.

When I paint grass, I like to apply paint in the direction the grass grows. But it is not natural for me to stroke upward with a brush, so I turned the painting upside down for this part of the process.

Turning the painting upside down also tricks my eye into seeing values rather than the composition. That keeps me from getting too caught up in detail when what I need to be doing is covering the larger area.

This is what the painting looked like at the end of the day and the painting week. In spite of the way it began, I was happy with it. The landscape itself is very pleasing, if a little off balance. The thought even crossed my mind that I should add a few more landscape features and turn this into a landscape painting.

A rolling fence line maybe…?

Maybe not.

The next step is to tame the horses with pencil and paper while this work dries, then transfer them onto the painting and get them finished.

This painting is available for sale. Pre-Completion Purchases receive a 10% discount off full retail price upon payment of order deposit. Payment in full in cash earns a 20% discount off retail.

Interested buyers may also request basic changes to the painting such as changing the color and markings of the horses.

Thank you for reading and, as always, best wishes.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Always in Style, Part 11

Always in Style

16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel

December 8, 2008

My goal for today was to get this portrait finished or to get as close to completion as possible.

The portrait is not finished, but it is now very close.

I painted the mane and forelock to as close to finish as possible working wet-in-wet. I think the forelock looks great, but the mane is a little too black, so I will want to glaze some dark earth tones over that when the paint dries. Probably in a couple of days.

I also darkened the darks in the eyes, ears and nostrils and around the mouth and began painting in the halter.

What remains to be done is finishing the halter, dry brushing some highlights into the lower face, the glaze i mentioned over the mane and touching up any areas in the background that need work. Most of those things can probably be done in an hour or less, but will need to wait for paint to dry. I am very hopeful of having the portrait finished and in the drying room by the end of the week.

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Always in Style, Part 10

Always in Style
16″ x 20″ Oil on Raphael Linen Panel

December 1, 2008

A late start today. It was about 9:45 p.m. before I got to the easel today, but once I got started, it was a good session.

This time around, I started with Style’s eye and worked around it, color by color, until I’d worked over the entire face and blocked in the forelock, as well. I used almost every color on the palette.

The cool highlights such as those under the eye are mixtures of Manganese Blue, Titanium White and the earth tones that surround those highlights. The warm highlights are a mixture of Titanium White and Raw Sienna with a little bit of the blue mixed in.

Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber are the earth tones used and, in the very darkest areas, I added a bit of Manganese Blue.

Several different brushes were used, as well; larger brushes to apply color, smaller ones to move it around and blend it.

It was a fun session and when I finished for the day, I could see that major steps forward had been taken. It will take a fresh eye in the morning to know if adjustments will need to be made, but for the moment, I am very pleased!

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Always in Style, Part 9

Always in Style
16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel

November 17, 2008

I worked on the portrait periodically throughout the day and managed to do a glaze over the rest of the horse that included work with Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber, then adding some highlights with Raw Sienna mixed with Titanium White. The work of adding details continues section by section.

By the time I finished for the day, it was looking pretty good. The face needs a lot more work and the mane and halter need to be painted, but after that, it’s just touching up as needed, then dry time.

November 28, 2008

No studio work was accomplished yesterday (Thanksgiving Day), but I did take a look at my reference photos looking for a good, secondary image to provide some of the details missing in the primary reference. In the course of doing so, I discovered that the overall color is much too red.

So when I started to work today, my goal was to adjust the color overall and to work detail in as many areas as possible.

The first thing I did was rub Raw Sienna over all of Style’s head, face and neck. That provided a good base for the rest of the day’s work.

Using Titanium White, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber, I began painting again with the shoulder and worked my way up to the neck, then to the head, blocking in highlights and mid-tones, then blending the edges where necessary and adding shadow where necessary. The mane was also re-established as a shadow of the finished mane to help create the proper shape and mass of Style’s neck.

Her jowl and jaw are now finished and the off side ear is also finished. I worked around her eye and made much improvement on that area. The face will need to be finished and I need to work on the eye, as well. Then the halter will be all that remains and the portrait will be complete.

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Horses in Landscape, Part 3

Dinner with Friends
30″ x 24″ Oil on Masonite

Colors Used: Titanium White and Raw Umber

This week has been a challenge with this painting. I worked on it three consecutive days, but didn’t seem to make much progress.

Once again, the focus of my attention was the dark horse on the right, but I also worked the grassy areas around that horse, taking advantage of having wet paint with which to push edges around and adjust shapes.

The first image shows the work done on the first work session this week. The work that day involved building darks and increasing the value range by adding some brighter highlights.

I also painted in the head and neck and worked on the front legs.

That was on Wednesday

I called that work ‘good’ for the day, but wasn’t satisfied with it. In the study painting and again with this one, there is something quirky going on with the hip and croup of this horse. Something that creates problems with the hind leg.

