"Kiwi"

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"Kiwi"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I never painted kiwi before and was interested to do so, I tried just setting up the kiwi without cutting into it but it really wasn't too interesting.  After cutting them and seeing how beautiful they look inside I wanted to play around with the movement of slices, although it was pretty hard not eating them.   

I started with the usual dry brush approach to the drawing, no medium just raw umber on the brush.  After the drawing was established I started with darkest values first, using ivory black and bit of burnt umber.

Then I added the middle and lighter values using raw umber, cadmium orange, and titanium white.  Then I added more of the darker values on the second slice of kiwi and then when that was done I moved on to the lighter values of the inside of the kiwi.  I used viridian, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow pale hue, and titanium white.

Then I proceeded to fill in the rest of the darker areas of the sliced kiwi, I just used ivory black.  Then went back into the lighter values inside the kiwi and used the same mixture as I did before with the greens.

I am doing the same approach over and over with the lighter values in the kiwi pieces.

Then I added the cast shadows to tie in the kiwi slices to the base, I used burnt sienna, cadmium orange and ivory black.

For the lighter values of the table I used cerulean blue, and titanium white, I went back and made sure to softened the edges with the cast shadows and sharpen other edges of the kiwi.  Edges can become very tricky when finishing each stage of the painting, paying close attention to them will benefit you'r painting in ten folds.  Then I filled in the background I used cerulean blue and titanium white, again I went around the edges of the kiwi when filling the background and softened the edges where they needed to be done.

This is the finished painting, after touching up the edges I went back into the kiwi and added some highlights.  This was a unique painting to do because of the composition and what I was trying to achieve with the slices.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed!

"Oranges"

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"Oranges"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I first want to let everyone know that I WON the Daily Painters art competition!  Thank you so much everyone for voting and supporting me, it was a roller coaster ride but we got it in the end!  I am still in disbelief that I won, its been a personal goal of mine to be part of such a great organization.  After I found out I won I slept for a couple days straight, the competition took a lot out of me mentally and physically.  I am so happy to be painting again, and getting back to a normal routine.  Thanks again everyone!  

I started with a dry brush approach, no mediums just a bit of raw umber on the brush.  After the drawing was complete I started on the orange in the far left, going from the darks first.  I used ivory black, cadmium orange, and cadmium yellow light.  Making sure to take this stage to a close finish.

Then I started adding the middle values not covering the whole orange, just creeping up to the highlights.  I am using cadmium orange, cadmium yellow light, and titanium white.   Then I started on the middle orange doing the same as I did with the first orange, starting with the darks and moving slower to the middle and lighter values.  Its tricky painting these types of values so close to each other, but a great learning experience.

I then start adding the cast shadows to the painting, to give more of a base, I'm using the same mixture as with the first orange.  Then I start adding the middle dark values to the third orange.

I start adding cadmium orange with no mixture to it, and go back to the darks to mesh them together even more.  Then when that looked pleasing to me I started to add cadmium yellow light to the top portion of the orange and came down to create the right value shift.

Then I added the cast shadow to the third orange, using the same mixtures as mention before.  I then filled the base in with cerulean blue, and titanium white.  This started to bring the painting together, I made sure to go around the edges of the cast shadows and blur them to where they needed to be.

Then I added the back ground which was cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white again going around the edges of the oranges and softening them.  I went back into the highlights and used titanium white to a thick consistency and added the details.  The last pic is the final painting thank you for stopping by and viewing my painting, hope you enjoyed!

"Heirloom Tomato"

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"Heirloom Tomato"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is my second painting of an heirloom tomato, I can see the difference in technicality from the first time I painted it.  It was almost a monochromatic painting but with hints of oranges and light greens here and there.  It felt good getting back too painting, I have been so caught up with trying to get votes for the competition that I neglected my paintings.  There is nothing like painting!

