FALL 2014 ACRYLIC CLASS WEEK 5

Acrylic Class Project: Cloud Study Finale

In our last class I basically finished up our cloud study and how you finish up your own painting is as important as how you start a painting. You have all heard me say many times over to stand back and look at your painting especially when you are getting close to the finish. You cannot judge how your painting will look when you are standing right on top of it. Some things that look horrible close up actually look great when you stand back and see the overall effect to your painting and visa versa.

When you stand back and look at your painting and you see something you really don’t like, now is the time to change it before you go thru all the work of adding highlights and detail then have to do them over again, check your reference photo to see if there is anything else you need to change to make it the way you want. I had this problem with my painting with one of the distant mountains that I thought I made too tall and I didn’t like the shape where I had it and I didn’t really like the color of that ridge either. Rather than painting it out with gesso and starting all over again, I just re-sketched my mountain so I had a size and shape I liked better then I went into that gray mix (yes, I still have some of that original gray I mixed on the first day left over) to that I added in some more blue and purple do darken it to a value close to what was behind the mountain and painted out the part of the mountain I didn’t like, blending that color into the existing color with dry brush. There were also some clouds behind the mountain that I needed to put back in so I worked wet into wet adding touches of my white with a touch of orange (that was a left over as well) and touches of gray to re-create the clouds then let it dry before re-shaping the tops of the mountain and changing the color a bit.

While that was drying, I did a similar thing up in my clouds to re-shape some areas I didn’t like, adding some of the dark color to create separations between clouds and also to create pockets of dark where I can put contrast when I am detailing the clouds. These things need to get done so I can finish my highlighting.

With the mountains and the clouds more to my liking, I could start some of the highlighting of the mountain ranges that weren’t affected. The next closest ridge I used a mix of sap green, a touch of yellow and a bit of the gray to dull the color. Remember, it is still in the distance so I don’t want my colors too intense or bright which is why I added the gray, it should be a much lighter color than what you have – at least 3 values lighter -  and you can use either your #4 flat bristle brush or a #4 flat sable brush, which ever you feel more comfortable with then thing about what you are painting: you are painting the tops of ridges and shelves and rocks and bowl that are up where the sunlight can hit them. Don’t cover up all of your dark color, that becomes the shadows of crevasses and dips or the back side of the mountain, it is a good thing. Remember, the light is coming in from the upper left hand side so it will be the left sides of things that get the highlight.

The closer meadow I used sap green, yellow touches of white (gesso) and touches of orange  along with some of the mud that was on my brush for the color that was on the top of the hill and as I went to the sides and down the side, I added some Hooker’s green and touches of blue to create shadows. There is some dirt on the right hand side I used some burnt sienna with touches of purple and orange, you don’t want this too bright because it is in the shadow of the hill. Once again don’t cover everything, you want to leave the darker under painting as the shadows for the crevasses and texture created by erosion, you can even suggest rocks and out crops by just highlighting a shape and leaving the dark.

The dark corner with the pine trees on the right don’t need a lot of highlight to suggest a forest of trees, you can use the green mix you were just using add a bit more Hooker’s green and maybe a touch of yellow then using the sharp edge of your brush, make a series of overlapping, vertical strokes. If this dries to dark, you may have to go over it again with a bit lighter color but as always, don’t cover everything, the colors that are underneath act as trees in the shadows and gives texture and depth to your painting.

While all of that was drying, I went back in and to the mountains I re-shaped and cleaned up the top edge with a mix of the gray, a little burnt sienna, purple and a touch of white to lighten it just a little. I wanted a soft purpley gray. To make the highlight for it I added a bit more white and it was done.

Now to finish the clouds. If you don’t have any of the gray mixed, re-mix it same goes for the soft white (white with a tiny touch of orange in it), you are also going to need some clean pure white, if you use the titanium, you may have to go over the white areas again because titanium can be a bit transparent and dry darker which is why I use gesso. I also finally cleaned my brush out as best I could so I didn’t have any other colors to contaminate the white.

I was using my #4 flat bristle brush and my reference photo was right where I could see it and I referred to it often during this process. Knowing where your light source is at this point is critical: Upper left and slightly behind the clouds, that is what give it the dramatic rim lighting. All of my highlights will be either on the top or coming down part of the left side, not everything is going to have a highlight, please look at the reference photo before you start this process and really LOOK at where the very brightest parts of the clouds are.

I picked up a good dollop of straight gesso starting at the top of my clouds I started creating the top shapes of the clouds, as I worked this color back to the grayer areas, I picked up touches of the soft, orange white and gray to blend it into what is already there. This was wet into wet so you need to work on one section at a time. Please don’t just line the clouds with white, think about how the clouds are bubbling and churning as they build up, the shapes are very irregular. Sometimes it is only a little sliver of bright white, other places soft, puffy white tops, the reference photo will have all the information you will need to finish up, just don’t overdo the white because you don’t want to lose all the deep grays.

The last thing I did was highlight the trees in the corner. They are closer to us so we may see more color. The area should have been under painted with a dark green color, but we can highlight with yellows and oranges even some reds if you want to make it look like early fall. Trees are a lot like clouds in that they have clumps that give the tree its shape, the photo didn’t show this very well so you may have to do some of your own research to see the clumps and how they connect with other clumps or stand out on their own.

I did clean the brush again so I would get clean color (#4 bristle still) and I mixed a bright green with sap green, yellow and a touch of white then I smashed my brush into the palette to make the bristle fan out. I do this instead of using a fan brush because a fan can give you too regular a shape and make you trees look stenciled in. By just gently tapping the brush to the tops of where I want clumps I can create highlights in the trees. Don’t forget to join clumps together it shouldn’t look like colored cotton balls stuck to the tree. If you want to suggest that the trees are changing color you can tap in pure yellow or orange or red just don’t get too carried away, the clouds are the feature and the bright colors can distract the viewer from all your hard work in the clouds.

Finish this up the way you want to. If you want to add a deer or a bear on the meadow that would be fine just remember that it won’t be a big animal because of the distance, there also won’t be much detail in it. You can also put in some closer trees if you want to frame in the right side. Whatever you do, don’t overdo it, it needs to support the rest of the painting. Sketch it in with your charcoal first, it you don’t like it you can wipe it off and try again, the choice to add something else is yours, you do not need to do any more if you don’t want to.

At this point the purpose of the project is done though I may finish up my painting in class as I see things I would like to add to it. Please have something you want to paint ready for class I can help you get started and I will do mini demos as needed. See you in class.