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Claybord experiment [No.1] FINISHED.
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Message
Posted
Re flesh tones, use as few mixing colours as possible. Looking at your photo I think the Zorn palette would work for you ( from Anders Zorn, 4 colours, cad red, yellow ochre, black and white). Start with the white and add in the other colours, little by little. You will see how you can achieve warm or cool flesh tones. In the shadowed areas a touch of purple/ mauve ( only a touch) could work. For the areas near the light, yellow ochre and white might dominate. Mix a few variations before you start. Enjoy yourself😁
Posted
Snap!
I've followed a lot of painters who have used mauve; or a cool blue, like Manganese (they'd have used Manganese Blue Hue, the original colour is only just coming back into use [and it's great]): one - I forget who - used mixtures of Alizarin Crimson and Cobalt Blue for the cooler shadows in elderly flesh: I think I'd substitute Quinacridone Violet for the Alizarin). But either way - the big virtue of these mixes is their relative simplicity - you don't want to be struggling to get the colour right alongside all the other manifold problems of making a portrait.
Posted
I'm in a bit of a hurry, so forgive me if I've not read your post properly, but I noticed the layers of Walnut oil you lay on the board - I don't think I'd advise that as a general practice, but if it's done - don't wait for it to dry before painting on it: paint into it, rather than on it: so long as it's not bone dry, it shouldn't present any cracking problems. If it IS dry, though, even an alkyd oil takes time to dry throughout - and it would keep moving beneath the paint you lay on top of it, but at a different rate - pulling at the paint film. Adding the oil layer at this stage should mean you don't need to add much if any to the first layers painted over it, provided again that it's INTO, not over.Thank you very much for your keen suggestion Robert, but in this case it's meant to prime(seal) the surface, to fill these pores up before the paint is introduced. Obviously I can be very wrong, but this is how I do understand the article? To me, the Claybord is like a sponge readily drinking water... If you may like to read the article, this is the link dear friend : https://ampersandart.com/full/oil-on-claybord There's few methods described, I've chosen *oiling and I did stain the surface then... Thank you. Art.
Edited
by PogArt AsS'er
Posted
In not a portrait painter so unfortunately I can’t give you any pointers , there a a lot of good portrait artist on site who I’m sure would be willing to share there knowledge. Sometimes even the smallest tip makes such a difference and build up the confidence.Thanks! I did fewer portraits already in past, and recently (the soldier "Great Grandfather"), but without experience it's always like occassional swimming - you can manage to stay on top, to breathe and move forward, but your sweeming technique is rather questionable hahahaaa - this is me ;)
Posted
Re flesh tones, use as few mixing colours as possible. Looking at your photo I think the Zorn palette would work for you ( from Anders Zorn, 4 colours, cad red, yellow ochre, black and white). Start with the white and add in the other colours, little by little. You will see how you can achieve warm or cool flesh tones. In the shadowed areas a touch of purple/ mauve ( only a touch) could work. For the areas near the light, yellow ochre and white might dominate. Mix a few variations before you start. Enjoy yourself😁Thank you a lot for DETAILED guidelines Marjorie! I know it's wise to start off with fewer colours only, and then, after getting used to it, introduce other if needed... I'm aware of Zorn limited palette, and what he could do with it! Thank you for your good will to help me out with beginning my friend. I'm not a big fan of Zorn palette, but I do respect it a lot, as it's unbelievable of how much he did achieve with so little... My limited palette for flesh tones will include fewer colours as well, but probably around 6 or 7 that I can think off dear Marjorie. I will do my best to play with them, and let see how it goes... Without practice, knowledge and skills even few colours can be a problem, but this challenge everyone was facing before - it's my turn now, lol ;) Art.