I started with the usual dry brush approach, I use no mediums through out my painting.  The only time I use mediums is when I varnish it in the end.  I used raw umber for the drawing a very tiny bit of it on the brush, when the drawing was established I moved onto the shadows of the tomato.  I used ivory black,  and cadmium red.

After putting in the darks I put in the middle values, when I start putting them in I go back to the shadows and take it to a finish as with the middle values.  I make sure to take each stage to a finish which means your level of concentration is really high in order to get everything right.  Then I put the lighter values as you can see I am moving from right to left since I made this fruit much larger on the canvas it took a longer time to paint it.  For the middle and lighter values I used cad. red light, cad. red, cad. orange, and titanium white.  I am also creeping up to the highlights making sure to leave the bare canvas since that is the whitest you can get.  

Then I started moving towards the left of the tomato, I am using the same palette as I mentioned above.  I  am going from the middle values then towards the lighter values and taking them to a finish.  Then I go into the highlights and add titanium white, blending them with the surrounding values and softening the edges.  Thats the other thing I am constantly being aware of is my edges, each stroke I lay down I am seeing if the edge of the stroke needs to be softened or crispier.  Edges will always make or brake you'r painting its good to take special care of them.

Then I moved onto the wooden base I stated the darks first just using ivory black, I also stated the stem of the tomato.  Then I moved onto the middle values, using burnt sienna, and ivory black.  Then I went to the stem and added lighter greens, I didn't go too far with it since I have not added the background yet and know I will have to soften the edges.

Then I added the background, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.  I first made sure to go around the edges of where the tomato meets the background and soften where it needs to be softened.  I always think these guys have the most unique looking features and glad to have painted them again.  I hope you enjoyed this one and thank you for stopping by!  

"Guava"

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"Guava"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I love guava! There are these pastries in Miami that are called "Pasteles de Guava" (guava pastry) and they have been my favorite since I was a little kid.  They are so delicious I can eat at least 10 of them in one sitting, I guess you can tell my fascination with them.  I learned to pace myself since they are high in sugar, but whenever I go back home to visit I forget about pacing myself and overdose on guava! All worth it though.  Since painting this fruit I never knew how they looked and when I found them at the grocery store I was surprised to see them.  I set them up to paint and the strong sent of guava distracted me the whole time, a little distracting to say the least.  Now I can't wait to go back to Miami!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I made it to the top 5 of the Daily Painters art competition!  Thank you so much for voting for me, it means so much to me that I have made it this far and hopefully can win it by the 18th of June.  You can still vote for me and if you have in the past you can do it again just click on this link: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/content/jonathan-aller  and when your there all you have to do is click on 5 stars and your done!  Thanks again everyone and I'll keep you posted on the results, 8 more days!  

I started with a dry brush approach as usual, I used very little of it on the brush with no mediums.  I mapped out my shadow shapes as well, again just keeping the lines fairly light, it makes it easier to go over it with thinner or thicker paints.  Then I started on the shadows I used ivory black for the majority of the shadows since there were no reflected light.

Then I added the mid values introducing some viridian, cobalt blue, and cadmium yellow light.  I am also going back to the shadows and making sure they are working together with the mid values and also working on the edges of the values.  Then I started to put the lighter values using titanium white, cadmium yellow light, and cerulean blue.  I also stated the stem of the guava, at these stages I am taking them to a finish adding the details on the outer skin of the guava and all the indents.

Then I added the lighter values for the open guava, using cadmium red light, and titanium white.  Then I added the background which was cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white.  I made sure to blur the edges of the guava where they needed to be, and also on the base.

Then I added information on the base, adding the darker and mid values using ivory black, cadmium orange and burnt sienna.  For the lighter areas I used burnt sienna, cadmium yellow light, and titanium white.  Taking each step to a finish and starting on the next, doing this allows me to finish the painting quicker and not have to worry about going back to an unfinished section.

This is the finished painting, I had lots of fun with this one and had lots of difficulty in concentrating with the strong sent it was giving off.  Thanks for stopping by everyone and seeing my work I hope you enjoyed this one!

