Pumpkin & Gourd

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"Pumpkin & Gourd"

4 x 6 in 

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to stay on the theme of gourds and include a pumpkin. I couldn't just leave the gourd by itself, included the pumpkin as a central focus with a dominating presence. The story can go many ways when reading into the painting, its definitely behold of the viewer.

I started with a dry brush approach by just using raw umber and no mediums. In this stage I want to get the drawing as close as I can get it. When I start painting I want to make sure the drawing is as close to it as possible.

Once the drawing is complete I painted in the background and wooden base with its local colors. Once I painted the local colors in I painted the lighter values in the wooden base to give it more form. I want to take the wooden board to a close finish this will allow me to concentrate on the pumpkin and gourd and now worry about coming back and finishing it.

Once the wooden board is complete, I started to lay in local colors on the pumpkin and gourd. I apply a thin coat of paint trying not to go thick, remember fat over lean. In this stage I also paint big form modeling with the local colors. This allows me to concentrate how light wraps around the form. I am not worried about the smaller forms or "details" just how light wraps around the form. I am also keeping the values in a middle tone, not going to light or to dark. I'll apply the dark's and lights in the smaller form stages. I like to spend a lot of time in this stage getting it right, if it works well in this stage then the subsequent stages will go by smoother.

Once the local colors are working with the big form modeling, I then start to paint the darker smaller forms. I start to apply the darkest tones as well in this stage which will make certain sections look brighter.

Once the darker smaller forms are complete I then paint the lighter smaller forms . I repeat the same process as I did with the darker forms by putting in the lightest values. 

Hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by!

Gourds

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"Gourds"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

My wonderful wife loves decorating around the house according to the seasons. She put these gourds on the dinning table a while ago and of course it caught my interest. This painting was done quicker than normal, it took me 2 and a half hours to complete. 

The first image, top left, is drawn with a dry brush approach just using raw umber. The second image, top right, I filled in the whole painting with local colors of each area. I filled in the gourds with its local colors and started with big form modeling. This is my area of focus which is the reason I went a little further in the initial stage.  The third image, bottom left, I worked with smaller forms after big form modeling was complete. The fourth image, bottom right, I approached painting the wooden board the same way I did with the gourds, first painting in the darks then the lights. 

Thank you for viewing, hope you enjoyed. Cheers!

Apple Cider

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"Apple Cider"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I have a confession, I really do miss creating these daily paintings!  I know I have stated that I will not paint them anymore due to the new direction I want to go with my body of work, but they are great practice.  I wanted to miss them which will hopefully force me to do more, but for now I feel I got my fix.  

I wanted to create a small painting to rein in the change of season.  Here in Minneapolis the leaves are changing and the weather is becoming cooler.  Other than hot chocolate I really enjoy drinking apple cider when the weather starts to become cooler.  Being raised in Florida we are only used to one season, summer, but here in Minneapolis I have come to enjoy and appreciate the change of seasons.  All the people here really take advantage of each season, it can be below zero and they'll find something to do.  I have never had apple cider until moving here and I am addicted.  I can easily have a gallon in one night and not think twice about it.  We went to an apple orchard the weekend before and got the idea to create this painting.  My fiancee puts an orange in the pot when the cider is cooking, doing this gives a nice taste to the cider when its done.  I hope with this small painting it can give you the warmth and excitement that I feel for fall.

I also miss doing a step by step demo, glad to finally get back and show how I create these little guys.  I start with a light drawing of raw umber of the compositional setup that I am going for.  I like to keep this stage fairly light with the lines, it'll be easier to paint over once I get thicker paint onto the canvas.  Keeping the lines light also makes it easier to erase.  As you can see in the first picture with the drawing I shifted the composition to the left, if the lines were darker it would of been difficult to make that easy change.  Once the composition is complete I start with one section of the painting to give it my full attention.  I know some people like to work through the whole painting all at once, for me I find it easier to work with one section at a time and move on to the next.  It's really depends on your own work ethic.  I like to work this way but I also keep in mind when the painting is almost complete I look at the overall picture and make subtle changes.  When working in one section at a time the colors do change when you add a different element to a different section or a different value.  That's why in the end of the painting I like to go around the painting and just push thing's here and there to make the painting look like it was painted all at once.  I start with the orange by just adding the middle values and not adding the high and low keys.  At this stage I am thinking of making the form turn, not so much about the details but more about the form.  

