Mixed Media Abstract Painting Process

It has been a while since I posted any abstract art on my blog.  This is for all you who love abstract art painting like me. I don't know if I shared this with you all or not but I really enjoy painting in abstract. There is so much freedom and such an opportunity to be spontaneous when creating abstract that you can never mess up.  For all of those who has every seen abstract paintings before and if your response has been, "how is this art?"  "I just don't get it."  Perhaps you also said to yourself,  "That's just a bunch of paint all over the place."  Well guess what? You are not alone.  I must admit that I was one of you who said the same things until I got educated on the elements of design.
There are so many elements and principles of design which are also used in interior decoration, fashion, architecture and ect.  My abstracts most of the time deals with 3 to 4 colors that compliment one another on the color wheel with there tints and shades.
My goal in my abstract painting is to invoke an emotion through the use of colors which excite the eye or grabs your attention. Basically, expressing to the viewer of my abstracts what these colors has done to me emotionally.
 My other purpose in painting abstract is the create  emphasis with the use of texture.  I just love texture in my abstract paintings whether it is broken up color through splatter or the use of a palette knife and many other ways.  I hope you enjoy the piece which was produced last week.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

This is my reference thumbnail drawing done in prismacolor pencil.  The colors I used was purple, gray, lavender the tint of purple, baby blue, and a light dark aqua green.  If you are familiar with the color wheel these are secondary and tertiary color with one neutral which is gray.  By doing a thumbnail drawing design at the beginning it gives you a preview of which it my look like before totally committing to the color and composition.  However, in this piece later I deviated from the original composition and altered it some.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I used canson watercolor paper and used liquitex matte super heavy gel which goes on white and can be mixed with paint.  In this case I applied the gel medium onto the paper.  I don't know if you can see the pattern or compostion drawn out on the surface with a pencil before there was paint applied. The gel gives the surface texture.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Next I added a light amount of  watercolors to the surface and I continued to add more color to darken it. I could have went dark to began with, but instead when I work with watercolors I start out light in tones of color.  You can see where the pattern or composition is going.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

I continue to add watercolors to the designated areas which was predetermined beforehand.  If you look closely you can see the texture coming through the colors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                 

This is the final stage of the process as you can see there are colors that are broken up to produce more texture.  I added the same colors to the piece using only acrylic now.  I created my own stencil design out of watercolor paper which is stiff.  Your stencil has to be stiff enough to hold its pattern or design. I used a filbert bush and large round brush in the final stage.

Thank you all for taking the time to view my art blog.  If you are interested in my works of art please email me at deeweaver15@gmail.com.

Mixed Media Landscape Painting

For the past 2 weeks I have been working with mixed media in my art work particularly in my abstract paintings. I have been working with watercolor, soft pastels, charcoal, and prismacolor pencil all on one painting.  For those who are not familiar with the term mixed media it means a  technique involving the use of two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined in a single composition.    I have worked in mixed media before only with watercolor and prismacolor pencil but not in more than two.  I have been getting more comfortable with three or more.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Reference Photo of "Colorful Sky Over Shore

I cropped off the painting with masking tape first. began the painting by mixing watercolor paint on a glass pallete before to lay out my colors.  Next I wet the entire surface with water using a large liner brush. The paper that I used for this painting  was Canson watercolor paper on the smooth side or back side. Then I used a small liner brush in the details of the clouds.  

I continued with most of the painting appling watercolor using a small liner brush to the paper. As you can see in the painting below I also added details and waves to the water and reflection of light.

I continued to add more color to the surface after the paper was dry.  I use a blow drier most of the time when I paint for a quicker process.

Here is the final image of the painting 11x13cm done with watercolor, soft pastels and charcoal.

Watercolor Portrait and Process

Watercolor Portrait

Ever since I was very young in age, I have always had an interest in drawing portraits.  I have been drawing portraits for many years now.  However, it was not until last year that I did my very first watercolor portrait and the previous year I started working with watercolor media.  After a few pictures produced in watercolor from landscapes to still lifes, I wanted to test my skills in working in watercolor doing a portrait.  This is my third time in producing a watercolor portrait. 

Here are the colors used and mixed in the process.

The color were mixed with a liner brush and water.

The picture was drawn with a 4H pencil very lightly.

