Palette Journey

Choosing a color palette is a funny business.  I've been on this journey recently and finding it exciting and frustrating at the same time.  I LOVE COLOR but that can sometimes get in the way to picking a new palette.  I'm a little unsure about where my palette has settled, so I'm still tweaking away.  I thought I'd share some questions to ask yourself if you are looking to change up your palette.

• What are your reasons for changing your palette?  For me it was a move to the west coast.  As I discussed in last week's post, I felt the need for a new language to describe my new home and surroundings.  For you, maybe you're bored with your palette, lack of harmony in your work, you have no set palette (just randomly placing color each time your paint) or constantly making mud (making mud means you don't have a solid understanding of how your colors interact).
• Do I want a limited or expanded palette? - I'm a big fan of a limited palette but see advantages to a more expanded palette.  I highly suggest a limited palette if you are struggling with color or you lack color harmony in your work.  Understanding color is simpler if you limit your choices. Limiting your choices does not mean limiting your color.  When I went to a limited palette my understanding of color mixing jumped exponentially.  I found I could mix any color I needed because I understood how my colors worked together.  If your palette contains 10 to 20 tubes, it is more unlikely that you understand how each of those colors interact with each other.  An expanded palette works if you are someone who doesn't like to constantly mix color, time is issue and cost doesn't factor into the equation.  But keep in mind that if you are struggling with understanding color, an expanded palette will be more challenging. 
• One palette does not suit all - I have my "basic" palette but when I switch to figurative work, I will add a few additional colors.  I know many artists that have slightly different palettes when they paint florals versus landscapes or a different palette for plein air.  It all about understanding the different needs for given situations.  
• How to decide hues for your palette - My previous palette included a "warm" & "cool" version of the primary colors plus white.  My new palette has been scaled down to the 3 primary colors with an additional "specialty color. I quite enjoy mixing color and making my own black because I can adjust them as needed for each painting.  Some people just want to dip into Cad. Orange and not have to mix it.  Do you mix your colors on your palette or let them mix on the canvas?  It comes down to what works best for you. Just don't get complacent and stick to a routine just because it's what you've always done.

In the end, a color palette must suit the artist.  If you can't express yourself with your color choices than it's time for a change.  I do believe that students should have a good understanding of a limited palette before adding additional hues.  Regardless of the number of colors on your palette, doing color charts (Yuck, I know) really is a great way to understand your particular palette.  I did similar color charts like Richard Schmid's. Invaluable. 

As promised, I will share my palette once the kinks are worked out.  No need for you to see the sausage being made.

Developing a New Language

Hard to believe that my last post was the end of October.  Since then I've moved to California, started to teach drawing & oil painting classes and settling into life here.  I'd like to say that I have some fabulous insights to share but not quiet yet.  What has become obvious is that I needed to slow down and take in my new surroundings.  I haven't painted very much but I've been observing like a crazy person.

I've discussed in earlier blogs about my limited palette and have since gone to a more limited palette.  I'm happy with my progress but still working out the kinks.  I'm will share my new palette when I'm a little more comfortable with it.  One of the first things that I realized when I got here was that I wanted a different language to describe my new surroundings.  Surprisingly my blues weren't up to the task and so I have embarked on mixing a different range of blues than before. Mixing blues weren't a problem but now I seem to be struggling a little. Best remedy for that is to spend time looking, then experiment with mixing new colors.

It isn't that I don't know how to mix color, it's more of trying to express myself in a different manner.  It's like I've had to rearrange my words to accurately describe this new world. To communicate how intrigued and excited I am by the beauty.  I could have stayed with my old palette but it felt like I was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Part of the reason for moving was to push myself as an artist, challenge the way I looked at a subject and to try to say something new besides subject matter to my work.  I've given myself permission to explore and change.  To challenge myself by working in a different manner, trying new techniques and palettes.   I'm excited to see where this journey leads.

So my tip for today is to challenge yourself to slow down and observe.  Don't be in such a rush to jump to the canvas.  Learning to describe something takes a bit of time to look and then digest it before pronouncing your viewpoint.  In the end, what you say on the canvas will have more impact if you truly understand what you are trying to convey.

On HOLD

It's been a little quiet here on the Art Tips blog because I'm relocating from North Carolina to California. Wow! Excited about all the adventures ahead.  However, this move is happening very quickly and have about 587 things to accomplish on my TO DO LIST.  So, I'm putting my Art Tips on hold for just a little while.  My goal is to be back for the new year, if not sooner. I'm also starting a new blog "Kelley Makes A Move" to chronicle this new chapter in my life. So stay tuned and thanks for following me.

