Saturday, October 2, 2010

How to Paint Faux Finish Brick by ANT

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Charcoal Drawing Basics : Art Supplies for Charcoal Drawing

Monday, December 28, 2009

Creating Flesh Tones

Skin Color Charts

The images below are from the book How to Paint Skin Tones by James Horton (ISBN 0-89134-670-8). I believe it is currently out of print. What follows below are links to the acrylic paint charts that show a dark and light value group for each of three basic divisions of human skin color: pale, mid-toned and dark. These are intended to be a jumping-off point to give a painter some idea of how various colors can be blended to create highlight, mid-tone and shadow colors. It’s also worth considering to use some of the mid-toned blends as stronger shadows for pale skin color, and dark as shadows for mid-toned skin color; also, some of the pale blends as highlights for mid-toned skin color, and mid-toned for dark skin color.

The page on “Using the Charts” describes how each chart is set up and gives some general tips.

It’s worth noting that these are based on very traditional formulae and so they don’t make use of an excellent short-cut pigment: unbleached (or “buff”) titanium. This pigment is the basic color source for just about all “foundation” make-up because it is a greyed/neutral yellow. This is one color that’s well worth considering for mixing skin colors.

I hope the charts are as useful for all of you as they have been for me.

:^)

Judith

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Portrait Painting Instructions

Portraits painted in oil are a classic art medium; learning how to create such a portrait requires time and practice. While each artist has her own methods of portrait painting, an understanding of typical portrait-painting instructions can help you succeed at creating a good likeness. A portrait can be quite realistic or much more impressionistic or expressionistic. Maintain your personal style even when creating portraits for works of art that express more than just a studio photograph.

Starting a Portrait

Decide whether you will paint from life, from sketches or from a photograph. If you are striving for a realistic or photo-realistic look, a photo is the best choice. Use a projector to project the image directly onto your canvas or do a square-by-square transfer. For a less realistic and more expressionistic portrait, you may want to begin with a series of simple sketches. You can use a life model or photo to work these to paper or directly on your canvas with diluted paint and a fine brush. Full-face portraits offer little in the way of shadows and light, so opt for a profile or three-quarter view.

Color

Creating realistic skin tones, shadows and highlights in an oil portrait challenges you to blend colors to achieve naturalistic flesh tones; however, to prevent muddying your color, never blend more than three colors plus white. A combination of white, raw sienna, light red and a tiny amount of cobalt blue can create a fair to medium skin tones. Try white, raw sienna, permanent rose and a small amount of cobalt blue in various proportions to create medium to darker flesh tones in your portrait painting. Experiment with skin color possibilities in your portrait painting. Use a warmer tone for highlights and a cooler one for shadows to add dimension and depth to your painting.

Technique

Portrait-painting techniques are as varied as portrait artists. Many artists opt to start by underpainting the canvas in acrylics or oils. Areas of light and shadow are delineated by blocks of color. The amount and style of underpainting can vary from adding a few light washes to creating a clear form and setting light and dark tones in the portrait. Once any underpainting is dry, begin creating the actual portrait. Build layer upon layer of paint to create a fully modeled face, body and hands. Consider softening the background, using a dark or neutral background or making the background somewhat transparent to allow the figure to take center ground.

What are the Advantages of Acrylic Paints?

Acrylic paints are made from pigment that has been suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion, which is a mixture of two substances that cannot be blended together. Acrylic paints did not become commercially available until the 1950s. At this time, acrylic paints were oil compatible. Acrylic paints are a favorite form of paint for many artists because of their ability to dry quickly, unlike oil paints, which can take several weeks to dry.

Acrylic paints can also be diluted with water. When acrylic paints are diluted with water, the resulting painting can look similar to a watercolor painting or an oil painting. In fact, acrylic paints are sometimes used instead of watercolors because they tend to dry closer to the color that is desired. Usually, this color is slightly darker than it appeared when first applied to the canvas. Watercolors, on the other hand, tend to dry lighter, and the amount of lightening can be unpredictable. This is particularly true for beginning artists.

Despite the fact that acrylic paints can be diluted in water when being used to create a work of art, they are also highly resistant to water once the art dries. This is advantageous, as it helps protect and preserve the final piece.

