OILS DEMONSTRATION
OILS DEMONSTRATION SANDY EXPLORER By Rhia Davenport
In this lesson I will attempt to show you how to build up depth through layers and colour bases. This is a real 'feel good' image that is so evocative of childhood holidays or watching your children/grand children playing on the beach.
This is an image of my nephew, taken in Sydney, Australia. www.ArtTutor.com
1
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
My brother and his wife took this photo when they were living in Sydney and wanted a painting to now remind them of their time spent there. It’s very easy to see why they would choose an image like this as it’s so peaceful and happy. I knew straight away that it would make a successful painting, and was already planning how I would bring out the different blues in the sea and match them with his blue t-shirt.
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*
*
Materials I use a whole range of oil paints, going from very cheap student quality to more expensive hand mixed paints. I find that the cheaper ones are great for a first coat as they are thinner and often a lot brighter due to the amount of oil mixer in them. This does however mean that they can sometimes take a bit longer to dry, so always bear this in mind. I also use a whole range of paintbrushes. I really like the pro art ‘polar’ range, and Daler Rowney sapphire blending brushes of all sizes, round and flat. As a frequent oil painter I find that a wooden or plastic palette is thick with layer upon layer of paint in no time at all, and much prefer to use tear off palettes. A good tip is to wrap your paint palette in cling film and stick it in the freezer until you need it next time-this keeps the paints as fresh as when you just squeezed it from the tube and lasts for weeks. For the drawing-up I use a hard leaded pencil that won’t leave any residue on the canvas for when I come to paint over the top. It can also be a good idea when oil painting to make a tracing of your sketch so that later on if you do lose any of your drawn information during the build up of layers, you can place the tracing over the top of your painting and refresh your memory of your initial sketch.
www.ArtTutor.com
2
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
The Initial Sketch
Here you can see that I have drawn out my image free hand, copying from a print out that I made of the photo. You don't want to overcomplicate things, and especially don't want your pencil lines creeping through your paint, so keep your drawing light and minimal.
www.ArtTutor.com
3
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 1: Blocking
Using a large brush, block in your colours in a paint-by-numbers style. Start at the top of the canvas, and work your way down so as not to get your arm in any wet paint. Get lots of paint on to the canvas and really move it around and scrub it in; then, using a soft blending brush smooth together your edges so there are no hard lines. Don't worry too much about contamination of colours – you want them to all flow together. I tend to leave any very light or white areas of the picture free from paint as very often the primer will be the brightest white you can paint, but if you do end up brushing over it while blending, just pull it back off using some cotton buds. Try not to use any white spirit as this stays on the canvas and can cause problems with subsequent layers. You can see that I like to stick my image to the canvas as I work so that I can flick my eyes between images to match them for colour and accuracy.
www.ArtTutor.com
4
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 2: Coverage
You can work very quickly at this stage – try not to labour over the large areas as this often comes out in the finished piece when you want it to look effortless. It’s much easier to see what needs doing, what you like and don't like, and which colours need brightening when you have as much of the white canvas covered up as possible. This way you can see the colours more truly, without them being contrasted by huge areas of white. Don't worry about being messy or 'slap-dash' – it should be fun, and you will be neatening up on the next coat so it won’t really look anything like this when you have finished. Smooth coverage on the first layer means that your next one will go on easier, need less paint, and look glossier and richer. www.ArtTutor.com
5
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 3: Edges
Try to push the paint from the sea and sand right up to the sketch outline of the little boy; when you come to paint him you don’t want to be dragging the paint out to meet the background: that needs to come in to meet him. This will also mean that once you have painted him in, both of your painted edges are ready to just be nudged and tickled together with minimal blending, keeping all your outlines true to where you drew them, and leaving you with less chance to change how you drew it as you paint. It’s very easy to loose your original drawing with oil painting, so try to leave a very faint pencil line showing through. www.ArtTutor.com
6
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 4: Tweaks This is now a good time to take a step back from your painting and see if you want to tweak or tint any areas, especially in the sea. Perhaps now the whole painting is nearly covered, you want to add some depth to some of the blues, or wash out your sky a bit more. Paints like phthalo blue, cobalt, and turquoise are great to dab around and then streak in using a clean, dry blending brush, or a thick, soft flatended brush. Make sure that you have a good highlight in the sand around the child, as this will help in drawing the viewer’s focus to the right areas and give it a real sunshine glow.