So when I went to work on Thursday, the first thing I did was ‘undo’ the back end. I turned the painting upside down and painted lighter values and grass shapes over the hind leg and a good part of the tail with the thought that painting it out and starting it over would be a wiser course of action than continued tweaking and frustration.

This is what it looked like after I’d done that. Looks like a huge backward step, doesn’t it. That’s certainly how it felt.

After lunch and throughout the afternoon, I worked at correcting problem areas and replacing those missing limbs.

One thing I did right away was trim the topline, pushing the hip backward slightly and adding lighter color over the back. I also raised the tailhead and thickened the tail overall, which allowed me to trim the heavy muscling of the rump.

It also allowed for a more pleasing looking croup (the area between the hip and the top of the tail) and that, as it turned out, was the best thing I did for the day.

Continued tweaking with the belly and flank as I replaced the hind leg, as well. Working wet-in-wet allowed for continued manipulation of the edges and an overall improvement in the conformation of this horse.

Now, the tummy tucks too much and there’s a pinched look to the flank, but those problems seem minor in comparison to what was going on. Still not 100% satisfied, but steps in the right direction.

On Friday, I finished up work for the week on this painting.

I had hoped to finish the dark horse, but that was not possible. Some additional changes were made in the areas I noted from Thursday’s work, the shape of the tail was changed and some brighter highlights were added, but that was all.

I did begin blocking in the lighter horse, as well. Establishing the value for that horse will assist in getting the right values on the dark horse.

This was also a good time to address the lighter horse because the painting will now have at least two full days to dry and whites take longer to dry than the earth tones.

At the end of the session, it went back onto the drying easel, where it will remain until Monday at the earliest and quite possibly until later in the week. It has been cold and damp in Newton, so drying time is lengthened. I like the winter months, but winter weather can play havoc with getting paint dry.

This painting is available for sale. Pre-Completion Purchases receive a 10% discount off full retail price upon payment of order deposit. Payment in full in cash earns a 20% discount off retail.

Interested buyers may also request basic changes to the painting such as changing the color and markings of the horses.

Thank you for reading and, as always, best wishes.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Horses in Landscape, Part 1

Dinner with Friends
30″ x 24″ Oil on Masonite

Many of you will recognize this painting as a rework of the painting Dinner With Friends painted at the beginning of the year and destined for the Grand National Rodeo Western Art Show & Sale. That painting is a small format painting (10″ x 8″) on Raphael linen canvas.

Recently, an interest in larger paintings has combined with an interest in seeing if I could improve on this image. The result is this new painting of the same title.

This time, I am working on gessoed masonite. The masonite was cut to size, then prepared with a light sanding on the smooth side, followed by three coats of acrylic gesso all the way around. I used a house painter’s brush (about 2″) for this task and brushed the gesso in a different direction with each application. Horizontal on one pass, vertical on another pass and diagonal on yet another pass. The result is a texture that closely resembles canvas.

When I want a smoother texture, I sand before beginning to paint. If I want a super smooth texture, I sand between applications of gesso.

Once the panel was prepared, it set around for three to four weeks while I decided what to put on it. Once the idea of reworking Dinner With Friends occurred to me and I realized that a 24×30 is exactly three times larger than an 8×10, the fate of this panel was set!

Because I already had a drawing prepared and knew what I wanted to do with the new painting, all I had to do was enlarge the drawing to full size and transfer it to the panel. The only other markings I made on the panel was to divide it corner to corner with diagonal lines to determine the center. None of the primary or secondary centers of interest should be placed in the dead center, so I needed to have that marked out.

I then transferred the horizon line, the rows of trees and the lines delineating the major shadows. I also roughly drew in the horses, but did not spend a lot of time on the drawing. I want to put a lot more interest into the horses, so will be reworking them more heavily throughout the under painting process.

October 20 - 23, 2008

Colors Used: Titanium White and Raw Umber

Painting began with the under painting. The under painting is a fully or nearly developed painting in just two colors. Local color is glazed over the under painting after values and details have been established.

Ordinarily, color choice is automatic. Raw Umber has been my color of choice for many paintings. But this time, with a painting that is predominantly green, I decided to try an under painting with Burnt Sienna. The reasoning behind that decision was that the more red color of Burnt Sienna would be a better complement for the greens. So I began painting with Burnt Sienna and Titanium White, beginning with the sky. That area had only a very light hint of color. Each element thereafter had more color to create the look of distance.

In the first painting session, I got all the way down to the open field between the middle ground trees and the big tree just behind the horses before having to stop for the day.

By the end of the first working session, I was beginning to question the use of Burnt Sienna. For one thing, the slightly pinkish cast of tinted Burnt Sienna was not at all what I was looking for.