Guest Contributor - Kim VanDerHoek Art Tip

It's been a little crazy at my house as of late, so I'm grateful to have such wonderful artists willing to share their art tips with me.  Today's tip is from a wonderful California painter, Kim VanDerHoek.  Kim is an avid plein air painter & she has some great tips for “How to Nail Down Things That Move When Plein Air Painting”.  Thanks, Kim and Happy Painting.

"Quiet Day at the Cove"

"Maritime Reflections"

When painting outdoors everything is in a constant state of change and it’s part of your job as an artist to capture the essence of what is there while doing your best to create a successful painting.

It’s challenging trying to paint a view that changes every 15 minutes; here are some tips to help you overcome that challenge.

1. Observe the scene when you are setting up your easel. Often artists are drawn to a view because of a beautiful light condition, a shadow pattern, a bold color note or other dramatic element. By the time your easel is set up and you have a brush in your hand the element that initially caught your eye might have already moved or lost some of its drama. Paying attention to the scene, thinking about how you want to paint it, carefully observing it before you get started will help you remember what that fleeting element looked like when it first grabbed your attention and before it started changing.

2. Have a plan of attack. If there is an element or lighting condition, like a shadow, reflection, cloud, etc., in your painting that will move as you are working it’s a good idea to draw that element onto your canvas as part of your sketch or, if there is time, create a thumbnail value sketch on paper before you begin mixing color. That way you have a guide that will help keep you on track even as the view changes.

3. Paint it right now. Don’t wait until you are 3/4 of the way through your painting to start working on that fleeting element. Paint it in while it is still fresh in your mind and before it’s changed so much that you’ve forgotten why you wanted to include it in your painting in the first place. This is especially important for things that are key elements in your painting that are a focal point. How devastating would it be if you had a boat as the focal point in your painting and you spent most of your working time painting in the water under the boat only to have the boat owner hop in and sail your focal point away before you could get around to painting it?

4. 4. Don’t chase the light. Highlights and shadows are elements that always change in plein air landscape painting. For example, if you’ve been working for several hours the shadow underneath a tree could move from one side of the tree to the other during that time. Be mindful of where the highlight needs to be on the tree casting the shadow in relation to it. It’s your job to make sure the light is consistent in your painting. If a tree has a shadow on one side, then the highlight needs to be on the other. Don’t get caught up painting in every changing lighting condition you see or you might end up with a tree that has a highlight and shadow on the same side, which won’t make visual sense to anyone viewing your painting.

"Have a Seat"

For more about Kim & her work:

Kim lives in Orange, California with her husband and two children. She has a BFA in 

Illustration from the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. She began 

painting en plein air because it combined her love of being outside and creating art. "I 

enjoy the challenges plein air painting poses. Dealing with the weather, changing light 

and the other hurdles of outdoor painting has forced me to learn to make decisions 

quickly, to paint with commitment and above all, to have a plan for each painting." Kim 

feels that her plein air work has, in turn, strengthened her studio paintings.

Kim’s website – www.KimVanDerHoek.com

Kim’s Blog - http://vanderhoekart.blogspot.com

Guest Contributor - Carrie Waller Art Tip

Carrie Waller is a fabulous watercolorist.  I've been following her blog for a long time & she always has such fascinating paintings.   

Carrie's Art Tip

I've been participating in 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and I think that this has been the best experience.  Having that goal and the deadline of having a painting due each day has really pushed me.  I have produced a lot in a short time and I'm so thankful that I signed up to participate.  So my biggest tip would be to set a goal for yourself that you think is inconceivable, like 30 paintings in 30 days and see what happens.  I've heard from other painters that it has made them work through some problems in their paintings that they would usually start over but because they have a deadline to finish a painting that day they have pushed through and been successful.

To see more of her work:

website     www.carriewallerfineart.com

blog          http://carriewaller.blogspot.com

facebook   https://www.facebook.com/carriewallerfineart

Carrie Waller is an award winning, Internationally recognized watercolor artist, military wife, and mother to two young sons.  Her unique works are bold, dramatic, vibrant, and  full of light and color. "I've always had a fascination with watercolor.  The difficulty of the medium challenges me  and the transparent layering can not be replicated with any other medium.  I challenge myself to push the medium by creating saturated colors and let the white of the paper sparkle through to create my dramatic lights.  I love the process of being a still life painter.  Conceptualizing the painting in my head, the hunt for the props, setting up my finds in the perfect dramatic, natural lighting and seeing my idea come to life.  I love to make every day objects come to life in a new and creative way.  My intention is for the viewer to be captivated by the beauty and light of the piece and for it to give them an amazing visual experience."  Carrie is a guest co-host and contributor Artists Helping Artists the art blog radio show.  She is also signature member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society and has paintings in collections around the world. 