Acrylic paints are also used as an alternative to oil paints, because they are much faster to dry. In fact, acrylic paints usually dry within in an hour, and many dry in less than one minute. The amount of time it takes acrylic paints to dry is largely dependent upon the brand and how thickly it is applied.

For those artists who wish to lengthen the amount of time it takes for acrylic paints to dry, the paints can be mixed with extenders or retarders. These products are available for purchase from most large art companies. Adding these products extends the drying time of acrylic paints, making it possible to blend colors more easily with one another while working on an art piece. Those who paint model figures often use extenders or retarders, as do those artists who simply prefer acrylic paints over other paints but need a little more time to complete the work.

Acrylic paints are also thought to be more permanent than other types of paint. Oil paints have a tendency to turn yellow as they age and oxidize. Acrylic paints, on the other hand, have shown no signs of changing, yellowing, or cracking in the fifty years since they have been invented.

How to Oil Paint

Have you ever wanted to paint beautiful, expressive paintings with oils? Here are some basics to guide you into the wonderful world of oil paints. Once you've got the basic techniques down pat, the world is your canvas!

Steps

1

Choose a place to work where there is good ventilation--a window or door can be opened, or good ventilation can be turned on, and/or you have a fairly open space where air can circulate and move around. If you paint outside, remember that you will need to set up securely so the wind won't blow things over. Note that insects, especially bees, loveCitrus Thinner.
2

Adjust your easel so that you can easily touch the painting surface without bending down or standing on tip-toes while holding the brush. Hold your brush at or behind the bulge behind its ferrule (the silver part). You will stand for hours, so make sure you won't strain your back. Standing is better than sitting, but if you must sit, paint at arm's length from the easel.
3

Put down a drop cloth, plastic bag, or tarp. Secure the edges with masking tape to keep it from bunching up or blowing away. Your work area is going to stand entirely on the drop cloth, so make sure you have covered enough area to have plenty of elbow room. If you plan on working at a table with a table easel, cover the floor below you and the table top.
4

Put on your painting clothes.
5

Set up your paints.
- You need to have one container with just solvent, and the other with medium. A standard painting medium is 1 part oil to 2 parts solvent. The most common oil is linseed and its varieties (refinded, cold pressed, or stand oils) but some painters use safflower, walnut or poppy oils. Alkyd resin and Japan drier can be added to the painting medium to speed drying time. Consider putting the medium in a squirt bottle. You can squirt the contents onto the palette to work into your paint. Put the solvent (mineral spirits, or brush cleaning fluid) in a closeable container.
- Have enough room for your palette, brushes and palette knife, solvent and solvent/oil containers, rags and paint tubes to be comfortably displayed, readily available for you to use.
- If you choose to buy a variety of paint colors, try not to get excited about squeezing every single color onto your palette before you begin to paint, as this will waste a lot of paint. Give yourself 2 or three colors to start with and go from there. See the Tips below. (Though sometimes it is good to have the entire range in front of you, be conscious of colors not yet on your palette)
6

Paint! This part really depends on what you want to produce. However, there are certain things to keep in mind no matter what you're painting. For example, oil paints have a short blending life on the canvas. It is not hard to turn an area into a dull brown mud spot if there are a lot of repetitive layers and alterations made. If you try to alter something and it doesn't work immediately, grab a rag and wipe it off. All the paint from that area will come off. Oils take a while to dry, so you have time to remove paint for almost 24 hours after the application. Just like any other paint, if you make the first coat too thick, it won't dry all the way.
7

Clean your brushes well between color changes. When you are ready to remove paint from your brush and use a different color, wipe as much paint off with a rag as you can before putting the brush into the thinner. This will make your thinner last longer and will remove more paint from the brush. Swish your brush in the thinner container, then dry it off with a rag.
8

Give your work of art its space. When the first layer is complete, it will be about 48 hours before it will be dry enough to do the second application without smearing your first day's work. Don't leave your work in an area that is especially hot, or humid, and keep it in an area where it won't get smeared, scraped, touched, brushed up against, smooshed, etc.
9