Once the form is turning I start with the middle to darker forms, I start dabbing them where they need to be placed at.  While dabbing them in there areas I am conscious of the big form modeling I painted in the beginning stage, alway's keeping in mind that the little shapes I am painting has to work with the overall form.  In this stage I am also keeping the paints fairly thin not going to thick.  Once that middle to darker forms are complete I move onto the middle to lighter shapes.  When working in the lighter shapes I go thicker with the paints, this gives the texture I am going for and allows me to sculpt the paint.  Remember as well once you put more information down some areas will change in value and chroma, expect that and just go into that section and adjust it accordingly so.  Once the lighter forms and highlights are complete I move on to the apple.  With the apple it gets a little trickier when working with big form modeling due tot he colors all in one area.  You have to simplify the beginning stage and not get carried away with their details.  I then start to add the middle to darker values.

Then I start to add the lighter values and tie in the whole apple together.  Once the apple is close to completion I move onto the cinnamon sticks.  With the cinnamon sticks I approached it a bit different by just putting in all the information all at once rather than doing big form modeling and moving in from there.  I do like painting this way as well, I would recommend doing this once you understand how light wraps around the form and how light effects the form as well.  Painting in this manner can get really muddy quicker than you would expect it to, that's why its tricky painting this way.  In this stage I laid down all the colors and values, then I started to sculpt them where they needed to be.  It gives it a nice sculptural look that I do enjoy, I'll keep playing around with this approach.  I didn't take the cinnamon sticks to a complete finish because I needed the wooden base to be filled in since the overall value of the base effects the chroma and value of the cinnamon sticks.

I laid down a thin application of the base colors, then I was able to complete the cinnamon sticks.  Once the cinnamon sticks where complete I was able to go in the darker sections of the wooden base.  Adding the smaller darker shapes to the base brought it closer to a finish.  

After adding the lighter shapes to the base doing this changes the surround chroma and values.  I shift things here and there to make it look like a whole.  Then I move onto the background and this really brings the painting together, I am able to add any finishing details that pull everything together.  That's one of the reason's I like to take each section to a close finish, this allows me to tie everything together in the end.

My partner in crime when I paint, well he tries to be, it's hard to hold him when I'm standing and painting.    

I hope you enjoyed this demo and appreciate you stopping by.  Cheers!

"Pumpkin on Top"

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"Pumpkin on Top"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I hope everyone is having a good day so far, I just finish painting this fun picture.  Balancing the pumpkin on top of the squash was a challenge and seeing how great they looked together you know I had to paint it.  As mentioned in the previous post I've been so busy lately and doing these have allowed me to slow down and just have fun.  It's great painting whats in front of you and play with the paints as best as you can, being so busy at times I just don't have the time for it.  I am realizing the more I do these when I'm extremely busy the better I feel after.  I've become addicted to doing these alla prima's which I don't mind and actually love doing.  I can see how doing these benefit my larger paintings that I'm currently working on and that was the whole plan from the beginning with these small guys.  

I apologize for not making process photos with this painting I'm really pressed for time so with the time I do have I get to paint it, take a photo and post it.  I did notice not doing process photos I went so much faster than what I usually go, which was nice to just go straight through a painting.  At the same time I do love sharing my process and my thoughts behind it, so don't worry this will not become a normal habit.  Thanks for viewing, hope you enjoyed.

"Pumpkin Stem"

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"Pumpkin Stem"

7 x 5 in 

Oil on Canvas Panel

I've been so busy lately with teaching and doing larger paintings, at times I literally feel like a chicken with its head cut off.  But with so much going on I'm glad I'm able to push myself further and get more done of what I want to do with my regular body of work.  These little alla prima's I consider to be a practice for me, I try to refine my technique as best as I can and explore different avenues as well.  My regular paintings have benefited so much due to these alla prima's, I recommend anybody to do these small paintings daily if they can and see how much you can benefit from it.

The stem of this little guy was to good no to painting, it gives so much character to an object that doesn't move.  I like revisiting these pumpkins because of their textures, they are pretty challenging to render but that's what draws me to it.  I've also noticed that I have been painting my recent alla primas with an orange and yellow palette, seems like the holiday season has been influencing my colors more that I would like to admit.  Either way those colors are challenging to control and glad I'm able to practice so much with them.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber.  I was asked recently what mediums I use towards the end of my painting since I don't use any in the beginning, and the answer is I don't use any through out the painting.  I find I can achieve more with the paint straight out of the tube, and if you notice there's already medium in the tube with the paint.  Now with my larger paintings I use linseed oil to lift up sunken areas and work back into them, but I keep it to a minimum.  I know a lot of people that swear by mediums and can't work without them, which is not a bad thing if you know how to control them and properly mix them.  The problem occurs when you use to much which can lead to yellowing of your painting and cracking through time.  Like I said before I don't mind people that use mediums I even use some of it with my larger paintings, but keep it to a minimal don't depend on it for everything.  