www.ArtTutor.com
7
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 5: Painting the Child – First Coat
www.ArtTutor.com
8
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
You can do this at the same time as the background if you have time, or on another day. Without being too fussy, just fill in the different sections of the child. I like to start with the skin first, as this can be blended together and with the same few mixes of paint (one light, one mid tone, one dark). Block in your light mix on the tops of the arms and sides of the legs, then touch in the darker areas and fill out any gaps with you mid tone. At this stage the most important thing to remember is to keep it simple. Once you have these three colours blocked in, get a small blending brush and sweep gently over your paint to bring the colours together; if you sweep around the arms and legs with a curve, you will see the depth and 3D effect you can create. Next, take a soft blender and mix the three tones together on the canvas. After this first blending, you can go in again with your paintbrush and re-define the light and dark section and then blend them back in again. If one area looks like it needs to be a bit pinker or peachier, dab on a tiny spot of raw colour and then work the blending brush over the top, making sure to break up any paintbrush marks you might have. Remember – it doesn't need to look perfect on this layer, you just want to give yourself a good base for the next one. Once you have all the skin areas painted, fill in the t-shirt and hat: again don't let it get too dark. If your paint around the child is wet, then bring together the two areas (child and sea/sand) with a small blending brush. Dab and sweep the brush equally in different directions to merge the two edges of your image. The overall effect should make the little boy look out of focus.
www.ArtTutor.com
9
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 6: Painting the Child – Second Layer
www.ArtTutor.com
10
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Once your first layer of paint has dried, you can go back in to it again. Really make sure that your first coat is definitely dry by rubbing your clean dry paintbrush over a small corner section, if you feel any stickiness leave it another day or so. If you start to paint onto oils that are not quite dry, you risk pulling your first layer back up again and creating a real mess for yourself, so thoroughly make sure by testing small patches of different colour sections (as different colours dry at different speeds). Start from the top again as before, but with less paint. Do a colour test against your photograph with your final mix. I like to strengthen colours and over-exaggerate them slightly to distinguish my painting from the photo. With the breaking waves you can start to add texture now by daubing and and blobbing the paint. Using a thick, chunky blender you can stipple or pat on top to push the paint back and make it sit in the tooth of the canvas. This also works as an effective blender and you will see that you can start to experiment with painting in this way; you can build this up, or keep it as simple as you like. Define the waves and ripples slightly more towards the bottom of the painting, so that you feel as though it is coming towards you. Incorporate colours from all over your painting in the sea and sand, this will make it 'work' as an eye-pleasing image, particularly by matching the t-shirt of the little boy into the sea. Using the sandy yellows in the shallow sea will also make the water feel shallow, and equally by painting sea blues, greens and whites over the sandy yellow you can make the sand look wet and glistening. Your second layer on the little boy can be more precise, but the skin will still look more realistic, soft and accurate the less you work it. Use the same process as before with your three tones, but add pure white first anywhere that needs to be kept the lightest: you can tone this down later if you need to. If there are any very dark areas, use some pure raw umber mixed with some scarlet to make a very deep brown and dot it on. Dotting can be the difference between something looking round or flat, as long as you remember to blend afterwards by patting a big soft brush over it. You can use smaller brushes on the hat; paint everything in, and then tease the edges with a dry clean brush of the same size. This will allow you to bring your details together and break the lines up. Use a rag to clean any wet paint that comes back off the canvas and on to your clean brush.
www.ArtTutor.com
11
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 7: Final Touches
It is most important now that you keep on stepping back from your painting as you go, so you can look at what you have done. Shut your eyes for a couple of seconds, and when you open them, see if there is anywhere that your eye is immediately drawn to and whether this is this a good thing or a bad thing. If you have found that something doesn't look right, then get your traced version of the original sketch and place it over your painting to see what can be altered. I added a little spade to the corner of my painting to give it a personal touch. You could experiment with different reflections on the sand, different objects to frame your composition (perhaps some kites), or even surfers in the sea. It’s always fun to try and bring together a couple of photos either from the same day, or different times. www.ArtTutor.com
12
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
The Finished Outcome
www.ArtTutor.com
13
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
About Rhia Davenport Rhia is an artist currently working in Gloucestershire, with 5 years photo-realist painting experience working for the artist Damien Hirst. She now works on her own paintings and private commissions. See Rhia’s full profile at: www.ArtTutor.com/artists/Rhia-Davenport
Find the following guides and more at www.ArtTutor.com
Cézanne Still Life by Lucy Somers
Tabby Cat by Jane Lazenby
North Devon Coast by Claire Frances Smith
www.ArtTutor.com
Floral Still Life By Lucy Somers
14
In this lesson I will attempt to show you how to build up depth through layers and colour bases. This is a real 'feel good' image that is so evocative of childhood holidays or watching your children/grand children playing on the beach.