Art Tip #132

A Good Reference

To achieve a good painting you need to start with good reference material.  But what constitutes a good reference?  So many students start with poor photos thinking that because the subject matter is interesting that it will make a good painting.  In my painting below "Windswept", it wasn't the Golden Gate Bridge that I wanted to paint.  It was the windswept bush/greenery that pulled you into the painting & strong design that attracted me.  The bridge just came along for the ride.  Here's my list of the good, bad and the ugly in reference photos.

The BAD & UGLY 

• The AWESOME SUBJECT PHOTO - So caught up in the subject matter, that you fail to see that there is no design, poor/no lighting or interesting shapes. Ask what is drawing you to this particular photo.  If the subject matter is your first answer then ask more questions.
• Photos from magazines - Photoshopped to death & has nothing to do with you. I've seen my fair share of photos that students pulled from magazines.  Perfectly coiffed floral arrangements or interior shots that have poor or many light sources. Just walk away.  Go set up a still life or paint your own kitchen.  There will be a connection to you in the painting because you picked out the flowers/objects & spent time arranging the set up or it's the kitchen where you cook for your family.  Familiarity doesn't breed contempt, it breeds good art.
• Bright sunlight (color is washed out), while in person it might have that special quality, the photo will never capture it.  Using photos taken midday is setting yourself up to fail.
• Back lit subjects -  Reserve this once you've got solid foundation skills & then paint this from life.  It's the nuances in the back lit subjects that can make it a special painting
• Overcast or grey day - Once again the nuances are lost in photos, better suited for plein air unless you have the experience/knowledge to go beyond the photo.
• Nighttime - Again, better suited for an experienced painter & done on location, not from a photo.

The Good

• Photos that you have taken - If you took the photo, then you've spent at least a little bit of time thinking about it.  You have a sense of the day (was it windy), the time, your surroundings (the sights & sounds) & therefore, you can bring something more to the painting besides subject.  You will be more likely to some color memory and be able to adjust the palette because photos can't accurately capture the true color of anything.
• Photos with good patterns of lights & darks.  Squint to see values & shapes. Do your light & darks connect in interesting shapes or do they look like polka dots?
• Photos taken early or late that allow interesting shadows and beautiful light.
• Is there a story?  Not just look at that turquoise front door.  Is there an interesting pattern of light falling across the door or flowers in a complementary color that cut across the door. Just having a pretty colored front door isn't even to hold a painting together.
• Photos without blinders - By that I mean, don't just focus on the main subject of the photo. Some of my most interesting paintings have come from the areas surrounding the main subject. It's not usual for me to pull 2-3 paintings from one photo.  Don't be tied to the photo as a whole that you miss a more interesting opportunity.

Being an artist requires that you participate in designing your painting.  Copying directly from a reference photo doesn't require as much skill as actively creating a piece of art.

Guest Contributor - Carol Marine Art Tip

This is the first of an ongoing series of guest contributors.  At least once a month, I will have guest post an art tip.  It won't always be an artist but it will be related to art.  I'm so honored to have Carol Marine be the first Contributor.

               

Carol's Tip 

"Getting the Most out of a Workshop"

1.      Leave your ego at the door. It is completely normal to worry at a workshop what other people are going to think about your work, especially the teacher. You only have a limited amount of time in which to impress them, right?! “What if I screw up?! What if the person sitting next to me is much better?!” If you can ignore those voices in your head and focus instead on simply learning, you will be much better off. Forget about how others might judge you (they’re just as worried about what you think). And believe me, the teacher is consumed with teaching, not judging!

2.      Be willing to let go of everything you learned before. Every teacher has opinions about the best ways to paint. Often these opinions collide. It could be that something you heard from a teacher years before and took as fact, doesn’t indeed work for you now. Be willing to let go of those things that don’t work and hear an alternate way of doing something. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt.

3.    Let yourself be uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable in a workshop means you are trying something new; experimenting. You may fail, and that’s ok. You may fail lots of times. But eventually you will have a breakthrough, and you would have never gotten there had you not allowed yourself to be uncomfortable.

4.    Follow up! The absolute best way to get the most out of a workshop, is to keep working when you get home. If you put away your tools for a month (or more) when you get home, you will likely forget what you learned, and lose the momentum and inspiration from the workshop. Carve out time for it. You invested time and money in the workshop, don’t waste that!

Thanks Carol for taking time & sharing some good information.

If you're unfamiliar with Carol, here's a little about her...

Carol lives in Eugene. Oregon with her family.  She has a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Texas, Austin & since 2006, she has been creating one small painting almost everyday.  A popular teacher, Carol conducts several workshops a year across the country.  To find out more about Carol & her work, visit her blog & website listed below.

Carol's Painting a Day Blog -http://carolmarine.blogspot.com/

Carol's Website - http://www.carolmarine.com/