Is that Really the Right Blue? - Painting and Drawing Tips

Having trouble with your colour choices?

Feeling like there is 'no right' colour to paint with?

I know what it is like. . .
Sometimes my painting flows, my colour choices seem to roll with ease.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - ink and coloured pencil

Then trouble starts. . . .

You add that trim colour, or move into the shadow colour and nothing seems to work.  So annoying.
Working with colour has become my focus this year.  I am back re-reading some of my books, trying different combos.  Researching.  And playing.

One of my favourite ways to play with colour is with coloured pencils. . .

Funny eh?  Not sure why, but when I use coloured pencils and my sketchbook I seem to be freer. No fear.  Dropping in a new colour, mixing a weird combination, just seems to be easier.  I think too the fact that I am not making mud with my watercolours helps too.  Regardless, it works for me.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - WIP 1-  note the delicate look of the mushrooms. They are outlined with Sepia not Black

So here's my latest neat way to play . . .

I decided to try a different colour ink to layout my drawing.  I grabbed a sepia coloured one.  I thought I would use other colours too.   But when I added some  green I decided it was too garish and stopped. So I just used the sepia for the rest.  Then took my coloured pencils and had fun.  Mixing my colours to create new colour. 

Ways to layer with coloured pencils . . .

1. One light layer of a colour then put a heavier layer on top of another colour

2. Double up, light layer one colour, light layer another colour then heavier layer of the first colour (watch you don't end up with too many layers or you can get a waxy bloom. Prismacolor.com: "Wax bloom is a natural oxidation process of wax-based materials, just like rust is an oxidation of iron. It appears as a cloudy white film over a drawing or color lay down. If you are plagued with wax bloom, simply wipe your drawing with a clean, dry cloth and spray it with a final fixative to seal out air.")

3.  Heavy layer one colour and then a light layer over top of another colour

See what I mean, with heavy and light layers you can mix things up.  The big thing though, is to look carefully at what you are doing.  See what you like and don't like.

Mushrooms in the Leaves - WIP 2 - Note how the shadows make the leaves look really fluffy 

Things I really liked . . .

1.  The stems of the mushrooms.  I liked the effect of the light pink at the transition point between the white light and the purple to blue shadow. 

2.  The yellow leave on the bottom left.  It was looking way too bright, see WIP 2 above, I glazed part of it with purple and part with a terra cotta. - see finished picture below

3.  I love how many ways I was able to integrate the red into the leaves on the ground.  Red is a colour I don't use a lot.  But I needed it there because of the red in the mushroom caps.

4.  The deep, dark shadows. Those were made with black, blue and purple.  They look really dark but don't seem to be a flat black. The purple seems to give them a new life.

Just a 24 pack of Coloured Pencils and two Micron pens  - neat stuff awaits.  

Easy Supplies . . .

Really can you ask for anything easier.  Just a 24 pack of coloured pencils - Prismacolour and 2 Micron Pens - Sepia and Light Green Size 05.  I like the Micron pens because they are a permanent ink. They dry quickly.  You never have to worry about the colour running.

The Take-Away . . .

1. New medium combo - I love the softer sepia line with the coloured pencil.  The crisp sharpness is there but blends softly with the coloured pencils.

2. Experimented with different colours and their effect in the transition zone - area where light and shadow meet.  This is an area I do not give enough attention to in my colour works.  I understand its value but didn't understand the colour changes that work there.

3.  Played with the two colour compliments - Visual Compliments and Mixing Compliments. (see post on this here. ) 

Looking for more on drawing with coloured inks. You might be interested in: 

Using Tonal Values in Ink 
Getting Loose and Free
Building Patterns with Your Mark

Have fun with your playing - love to see what you do with ink and coloured pencils.
I have been on another colour trip, which I will share with you next week - Oil Stiks.  I am really playing in a new playground, eh!?