Other issues included the fact that a reddish under painting probably wasn’t the best way to create the atmospheric perspective necessary for the distance or for the chestnut horse that is the center of interest. What could I possibly accomplish by glazing Burnt Sienna or Burnt Sienna?

So I spent the second working session on October 21 going over the more important elements with Raw Umber and Titanium White. I didn’t mess with the sky very much since it doesn’t usually require much of an under painting. But the trees and the fields did get some work.

The new under painting color was blended into the previous layer, since it was still quite wet. That allowed me to push edges around and to move elements a little bit, as well. The places where Burnt Sienna still peaked through were quite pleasing, too.

The last painting session for the week was a quick and loose blocking in of the foreground using a palette knife to apply paint and a large bristle to smooth it out somewhat. I put the panel on the easel upside-down, applied color in big blocks, then blended them very lightly with the bristle, pulling color upward (according to the landscape orientation).

Some parts of the horses were painted over, but that’s all right. I will be giving them more complete attention once this week’s work is dry.

This painting is available for sale. Pre-Completion Purchases receive a 10% discount off full retail price upon payment of order deposit. Payment in full in cash earns a 20% discount off retail.

Interested buyers may also request basic changes to the painting such as changing the color and markings of the horses.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

Always in Style, Part 8

Always in Style
16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel

October 27, 2008

Glazing continued today, but at a more careful pace. I continued to use sable brushes, but smaller sizes and shorter bristles for improved control.

The colors I used were Burnt Sienna as the base color because it is a nice, red earthtone and is great for chestnuts, sorrels and all types of bays. That was coupled with Raw Sienna, a more golden shade of the same color. The two colors were applied side-by-side and blended as necessary, with Burnt Sienna everywhere except in the darkest shadows and in the brightest highlights. Raw Sienna was used in the highlights. I worked my way throughout Style’s head, neck and shoulders with those two colors, working slowly and carefully to prevent the appearance of brushstrokes in this very transparent layer of color.

Alas! I forgot to photograph it before the next painting session!

November 3, 2008

The painting is getting to what I usually refer to as the ‘nit-picky stage’. That is, I am working at finishing each section I work on in a single painting session.

For example, today’s work was centered on the part of the face below the noseband. From light to dark, I used Titanium White, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber. Each color was applied dry brush, with no additional walnut oil or medium, but was brushed as thin as possible to allow all the layers of color to influence the final result.

The goal at this stage is to finish each area before moving to the next one, then finish with the halter, any touch ups and/or adjustments that need to be made, then a signature. Since earth tones dry quickly, often over night, work should be able to progress as quickly as my schedule will allow.

More information on horse portraits and frequently asked questions about horse portraits.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

18 Tips for Taking Great Horse Photos

Even though I love to take photos of horses for my paintings and meet each horse personally, I just completed a commission based on a photo supplied by the horse’s owner. Seems, I don’t have to be the one who snaps the photos I use for reference material for a painting to come out well! Boy that makes me feel sad, but happy too!

I’ve changed the wording on my Commissions web page…. If a horse owner would like a commission done from a photo that they send me of their horse, I’m ready!

Of course, because of copyright laws, I will need written permission from the person who took the photo(s) — whether it is the horse owner or another photographer — to use the pictures for a painting. Professional photographers may not agree — or may charge the horse owner a fee to use their photos . . . so . . . .

I decided to share some of my favorite tips for getting great photos of horses. No, a simple “Top 10″ list wouldn’t work for me! Especially since I decided to illustrate the tips with some of my favorite photographs — and I have literally thousands to choose from…. I’ve come up with 18 Tips. Yep! 18.

If you’d like to read the tips and see some of my photographs, the official link to the 18 Tips is located on my Commissions page: http://www.karenbrenner.com/commissions.html. (Sure I could have put it in the blog, but I want you to take a look at the new information on the Commissions page AND read the tips!)

One tip I didn’t put on the list — maybe because I didn’t have a good photo to go with it — was to get a digital camera. That sounds bossy, but it really is good advice. When taking photos of horses, often you have to take 100 shots to get 4 or 5 really good ones.The cost of film and developing can be expensive. With a digital camera, you can take endless photos. And you never have to print the ugly ones!

If you’d like to share your favorite tip for photographing horses, I’d love to hear it!

[Photos and links that accompany this feed posted at www.karenbrenner.com/blog.html]

©Copyright 2008 by Karen Brenner. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Karen Brenner’s website.

A Painting Commission in Progress…

Hi everyone!  I have had a request to show some paintings in progress.  Now I know that the person asking, is an oil painter, but what I am working on right now is a pastel.  It is a commission, which needs to be ready as  Christmas present, so I am focusing on it.

