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Message
Posted
I've had the best part of a month without doing any drawing or painting...very rare for me. Harsh times for us all...and now, a heatwave! My wife's not well, and nothing seems to help. Plus the world's gone mad. All this has to have an effect. Normally drawing and painting helps, and it's not as if I don't have the time. In fact, I have more time than usual.
For the past week I've been trying to shake myself up, and do 'something' artwise. In the heat...
It hasn't gone well. I must confess, my normal state on finishing a picture is some degree of disappointment. This is the old story, the pictures in your imagination are always better than the actual painting. This has been covered on these pages before, and seems to be part of the art process. Another well established fact is that sometimes, with a little time passing, they can seem better. With that in mind, I try to finish paintings I've started even though they don't seem to be working.
Here's one I've just finished.
I been thinking about painting this for some time, I seldom paint in oils, and this was to be my 'once a year' oil painting. But indolence brought on by the state of things meant I painted it in mixed media (watercolour mostly.)
Intending it to be more realistic that my usual stuff, I looked up some ref pics. I googled an image search for 'a tramp steamer in heavy seas.' Nothing appealed. An odd thing happened here...one of my own pictures came up!? It was 'page 11' of a cartoon I did about a cruise. One wonders how google finds these links. It had nothing about steamers or heavy seas...certainly not in the text. My cartoon picture of a cartoon tramp steamer in a cartoon sea, was not what I was looking for.
The second odd thing...maybe not quite so odd...was that one of Jim Morris's
pictures came up. His was of a steamship. Jim manages to paint his ships in a loose style that works perfectly for him, but I've never been able to paint that way. Both these pics came from POL, of course.
So, I settled for what I could find. It was hot, I painted with a fan on my desk. I tend to paint in layers...glazes. I was staggered how quickly the watercolour dried. I'd made the paper wet to start with, but even so it felt like the start of a brush stroke was dry before I reached the end of the brush stroke. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but everything was drying too quickly.
The sea's not right, some areas should be darker...I'd laid on some glazes for this, and briefly they looked right...then, three seconds later, when the glaze dried it had no effect. So the sea's pretty much all the same tone. Wrong.
Also I've put the crest of a wave that runs straight through the albatrosses' head. Bad. It should be lower. Why didn't I notice this while I was doing it?
It shrieks at me now.
I didn't use a ref for the sea. I'm not about to 'copy' sea, but looking at some sea pics would have given me a better sea.
Some of these things can be corrected. And I may do that. But ALL of them could have been corrected in oils or acrylic...I should have stuck to my original intention to paint it in oil.
It's not horrible...it's just disappointing.
And I have a few others (let's not mention where the dragon has got his nose).
On the plus side...I've painted something.
I been thinking about painting this for some time, I seldom paint in oils, and this was to be my 'once a year' oil painting. But indolence brought on by the state of things meant I painted it in mixed media (watercolour mostly.)
Intending it to be more realistic that my usual stuff, I looked up some ref pics. I googled an image search for 'a tramp steamer in heavy seas.' Nothing appealed. An odd thing happened here...one of my own pictures came up!? It was 'page 11' of a cartoon I did about a cruise. One wonders how google finds these links. It had nothing about steamers or heavy seas...certainly not in the text. My cartoon picture of a cartoon tramp steamer in a cartoon sea, was not what I was looking for.
The second odd thing...maybe not quite so odd...was that one of Jim Morris's
pictures came up. His was of a steamship. Jim manages to paint his ships in a loose style that works perfectly for him, but I've never been able to paint that way. Both these pics came from POL, of course.
So, I settled for what I could find. It was hot, I painted with a fan on my desk. I tend to paint in layers...glazes. I was staggered how quickly the watercolour dried. I'd made the paper wet to start with, but even so it felt like the start of a brush stroke was dry before I reached the end of the brush stroke. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but everything was drying too quickly.
The sea's not right, some areas should be darker...I'd laid on some glazes for this, and briefly they looked right...then, three seconds later, when the glaze dried it had no effect. So the sea's pretty much all the same tone. Wrong.
Also I've put the crest of a wave that runs straight through the albatrosses' head. Bad. It should be lower. Why didn't I notice this while I was doing it?
It shrieks at me now.
I didn't use a ref for the sea. I'm not about to 'copy' sea, but looking at some sea pics would have given me a better sea.
Some of these things can be corrected. And I may do that. But ALL of them could have been corrected in oils or acrylic...I should have stuck to my original intention to paint it in oil.
It's not horrible...it's just disappointing.
And I have a few others (let's not mention where the dragon has got his nose).
On the plus side...I've painted something.
Posted
I do feel for you Lew , I have given up on watercolour at the moment its drying up to quick, get edges where I don’t want them and not blending . I decided to concentrate on drawing for a while, something to keep me at it . I now your disappointed with your painting bit it does look fine to me. Hope you pick up soon and get back to producing your excellent work.