If there is a good amount of paint left on your palette that can be used next time, use your palette knife to scrape the "good" paint together, then dampen a clean rag with thinner just slightly and wipe the rest of your palette clean. Use a piece of saran wrap to cover the leftover paint, wrapping it fairly snug.
10

Wipe dirty brushes off as much as possible with clean rags and then swish in the thinner, until there doesn't appear to be paint coming off of the brush. Do this to all of your used brushes. Under lukewarm running water, hold a bar of mild hand soap in one hand, then run the brush along the soap, as if you were painting on the soap. Go with the direction of the bristles until no paint runs off the brush. Hold the bristles between your index finger and thumb, under the running water, making sure none of the bristles are bent or frayed out. Press firmly with your thumbnail from the base of the bristles to the tip with your index finger firm against the back, opposite your thumb, until no paint comes out of the brush. Rinse soap out thoroughly, and wrap a clean rag or paper towels around the bristles of the clean, rinsed brushes, pressing to absorb excess water. Doing this after painting rather than waiting until the next time you want to paint gives the brushes time to dry completely, because you can't paint with them if they are wet.
11

Put the lid on the thinner container and leave it until next time, regardless of how cloudy it is. When the thinner settles, the pigment in the paint goes to the bottom, and clean thinner settles on top. The next time you want to paint, you can pour the clean thinner into a clean container, wipe the pigment from the bottom, then pour the thinner back into your thinner container, ready to go. (This process saves a lot of money!)

Tips

If you have a hard time getting the paint off of your hands, baby oil or olive oil works really well. Wear rubber gloves (you can buy a whole box of the thin disposable ones), then you won't have to worry about the paint getting on your hands.
If you decide to only purchase the primary colors, squeeze a spot the size of a dime of Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, and Ultramarine Blue on your palette, spacing them as far apart as you can, as if you were dotting the points of a triangle. Now put a portion of the Titanium White about the size of a nickel in the very center. Use your palette knife to mix colors.
A recommended 10-tube palette is Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow, Viridian, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Dioxazine Purple, small Mars Black, and large Titanium White.
A great exercise to begin with is to use primary colors to create various shades of gray from white to black, and paint in black and white. This gives you a great opportunity to understand value and contrast.
The thinner/oil mix seems to last longer than just the thinner between cleaning, but when it gets really cloudy, it doesn't separate. Properly dispose of the old mix, and don't mix again until ready to use.
If you happen to get paint on the carpet or on furniture, "GOOP" (a mechanic's hand cleaner) works wonders.
If you leave brushes covered in paint for a long time, pour some thinner in a bucket or tray, and (with gloves!) work the brushes with the thinner until the paint loosens and comes off. (Important: Work in a very well-ventilated area.) If you are still having a rough time getting the paint off, dry the thinner off, and work the bristles in the palm of your hand with a little bit of GOOP hand cleaner. (You don't need water with the GOOP.)You can also leave the Goop in the brush. It will keep your brushes soft until you use them the next time. Just make sure you clean your brushes well before you start painting again.
Try making a painting using only your palette knife to paint with. It is fun and the results are interesting.
When applying colors, overcompensate your color values. If you want a spring green boat, start with stop light green. That way it will be more difficult for your paintings to have a bland, tired look.
In the process of creating a work of art, it is important to remember what "stage" the painting is in before setting up to work on it. The reason is a general rule that improves the final outcome considerably. It is referred to as "thin to fat" or "fat over lean." It means that your first application of paint to the canvas needs to be thinner and less "oily." That is why the thinner oil mix consists of 1 part oil to 2 parts thinner. As you progress through the stages of the painting, each application will have a bit more oil, and a bit less thinner.
When painting outside, be sure your canvas and your palette are not in direct sunlight. It is better to shade your canvas and palette because if you paint with the canvas in direct sunlight, it will cause you to mix your colors incorrectly. When you get home and look at your painting, it will be dark and muddy.
Also when painting outside, carry plenty of paper towels and a plastic bag you can tie to your easel for your trash. It is also good to carry tent stakes so you can stake your easel into the ground. It will help keep it from blowing over.
Try sketching your subject in on the canvas first with a lot of thinner and little bit of Raw Sienna. It will help you stay focused when painting outside.
A limited palette is recommended when painting outside as well. You can mix the colors you need and won't have to drag all of your paints out into the field.