Lighter tones are layed down at the beginning.

Additional colors are added to the portrait.

Next other aspects of the portrait are added in with tones.

Hair is added to complete the portrait alone with signature and copyright.  

Thank you for coming to and viewing my blog.  If you have any questions or would like to contact me please contact me at deeweaver15@gmail.com. 

Charcoal and Graphite Still Life Drawing

Martini Glass and Vase Still Life

Step 1 Crop off paper with masking tape

Step 2 Take the side of charcoal stick and rub all over the surface of paper.

Step 3 Use a chamois cloth by rubbing the charcoal into the paper till you get a light gray tone.

Step 4 This step is optional. I used a homemade view finder which I made to capture the vertical, 

            horizontal and diagnal lines to gauge the proportions.

Step 5  I used a pencil to gauge the width and vertical of the still life objects. I fully extended my arm with a pencil in hand and then closing one eye.  Afterward transfer measurements on to paper.

Step 6  I began connecting the measured widths, verticals and angles of the still life using a H4 pencil.
         

Step 7 Next began to add tone texture and contrast using a vine charcoal stick. In this photo I was adding detail and laying out shadows in the background.  I also used a skewer to extend the short charcoal with masking tape.

Step 8 I used a charcoal pencil 4B to add darker values and defined the details.  I also used a blending stick as in the photo in my hand. I used it to rub the charcoal into the surface of the paper.

Final Results

Still Life Painting in Acylic

 Apple and Pitcher Still Life Painting

  

One Sunday afternoon this past summer I set up this still life of a apple and pitcher.  I had the purpose in mind to start do a painting of a still life.  I had been doing a few drawing of still lifes but this time I wanted to paint one instead.  When I set up most of my still lifes I use a dark back ground. I love the use of values and tones with the use of reflected light on the subjects.

Step 1 The Underpainting 

For the first step I began with a underpainting in a water down acrylic brown with a filbert brush.

I normally began with a drawing but in the case I chose not to. When I start my realistic paintings I use a filbert brush.  I just lay in the dark tones and block in the lighter values with a more watered down brown color.

Step 2 Adding Color 

Next I added color to the subject in the picture, this happened after I mixed the desired colors that were needed.  When I darken my colors I use blue or brown and sometimes I use black.  In this case, I took acylic red and darkened the tone with some blue.  When it came time for me to lighten the color I just used white.

Adding Color Continues

I repeated the same process with the blue sheet in the fact that I lighten with white and darkened it with black or brown.  I was still using the filbert brush during this stage of the painting.  However when it was time for me to paint the edges I used a flat brush and a liner brush to create a straight edge.

Finished Work

Landscape of Field in Soft Pastel

Landscape Field with Tree Line in Soft Pastel

I took a picture of a field and drew it out in charcoal and later I added soft pastel to it.  I used vine charcoal and charcoal pencil.  The size of the picture is 4x5 inches.

Landscape Oil Painting of Swamp

 Reference Photo of Swamp Landscape

I was out one weekend in April and took this photo because I was looking for more reference material for a painting. I like this photo because of the time of the day there is some contrast with the lights and darks in the image.  I also like it do to the altocumulus  cloud in the sky.

Step 1 Underpainting of Swamp done in acrylic paint

I used some masking tape to crop the picture so that I would have a nice clean edge although later I place a matted frame around the piece after it was completed.  By doing this it gives me a boundry for the dimensions for the inside dimensions of the matted frame.  I used brown acrylic paint to work in the underpainting.  Sometime I draw out the image like a rough sketch just to capture the subject matter to be painted.  The purpose for the underpainting is to provide a blueprint for where the tones and value are located, mainly dark values and light values. 

Step 2 Add color to underpainting  with oil paint for the sky and water.

Now at this stage I started to add the oil paint by mixing light blue and white.

Step 3 Continue to add oil paint to the picture but now to the trees and foreground

As you can see from the photo my work enviroment is quite crowded.  Most artist work from quite crowed conditions.  I normally paint from my easel, but on this occasion I wanted to paint from a table.  There are occassions in which I use a table.  I do some of my drawings from a table and I my watercolor paintings from a table. 

 Finished oil painting of the swamp

Here is the finished piece signed 5x7 in oil painting.