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

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May 1 - Workshop Day for Spring Show - South Burnaby

Want to experience the joy of watercolour?  Learn about the supplies? See paint in action as you create your first Masterpiece?  - Join Audrey and Myself on May 1, 10-12pm for a Beginner Watercolour Class - $40 all supplies incld. 

Itching to create but want some direction? Want to make exciting cards and notes for the special people in your life? Add design to your sketchbooks and journals? - Join Myself and Audrey on May 1, 1-3pm for a Creative Card Class - $40 all supplies incld.  This year's theme: Flowers and Ladybugs.  

Audrey Bakewell and Myself include this Workshop Day as part of our Spring and Fall Shows at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby.  Both classes are very popular and fill up very quickly.  

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SPRING SHOW:     Paints'n Bloom Workshops & Art Show & Sale

 in Support of the Alzheimer's Society of BC

 Thursday, May 2  to Saturday,  May 4 

Gardenworks at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby

Workshop Day: Wednesday, May 1 

10-12pm - Beginner Watercolour Class

1-3pm Spring Card Making Class

$40 ea. All supplies incl. Beginner to Advanced Welcome

Registration Happening Now Contact Wendy 

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Wendy

Matching Colours to Values - Painting & Drawing Type

Have you ever decorated a Christmas tree with kids? Magical Moments!

THE FAMILY GATHERING - Coloured Inks - Nearly Finished

When our kids were very little we got the tree ready in the evening and enjoyed the joy and excitement as they added the decorations the next day.

 Then they got older.

No more surprises of a ready to decorate tree.  They wanted to help with everything. Right, you say,  as it should be.  But the first time didn’t work so well.  There was tears and frustration.   You see, there are moments in decorating that only 1 person can really do it- fitting the tree into the stand.  Putting on the lights. 

And the worst of it is, they must happen first . . . . when all the excitement is bubbling in the air.  Practical stuff, boring stuff. 

I realized what was happening, who wouldn’t, tears were falling because they ‘couldn’t touch the tree till dad was done’. Anyone could see things needed to change.  I quickly redirected. “Let’s make popcorn for the chains”. A bit corny now in this day and age, but it was kind of fun.  Making chains with popcorn and cranberries was fun and if you had lots of chains they looked kind of neat on the tree.  It became a family traditions for a few years. 

Starting a new drawing/painting is exciting. . . .

But of course there is some boring stuff to do first.  Karina, my student and I, wanted to do a bit more with our pens so we started a new project.  Of course we had a challenge: Limited pallet and using dark blue as our dark.  (The one colour in our limited set of pens we hadn’t used yet.  Read more starting here  . . .)

THE FAMILY GATHERING - Reference Picture

Our first task - match colour to our Values

Sounds analytic, eh?! But really isn’t that what you are doing  in your painting.  Picking your colours, deciding what colour you will paint your flower, tree, sky . . .  Considering the value of the colour, and the colours of your shadows?  Working with a limited pallet, as we were with our pens, really forced us to confront some boring stuff, before we started in. 

First we grouped our Values

Pitcher & Pears - I grouped the values into only 3 values

In my mind, everything falls into a value range.  For example check out this jug with the pears.  It can be broken down into 3 groups: white, black, mid tone.  The marks to make the value are solid black, black stripes and white space. 

Pitcher & Pears using only 3 values to complete 

“The Family Gathering” needed breaking down. . .

  

To meet our challenge, the dark was blue.  It was also the local colour for the log. This meant our sepia was the mid value and provided the local colour of the mushrooms and the green was the light value and local colour for the moss.  Transition points were lightened by mixing strokes with two colours and also spacing the lines.  Very analytic, I know, but what I needed to internalize before I began. 

I hate doing the boring stuff. . .

No, I didn’t make a careful chart as to everything I was thinking.  I know you probably expected that but really . . . Where’s the fun in that!?  I thought about how things should be then I jumped in . . . 

THE FAMILY GATHERING - Under construction - Getting a feel for my pens and the drawing

Well, I did proceed cautiously but I did jump.