However, both pastel paintings and oil paintings have many similarities.  You wouldn’t think so, since one is a dry medium, and one a wet medium.  But, you paint with both of them in basically the same way.  In oils you usually work “thin to thick”, meaning you put thinner layers of oil paint onto you surface so it doesn’t just run off, if it is too thick.  You also create better luminosity, which I am so interested in.

With pastels, you work “hard to soft”.  Basically the same idea as for oils.  If you put a very soft pastel (pastels come in many, many different “levels” of hardnesses), on too heavily at the beginning of your painting, you fill up the “tooth”.  The tooth of your pastel surface (there are many, many of these too), is what holds the pastels onto the surface.  I like using sanded papers and boards.  Some I buy, some I make.

For this commission I am using a 11×14 Ampersand Pastel Board.  It has a gritty surface which holds the pastel well.  Since I will be shipping it unframed, I want it to be as rigid as possible.  More on shipping, and framing pastels later.  Let’s get to the actual painting.  I was given a photograph to work from, of a young woman riding an event horse.  Nice, a grey!!  Love those purples and blues you can use in greys!!

When painting, in any medium, you think in shapes, not objects.  A scary thought fo the commission owners!  But, in order for the objects to be meaningful, connect with the rest of the painting, they first must be painted, and seen, as shapes.

You also want to relate your darks to other darks, lights to other lights, dulls to other dulls, etc.  You want to know, through your “roadmap” of the sketch, and where your darks will be, where your lights will be, how to make certain areas become more focal points than others.  At the moment, I don’t like the jump in the background.  But, I am also not using my energy on it either.  It will resolve later.

But what I do want to know is where my dark shapes are, and the light ones.  In pastels, as in oils, you paint, generally, since we all know that in the end, there are no “Rules”.  The Art Police do not knock on our studio doors and tell you what to do, or not do.  But, there are things that will help the painting progress.  Starting with your darks first, keeping pastels put on lightly, and usually with harder pastels first, so as to not fill up the tooth of your paper or board.

I am using an Ampersand Pastel Board for this piece.  I use all sorts of surfaces for pastel paintings, but primarily they are all a sanded surface.  Also, just to be clear, my opinion of Fixatives, is not to use them, except as a help to darken an area, and add more tooth.  If you “fix” a pastel painting at the end, you dull down all those lovely pastel particles that glimmer.  Pastels are such beautiful pieces, that is why Degas’ and so many other pastelists from times past, their paintings still just glimmer.

Enjoy!  Peace.

Beginning of pastel commission piece

The painting a little earlier

The Pastel Corner

A Broader View

©Copyright 2008 by Elaine Hurst. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Elaine Hurst’s website.

Always in Style, Part 6

Always in Style 16″ x 20″ on Raphael Linen Panel October 13, 2008 Today’s work began with a ‘rubbing’ of Yellow Ochre, applied with a clean rag rubbed over the majority of Style’s head, neck and shoulders. The next color was Raw Sienna, then Burnt Sienna. Those colors, too, were rubbed onto the surface of the canvas and directly into the Yellow Ochre, but only in the mid-value areas. The eye was also worked on, beginning with a glaze of Burnt Umber in and around the eye. Ultramarine Blue was then painted into the same areas and blended wet-into-wet everywhere except in the highlight. The highlight was painted with the same colors used in the background (Manganese Blue and Viridian mixed with lots of Titanium White), with the brightest area being almost completely white and fading into a bluer mixture toward the back edge of the eye. There was also a good deal of tweaking and fine-tuning around the eye and in some of the areas that could easily be completed in this painting session, such as the ears. The forelock and mane were also worked on throughout the painting session, especially in the areas where they are adjacent to other working areas. At this stage of the process, it is more important to get the right colors in the right places than it is to make a lot of progress each painting session. Paint is applied carefully and, if I don’t like it, it is immediately wiped off and I try again. So far, this portrait has been fairly trouble free, but a lot of that has to do with the support material. The things that go into a portrait that most people do not realize are:

  • I had a chance to see and observe Always in Style in person (in horse?). I could see not only her physical characteristics, but her character. The way she observed Neal and me, the way she responded to her handler, her patience, the look in her eye, everything. I don’t know how it happens, but I know those things all contribute to a first class portrait.
  • I was able to take my own photographs and Neal shot some video. I used my 35mm camera and shot about three rolls of film on Style. Sure, a lot of the images were duplicated, but I also have enough images to make a very close likeness. No two of those images are exactly alike and although Style was very good about looking alert and engaged, the light may be slightly different in her ear or her ears might be in slightly different position photograph to photograph
  • Her people were also able to tell me their responses to and experiences with Style and their significance to them personally and as a broodmare.

All of those factors contribute to the overall look and emotional response of the portrait. For information on horse portraits, visit the horse Portraits page on my web site.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here. To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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