This is an image of my nephew, taken in Sydney, Australia. www.ArtTutor.com
1
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
My brother and his wife took this photo when they were living in Sydney and wanted a painting to now remind them of their time spent there. It’s very easy to see why they would choose an image like this as it’s so peaceful and happy. I knew straight away that it would make a successful painting, and was already planning how I would bring out the different blues in the sea and match them with his blue t-shirt.
*
*
*
Materials I use a whole range of oil paints, going from very cheap student quality to more expensive hand mixed paints. I find that the cheaper ones are great for a first coat as they are thinner and often a lot brighter due to the amount of oil mixer in them. This does however mean that they can sometimes take a bit longer to dry, so always bear this in mind. I also use a whole range of paintbrushes. I really like the pro art ‘polar’ range, and Daler Rowney sapphire blending brushes of all sizes, round and flat. As a frequent oil painter I find that a wooden or plastic palette is thick with layer upon layer of paint in no time at all, and much prefer to use tear off palettes. A good tip is to wrap your paint palette in cling film and stick it in the freezer until you need it next time-this keeps the paints as fresh as when you just squeezed it from the tube and lasts for weeks. For the drawing-up I use a hard leaded pencil that won’t leave any residue on the canvas for when I come to paint over the top. It can also be a good idea when oil painting to make a tracing of your sketch so that later on if you do lose any of your drawn information during the build up of layers, you can place the tracing over the top of your painting and refresh your memory of your initial sketch.
www.ArtTutor.com
2
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
The Initial Sketch
Here you can see that I have drawn out my image free hand, copying from a print out that I made of the photo. You don't want to overcomplicate things, and especially don't want your pencil lines creeping through your paint, so keep your drawing light and minimal.
www.ArtTutor.com
3
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 1: Blocking
Using a large brush, block in your colours in a paint-by-numbers style. Start at the top of the canvas, and work your way down so as not to get your arm in any wet paint. Get lots of paint on to the canvas and really move it around and scrub it in; then, using a soft blending brush smooth together your edges so there are no hard lines. Don't worry too much about contamination of colours – you want them to all flow together. I tend to leave any very light or white areas of the picture free from paint as very often the primer will be the brightest white you can paint, but if you do end up brushing over it while blending, just pull it back off using some cotton buds. Try not to use any white spirit as this stays on the canvas and can cause problems with subsequent layers. You can see that I like to stick my image to the canvas as I work so that I can flick my eyes between images to match them for colour and accuracy.
www.ArtTutor.com
4
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 2: Coverage
You can work very quickly at this stage – try not to labour over the large areas as this often comes out in the finished piece when you want it to look effortless. It’s much easier to see what needs doing, what you like and don't like, and which colours need brightening when you have as much of the white canvas covered up as possible. This way you can see the colours more truly, without them being contrasted by huge areas of white. Don't worry about being messy or 'slap-dash' – it should be fun, and you will be neatening up on the next coat so it won’t really look anything like this when you have finished. Smooth coverage on the first layer means that your next one will go on easier, need less paint, and look glossier and richer. www.ArtTutor.com
5
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 3: Edges
Try to push the paint from the sea and sand right up to the sketch outline of the little boy; when you come to paint him you don’t want to be dragging the paint out to meet the background: that needs to come in to meet him. This will also mean that once you have painted him in, both of your painted edges are ready to just be nudged and tickled together with minimal blending, keeping all your outlines true to where you drew them, and leaving you with less chance to change how you drew it as you paint. It’s very easy to loose your original drawing with oil painting, so try to leave a very faint pencil line showing through. www.ArtTutor.com
6
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 4: Tweaks This is now a good time to take a step back from your painting and see if you want to tweak or tint any areas, especially in the sea. Perhaps now the whole painting is nearly covered, you want to add some depth to some of the blues, or wash out your sky a bit more. Paints like phthalo blue, cobalt, and turquoise are great to dab around and then streak in using a clean, dry blending brush, or a thick, soft flatended brush. Make sure that you have a good highlight in the sand around the child, as this will help in drawing the viewer’s focus to the right areas and give it a real sunshine glow.