"Quince"

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Quince"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I wanted to say thank you for voting for me so far, I really really do appreciate everyones help to become the next Daily Painter.  The voting is still on and it ends on the 18th of this month, you can vote for me if you have already done so and also vote for me if you have not, all you have to do is click on this link: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/content/jonathan-aller  and when your there just click 5 stars and your done!  Again thank you all for your help it means a lot!

I started with a dry brush approach as I do with all my daily paintings, no mediums just a bit of raw umber on the brush.  After the drawing was established I moved onto the shadows, I used ivory black, cadmium orange, and cadmium yellow medium.  Taking each stage I start to a finish, with this stage its much harder to do so since their's no information around the darks to compare the values.  That's why at this stage I do not take the shadows to a complete finish until I have the mid values stated around it.

I started to add the mid values at the next stage, once I did so I was able to go back to the shadows and add more of reflected lighst inside and also darken certain areas that needed to be darken.  For the mid values I used cadmium yellow pale hue, cadmium yellow medium, cobalt blue, and a bit of cadmium orange.  The mid values are always the trickiest areas to paint, its what makes the form turn on the object and where a lot of the values shift from one chroma to another.  Then I added the lighter values, I used titanium white, cadmium yellow pale hue, and a bit of naples yellow.  When this part is taken to a finish I am able to scan within the object and see if I need to push the mid values and shadows further, I also proceeded to add a couple little details here and there.

Then I added the background, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.  I made sure to go around the edges of the object and soften them to where they needed to be.  After the background was done I moved onto the wooden base, I started with the shadows first I used ivory black, burnt sienna, and cadmium orange.

Then I added the lighter values of the base and brought it to a finish as well, I used naples yellow, burnt umber, and titanium white.  This was a fun painting to do as well, after doing a couple of non fruits and vegetables paintings I'm torn in which ones I like to paint more.  I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Serving Bowl"

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"Serving Bowl"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hope everyone has had a great weekend so far, this painting was a neat one to do.  The story behind this one is that I was at an Indian restaurant with my girlfriend and friends and the food was really good.  I noticed these plates and pots they were serving the food are so neat looking, I asked the waiter if I can buy one of them because I really wanted to paint them.  He told me that they were not for sale a lot of people try to buy them, then I told him I am a painter and I would paint it and return it.  As soon as I told him that he brought out a whole selection and told me to return it whenever I was done that there was no rush.  I gave him a big tip to say the least for letting me burrow these guys, and also for a great meal.  

I also wanted to let you guys know that the competition is still going, I am in the top ten of the Daily Painters art competition you can still vote for me and re vote for me just click here and when your there just click on 5 stars and your done!  I am so excited for this opportunity its been a huge goal of mine to be part of such a well respected organization.   Thanks again everyone!

I started with a dry brush approach a little of raw umber and no medium on the brush, then after the drawing was established I worked in the inside of the pot.  I used ivory black and titanium white in the beginning, I did start with my darks first.

Then I added cobalt blue to the mix to give the color of natural light, I made sure to take it to a finish and move onto the next section.  Then I added the darks in the body of the pot which they call "Katori", I used ivory black and burnt umber.

Then I started to fill in the mid and lighter values, I am going through each value stage and taking it to a finish.  I am applying thin layers in each stage this allows me to control the paints and its values.  I am using cadmium orange, cadmium yellow light, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, titanium white and ivory black.  Trying to capture the indents on the pot was challenging, it's such an interesting object though.  Then I moved onto the spoon which they call "Chamaccm", I added the darks first and moved on to the mid values.

I used ivory black, cobalt blue and titanium white to paint the chamaccm.  Then I moved onto the body which had some really neat designs on it, I used yellow ochre, ivory black, cerulean blue and titanium white.  Again starting with the darker values then moving up to the lighter values, taking each stage to a finish.

I then moved on to the base the majority of it had a mid value range to it, I matched the values and worked on the edges of the objects against the value of the base.  I used cerulean blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, cadmium orange and bit of ivory black.