Edited
by PogArt AsS'er
Posted
Snap! I've followed a lot of painters who have used mauve; or a cool blue, like Manganese (they'd have used Manganese Blue Hue, the original colour is only just coming back into use [and it's great]): one - I forget who - used mixtures of Alizarin Crimson and Cobalt Blue for the cooler shadows in elderly flesh: I think I'd substitute Quinacridone Violet for the Alizarin). But either way - the big virtue of these mixes is their relative simplicity - you don't want to be struggling to get the colour right alongside all the other manifold problems of making a portrait.Thanks a lot for keen advice once more Robert! I'm fancy Alizarin Crimson a lot, first of all I do like this colour, secondly - there's a lot of discussion around its fugitive nature! Lol... Sure it's a must on my palette ;) Thank you!
Posted
It is fugitive in oil - presumably also in Alkyd, but that depends on what's actually in it: it's not fugitive in acrylic, because the Alizarin crimson pigment isn't compatible with acrylic resins: so what they call Alizarin Crimson, or Crimson Alizarine, isn't the real pigment anyway. Manufacturers do love to confuse us.
If there's a pigment number on your tube of alkyd, it should read PR83 - if it reads as something else, it's a mix of different reds - and probably more lightfast. The real stuff shouldn't be used in glazes, or mixed with white: it'll still fade and brown-out, whatever you do with it, but if used that way will fade all the faster. The other crimson-red to look out for is Rose Madder Genuine - NR9, very beautiful colour, but again, it fades.
However! You're using Alkyd paints, and the Griffin Alizarin Crimson is labelled Permanent Alizarin, PR177 I think: which makes it Anthraquinone red - much more stable than real Alizarin.
Confused? I don't blame you - manufacturers really should stop using these old names for paints, when those paints contain no trace of the real thing.
In short (!) then: you're OK with your alkyds. It's those of us who use traditional oil paints who need to watch out.
Posted
Thank you Robert for great lesson!
I need to gather proper knowledge, and you're helping me a lot to understand things better.
- I'm painting with genuine oils Robert.
My Alizarin Crimson is PR83, as the other colours are genuine oils too.
I bet I did confuse you with my VERY FIRST practice paintings made on the paper.
They (dog and soldier) were made FULLY in Alkyds.
I just didn't want to waste genuine oils for practice pieces, that I couldn't be sure of how they come out.
As I have plenty Alkyds leftover, I'm gonna get rid of them slowly, by using them at very first stages, in advance of fast drying...
This is how I did begin with this portraiture Robert.
So sorry for getting you confused.
Once the basics done, I'm starting my painting with genuine oils my friend.
Regarding fugitive nature - isn't it true it takes ages before the colour will fade?
Obviously when displayed properly, far away from direct sunlight...
I bet I've read somewhere, that it's not weeks, or months, but years rather to notice any issue...
In this means, it isn't archival.
Actually this conclusion has encouraged me to include it to my palette Robert.
I'm not an artist, my work is of hobby nature, my paintings won't be famous.
So I decided I don't bother whether it's fugitive or not, if that's making sense my friend.
Art.
Edited
by PogArt AsS'er
Posted
I did move onto second layer of background.
I just like to see how it goes, what the look/texture will be alike at next stages.
I'm improving the light source, make it as a main stream of light hitting the front of my face.
So I'm darkening the far away corners, and keep improving the light...
Posted
I'm a bit poorly, but I'm trying avoid my sofa as much as I can, so I've been moving things around the house today, and I did some painting too...
Since I started with the background, I been considering how to actually make it look.
At first I wanted it smoothly sprayed around, then Paul (🤘🤠) has encouraged me to appreciate brush strokes - this is (probably) final effect I like to keep...
Posted
Well Art I certainly hope your feeling better or at least on the mend . I do like that background the colour and the strokes work well and won’t distract from the main focal point . You have made a start with letting brush stroke remain in your work and it’s something you vacant work on and experiment with well done mate for taking the plunge . And at the end of the day it can always be changed if you unhappy with it .
Posted
Thanks.
I'm so so, not too bad though, thanks for asking.
I've had 4 jabs done in total, so it shouldn't be THAT thing.
I'm commuting on rollerblades every day/any weather you see.
The weather's getting nasty, what else 😉
Regarding the background...
I didn't like the way it's started to look, I knew I want to change it.
I'm pretty happy with today's effort.
Thanks!
Edited
by PogArt AsS'er