Sometimes it’s little things that make you feel stuck. A few months ago, I stopped filming art videos and tutorials. I was busy and the house was noisy and messy due to renovations, but that hadn’t stopped me before. I finally realized that making videos fell off a cliff when I moved my desk away from the window. I didn’t feel like I had a nice, bright place to film, so I just stopped filming. I moved my desk back a few weeks ago and I’ve already filmed several painting videos, including the one I’m sharing in this post.
I’m sharing this to introduce an art video that feels a little out of the blue since I haven’t made one in a while, but also as a prompt. If you feel creatively stuck, maybe one small change will get you creating again. Maybe you need better light, some fun new art supplies, or to simply tidy up the space where you’re most productive.
With my desk in a spot more conducive to filming, I decided to make a video about creative play for the purpose of loosening up. When we are first given a crayon, pencil, or brush, we are wild with it. If those memories are fuzzy, just watch a toddler let loose with a writing utensil. But, through schooling, classes, training, and critique, we are slowly pushed into tightening up, being more precise, and making intentional, logical marks. As an artist, I want to reclaim some of that freedom. While paintings that look wildly realistic have their place, that is not what I’m trying to do. I want to capture an impression of what I’m looking at and I don’t want to lose the happy accidents and rogue brush strokes that can make a painting interesting.
So, I did three studies and I learned from each one of them. I even like how the paintings turned out!
These are the exercises…
Exercise 1 – A 10-minute timed study of plums, trying one thing that is out of the box. In this case, I used Kings Blue Deep to sketch instead of my usual Burnt Sienna.
Exercise 2 – Limit the number of times the brush touches the canvas. I did this fig study in 37 touches/strokes. I think I said 36 on the video, but I miscounted!
Exercise 3 – Use a brush that is uncomfortably large. I used a Princeton 6 flat, which is pretty big for painting four figs on a 5 x 7 hardboard panel.
As you’ll see in the video, I am not slavish about those rules. If I need one more minute to finish things up, I will take it. If I need a few more strokes than the goal of 30, I’ll make them. This isn’t about being in jail, it’s about setting boundaries that make you more aware of the things that can overdo a painting. The boundaries help me see when I’m being fiddly or taking a painting further than it really needs to go.
Here are the paintings (along with my commentary on what I liked and learned) and the reference photos if you’d like to try these same exercises…
When I first started sketching with the King’s Blue Deep, I thought it was going to be a big mistake. I was not fond of it when I first finished the painting, but it has grown on me. There is something about the blue that vibrates against the neutral background and muted darks of the plums. In an odd way, it works and I will try it again.
What I like about this one is how limiting the brush strokes forced me to use larger, more expressive strokes with plenty of paint. It also pushed me into smashing and scrubbing the paint around and I love how that reads, especially on the background behind the figs.
Even though the restriction on this one was using an uncomfortably large brush, I tried to be mindful of my brushstrokes as well as time. This challenge felt the easiest for me, but I can still see how it made me lump shapes and colors together and how it inhibited me from getting too fussy with the details. It showed me a shorthand for dealing with all of the detail on the inside of a fig. It was very helpful!
Here are all of the supplies and materials used…
On the palette…
Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding)
Cobalt Blue (Winsor Newton)
Cerulean (MH)
Kings Blue Deep (MH)
Rose Madder (MH)
Chinese Vermillion (MH)
Burnt Sienna (WN)
Yellow Brown (Old Holland)
Cadmium Yellow Medium (Gamblin)
Naples Yellow Genuine Light (MH)
Cadmium Lemon (WN)
Flake White Replacement (Gamblin)
Titanium White (Gamblin)
I do want to make a few comments about some of the colors on my palette that are definitely spendy! I typically use a pretty limited palette, but I have started adding in more colors to try them out and see if I like them and learn how I use them. I added two colors that are expensive – Chinese Vermillion and Naples Yellow Genuine Light. I just love them so much, so they are permanent fixtures on my palette now. If you’re just starting out with oil painting, though, I wouldn’t suggest splurging on them. This is a palette I would suggest if you’re just getting started in oils. These colors and brands are more economical while still being high quality and professional grade.