Then I added the background which was cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.  I made sure to go to the edge of the Katori and blur certain edges that receded with the background.  As I have mentioned before edges are extremely important in a painting learning how to control and manipulate them is essential.  This is the finished picture, its fun again to take a breather from all the fruits and vegetables I regularly paint.  Painting these objects are a warm up for my larger still life paintings, hope to share those soon when I finish them.  Hope you enjoyed!

"Teapot"

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"Teapot"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I want to thank you guys for voting for me so far, I cannot express how much it means to me that everyone has done so.  The voting is still up and running until the 18th which means you guys can vote for me again in the round 2 phase, all you have to do is click here and when your there just click on 5 stars and your done!  Its that easy, again I appreciate everyones help.  

I started with the usual dry brush approach with no mediums a little of raw umber on the brush so I can draw it out with control of the tones.  Then I started to state the darks, I used ivory black and a bit of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue.  The reason I decided to use those colors in the darks is to make it more opaque since these paintings are done in one shot I wanted to experiment and see what works.

Then I started on the spout, I took it to a finish adding the mid and lighter values using cadmium orange for some of the reflection, titanium white and ivory black.  This palette essentially is what I used through out the whole teapot.  I took the spout to a finish and then I moved towards the handle just adding some lighter values using ivory black and titanium white.  Then I worked on the top of the teapot where the little ball is at adding lighter values as well, again taking it to a finish.  I like working this way it lets me see everything coming together and I do not have to keep going back and being unsure in those areas, it lets me concentrate as much as I can in the area I'm working on.

Then I moved onto the body of the teapot, I introduced colors that were reflecting off the table.  I used burnt sienna, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow medium, yellow ochre, titanium white and ivory black.  Then I filled in the table with the same mixture above except I introduced the background colors to it which where cerulean blue, and naples yellow.  Just putting in the mid values for now to see if it works well with the whole painting.

I then added the darks, I used ivory black and the mixture above to do so.  Then I added the background and had to be careful doing so, the edges of the teapot are important its not a fruit or vegetable where the edges can be really soft and vanish with the background this is more of a firmer object and the contours are important.  I used cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white for the background.

This is the finished picture, as you can tell I changed the angle of the table on the right side.  I was going to keep it straight but looking at it and seeing the reflection it just made no sense.  This what happens when you do not closely observe what you paint, you paint what you think you see and thats not correct.  Always wanted to paint this teapot, it rests in our kitchen and always works for me every morning to heat up my oatmeal cereal.  Hope you enjoyed this one and thanks for stopping by, take care!

"Green Jalapeno"

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"Green Jalapeno"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I made it to the top ten in the Daily Painters competition, I wanna say thank you to everyone that has voted for me.  The voting is still going until the 18th of June, all of you guys can still vote for me just click here and when you do all you have to do is click on 5 stars, its that easy!  Thank you again for all of your votes, I really appreciate.   

I started with a dry brush approach with raw umber, no mediums were used the only time I use a medium is when I varnish the painting in the end.  Then I proceeded to fill in the shadow areas with ivory black and cobalt blue.

Then I added the mid tones with cobalt blue, cadmium yellow medium and ivory black.  Black is a difficult color to fill in opaquely in one passage, not impossible but definitely a challenge.  Then I added the lighter values which where cerulean blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow medium, and cobalt blue.  I am taking each stage to a finish and going back adjusting the values if they need to be changed.

Then I added the background, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.  I slowed down in this area making sure the edges around the pepper are soft.  I then proceeded to add the base filling in the mid and darker values, I used ivory black, burnt sienna, cerulean blue, and cadmium orange.  I am taking the shadows to a finish as well, and moving onto the lights.

This is the finished picture, I added the lighter values on the base using titanium white and cerulean blue.   I also went into the bed bug line of the base and added more contrast in the wood, then I called it a day with it.  Im happy with the results, it was fun and a good learning experience.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed!