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Plein air.
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Message
Posted
On Sunday It was the first time out with a full set up. I had a Jullian capri travel box and aluminium tripod. It was all light weight and easy to carry. I was very happy with. The group, of about 12 thought it was also a very good set up. We had an hour to paint something. I opted for the upper level of the back of the town hall. Now granted, you can't get much done in an hour but I manage more than I ever thought possible. I spent an hour this morning just tidying it up and adding a bit more detail but all the bones were there. It's not good enough for the gallery but doing this short course has already given me confidence to go anywhere with the full kit and just spend all day painting something. When we got back to the studio that day, we thought we might be working on the paintings we had just done but we had some teachings in mixing various palettes and then had about an hour to paint a landscape from the palette we had mixed. We are at the church on Sunday so I am looking forward to it. Here is the upper part of the back of the Town Hall, just a proportion of it as the building is very large, wonky lines and all because I was working so fast.
Posted
Denise I think it's fabulous. Urban sketching is the home of wonky lines. I sometimes sketch in a Starbucks, you have to be quick otherwise people think you ate staring. Well I am, but I'd rather they were not aware of it. Your set up sounds great. Have a fabulous time on Sunday. Just a little tip if you don't want the public looking at what you are doing . Sit with your back to a wall. I think picture should go up in the gallery xx
Posted
St George’s Hall Denise? It’s great put it on the gallery it is well worth it
Another place in same area is the Picton Library, go up to the cafe and through to outside. My gear was a lot less than yours ,very small ruck sack , nice sketch pad a few water colours and a brush or two and my knee. Ooooh and a bar of chocolate.
Ooooops got my halls mixed up. But then I am only an adopted Scouser.
Edited
by Sylvia Evans
Posted
An interesting part of the building with those columns, you were right to select just a small portion of it. At first glance it looks an impressive piece of work.
I would have liked to have seen it after the hour session, before you reworked it - you’ve added an awful lot of fine detail, too much in my opinion and any painterly quality, that urgency lets say that may have been showing through has been largely lost.
When you are drawing architecture, which is a great subject but it isn’t easy - it’s important that your perspective is pretty much spot on… that’s why you need to spend more time getting that right from the outset! Accuracy over detail every time!
The right hand side has tapered off drastically, and the columns are tapering in also, so it will never look right…
Wonky lines are absolutely fine, in fact look at my loose sketches… use a straight-edge if you must, but only on a couple of lines.
Something to consider next time, and I hope that your tutor will concur with me here - he, or she, should be pointing out the same issues that I have - if not, you’ll keep making them!
Obviously I’m trying to help you improve, which I know you want me to do, and there are some really good positives in this piece… the colours are fantastic for one, and it is a difficult and challenging building to tackle, something that I would have relished.
Posted
Your colours are excellent, and were you working on a rose coloured ground? If so, presumably you prepared that first, or worked totally wet in wet: which I should have found difficult. Hard for me to comment because even with the set-up you describe, I don't think I can manage plein air any more: knowing you have pain conditions, I'm surprised you could. Were you using oil - it looks rather more like gouache.... I need new glasses!
The snag with working up a plein air sketch back in the studio is that you lose the freshness: and though you may indeed have the bones, putting the flesh on them can be a problem - when I could still totter about outside with paint and brush (without falling over and making a spectacle of myself) I'd use the sketch as a basis for a painting on another board/canvas; having a not great visual memory, I'd also take a photo, but if you can avoid having to do that, so much the better. It was always interesting to compare the plein air sketch to a more considered painting - sometimes to the latter's disadvantage.
Alan has the experience of plein air to be able to work on the actual painting, the plein air piece itself, back at the studio, rather than start a new painting - I don't know if he does - but it is what I used to do, and lacking his plein air experience it's what I'd do now, if the arthritis would let me. Best I can do now is to take a sketchbook in a rucksack, plus a few coloured pencils; add a water bottle and brush, and watercolour pencils, find a bench..... you know, I've talked myself into trying that again! (I know a lot of us have arthritis and still manage, and I'm not really as soft as putty: but there are degrees of it.... and I've got it in all the key joints.)
You've been brave, even in company, to tackle a public building - I've certainly got a sense of the structure, and like the way it's reflecting the light.
Posted
Julie members of the public did stop to have a look at what I was doing. I was polite when they spoke to me but found it a big interruption in the limited time I had. Sylvia, it is a proportion of the back of the Town Hall. Alan, it is a hindrance for me, I seem to get stuck on detail. I've been looking at your work closely recently and trying to bare some pointer in mind. I did get quite a lot done in the hour and the group thought It looked bold and I was sure I had taken a photo of it but it's not on my phone. I know I definitely need to focus more on the overall shapes and try to put the details out of my mind to stand any chance of loosening up. This is what I'm going to be aiming for on Sunday. As you know Robert, chronic pain means suffering everyday, I always have a lot going on. It is difficult but I am strong willed. I will never curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself. I was working in oil, a limited palette of Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine and Burnt Umber. I did prepare the canvas a few days before. Normally I would use a stain of Burnt Umber or Raw Umber but this was a turpsy Brilliant Pink, Michael Harding. I wanted to give it a try. Now most of the group on Sunday had small luggage type bags on wheels with a long handle. Perfect for carrying everything and giving a bit of stability when walking. I bought one yesterday, very cheap from a bargain store, 15 pounds.
Posted
Fair enough Denise, as you know, I’m not criticising but if you aren’t told, then you won’t improve!
There’s nothing wrong with using a small T-square when looking at architecture, I’ve got one, and if I was starting an oil painting I’d use it to make sure that my vertical lines were spot on, same goes for the horizontal lines.
I’ll check out the make of mine, in fact I’ve got two, a cheaper plastic one which is covered in oil paint… I also use it as a guide when I’m dropping in masts on boats.
Get that initial drawing correct, and the rest will be much easier…
Posted
Thanks Denise. I find that the public don't interrupt if they have to stand in front of you. They tend to look from behind you over ones shoulder. I hate it because for me at that stage its just scribbled. I shouldn't care what they think, but like you say its distracting.So I find a wall. Great idea the bag on wheels. I make my other half carry mine. Lol. Julie x