Saturday, April 13, 2013

Painting Class #2 with Anthony Whiting

     The homework exercise for the second painting class with Anthony Whiting was to paint a bowl of fruit. He had suggested we could pull down a reference photo from the internet, but I couldn't find one with the kind of lighting I wanted. So, did it the hard way--set up a bowl of fruit and took some photos. The image to the right shows my finished painting exercise in acrylic paint on 8 1/2" x 11" heavy paper in a bound sketchbook.

     Before painting the fruit, we were to make an outline sketch of the 8 - 12 major shapes in the image, then a 5 value sketch to plan the placement of the lights and darks, and finally some color samples to choose the paint hues we would use. You can see the preliminary exercises page here. I tried my grey scale markers for the value sketch and used 5 of them, from a very light grey to a very dark grey. The markers helped with decisions about placement of values, but did not allow for the kind of subtler shading a pencil sketch can provide. Instead of individual color swatches, I made a couple of choppy stroke blended patches (as in the first class's homework; see previous post). I used a limited primary color palette with only 3 tube colors altogether plus titanium white--alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow medium, and cobalt blue--which created a wide range of color blend possibilities. Limiting the color palette also makes for a pleasing underlying harmony.

     Anthony Whiting's teaching and homework assignments are providing me with new techniques and leading me to real growth. The subjects, brush stroke technique, choppy blending method--and more--are a change for me. And a challenge. Some of what we do for the class is well outside my comfort zone, or, in other words, at the perfect learning edge.

Question of the day: Where is the learning edge in your life currently?


9 comments:

  1. Still in the endless loop, Mary! Interesting to see a still life from you as I am so used to your landscapes. I was interested in the gray scale markers until you said you couldn't get the subtle shifts that pencil provides. I do think that is important. I also love the little thumbnail and color testing exercise. I know artists find them useful and I never take the time to do them myself. I'm a lazy artist wannabe, I suspect.

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  2. Nice to hear from you again, Mary. I always admire those who have a talent in an art so far beyond me. My wife best friend Bette has that talent and through gifts she often shares with us...:) Best wishes...

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  3. Are yall going on your family vaction agagin. If so I hope you will paint. what place yall go for yalles family vaction. Because i like to see fun places you paint where yall go for yalles family vaction in the summer. I wish my family and me would go on a family vaction. But we don't because go on a family vaction. Because they are always busy to go on a family vaction. Like yall go on a family vaction every summer. I guess think of yall like my adopted family. Because yall always have fun when yall go on your family vaction. The yall go to place for your family vaction. And when you paint the places yall go for yalles family vaction. Yall are always have fun on your family vaction. I hope you don't mind. That i am adopted yall as my adopted family.

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  4. Hi, Sherry; I know you are a fellow "learning" junkie. Plus, you always you have very interesting observations and reflections. Thank you for your visit and comments.

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  5. Nice to hear from you as well, TB. Your talent in photography is very impressive and shows your creative, artistic gifts. I especially love the photos you take of birds and other wildlife and then share with all of us on your blog.

    Thank you for your visit, Anon. Actually, I don't paint when I am away from home, but enjoy taking photos of new places. Sometimes I sketch or make drawings on vacations.

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  6. When go to the beach. Do you ever see anyone flyimg a kite on the beach. I love kites i love to go to the beach and see people flying a kite on the beach. I have a kite. I have not got to fly my kite yet. I love kites they are very nice.

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  7. Having been a voracious reader all my life that is always the edge I stand on....:)

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  8. I'm with you there, TB. Voracious is the perfect word for my lifelong reading enjoyment. Thanks for your comment.

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  9. When you go to the beach. Do see a lot of Sea Shells. Do you ever pick up the shells on the beach and paint the shell you see on the beach. I love to go to the beach and pick up shells on the beach. I also want to go to that place on the beach. Were they have the horse on the beach. I love horse very much. I hope one day soon. I can go horseback rideing very soon. I hope one day this summer. I can go to that place where they have the horses on the beach.

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