Actually my official term is ‘felt my way into the drawing’.  I tested my colour system to see how it would work on a bit of the moss, the log and one little mushroom.  Probably shouldn’t have used the mushroom front and center but it really caught my eye. 

Once I was happy with my colour/value match things happened fast and furious.  Kind of like painting when you are totally in the flow. 

Detail of THE FAMILY GATHERING - note the hierarchy of the values and their colours within the drawing. 

Well for pen work it was fast and furious.  Once I knew how my pallet works with my subject I could relax and draw.  Sure there is tweaking and refining on the way but I have an overall plan in place.  The boring stuff.  Taking that time, you know, like putting the lights on the tree before the decorations rather than after, can make a big difference to pleasure and success. 

Am I the only one that analyzes things like this?  How do you attack this issue?  Starting a new project this week so moving away from my ink for a bit.  see you next week. 

Special Opportunities Coming Up:

Marketing Workshop - Let's Get Your Art Out There!! Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 10-3pm with Wendy Mould, AFCA.  

Need a focus for your Marketing Strategy?  Unsure where to start, where to head next?  Marketing takes so much of your time away from the Studio, learn where to focus your energy and ways to maximize your time.  At the end of the day you will have plans and be ready for Action.  Cost $84 Working with Wildlife Artist Wendy Mould, AFCA bridges the gap between the Entrepreneur and the Artist in the Marketing World. Contact Wendy to Register. 

Just in Time for Christmas - My Dog & Cat Lover Christmas Cards  Instant Download Cards so you can Print and Give, right away.  Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Max was very happy to see My Dog/Puppy Cards, of course he was my Inspiration!  Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack. 

Excited to share my Cat/Kitten Cards as instant digital downloads at my Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack.  

Artists reading this post also find the following valuable:

3 Ways to Turn Drawing Despair into Action here

Drawing a Seagull Part 1 and Part 2 Starting here
Playing with a Very Limited Palette here

 Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Building Patterns with Your Mark

 *Knit 1. Pearl 2. Knit 1. Pearl 2. Yarn Over, Knit 1, Repeat from *

I use to Knit.  I loved the beautiful colours of the yarns.  I loved their texture.  I loved the patterns I could create with just a few different stitches. 

Unfortunately, Knitting didn’t love me. . . .

MUSHROOM VILLAGE - Coloured Inks

My mom paid the price. I would find myself in the yarn store.  Yes, in those days we had several in our neighbourhood.  They were lovely places to visit.  All those beautiful colours, fabulous mixes, flecks of sparkle.   And oooooh, they felt so nice. Soft, smooth.  Made you just  want to grab a few balls and go at it. 

And I did .. . . . .  Often . . . .

However, I just couldn't get them to work.  So little gifts would drift over to my mom from me, my projects started, but not finished.  I am usually very good at finishing a project but knitting did me in.  It wasn't all for not,  I learned lots from knitting, the Power of Building Patterns.  Each stitch/stroke/mark you make creates a pattern.  And that can be quite pleasing to the eye.  

Detail: Mushroom Village - note the layers of line work building to a 3 Dimensional piece of the stump.  The straight lines form the local colour while the curvy lines give the sense of volume and lumps and bumps of the surface. 

Your work is full of patterns. . .

Some patterns are obvious as in my ink work but others are not as obvious, like your brush stroke, your movement of colour in your work, your choice of subject placement, your placement of values. . .  All create patterns to catch and move the eye around and create interesting eye candy. 

Detail: Mushroom Village - note the difference in the flow of the marks.  The moss and bark has marks flowing down and out like the shape of the stump.  The mushroom marks sculpture the shape of the caps as they flow over them.  

Patterns work alone and in groups. . .

The Mushroom Apartment is a new project for me, working with coloured ink pens.  (See last post “Using Tonal Values in Ink” to see the first part on this project).  When you look at the picture as a whole, you can see how the patterns of colour group to form my ‘mushroom apartments’.