Warnings

The materials used when oil painting are serious, hazardous materials. Always know exactly what you are working with, and read the labels first before thinking of using it. Know the proper way to dispose of these hazardous materials according to where you live and their requirements. Work with serious care at all times while using and handling oil paint.
Always keep your eyes on the painting.
Do not store flammable materials in enclosed areas if they have been used with thinner or walnut or linseed oil. Thinner and oil mediums are combustible!
If thinner gets on your skin, it can cause irritation. Pay close attention so you know if additional measures must be taken.

Things You'll Need

Oil paints (if on a budget, the only colors you need are Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White)
Color wheel (to assist with the correct combinations for specific colors, and to help you understand how complementary colors can be used)
Walnut or Linseed Oil (to combine with pigments to create your own paint, if desired)
Brushes (Connoisseur's Hog Bristle or any bristle in sizes 10&4, 2, 4, & 8 Round, 6 & 8 Flat, and a 1 Filbert. You will find which brushes suit you most though.)
Thinner or Turpentine or Turpenoid (to rinse brushes while painting and create thinner wash techniques). This is seriously flammable, so be careful.
Palette knife (smaller knives make less of a mess, and you'll find yourself using less paint)
Two containers with lids that hold your thinner and walnut or linseed oil while painting
10"x13" paint palette
Storage box like a tackle or tool box
Canvas to paint on (stretch it yourself or buy pre-stretched and primed)
Easel (optional)
Drop cloth, painting clothes, and gloves
Rags

Oil Painting Tips and Terms

Learn every word you need to know about oil painting.

=> Alina Bradford

Oil painting has many terms that need to be learned before picking up a brush. Here are terms and tips you need to know.

Value

Value is the graduation of a color from light to dark. By varying the values in a painting you can achieve what is called contrast, or the sharp difference between light and dark. Adding contrast to a painting adds depth and interest.

To see the difference in value in your subject simply put on sunglasses. Your sunglasses will keep you from seeing the actual color, and leave you with just lights and darks.

Color Temperature

Color temperature refers to the color’s place on the color wheel. If you divide the color wheel at neutral purple (purple that is neither warm nor cool) and at neutral yellow the wheel will be divided into a "cool" side and "warm" side. Warm colors are colors that have a red tint to them. Cool colors have a blue tint.

Try experimenting with this color wheel.

Long and Short Oil Paint

Oil painting mediums can be used to control the thickness, or consistency, of your oil paint.

Long oil paint means that enough medium has been added that it has very little "peak" (the ability to make small peaks or hills out of the paint) to it. It is smooth and oily. Long paint is used when you want very little brush strokes.

Short oil paint is paint straight out of the tube. It is thick and has a lot of "peak" to it, stiff and buttery in consistency.

Some classic mediums are:

Linseed Oil

Stand Oil

Safflower Oil

Alkyd Painting Medium

Layering

There are certain rules that should be followed when painting in oils. These rules keep you from ending up with a muddy mess of a painting.

First, you should always paint from warm to cool, meaning, lay down warm colors first, then cool. This also goes for value, always go from dark to light.

Similarly, you should always lay down your thin paint first (or long paint), getting thicker (short paint) as you go along, using your biggest brush first. Start with big, blocked in objects first, slowly working into more detail toward the end.

Here is an example of a typical layering for an oil painting:

1. Canvas

2. Gesso

3. Underpainting

4. Thin, long, dark, warm paint

5. Thicker, short, light, cool paint

6. Varnish

Gesso

Gesso is used to prime a surface or canvass before painting. Basically, it makes paint stick better to the surface. It also keeps it from sinking into the surface. You don’t have to use gesso when painting, but it is worth giving a try.

Varnish

Varnish protects your painting from damage. It is only applied when the painting has thoroughly dried, around six months. Retouch varnish is temporary and can be used as soon as the picture is dry to the touch and can be removed with gum turpentine.

When remembering these tips and terms you are bound to produce better paintings.