Art challenge – Final reveal

Firstly Vanessa and I would like to thank all of you who have followed our art challenge and commented here and on Facebook.  We have really loved this process and although we had moments of stress and panic it has been exceptionally rewarding working together and sharing with you.

I finished my last strokes on my painting at 7.33 this evening and as I type this up, Vanessa is in a final flurry of paint and brushes.  By the time I finish this post she will have emailed me her picture. I think with hindsight we should have made our cut-off during daylight hours when it is easier to photograph wet paintings. My apologies for the glare on the pictures.  Once they are drier we will do a follow-up post so that you can see them in a better light.

So without any further ado here is the reference picture that we used to paint from

and the reveal…….

Painting 1 by Vanessa

and Painting 2 by Jackie

Congratulations to all of you who guessed correctly – most of you were right.

A little about our process:

Vanessa

1.  Adjust the reference photo to fit my canvas, and minimally adjust tones highlights and layouts on my pc. (If I am doing a real life study then I adjust the still life to be correct)
2. Print a couple of reference pics
3. Grid the reference picture on my print out. I do this when working from a reference photo, especially when it’s a bigger painting in order to get proportions correct.
4. Tone my canvas in acrylic (I don’t like to paint directly onto white). I tone according to the reference. Either warm (Burnt Sienna) or cool (Payne’s grey).
5. Draw a layout to the canvas, either using a grid or straight from observation. This can be rough or detailed depending on the complexity of the subject matter.
6. Paint in the tonal values using either warm or cool palette (I do this in acrylics as it saves on drying time)
7. Start adding the first layer of basic colours to all areas. I paint in oil using Winsor & Newton Artisan  water mixable oils, starting with darker values working to lighter areas
8. If I have time I usually oil out the painting after each layer, this helps with building depth. In the painting challenge I never had the time to wait for this to dry so I omitted this step
9. I then build up on each layer with more colour, adding depth with glazes and adjusting tones. Each layer gets heavier, painting fat over lean. Trying not to lose track of the density of the paint is quite a challenge.
10.  I leave the focal point (little girl) until close to last, along with the details and any deeper tones that need adjusting. I like to introduce and work on these at the end to tie in the painting
11. The very last thing I did was work on the white light and intense highlights
12. Wait 6 months for painting to dry and varnish. During this time it’s good to re-evaluate the painting or add/change any areas.
13. Shew 7 days to do all that…not even close. Dave is spot-on, we are never quite done!
14. (Total painting time 24 hours.)

Jackie

Firstly I must say that I have never really investigated my process, and I think that it is quite different each time depending on the picture I paint.  I have learned so much about planning and process while working with Vanessa on this project.

1.  I avoid drawing as much as possible and if I do it is normally just a basic outline to get placement. With this picture I did not feel the need to draw first.

2. I start directly using the colours I see on the picture, often mixing my paint tones directly on the canvas.  I always do this using acrylics

3. I just keep on going like this leaving the focal point and the highlights till last.

4. On this painting I did my final coat in oils to get a smoother, brighter finish.  This way I don’t have to wait too much for the painting to dry as acrylics dry really fast.

5. I like to live with a painting for a few months after I finish it and can sometimes fix it up, up to a year later.

5. My total painting time on this picture was 6 and a half hours. – 5 in acrylic and 1 and a half in oil.

Discussion is now open in the comments section of this post – please ask as many questions as you like and Vanessa and I will try to answer you.

Pushing creative boundaries

When it comes to painting, I’m a landscape/animal/still life/buildings kinda girl. I also tend towards using acrylic and oil paints just because they are easier and more forgiving. So when I go to art group and Anne starts talking about painting faces or portraits I have a rather strange reaction.

This is how my mind works when this happens:

1. I am so not in the mood to paint faces.
2. I can’t paint faces.
3. Another flop painting coming up.
4. Maybe I should just paint something else tonight and not join in on the group activity.

I have a similar reaction when Anne starts discussing using other types of media besides acrylic and oils.

These things are obviously outside my comfort zone.  Tonight was no exception, and when Anne said we would be working on facial expressions, I was just about to opt out. Then she said we would work in water-colour and pastel – well that was me out of the equation.

Then I remembered my collage that I made recently and how much I enjoyed making it. So I decided to participate – purely for the experience and not to produce a work of art.  When I get involved in my piece, just for the great joy I get out of the process, all the pressure is relieved and I can let go and just have fun.

While my painting I did tonight is no great work of art – it was so stimulating painting it.

African woman – facial expressions, water-colour and pastel.

So from now on – I am going to try new things and push my boundaries a bit. Try it – it’s an extremely rewarding experience.

Related articles

• Creativity – make time (slowvelder.wordpress.com)
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Slowly does it – painting progress

I started going over my acrylic work with oils this weekend.  The progress will now be a lot slower as oil paints take much longer to dry (very, very much longer).  I got the background and the bill done.

Here are some earlier photos of the same picture if you did not see them in recent posts:

This weekend we had awesome weather. Not too hot and not too cold.  We are still able to wear our summer clothes but the overwhelming heat has abated.  The Bean had a friend stay over and apart from quite a bit of homework the girls lay in the sun trying to touch up their suntans. We had a visit from a giraffe too which was a treat for Beans friend.

What did you do this weekend?

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Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

The Southern yellow-billed Hornbill is one of my favorite local birds.  They are noisy, cheeky and have so much character – great birds to watch for hours on end.  In our area, and especially in the Kruger National Park, they are very common and are often seen pinching food from unwary tourists.  We have one mating pair that live close to our cottages and although they don’t come too close, I hear them often.

The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) is a Hornbill found in Southern Africa. It is a medium sized bird, with length between 48 to 60 cm, characterized by a long yellow beak with a casque (casque reduced in the female). The skin around the eyes and in the malar stripe is pinkish. The related Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill from north-eastern Africa has blackish skin around the eyes.

They have a white belly, grey neck, and black back with abundant white spots and stripes. They feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. Termites and ants are a preferred food source in the dry season.

Females lay 3 to 4 white eggs in their nest cavities and incubate them for about 25 days. While sitting on her eggs the female hornbill is closed into the nest by the male using mud to close the nest hole.  The male then brings food to the female and feeds her through a tiny slit that he leaves open. Juveniles take about 45 days to mature.

This hornbill is a common, widespread resident of the dry thorn fields and broad-leafed woodlands. Frequently they can be sighted along roads.

Last night at art group I decided to start a new painting and chose this bird to paint. I have started the background with acrylic and plan to finish off the finer details in oils.  Again you will be able to follow me step by step.