Last year's "To do" list

In the beginning of last year I made a check list of things related to painting, which I wanted to learn or improve. And as everyone who makes check lists knows, the real pleasure is when you get to check items off. So here is that list again 

1.      do more portraits and figures
I counted about 30 paintings of people for the past year. And most importantly, I am not intimidated by the word "portrait" any more! I know there is much to learn and improve, but I enjoy the process.

2.      start painting larger sizes – half sheet (maybe full sheet)
My progress is more gradual here. I did several half-sheet paintings. But I am glad that I have done about 30 pieces of 30 x 40 cm size (a little larger than a quarter sheet, so that they fit in the Ikea frames). This has become my usual paper size and I have started to feel very comfortable with it. Maybe more half-sheets this year...

3.      paint more from life and en plain air and overcome the fear of by-standers
Not much to report here, apart from some sketching here and there. And when I think of all the times I carried my materials with me in vain... I also need to get into the habit of sketching more often and various subjects. 

4.      paint faster, loosen up my style and focus on simplifying the subjects
This is a process, which I don't think can ever be complete. I feel I've made some progress, but I have such a long way to go. So, simplify!

And a few new ones:

5.    master the courage to try the water-soluble oil paints I bought last year

6.    improve my handling of dark colors
My recent Tango series revealed my problem with thick dark colors. I easily turn them into a muddy mess. So I need to practice more with darks and opaques. And, I am going to start now!

 Below is one of a number of simple studies of a lamp with a very dark background, trying different papers. Conclusion - to achieve acceptable coat of dark color, it must be applied onto wet paper. Also, the color mix must be quite thick, but not too dry, and the brush needs to be loaded. The Arches CP stayed wet longer and had better results than a couple of other papers I tried.

Light, watercolor study on Arches cp, 20 x 23 cm

 Inspired by the beauty of the light-dark contrast, I decided to paint this cozy scene from the kitchen.

Doing the dishes, watercolor on Arches cp, 21 x 27 cm

More tango...

Tango 4, Langton cp, 30 x 40 cm

Still on the same subject, I started the above painting with the intention to make a dark background, like with the other three before it. But when it reached this stage, I liked it and decided to leave it alone. There is enough detail in the faces and the arms. The rest I like fuzzy and incomplete, to imply movement.

The one below is a large version of the study I did last week.

Tango 3, Langton cp, 54 x 40 cm

This is my last post for the year, so have a lot of fun ringing in the new year!

Cheers!

Tango

Tango 1, arches cp, 23 x 28 cm

Tango 2, arches cp, 23 x 14 cm

I saw these tango scenes on one of the TV series that I follow. The figures, bathed in red light, looked so  beautiful. They also reminded me of Castagnet's passionate watercolors of tango dancers. I had to try painting this subject. So I captured a few frames from the show and here are my first two small size studies. I'm happy with the values, not so with the way I handled the darks - too spotty and muddy, even though I used only transparent quinacridone reds and indigo.  Have to be less hesitant next time in applying the deep dark colors in one shot.

Silent night

study of blue pigments and salt

Experimenting with salt. The effect could be practically nil with a granulating pigment, like cerulean or ultramarine. Indigo and prussian blue produce much better texture (top of the sky). And salt over phthalo blue creates a perfect snowflake effect (the horizon).
I did this a few days ago, but now it feels the right time to post it :)

Merry Christmas!

 I wish all of you, friends and family, from near and far, a lot of fun for the holidays!

Church in winter, Arches cp, 30 x 23 cm

A month ago, I decided to paint some winter scenes, appropriate for Christmas cards. Going through my photos, I realized that I don't have many good winter landscapes.

Bella Coola chirch - a friend's photo

At the same time, there was this beautiful photo, which I found very inspiring, only, it's season wasn't Christmasy. So, I changed the season. Oh, how powerful an artist can be! What else can I change now!?

Just having fun

Clementines, Langton cp, 26 x 23 cm

Clementines 2, Langton cp, 26 x 23 cm

I was so excited yesterday to find in the grocery store these clementines with leaves still attached. Had to paint them first thing today, before someone realizes that they could be used as food too.
Before starting I checked out the yummy paintings of a similar subject in Hazel Soan's books. I did these two wet-in-wet with only three colors - indian yellow, cadmium red and prussian blue. The second one was much more wet when I started applying the colors so it ended up with a smudged look and cauliflower effects, but I like that. The Langton Prestige paper that I'm trying, seems to dry quite fast and buckle a bit more than Arches, but its pure white color is delicious and I quite like it so far. 

Poinsettia

Poinsettia 1, watercolor on Langton paper, 26 x 23 cm

Poinsettia 2, watercolor on Langton paper, 23 x 26 cm

Nubian 2

Nubian 2, watercolor on arches cp paper, 30 x 40 cm

This is a new version on a subject that I painted once last year - a Nubian boat sailor from a photo I took in Aswan a few years ago. I am quite happy with this version, but it took me a number of attempts to produce it.

First, I decided to revisit Charles Reid's instructions on painting dark complexions. "Try to mix colors on the paper", "for dark colors do not make your colors very watery", "paint the whole face in one wash on dry paper"... Armed with these advices and without giving it much thought I grabbed the brushes. With the non-watery color mix on a relatively large size drawing no matter how fast I was trying to work, the edges were drying faster. I ended up with some interesting and spontaneous color effects, but overall the face color looked muddy and overdone.

A few days later I decided to try doing several small and quick sketches of this face, using the same technique. The sketch below was the most successful one of them.I quite liked the expression of that face too, so I decided to do another larger painting based on it. Only this time I did it in two more carefully planned washes, one with the lighter colors and the second with the darker. The lesson I learned from this experience is that I should not take the masters' advices literally, but rather should adapt them to my level of experience and to my style.  And, better start small when trying new approaches.

Nubian - sketch, 14 x 14 cm

The sandal maker

The sandal maker, watercolor on Arches cp paper, 30 x 40 cm

This portrait is based on a photograph of an ancient sandal-maker (yes, ancient, just keep reading...), which I took last spring during a re-enactment at Ephesus. I like his face and his expression so much that I think I will use this photo again. It can turn into a  wise man, a Sea-wolf, or even Santa.

I like some aspects of the above painting, but I feel that the beard turned a bit flat - another reason to try it again some time.

Below is my original pencil sketch, which I then turned into the watercolor becide it. This one looks more dimensional, maybe thanks to the pencil under the paint, or perhaps because it was a sketch and I felt no pressure.

Precious

The puffball, arches cp 30 x 40 cm

A dandelion puff-ball may be an annoying weed for some, but it is a precious discovery for others...