I had an orange wedge as well as a whole orange that I set up on some white card stock and had a light shinning on the two. I drew the two (I use the term 'drew' lightly) on my support which happened to be another piece of card stock taped to some plexiglas and sitting on my french easel .... whew, so far so good. Now comes the hard part. I thought I'd mix my colors first so all I'd have to do is put the color down where needed. Well, that didn't work out too well as I kept having to mix more colors to match what I was seeing. I found I was thinning my paint too much at times and not at all other times.
Having said all that I realize I'm still learning and I'm pretty happy with the results. I've made notes to myself as to what I want to focus on with my next attempt.
- don't thin the paint so much ... so frequently
- look more closely at shapes
- for now less blending
- keep having fun!
Any suggestions you can offer are appreciated.
I think that this is great if you are "just learning." Since you asked for suggestions, when I'm doing still lifes, or whatever, I always try to ask myself: Is the lightest spot light enough? Is the darkest area dark enough? and, Is there enough object reflection on the surface? Hope these ?s help.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy! Thanks for visiting my blog! I think this is a great orange painting. I'm going to give you a little tip that I learned from Carol Marine 2 years ago: Put in your most 'saturated' (pure) color FIRST. Here that would be the most 'orange' - of your orange! And that pre-mixing - ugh- I think it's a nice idea, but in reality, it's better to mix as you go. I've never, ever had much luck with that! Your highlights on the orange are so subtle and true - I think you should paint, paint, paint!
ReplyDeletePam and Kelly, thanks so much for the suggestions. I'm glad I wrote about my process so you see where I'm coming from. I'll take notes and follow through with the advice you've so generously shared with me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNancy, your oranges look good! I agree with Kelly about mixing as you go. I even do this with my watercolors. I think you have done a good job in your blending. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaylynn, I guess I mixed my watercolor as I needed it also. Hmmmm, Can't remember why I thought to attempt pre-mixing for this oil study. Glad to get straightened on this.
ReplyDeleteI think you should count this as a success...it's very orange-y. I have done both versions (pre-mixing and mixing as I go) and either way is a valid way. The pre-mix is good for keeping tabs on strong values. You're doing great--can't wait to see more :)
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