Midnight Snack, oil, charcoal and soft pastel on linen, (30.5x40.5cm)
Yael Maimon reveals her approach to capturing the character of a cat in mixed-media, with advice on colours and how to obtain texture.
'I have been working on a series of cat paintings for about ten years now, with a variety of media, including oil, pastel, acrylic and watercolour,' says Yael, winner of The Artist Purchase Prize Award in our 2020 TALP Open Art Competition.
'In recent years, aiming to take my artwork to a whole new level, I began experimenting with mixed-media painting, combining oil, soft pastel and charcoal. Each medium has unique characteristics and it is exciting to see how one medium interacts with another. I feel that mixed media allows more creativity and more freedom to experiment. I love seeing how far I can take a painting using various materials, and discovering their limits (if there are any). I think that for both novice and professional artists, using mixed media is a great way to really understand the essence of painting and drawing materials.'
Best compositions for painting cats
In the Garden, oil, soft pastel and charcoal on linen, (40.5x30.5cm). Here the cat is positioned amongst delicate leaves and blue flowers. Working on the background, I was very careful to keep the clean lines of the cat. My favourite part was getting the placement of the brilliant blue flowers just right.
I paint cats in various settings and cover a range of themes, such as eating, grooming and napping.
Some composition ideas come as I am observing my cats and I find myself mesmerized, others are inspired by a concept or message that I want to get across. I then create a sketch, take several photos, mostly on my mobile phone, and write notes, trying to figure out what makes this ordinary scene into an extraordinary one. It could be the play of light, colour scheme, atmosphere or other elements.
I often like to crop a photo to get a tightly composed close-up view of the cat, leaving only a small area of background.
To create a complex composition, I sometimes play around with my photos and combine two or three images.
Methods for painting cats
I begin with a sketch, planning the painting theme, colour scheme and value range.
Once I have a clear idea in my mind, I create a final drawing on my surface. It is essential to make a solid drawing – one that will hold your piece together.
Next, I introduce colour, starting with thinned oil paint. I work as quickly as possible, trying to convey the overall feeling of the cat's shape and colour.
After the painting is left to dry for a week or so, I introduce charcoal and soft pastel, building up the form of the cat to bring into focus. Finally, I use oil paint where needed to finish the painting.
There's always room for improvisation and spontaneity. I love playing with colours, contrasts and edges. When I feel that I've achieved the desired mood and captured the cat's spirit, I'm ready to sign the piece.
Colour choices for painting cats
Two Orange Cats, oil, soft pastel and charcoal on linen, (39.5x49.5cm) I often paint orange cats. The viewer can interpret the felines to be the same cat, seen in different angles, rather than two different cats. I played with the combination of the uplifting energy of orange-brown and the calming energy of turquoise.
Cats have such a wonderful variety of colour combinations and coat patterns. I often do quick colour studies, which allow me to test and explore colour relationships or plan a specific colour scheme.
Before I start, I try to visualise how I want my finished painting to look, so I often have a more or less clear idea about the colours I'm going to use. Even when I have a colour plan, colour problems may rise during the course of the painting and will need to be worked out through risk taking and a more creative approach. with colour choices.
I don't limit myself to the colours I see in the photos – I amplify and manipulate colour, imaginatively and intuitively; I love playing with pigments and pushing the boundaries.
The distribution of colour is a key element in my works. When I apply a colour, I will use the same or similar colour in other parts of the painting. This brings the viewer's eye around the composition and often creates a sense of harmony and unity.
I use both pure and mixed colours in a painting, being careful not to create mud. When I mix colours, I pay attention to their opacity/transparency and value.
For dark areas I don't use pure but often create a dark mix of two to four oil pigments (one of them must be a primary colour) and allow the charcoal to blend into the mix. This results in a deep rich dark mass.
If I don't want my dark to be too intense, I create a lighter mix of oils or simply apply the charcoal lightly with feathery strokes. In mid-tone and light areas, I usually overlap strokes of pastels on an oil underpainting or straight on to reserved blank areas. I love the surprising effect of successive layers of colour and pigments.
How to create mood when painting cats
Mother Cat, oil, soft pastel and charcoal on linen, (39.5x49.5cm) Here I wanted to capture a beautiful moment in time in which the little cat ate while the mother kept guard. I wanted the background to be quite simple so it was given an abstract treatment. In many of my paintings I have a low-angle view, which allows the viewers to be drawn into the painting and makes them feel part of it.
Finding a cat that is willing to pose for a painting can be a challenge so it is more convenient to paint them when they are resting or napping, because they do it often and for long periods of time.
When cats can't hold still, I just make some quick sketches and take photos that will be used later as reference. I don’t just want to capture the physical appearance of the cat but also its spirit. Observing cats and reading about their anatomy can very helpful as knowing your subject well is essential if you are to paint it with conviction and confidence.
For me, it is important to know the atmosphere I want to create before starting a painting. I use the lighting effects, colours and values to evoke a certain mood or to create a message.
Working with warm or cold, subtle or intense colour schemes will have different impacts. There is a fine line between a finished and an overworked painting.
I often feel that the final stage is the most challenging, because this is the point where you can turn a bad painting into a masterpiece or overwork a painting to ruin.
When the painting is close to finish, I slow down, take a few steps back from the easel and ask myself the questions: does my painting work? Should I add more details? What risks should (or shouldn't) I take now? How to pull it all together?
Materials
Oils
My favourite brands of oils are Rembrandt and Winsor & Newton.
My palette includes ultramarine deep, ultramarine light, cobalt blue, Prussian blue, king's blue, vermilion, permanent orange, cadmium red medium, transparent red medium, permanent blue violet, permanent red violet, ultramarine violet, sap green, permanent green light, permanent yellowish green, permanent yellow light, permanent lemon yellow, Naples yellow light, Naples yellow red, yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna, burnt umber, titanium white and lamp black.
READ OUR GUIDE TO OIL PAINTING
Pastels & charcoal
My favourite pastels are Rembrandt, Sennelier, Jaxell, Richeson and Unison; the charcoals I use vary from very soft to very hard sticks.
Brushes
I have a variety of bristle and synthetic sable brushes – rounds and flats, sizes range from small to very large.
I do most of the painting with flat synthetic brushes.
I use bristle brushes especially to scrape off mistakes and remove excessive pigment.
To add detail lines, I use a long thin soft round brush.
Surfaces
I like preparing my own painting surface.
I purchase rolls of raw rough-textured Belgian linen, and stretch and prime it with four to five thin layers of gesso.
Demonstration: Midnight Snack
Reference photo
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