Posted
Well, now I've read Lew's post I don't feel so unusual. I, too, haven't been able to get down to it, get into the mood to paint. I think a lot but the moment passes. The present situation obviously, but other things too. Life seems to be on hold and when I see all the paintings other people are producing it seems to make it worse. Hopefully, things will improve.
Posted
I think quite a few of us are in the same boat. I started an oil painting about a month ago and spent a few days on it, then it’s been left since. Family bereavement obviously has taken my thoughts and time, lots to do. I have got back into some brief sketches , pen and wash but can’t face oils in this heat.
I’m sure we’ll all get back to it, but it has been such a peculiar year!
Posted
I know how you feel, Lewis, and think the current global situation has a profound effect on our mental capacity and ability to get on with normal everyday things. It’s almost consuming at times. Aside from the normal stress of moving house and country, the pandemic seems to have added a third dimension for me, personally. Oddly enough I try to think of art as being my escape and it’s often a struggle to make time for it or have the motivation and inspiration to do something. As Tessa says, I’m sure we will get back into it. The contact with others through this forum has been fantastic and I think it highlights the fact that we are not alone and often feel the same way. Having said that, I need to make some time to indulge in my escape.
Posted
Yes we're all coping with strange feelings at the moment. It's the heat that prompted this. I thought that if it's going to be uncomfortably hot, I might as well be uncomfortably hot and paint something. But as Dixie says, watercolour is drying too fast, it's a difficult medium anyway, without added complications. As I said, my normal state is some disappointment with finished work (no bad thing, because I guess we all want our work to be better)...the current situation seems to have amplified this feeling.
I don't know about glycerine, Linda. Might be worth looking into.
CJ..I do use Doc Martins Ink. Usually as part of my mixed media pics...most of my pics are in water-based mixed media anyway. I like these Inks, but still struggle with them. Odd that you should mention them. The next painting after the one shown above...led me to use the inks to try to get a flattish background. But again, the heat and my ineptitude, didn't give me the result I was after. I'll show it here...
The aim was an art-deco look, I'd intended to have dead flat simple colour and shapes in the background, the girl was going to be simplified too. The background is in Doc Martins coloured ink. Having failed to get the effect I wanted there, I painted the girl in more detail. So, another picture that arrived in a different form to what I'd intended. At first I didn't like it. But it's not bad. I'd been watching a program about artists on the Riviera in the 1920-30s. I looked it up on the net, and found that this girl was a model for a lot of the artists. I wasn't fussed about getting a likeness, but it turned out OK.
I'll post this one, but not the sea pic. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep painting/drawing when I can.
The aim was an art-deco look, I'd intended to have dead flat simple colour and shapes in the background, the girl was going to be simplified too. The background is in Doc Martins coloured ink. Having failed to get the effect I wanted there, I painted the girl in more detail. So, another picture that arrived in a different form to what I'd intended. At first I didn't like it. But it's not bad. I'd been watching a program about artists on the Riviera in the 1920-30s. I looked it up on the net, and found that this girl was a model for a lot of the artists. I wasn't fussed about getting a likeness, but it turned out OK.
I'll post this one, but not the sea pic. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep painting/drawing when I can.
Posted
That's a glamorous one, Lewis, and a big thumbs up for this one. I too, have been looking at art deco images, some time ago I bought an art magazine with many royalty free images on a dvd, and placed then on my p.c, I came across them a few days ago when having a file clear-out (goodness me the stuff we store) I've used two for images to go with some half uncial calligraphy, this is why I ordered the inks, for the pen work. I ended up with 'magic colour acrylic inks, I can now paint freely over and within the lettering.
Gouache produces a good flat image, but I think you know that already.
Maybe its the moisture in the air, but at the moment I find using watercolour ok, however I wouldn't want to be using it outdoors far too hot.
It has been an odd sort of a year first the floods, then this virus, and now thus humid heat, what a combination.
I have done very little when it comes to painting, but doodling with my pens and a little illumination, very little, has got me going again.
Thanks for the information about the Dr Martin inks, Lewis. I'll be giving their purchase some thought.
Happy Painting, everyone.
Edited
by C Jones
Posted
I am starting to think that part of the problem at the moment is that we have to much time on our hands. I know it not the whole reason for the lack of creativeness, I normally have lot of things to do ,what with volunteering in the woodland etc.
My voluntary work has been on hold since lockdown started, I would normally fit painting in to my busy day . But now have all the time to do some painting and find I fiddle about to much and don’t achieve what I want.
Posted
Yes, too much time. I have plenty of time but fiddle about and end up achieving little! I also think the lockdown and corona virus have certainly had an impact on our mental well-being. I find I have felt better since joining painters online and making some virtual friends on the forum who are very encouraging!
Edited
by Gillian Cooke