Once the drawing is complete I state the background and wooden base with its general colors and big form modeling.

After the big form modeling is complete I start on smaller form modeling and break it in two sections, the first is the darker values with their specific forms.  Once that's complete I state the lighter values with their specific forms and highlights.  The colors I used for the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.  For the base I used the same colors I did for the background in the lighter areas, then I used raw umber, burnt sienna, ivory black and cad.orange.

Once the base is complete I start on the pumpkin by stating the general colors and big form modeling, I'm only worried on how the light wraps around the form and not about details.  Once that's complete I start on smaller for modeling again breaking in two sections, starting with the darker values with their specific forms.  The colors I used for the pumpkin were cad.orange, cad.yellow light, ivory black, raw umber and burnt sienna.  

Then I state the lighter values with their specific forms and highlights, doing this brings this area to a finish.  I start on the stem by just laying down viridian and ivory black, since its such a smaller area and the overall value is dark I can easily work into it afterwards.

I pick out the lights by using naples yellow, titanium white and ultramarine blue.  By doing this I take the painting to a finish!

Picture of my setup with the finished painting.

"Fall Leaves"

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"Fall Leaves"

10 x 8 in 

Oil on Canvas Panel

I got up this morning not knowing what I wanted to paint, I usually hang around the kitchen and see what inspires me.  My girlfriend and I just finish remodeling our kitchen which just consisted of putting in shelves, dish soap holder and a magnetic strip for the knives.  We love the way the kitchen looks and it has so much more space now for our little apartment.  While we were getting our kitchen ware from ikea we also picked up this adorable bottle, which inspired me this morning when first seeing it.  I was only going to paint the bottle but my girlfriend gave me a great idea to incorporate some of the leaves from outside.  Fall in Minnesota is so beautiful, the leaves on tree's change to these beautiful intense colors.  With her great idea that's what I did and really like the combination of the two.  Really different than what I usually do other than the wooden base but that's what attracted me to paint these objects, I really wanted to paint something different and push myself at the same time.  The bottle has so much subtle values and of course it's see through, clear glass is not something I usually paint and wanted to see how I can do it.  Alway's fun to see how far you can push yourself as a painter and stay true to what you'r painting.

I also wanted to let you guys know that starting this Saturday my paintings will be at the Dunn Bro's coffee shop, they're located on Humboldt Ave & Lake St. in Uptown, Minneapolis.  They'll be up for a whole month!

Picture of my setup after the drawing stage.  Today was an ideal day to paint with natural light it was cloudy which gives a nice soft light to the painting.  

I started with the usual raw umber on the brush for the drawing stage.  After the drawing is complete I stated the background and also painted the background color in the bottle since its see through.  I also painted the wooden base at the same time, the colors I used were yellow ochre, cobalt blue, titanium white, and raw umber.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms on the wooden base, the colors I used for this stage were ivory black and cad. orange.  I then added the lighter values with their specific forms, after doing that I filled in the general colors for the leaves.  The colors I used for the lighter values were titanium white, naples yellow, burnt sienna, and cobalt blue.  The colors I used for the general lay in of the leaves were cad. yellow light, naphthol red, raw umber, viridian, cobalt blue, and yellow ochre.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms for the first set of leaves on the left.  Then I added the lighter values with their specific forms by adding titanium white to the mixture.  I also start on the other set of leaves by stating their darker values and specific forms.

Then I take the leaves to a finish by adding the lighter values and their specific forms.  Once the leaves are completed I move onto the bottle by adding the middle to darker values with their specific forms.  I have to really concentrate and make sure to turn the form with the limited colors thats given.  The challenging thing about painting this bottle is it's edges, there's a lot of lost and found edges.  The colors I used for this stage were ivory black and titanium white.

For the finishing touches I add the lighter values and their specific forms, the colors I used for this stage is titanium white and cobalt blue.  I made sure to go thicker in the lights to really get that shine for the reflection.  I had fun with this one especially doing something completely different in subject matter, I learned a lot to say the least.  Hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!