Tag: shades of grey

Values

I just recently realized that I can use Photoshop to help me create shades of grey in a photograph. This is particularly useful when trying to render a portrait into a painting. Portraits are very difficult to produce with any reliability as a painting because the face is subtle in construction, and thence, subtle in gradation. My skills are lacking in this arena.

To begin, I found a portrait on Pixabay. From there, I imported it in PS and applied an “artistic” filter, using the “cutout”, keeping defaults. I then printed out the photo, sized to 5×7, and gridded it out to a correspondingly sized piece of paper.

Once done, I chose gouache as the medium to use – already out on the desk, and easy enough to use without making myself crazy. First done was all the darkest values on my drawing.

I just lay down the black in most of the areas that looked darkest to me. I missed a few areas, but since gouache is able to be applied over previous layers, I was not too worried. Also, as this is the first time I have ever done this, I was not too concerned about perfection – the experience was more important.

From there, some white was mixed in with the black to produce the second darkest shade. Truthfully, I did not mix in enough white as it was nearly the same shade as the black when it dried. That is the nature of gouache – it dries darker than it goes on. I had to lay on a second and third layer.

Next, the third shade of grey. This I tried to push into being lighter than I thought I needed. From there, the highlights as light as I thought I needed. Again. the white was really a light grey that dried rather darker than expected.

Finally, I increased the white, using titanium white instead of zinc white (the former being more opaque than the latter) and did some touching up and adding of detail.

This is the final image. The paint is cracking a bit as it is really thick in some areas. Given this is 5×7 or less, the detail is not too bad, but I wouldn’t like to have this a portrait of myself! The goal of doing values is what is key here – light to dark, catching the face. Much room for improvement, but what I set out to do – a value study – worked out.

I plan to use this method with PS to do more portrait studies. Tools like this aren’t cheating – they help you see what is in front of you more clearly. Gridding the photo onto paper helps keep proportions relatively correct. I would like to do this on a bigger surface with acrylic, perhaps limning in only the white and black values, and from there adding the different shades of grey before moving into a final white.

Orange Slices

Today, an ink study of orange slices on a bit of peel.

I am / was trying to do a bit of watercolor painting every day, but I find that such commitments, while good, can be stifling.  Drawing is integral to painting, and it is a pleasure to do in and of itself.

I’ve been working on the exercises in Alphonso Dunn’s Book Pen & Ink Drawing Workbook, so an ink drawing after exercises seems like a good thing to do!  I know I certainly enjoy drawing after the practice.  It’s also relaxing and, I find, a good way to loosen up for a painting session.

In addition to using Dunn’s book, I am also working through Tom Hoffmann’s Watercolor Painting:  A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering the Medium.  Right now I am working on simplifying forms and determining the 5 shades of grey – the lights and the darks – in pictures.  I am not very good at that, so combining his exercises along with ink drawing, I think it may sink in.  Then, let’s see if it can be applied to paint.

Thus, a dose of vitamin C for painting health!

Chinese Painting Class, 23 May 2009 – iii

The Demonstration

Chinese and Japanese paints must be waterproof once they dry, because of traditional mounting processes. In class, we use Marie’s, which come in packages of 12 or 18 colors. The picture of Marie’s shows you the ones we use; if you are new to Chinese painting, be sure to get the ones shown, as Marie’s also makes western watercolors, which are not waterproof.

Teacher has set his table up to work.  If you look at the picture, you will see that the other tables are covered in green paper.  On his working table is a large, felt pad.  This is used to absorb any paint or ink which bleeds through, as well as support, the thin paper used in painting.  You can see ink stains all over it.  To the left, the paints are placed, and the ink.  Above this, water.  The book or subject matter is above the paper, and below that, to the right of the paint, is the paper itself, which a soft, unsized paper.  Finally, note the paper towel that Teacher is using.  Make sure you have soft, absorbent rags on hand, or paper towels when you paint.  You will certainly need them, to blot your paper to prevent bleeding, as well as to pull excess moisture from your brush – if you don’t, you could end up with a sea on your paper because it is so absorbent!

As with western watercolors, it is important to have a palette which will allow pigments to remain pure and uncontaminated by others, as well as large areas where colors can be mixed together.  This palette is a tray for a desk drawer, bought at a dollar store.  You can see how it is being used.

Teacher has chosen the painting to copy, and has begun to paint.

