Newsletter www.artlessonswithjamie.com Sept.2012 Welcome To The September 2012 Newsletter full of information and inspiration for the advanced or just beginning painter.. Hello Everybody! This months newsletter will focus on First Impressions How they affect you if they mean anything to you and how they can become a vital asset for triggering new ideas. Recently, I led a workshop and painting retreat on painting outdoors. The first day was too hot to go outside, so We worked inside the classroom...planning and drawing from photographs. [ This is a good way to study if outside painting is just not practical.} The 18 students were encouraged to familiarize themselves with the photographs by drawing contour lines, seeing the lines connect and become shapes, and then planning the tonal values within the shapes. All of this before they ever painted a stroke! I was trying to impress them with the importance of understanding what you are looking at before you get into the actual painting process. [Saves time, frustration, and paint!] At the end of the day, their FIRST IMPRESSION of this process was not too favorable. You see, it is one of those things that just does not seem necessary... until later on... when an artist begins to realize that the planning process is more important than the task of painting the pictures. [Aren t you glad they had blueprints and a planning process before they built your house.???} What they learned is a vital asset but it will be a while before the importance of the days work sets in. But to my credit, many asked about my weekly lessons I teach at Hobby Lobby in Paris, Texas. The complimentary lesson in this September newsletter will go more in depth about the planning process. Oh...be sure and read the article about the paintings of Pissarro. He was known as one of the creators of the impressionistic style of painting. Hope it impresses you. Take It To The Road: Step by Step instruction e-lesson To order : go to www.artlessonswithjamie.com Jamie Carter P.S. There are several related e-lessons for sale on the website that relate to this topic. Table of Contents: Welcome and Overview..Pg1 Learning From The Masters: Pissarro: Creating The Impressionistic Landscape..Pg 2 Complimentary Art Lesson...Tools of the Trade The Pissarro Palette. Pg 3 The Primary Plan of Painting and Utilizing Chromatic Colors
Learning From The Masters: Pissarro: Creating the Impressionistic Landscape Why a traditional landscape artist would decide to paint from his impressions instead. Self Portrait Pissarro Camille Pissarro is known as one of the founders of the Impressionistic style of painting. A brief but pivotal point from 1864-1874 saw Pissarro's transformation from a traditional landscape painter to becoming a pioneer of what would become known as impressionism. While his subject matter was not unusual [streams. paths, fields, trees, etc.], his previous indirect painting technique changed to a direct or wet into wet approach of observation combined with a short stroke method of applying delicate colors laying in paint by working on a semi-wet canvas.. The term impressionism evolved from artists becoming more interested in the science of painting impressions of the light striking surfaces, combined with a revolutionary study of chromatic colors. They were interested in contrasting and complimentary colors laid next each other to create a visual color vibration. This wet on wet painting technique is known as Direct painting. This new style of painting was in direct opposition to the previous traditional painting method of rendering exact and laborious detail on top of bone dry under-paintings.{ Indirect Painting} How did Pissarro paint? He painted randomly, [ this means He did not finish one tree up before he moved to another but worked on different areas all at the same time..] He made short stabbing strokes, wetting and reloading his long, thin bristle brushes with lots of oil paint...in order to attain subtle nuances of color and texture. His interest in the scientific vibration of color against color could only be effective by not over-blending any areas of color, but by the laying on of multiple short, quick strokes, always on a wet or semi wet canvas. He used a limited palette of mostly primary colors. and worked with a chromatic color scheme.
Art lesson For the Sunday Painter: Tools of the Trade The Pissarro Primary Palette: color choices to use when learning to paint wet on wet. Alizarin Crimson plus Burnt Sienna Pissarro practiced the use of a primary red, yellow, & blue palette that included an extra red Deep Madder { substitute Burnt Sienna+ Alizarin Crimson }, Yellow Ochre, and a green...probably Emerald [We can substitute Viridian ] I have added Burnt Umber for ease in making blacker colors. This was a primary palette that makes color mixtures compatible and easy to control...creates subtle value changes for the nuanced application method used in the Impressionistic paintings. I would encourage you to stick to this type of palette, no matter what style of painting you do.
A chromatic palette means that one paint color is used to tone and mix all other colors in this example of a Yellow Ochre Chromatic palette... all greens are made with alternating intensities of yellow ochre and ultramarine blue all browns are made with the mixtures of green plus the additions of reds or burnt sienna all creams and lighter yellows are made with yellow ochre plus the cadmium yellow thus you have used all 3 primary colors...red...yellow.. and blue mixed with Yellow ochre in some manner. See if you can identify all the Chromatic Yellow ochre dominate color mixtures in this painting by comparing the colors you see in the painting to the example palette shown above try copying the example on the next page. Mix the colors and remember to use thick short strokes painted with no medium except a small amount of mineral spirits...with a touch of linseed oil. NOTE: Draw the composition on the canvas first. you cannot paint direct technique paintings without a drawing and plan of action.
Pissarro's Painting Materials: Primary colors of Cadmium Red Cadmium Yellow Ultramarine Blue Yellow Ochre Dark Madder or Burnt Sienna Emerald Green Or Viridian Green Burnt Umber Mineral Spirits substituted for Turpentine small amount of Linseed Oil Long natural hair Bristle Brushes Linen Canvas or Stretched Canvas Plan your composition by drawing the trees on the canvas with burnt umber thinned with mineral spirits. Study the reference to get familiar with the color placement the size and shape of the larger trees and the position of the small bushes etc OBSERVE before you begin painting...always get familiar with the subject matter before you begin paint large flat areas of color followed with lots of smaller jabbing strokes that are either lighter or darker than the first flat layer of color. This begins to set up the vibration and contrast of the color values against each other...do NOT BLEND The painting at right is one I did outdoors at Beavers Bend Pissarro was adamant about painting plein aire or out of doors He believed that you could not match the impression that the light source made on subject matter by seeing it and painting it inside the studio. Here is a quick overview.. Do not think that you just start dabbing away you must make a sketch you have to make notes or where the light source is is the mood gray or sunny are the cast shadows long or short.and any other observation or impressions about an object that catches your interest Draw the composition on the canvas or better yet in a sketch book... Look and Observe...compare sizes and think shapes not detail...then last but not least PAINT flat colors and then smaller, heavier short strokes. This gives the textural painterly look to the subject. To buy more art lesson e programs go to www.artlessonswithjamie.com