Art by Wendy: October 2024

Oct 27, 2024

Become Friends with Your New Painting Subject - Painting and Drawing Tips

Do you like to Walk? I am a walker. I like to walk along forested trails, preferably ones that have water near by.

Trumpeter Swans on the Water - Matted 11 x 14, $____

My walks are more of a wonder, well that's what my daughter says. I am not trying to get my 10,000 steps but rather I like to look about. Max loves to do that too. I want to see what is growing, what birds are around, listen for sounds, enjoy the colours. This time of year is great for colours on the trees, salmon in the river, mushrooms in the undergrowth and an eagle or heron waiting by the water's edge.

And of course like all artists I take reference pictures.

But Good Reference Pictures do not necessarily mean a good painting.

Swans out on the bay, Comox Valley, BC

To paint a good painting of your subject you need to know more about it. You need to understand what attracts you to the subject and develop a plan to bring that inspiration to life. This is easy to do when your subject is a familiar one. But when you embark on a new subject you need to become friends with it. Get to know it.

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Special Note:
I will be giving an Artist Talk at the Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 St, Surrey, on Thursday, Nov 7, 1-2pm. An Interactive Presentation on "Bringing Nature into Your Sketchbook/Journal". FREE - Register 604-592-6900 as part of Artswest Show in the Library.

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How to become Friends with Your New Painting Subject

1. Do some research:

I like to paint and draw wildlife. So when I capture great pictures of a new bird or animal I do a bit of research. I find out its name, habits, its likes and dislikes. There is no point painting a bird in a west coast winter scene when he would be normally migrating south. You might not realize the mistake but for sure your 'birder people' will. I also find learning more about my subjects helps me in naming my pictures and thinking about little details that will enhance it.

Swans - My Value Study

2. Prepare a few studies:
I was recently doing some work with swans. I have some awesome pictures of the Trumpeter Swans that migrate to the Comox Valley in winter. They are a beautiful sight. One, many on the west coast do not see.

I first did a graphite study to get a feel for painting swans. Since they are white it can be a challenge to infuse values and colour into their body.

Swan: Little Lady - Matted 8 x 10 - Loved the softness

Then I experimented with a few different approaches using a similar colour palette. It was really interesting to see how a slight change in value or colour could totally change the outcome.

Swan: In the Sunlight - Matted 8 x 10 - Really Pushed the Values

What I learned:

As I worked through my small studies I learned a lot about painting my Swan.

- I realized I was very timid and reluctant to get really dark with my shadows

- I liked playing around with different colours in the water. Making me realize, tt really didn't have to be just blue

- I gained an understanding of how to change my background colours and carry that ambient light into my Swan. I liked how she seemed to really 'fit' into the environment I had created.

- I became more aware of the subtle values needed to make the body round and interesting.

Spends some time to become friends with your subject. It is surprising the things you will begin to notice.

Upcoming Show and Sales: Looking Forward to Seeing you there

Nov 16 & 17 - Heart to Home Show - 12-4pm. Surrey Art Gallery, 13750 88 Ave, Sry.
Great selection of One-of-a-Kind Art & Crafts made by local artists.

Nov 30 - Dec 22 - Artswest Showcase of Art - Gallery Hours: 11-5pm Wed to Sun. Landmark Pop-up Gallery, 15140 North Bluff Rd, White Rock. I will have a full selection of Fine Art, cards and Prints.

Always Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work,

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Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Oct 3, 2024

How to Take GOOD NATURE Reference Pictures on the Trail: Painting & Drawing Tips

I love to go on Nature Walks.

My favourite are trails that wonder through different terrains with a variety of vegetation and have water.

Wendy at Kay Dubois Trail - Quadra Island, BC

Of course, on any walk. there is a strong urge to take pictures. Believe me, Apple could get rich on the storage fees I pay to save my pictures. It seems no matter how rigorous I am when I get home, I can't seem to delete them. Even the ones I know are bad!

So I have a new strategy. Take GOOD pictures. This means Have a Purpose. I know, you are going to say, You Always HAVE a Purpose. By Purpose, I don't mean 'Take nicely composed landscapes'.

There is more to be DONE to make those Photos good Reference Pictures. . . ;

*************** Special Note: ***************

Time to REGISTER: Enhance Your Drawing Skills

Thursday, October 10, 17 & 24, 6:00-8:00pm PST (Zoom)
$75 Before Oct 8, $90 after
Medium: Ink & Watercolour

Join Wendy to learn new drawing skills with this playful pair, Ink & Watercolour. See below for more info. Contact Wendy to Register

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See my YouTube video with more discussion and examples on this topic:

How to Make Interesting Landscape Paintings
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Can't you just see a Seagull on this driftwood or use it as a mini- environment. I love that plant growing there.

First of all, consider what you want to do with those pictures. When I hike along a trail I am always looking for interesting settings to place my birds and animals. Often my bird photos do not have natural settings so I need to find some for them. The other thing I look for is interesting nature environments. What is your purpose for your pictures?

Think about the lighting. This is particularly important if you are mixing elements from several photo sources. Depending on the time of day and sunlight, there will be different shadow patterns in your photos. Yes, you can 'imagine' the shadows as you integrate the material from each photo but really, nothing compares to seeing the 'real' thing.

Very interesting Negative Space and love the misty rain in the background

Look for interesting Shapes and textures. Sometimes it can be overwhelming in the summer to find interesting pictures. Everything is green!! I look for interesting shapes and textures. For landscapes I like to take pictures that have interesting Negative Space. I liked the misty rain in the background of the picture above. It was really nice to see but very wet for me. It really poured after I took this photo and it was a good 15 minutes back to the truck!!

Place a model in the setting to give a sense of size to elements in the photo

Think about proportion: This is especially important if you are thinking of adding a subject to the photo when you paint it. Having the size of the bird or animal match the scale of background you are putting him in can make or break your picture. I often use people, my dog or even a glove to give myself a sense of size. This really helps when I am later working on the painting.

Good Fishing - Caught this great shot of an eagle eating a fish and put him on this rock in the bay.

Take more than One Picture: If I know I want to use this picture for a painting I will take extra pictures. Zoom in and Zoom out. This information can be very useful when you want to add things like: more vegetation, other types of plants, logs, stumps, etc. The material in the other photos will represent what would be in the area and it would have the same light and shadow patterns of your main reference.

Taking pictures is great fun on the trail, and even more so if they prove useful for your creative process.

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