Ultramarine Blue (Utrecht) – $7.82
Alizarin Crimson (Winsor & Newton) – $11.69
Cadmium Red Medium (Gamblin) – $26.25
Burnt Sienna (WN) – $8.69
Yellow Ochre Light (WN) – $8.69
Cadmium Yellow Medium (Gamblin) – $22.50
Cadmium Lemon (WN) – $18.66
Flake White Replacement (Gamblin) – $9.75
Titanium White (Gamblin) – $9.75
Other supplies used in this tutorial from Blick –
New Wave 12 x 16 Glass Palette (gray)
Richeson Hardboard Flat Panel 5 x 7
Liquitex Professional White Gesso
Princeton 6500 #2 Flat
Robert Simmons Signet #4 Long Flat
Gamblin Gamsol
Anderson & Sons Airtight Solvent Container
If you’d like some ideas for playing in your sketchbook, HERE is a post about that…
13 Responses
These are my favorites!!! I never cease to be amazed at how much difference relaxing and enjoying what we do more than “following rules” makes. Not against rules just for enjoying living.
This post is a Godsend to me at this very moment!!! I have pondered what you said in the beginning of this post and it immediately spoke to me not only in regards to creativity, but some other areas of our life and home, that need to be dealt with. We are STUCK and not facing or doing things that are preventing us from moving on to other more enjoyable things, like creativity or peace in our home, a quiet & calm space/place to get paperwork done or meditate, etc.
It is SO TRUE, not having the “right” or sacred “space” to do what it is that needs done, can really get us STUCK and prohibit us from moving on to the things that are hanging over us or causing stress in our home. What we have found is that those STUCK areas, end up affecting our positive flow to get other things done, then we get overwhelmed, thus not able to get things accomplished.
At least this is where your post has taken me at this point in my life and in our house. I hope my comment makes sense to you & others.
THANK YOU for this post!!!
I really like these! Thanks for sharing the photos so we can try them also! I am really trying to exercise my Alla Prima muscles!
I’m excited about this post! You inspired me to paint with your videos during Covid lockdown. I’ve done quite a few online painting classes since, but always have your limited pallet in my mind since then. I definitely will be trying these & love the pops of color!
Thank you for the photos & the painting process for each. Lovely contrast.
So wonderful to see your painting videos again. Would love to know how you store you palette from project to project. Iam also enjoying your newest class on Jean Oliver’s site. Thank you.
I put it in a drawer! I paint regularly enough that I can keep working the piles and adding new paint when I need it. I put it in a drawer to keep my cats out of it.
Thank you for another great video! I’m looking forward to trying this.
sometimes things speak to me…today it was all about pads of water colour paper, 5X7 and 8X10…for a dollar each at the thrift store. I did some water colour a while back, and have wanted to get back to it…so…I now have the paper and the brushes and the paint. the paper can be pricey, so I can splurge without any trepidation about wasting expensive paper…water colour here I come!!!
I enjoyed these studies so much. So relaxing to watch you paint and these are such good exercises to help me loosen up and work on the necessary instead of all the details. I would love to know what music you were using. It is so lovely and peaceful that I almost dozed off…didn’t get enough sleep last night.
The music is from Epidemic Sound, which is a music licensing site I subscribe to.
I enjoyed these studies so much. The exercises are helpful in my pursuit of painting the necessary and not the tiny details. Watching you paint and listening to the music was very relaxing. Would love to know the names of your musical selections.
I love your painting videos! I’ve had a year of medical stuff for my husband and now that he’s stable, you’ve jump started me back to oils!!! Thank you for being so generous with your time and talents. Warm thoughts and hugs.