The peony color is alizarin crimson. The brush is loaded with water, dipped into a wash of alizarin crimson, blotted, and then dipped into a more concentrated or pure mix of alizarin. When you dip your brush into water, just dip the tip, and allow the absorbency of the brush fibers pull up water. Then, in the dilute paint, use only the tip, and allow the fibers to absorb the color. When you blot your brush, lay it on its side, and you will see how the colors are stronger toward the brush tip. Again, dip your brush into the alizarin. Blot your brush again, or not at all. If you want to, you can also hold your brush with the tip upward to move pigment up the bristles; this is really effective you are using more than one color on your brush.

Before I continue, I suggest you take a look at how Teacher is holding his brush, even though it is a western one! (The sumi painter Susan Frame describes how to load the brush, and hold it.)  To paint the petals, he is using the length of the brush, at an angle, not just the tip, and creating the petals in one or two strokes. This way the gradated paint in the brush, in combination with the absorbency of the paper, create the subtle variations in color which characterize the flower petals, as you can see below. Note that as Teacher paints, the colors become weaker. He uses the paint in the brush to make many petals before reloading his pigments.

If you look in the above pictures, you will see that the colors range in intensity from light to medium. I think most of the petals have been done with the first loading of the brush. Now, Teacher has reloaded his brush, and is using pure pigment to create the a sense of depth in the petals, as would be seen toward the center of the flower. As the pigment is used up, lighter petals may be painted toward the edge of the flower. Notice the aura around the petals – this is the water spreading into the paper around the paint.

Tonality is an important element in any painting. It gives a sense of dimension and depth. Without it, a painting is weak. For many artists, this is difficult to see. For myself, I see color before I see tones, and if the color is more intense, or I have a preference for it, I can miss it altogether. To combat this tendency, use your digital camera and software to compare a color image next to one which is rendered solely in greys. This is a great tool to understand tone. You can see below that Teacher has done a great job!

At this point, Teacher lets the painting dry. This is necessary for the fine brush strokes which will be used to emulate the stamens and pistils of the flower’s center. Sometimes, to hurry things along, you can use a hair dryer! The paper’s absorbency will work against you for detail, so a very dry brush, and pure pigment (fresh out of the tube is best!) are your best options. If you don’t do this, the paint might bleed into the petals, and ruin everything you have just done.

A closer look will show that the blue is quite opaque, probably straight out of the tube, but the yellow is diluted. Because the paper is dry, the thinned yellow does not bleed into the paper and make a mess, but remains settled on top of the alizarin petals.

Now, it is time to add the stems and leaves to the peony. Teacher has chosen a large brush with dark bristles. This is a “hard” brush, with a resilience that can give crisp lines which vary as pressure is applied – very effective for painting twigs, branches, and stems. Notice how Teacher holds the brush for the leaves – at an angle. I expect the lighter leaves were a combination of yellow and green loaded into the brush – water, yellow, green. The darker ones were most likely water, green, and ink. Also, notice how fine a point is possible. This is a large brush, which is perfect for laying down large leaves, but the fine point allows for more delicate strokes as well. The brush is considerably dryer for the stems and leaves than it was for the petals.

The painting is nearly done. However, to complete the composition, Teacher added some peony buds, and veins to the leaves, which were worked in while the leaves were somewhat damp. Often, as he paints, Teacher presses the paper, checking for its moisture content before adding to an area.

And finally, the peony is finished. Calligraphy is added – sorry, but I don’t remember what it means! – and the painting is completed. You can see it below, including my shadow in the lower left corner! The finished size of this painting is probably about 20 inches (50 cm) square.

Before you move on to the rest of this rather long entry, I also want you to observe what Teacher has done in this very simple painting.  From top to bottom, he has moved from light and medium into dark.  The peony is light, and so are some of the leaves, toward the top of the painting, but increasing in darkness toward the bottom.  From left to right, or in different areas, the shades of the leaves vary from warm to cold.  This is a subtle element in the finished painting, but without it, the painting could be dull and uninteresting, yet you would never understand why.  Try this out – painting only a “cold” or “warm” painting, and you will see what I mean.  Unfortunately, my camera does not do justice to the painting at all.

Whenever I look at a painting, I enjoy looking at the details of different areas. Consequently, below you will see details of different areas, each of which has its own beauty. Try to analyze the details as you look at them – consider how it was painted, the sequence of color on the brush, the movement of the brush and number of strokes. Was the brush hard or soft? Was pressure applied and then lifted as the line was created? Was the tip of the brush used, or the side, or both? Was the paint very dilute, or pure? Was the brush loaded with water as the area was painted, damp, or dry? When you think about these, you analyze the painting. When you apply them, you learn skills. When you do them, and master them, you then are capable of creating a painting which combines all the elements with which you have struggled. And, in mastering your brush, you will also be mastering the paper!