As a whole the patterns of mark provide colour to my piece.  They also provide movement, depth, and a sense of realism.  I feel there is also a sense of lightness about the work and almost a gritty earthy feel to it.  You may see and feel different things.  BTY if you wish to share your thoughts, I would love to hear them.

As you work, determine your pattern and stick with it.  Here you can see my black ink, sets the shape and the darkest values.  The green straight lines flow in short chunks down the stump to give local colour.  The wavy green scribblely lines add the bounce and volume I need to create the moss.  

Every Mark counts. . . .

I don’t mean to scare you but every Mark is important.  On closer inspection you can see the individual marks within the picture.  On their own, they may seem and feel rather innocuous.  Not significance on their own.  Like your individual brush strokes or my knitted stitches.  But as you move out you can understand how each mark merges with the one next to it to make a pattern.  Therefore it is important to think before you mark/paint.  It reminds me of Robert Genn and his 37 Club. Completing a picture with just 37 strokes, makes for very purposeful and thoughtful marks.  

Your Mark is you . . .

Whether you draw or paint, you each hold the brush/pen differently.  You move differently, you press differently, your Mark is your Style.  You can see in my piece I am a straight line kind’da crosshatching type person.  In fact I often only draw my lines in chunks, making them close together or further apart, to make it darker or lighter.  This is part of the pattern of my work and makes it very recognizable from other pen work.  In my case I use my wavy strokes to emphasize the movement of the tree bark and the ups and downs of the blanket of moss covering it while my chunks of straight lines give the local colour. 

The Secret to good  Marks is . . .

I know, you are saying, my strokes are not always good.  True, some strokes look better than others.  Some are placed better than others.  Individually those marks can beat you up when your Inner Critic starts talking.  However, what makes Marks/Strokes work well is you have your pattern and follow it.   Consistently.  Swirly brush strokes look lovely when that is the pattern but one or two alone look lost and troubled.  

I want to thank Karina for setting this new task.  I have found it interesting but challenging.  Next post has one more ink project, this time the focus: setting up your Pattern.  Karina and I took the Challenge of our limited palett one step further. See you next week. 

Special Opportunities Coming After Christmas for Artists:

Marketing Workshop - Let's Get Your Art Out There!! Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 10-3pm with Wendy Mould, AFCA.  

Need a focus for your Marketing Strategy?  Unsure where to start, where to head next?  Marketing takes so much of your time away from the Studio, learn where to focus your energy and ways to maximize your time.  At the end of the day you will have plans and be ready for Action.  Cost $84 Working with Wildlife Artist Wendy Mould, AFCA bridges the gap between the Entrepreneur and the Artist in the Marketing World. Contact Wendy to Register. 

 2 Day Workshop Dene Croft SFCA -  Fri, February 15 & Sat, February 16, 2019, 9:30-3:30pm  Putting Life into Your Landscapes and Flowers.  S. Langley $175  1 Spot Left  Contact Wendy to Register. 

Just in Time for Christmas - My Dog & Cat Lover Christmas Cards  Instant Download Cards so you can Print and Give, right away.  Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Max was very happy to see My Dog/Puppy Cards, of course he was my Inspiration!  Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack. 

Excited to share my Cat/Kitten Cards as instant digital downloads at my Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack.  

Artists reading this post also find the following valuable:

3 Ways to Turn Drawing Despair into Action here

Drawing a Seagull Part 1 and Part 2 Starting here
Playing with a Very Limited Palette here

 Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Using Tonal Values in Ink - Painting and Drawing Tips

Coloured Ink!

As you know, I am a permanent black ink Artist.  Don't play with my pens, black ink only.

Well, it was a surprise to me. . .

Who knew I would try coloured ink.  Now, don't think I have a closed mind.  I did try doing a drawing in a Sepia Coloured Ink. But fought it the whole time.  I just didn't feel I had any darks, my tonal range seemed so limited.  It all felt bland.  I decided then and there, it was black ink for me forever.

Mushroom Village - This large mass of mushrooms reminds me so much of a large apartment complex clinging to the side of mountain.  