www.ArtTutor.com
7
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 5: Painting the Child – First Coat
www.ArtTutor.com
8
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
You can do this at the same time as the background if you have time, or on another day. Without being too fussy, just fill in the different sections of the child. I like to start with the skin first, as this can be blended together and with the same few mixes of paint (one light, one mid tone, one dark). Block in your light mix on the tops of the arms and sides of the legs, then touch in the darker areas and fill out any gaps with you mid tone. At this stage the most important thing to remember is to keep it simple. Once you have these three colours blocked in, get a small blending brush and sweep gently over your paint to bring the colours together; if you sweep around the arms and legs with a curve, you will see the depth and 3D effect you can create. Next, take a soft blender and mix the three tones together on the canvas. After this first blending, you can go in again with your paintbrush and re-define the light and dark section and then blend them back in again. If one area looks like it needs to be a bit pinker or peachier, dab on a tiny spot of raw colour and then work the blending brush over the top, making sure to break up any paintbrush marks you might have. Remember – it doesn't need to look perfect on this layer, you just want to give yourself a good base for the next one. Once you have all the skin areas painted, fill in the t-shirt and hat: again don't let it get too dark. If your paint around the child is wet, then bring together the two areas (child and sea/sand) with a small blending brush. Dab and sweep the brush equally in different directions to merge the two edges of your image. The overall effect should make the little boy look out of focus.
www.ArtTutor.com
9
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 6: Painting the Child – Second Layer
www.ArtTutor.com
10
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Once your first layer of paint has dried, you can go back in to it again. Really make sure that your first coat is definitely dry by rubbing your clean dry paintbrush over a small corner section, if you feel any stickiness leave it another day or so. If you start to paint onto oils that are not quite dry, you risk pulling your first layer back up again and creating a real mess for yourself, so thoroughly make sure by testing small patches of different colour sections (as different colours dry at different speeds). Start from the top again as before, but with less paint. Do a colour test against your photograph with your final mix. I like to strengthen colours and over-exaggerate them slightly to distinguish my painting from the photo. With the breaking waves you can start to add texture now by daubing and and blobbing the paint. Using a thick, chunky blender you can stipple or pat on top to push the paint back and make it sit in the tooth of the canvas. This also works as an effective blender and you will see that you can start to experiment with painting in this way; you can build this up, or keep it as simple as you like. Define the waves and ripples slightly more towards the bottom of the painting, so that you feel as though it is coming towards you. Incorporate colours from all over your painting in the sea and sand, this will make it 'work' as an eye-pleasing image, particularly by matching the t-shirt of the little boy into the sea. Using the sandy yellows in the shallow sea will also make the water feel shallow, and equally by painting sea blues, greens and whites over the sandy yellow you can make the sand look wet and glistening. Your second layer on the little boy can be more precise, but the skin will still look more realistic, soft and accurate the less you work it. Use the same process as before with your three tones, but add pure white first anywhere that needs to be kept the lightest: you can tone this down later if you need to. If there are any very dark areas, use some pure raw umber mixed with some scarlet to make a very deep brown and dot it on. Dotting can be the difference between something looking round or flat, as long as you remember to blend afterwards by patting a big soft brush over it. You can use smaller brushes on the hat; paint everything in, and then tease the edges with a dry clean brush of the same size. This will allow you to bring your details together and break the lines up. Use a rag to clean any wet paint that comes back off the canvas and on to your clean brush.
www.ArtTutor.com
11
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
Step 7: Final Touches
It is most important now that you keep on stepping back from your painting as you go, so you can look at what you have done. Shut your eyes for a couple of seconds, and when you open them, see if there is anywhere that your eye is immediately drawn to and whether this is this a good thing or a bad thing. If you have found that something doesn't look right, then get your traced version of the original sketch and place it over your painting to see what can be altered. I added a little spade to the corner of my painting to give it a personal touch. You could experiment with different reflections on the sand, different objects to frame your composition (perhaps some kites), or even surfers in the sea. It’s always fun to try and bring together a couple of photos either from the same day, or different times. www.ArtTutor.com
12
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
The Finished Outcome
www.ArtTutor.com
13
Sandy Explorer by Rhia Davenport
About Rhia Davenport Rhia is an artist currently working in Gloucestershire, with 5 years photo-realist painting experience working for the artist Damien Hirst. She now works on her own paintings and private commissions. See Rhia’s full profile at: www.ArtTutor.com/artists/Rhia-Davenport
Find the following guides and more at www.ArtTutor.com
Cézanne Still Life by Lucy Somers
Tabby Cat by Jane Lazenby
North Devon Coast by Claire Frances Smith
www.ArtTutor.com
Floral Still Life By Lucy Somers
14