Then along came Karina . . .
Karina is one of my young students and an awesome artist.  She brought her coloured pens to class one day and wanted to learn how to use them.  She only had a few colours: Light and dark green, blue, Orange,  Burnt Orange and Black.  I bit the bullet, picked up a pen and went for it.

Micron Pigma pens are my favourite to work with but of course black only.  This pack is their Earth Colours.  They are a fine tip, .45 mm 05 - very nice to work with. 

Of course I started with black first . . .
Turns out that was a good move.  I showed her how to work with her limited pallet of colours using a system of tonal values.  This works whether you are using ink, acrylic or oil.  It is all about assigning your colours to a tonal value.

Usually I talk about 10 tonal values but a 5 value scale may be easier to understand when talking about ink 

My Dark Value was my black . . .

Not just a black line but a dark crosshatched area as well.  When working on the mushrooms, which had an orange glow to them, the medium value became the orange. The Medium-Dark value became the Brunt Orange.   When working on the moss, the medium value was the light green and the Medium-Dark was the Dark Green. 

You wont stay with 5 Tonal Values for long . . .

Once the layout was complete and I dived into the shadows, 5 Values soon became more.  As shadows move from Dark to light there is a soft transition of value.  This happens in ink with crosshatching.  It made sense to combine the colours in that transition as well.

Close up of the mushroom caps.  Note the darks in black.  Then the midtones changes from the black to orange.  Then the orange changing to white. 

Using Your Colours to build  . . . 
Look at the mushroom caps. The darkest part is black but as the shadow lightens, the crosshatching becomes more loose.  Letting in the light.  Moving in with my burnt orange makes that transition softer and moves it from the shadow dark towards the local colour.  Moving further out the Burnt Orange becomes looser as it lightens up and now the Orange moves in.  This then becomes looser to as it moves to the white of the paper.

Working on the detail of the green moss - I first laid a layer of green to create a sense of the local colour.  This was then followed with wavy lines and bits of green outside the edges of the stump to give a sense of the layering and texture of the green.  Of course more work to come.

The same process with the Mushroom Caps also happens with the greens in the moss.  There is the Dark Value of Black then the mix of Dark Green and Black.  This gives way to Dark Green and Light Green.  Then Light Green to white.  All is tempered with tight or loose crosshatching and directional lines.

 MUSHROOM VILLAGE - WIP - This gives a sense of how the layout began in black ink and then I moved in on different areas to bring them to lift.  

One drawback to working with ink, everything takes longer.  So, sorry picture not finished but I tried to finish sections so you could get an idea how the layout and fill come together for a finished piece. 

Playing with Limited Pallets gives a greater feel to the role tonal values play in any drawing or painting.  Checking out the following post for more ideas on working with a Limited Pallet .

Opportunities Coming Up: 

1. Heart to Home Art  Show & Sale, Saturday & Sunday, Nov 17 & 18, 12-5pm daily

Surrey Art Center, Bear Creek Park, 13750 88 Ave, Surrey
Looking Forward to seeing you there. Guaranteed to find that perfect One-of-a-Kind Gift - Handmade Arts and Crafts from 30+ local Artists. Free Admission, 

2.  Paints'n Bloom Workshops & Art Show & Sale Thursday, Nov 22-Saturday, Nov 24  in Support of the Alzheimer's Society of BC

Gardenworks at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby   - C U THERE 

3.  Just in Time for Christmas - My Dog & Cat Lover Christmas Cards  Instant Download Cards so you can Print and Give, right away.  Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Max was very happy to see My Dog/Puppy Cards, of course he was my Inspiration!  Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack. 

Excited to share my Cat/Kitten Cards as instant digital downloads at my Esty Store - $12 for the 3 Pack.  

Artists reading this post also find the following valuable:

3 Ways to Turn Drawing Despair into Action here

Drawing a Seagull Part 1 and Part 2 Starting here
Using Edges to Make Soft and Fluffy Birds & Animals Part 1 and Part 2 Starting here 

 Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy