How to Paint a Painting in 46 Seconds

How Do You Paint a Painting in 46 Seconds?

I have no idea.

But, please, enjoy the video...

"Snow Fall at Woolridge Lake"

9x12, oil

Inquire: amyhrdonahue@gmail.com

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4 Tips for Painting in Cold Weather

 I've been doing a bit of cold weather plein air painting recently. There's something about the winter light that I love more than other times of the year -- when the weather is more reasonable.  

Not to say that I had a choice between reasonable and cold, just as the poor daffodils started to emerge the East got hit with some record lows and snow. While I enjoy studio painting, there is that "certain slant of light" moves me, it excites me... poor Emily never saw it that way. I may be the only one who wouldn't mind another snow or two, even though it's March.

I've learned a few cold weather painting survival strategies. Thought they might be worth sharing.

Top tips for painting in the cold weather:

1. Snow pants. Back in my snowboarding days I received some fantastic snow pants. Now they're christened with paint.

2. Hot Hands hand warmers (stuffed into the palm of my gloves). The best.

3. Stand on a car mat instead of the snow.
It's the difference between leaving the spot after 2-3 hours of painting with toes almost-too-painful-to-walk and toes feeling okay. I could buy better boots. That would be too easy.

4. Get the paint good and warm before setting out to paint.
During the rest of the year I throw my easel loaded with paint in the trunk of my car when driving to location. In these temps the easel/paint are placed next to the passenger side floor vents and heat blasted while driving to location. When the paint gets too cold it becomes "stiff". It won't freeze, but it becomes difficult to move around/mix/paint with.

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The simpler the better

If you followed me on Facebook or Instagram last summer you'll remember the time I painted these waterfalls.

It was such a thrilling thing to paint, but my painting didn't turn out well. It was really a case of sensory overload. A painting needs focus to communicate the feeling of a place. In this case everything was so beautiful and I didn't focus on one particular aspect of the place to focus my painting.

Back in the studio, with my memory, the failed painting from that day and a few reference photos I was better able to construct a painting that communicated (1) scale and (2) the cascading falls.

I arranged the painting into a light area (in the center) and a dark area (surrounding). I minimized the contrast in value in those major shapes and GREATLY simplified the edges where the dark met the light.  I also prepared a board with an aspect ratio better suited to eliminate extraneous information (i.e. the water in the foreground, the sky in the background).

Swallow Falls

5x8, oil on board

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Day One (30 in 30 Challenge) - What not to do.

 

On Monday I packed up my gear for a little painting at Sunday Park. Counting this as day one of the 30 in 30 Challenge. I don't know how I'll do blogging each day of the challenge. Today I want to pass along a few "What Not To Do's". If you're a plein air painter already I am sure you know these. Even if don't paint plein air these are probably common sense to you. I tend to forget all I've learned when I'm racing against the clock/moving sun. It's really pathetic sometimes.

So these are more of a "note to self" reminder.

What not to do when painting outdoors:

1. Do not set up your easel so your painting is in the shade and your palette is in the sun. (See photo above.)

2. Do not pick a spot where you can't back up from your painting (without falling in the lake).

3. Do not "chase the light", i.e. change the painting with each degree that the sun shifts.

4. Do not choose a small canvas when painting a "wide angle" scene.

5. Do not try to paint a whole lot of big rocks in a hurry.

6x8, oil

Thankfully it kind of looks like something. Kind of is emphasized.

Painting on location with moving shadows.

(Needs a title, ideas welcome)

7x9, oil

One of the obvious challenges of painting on location is working with the movement of the sun.

The majority of the time I'm drawn to paint a scene because of a particular pattern of light and we all know that there is nothing more transient and uncontrollable than the sun & weather. This morning I chose my composition based on that patch of light and the shadow of the tree in the center of the painting/scene.

 This is what the scene looked like for the first 15 minutes or so as I began the painting.

And this is what the scene looked like as I was finishing up. Yep. It got cloudy.

The sun peeked out a couple times, but that shadow from the pine tree in the middle was no longer at a nice diagonal to the right. It was at a slight diagonal toward the left and that patch of sunny grass turned into a sliver.

When painting outdoors you need self control. It's easier to change the game plan (i.e. composition of shapes/subject of the painting) as the hours roll by and the clouds roll in. A firm idea of what you want the painting to communicate and a strong composition is necessary. 

What's this "idea" you speak of? We artists call this the "subject" of the painting. I wanted to showcase the beautiful morning light shining through the trees and illuminating the spring grass. 

They say the first 15 minutes are the most important of the entire painting process. In this case I 100% agree. If I hadn't marked that patch of light, each tree, the shadows and highlights I would have lost my "idea" when we lost the light.

What's the moral of the story?

When painting outdoors, make a plan and stick to it. That's a note to my easily-distracted self.

19 Ways to Cultivate Creativity

As an artist I have to be able to be creative on-demand. I don’t generally have difficulty with lack of inspiration and desire to make, but I know I must continually cultivate my creative side. If I watch where I’m going I (hopefully) won’t run into the roadblock.

I’ve compiled a list to share here on the blog. Some are my own tips and some are gathered from others. Thank you to those who have pitched in their ideas!

19 Ways to Cultivate Creativity in Your Life 

 19. Have a schedule.
 Designating time for what I call “Admin” or “Art Biz Stuff” and actually doing it during that time frees up time to focus on dreaming and creating. It’s kind of like having fixed office hours.

18. Learn about other passionate people.

This may mean watching documentaries, reading biographies, subscribing to creative magazines, studying art history or talking with mentors. Passion can be very contagious. One of my favorite art history podcasts is Arts & Facts.

17. Observe everything. Admire the normal.

Study the clouds and the light and how the horizon interacts with the sky. Notice how marvelously beautiful normal things are. Think about what colors would go into painting that color. Paint everything in your head. When I’m at a coffee shop, I notice the way the light falls on a face or a chair, etc. Stop lights give a moment to notice the subtle colors of the landscape and all that beautiful light bouncing around.

 16. Write down lots of ideas.
Even the bad ones.

15. Have a dedicated work space.

This has been so wonderful and helpful. I have a fabulous studio space. It’s  far away from the laundry, the fridge, and the mail pile. Note to self: Keeping it picked up will be key to keeping it an inspiring environment. If you don’t have a work space, make one. Even if it is one drawer in your desk.

14. Have other creative hobbies.

I take 1-2 days a week to quilt with my grandmother and mother in law. I’m working on learning to grown plants (kind of creative?), love to cook and make up my own gluten-free/egg-free/dairy-free/soy-free/corn-free/peanut-free recipes. (Sometimes creativity is a necessity.)

 13. Collect inspiring things.
 I need to do this more. I used to have a giant hardware store paint chip collection. I'll probably keep working on my houseplant collection.

 12. Get good sleep.
Enough said. I need to do this more too.

11. Take breaks.

I’ll take a break to warm up my tea, spend 2.5 minutes cleaning up the kitchen and when the microwave beeps I feel ready to tackle that tricky spot again.  Sometimes the breaks need to be longer, an afternoon or even a couple days.

10. Talk about what you are doing.

Sometimes when passion is waning just talking about a project can reignite excitement. Sometimes new and different ideas will emerge without realizing you thought about them.

9. Give yourself plenty of time to fail.

Some days I’ll paint from morning till late into the evening and only 20% was productive. Sometimes I have “scraper days”, when I end up scraping the paint off the canvas at the end of the day to, at least, recover the canvas. One of my ways to combat this is to spend as much time as possible painting. I’ve started waking up at 5am and heading straight to the studio to give myself more undistracted time to paint. So say it’s a 20% day, then I’ll still get 2ish hours of good painting time, which is better than 30 minutes.

8. Don’t worry.

I have a whole lifetime in which to learn and try new things. If something doesn’t succeed, there is always next time.

7. Stand in the sunlight, get your vitamin D, keep steady blood sugars, breath fresh air, move.

6. Give each little thing you paint or tool you use it’s own name/personality/gender.

Yes, my brushes are my friends. Love your friends. This is also one reason I just love painting old houses and old trees. They have their own personalities and I enjoy capturing that. 

5. Watch a sunrise or sunset every week.


 4. Let yourself be amazed by normal things.
“I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their ‘divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic’ existence.” Clyde Kilby

3. Just make things (for me: just paint).

Watch what emerges instead of trying to control every step. It’s when I “let go” and enjoy the process instead of focusing on the end result that exciting things happen in a painting.

2. If something physical is bothering you, fix it.

If you’re cold, take a minute and get a jacket, if your hands hurt cause they’re dry, get some lotion, if there’s something wonky with your easel, take 5 minutes to fix it. Clear away the distractions.

1. Take time each day to feel small.
“At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.” Clyde Kilby This usually means reading my Bible and taking time to look at the sky, remembering how small and insignificant I am—as a created thing fully reliant on the Creator and Sustainer. Pressure to be greater/better than I am is the ultimate creativity-killer. Peace, in a trustworthy God who controls all things, gives freedom. And you need freedom to create.

15 Paintings in 15 Days (Round 2) - Day Twelve

Winter Willow

6x8, oil
Japanese garden at Maymont Park.

Below is what happens when I don't plan out the composition of a painting in my sketchbook before beginning -- shapes painted and then completely changed. As you can see the willow tree grew and the background trees shrunk quite a bit.

 (click to enlarge)

 Lesson learned. Next time I'll sketch it out beforehand and save a little time.

Inspiration from Howard Pyle

"Project your mind into your subject until you actually live in it."

- Howard Pyle

"Your subjects have had a history – try to reveal it in your picture."

"Art is not a transcript nor a copy. Art is the expression of those beauties and emotions that stir the human soul."

"Throw your heart into the picture and then jump in after it. "

"Paint your picture by means of the lights. Lights define texture and color – shadows define form. "

 Howard Pyle
American Illustrator of the 1900's
Father of the Brandywine Tradition

The trees are not green...

"Art education changes the way our brain perceives everything."

Carolyn Anderson

 Tree on the Bend, 6x8, oil

The trees are no longer just green and the sky is no longer blue.

You realize there are no rules to how something is made.

You realize more than ever the vast gulf of creative ability between yourself and the Creator of the Universe, who simply spoke these intricate forms and exquisite colors into existence.

Take an art class this summer, read an art book, watch an art demo, observe what you really see, create something from the beauty you see around you...

Light to My Path, 6x12

"Frustration is the driving force for creativity."

-Dan McCaw

 

"Light to My Path"*

6x12, oil

sold

I certainly hope that quote it true. I think it is.

To paint the light and it's effect on the landscape on a 2-dimensional surface is incredibly frustrating. What the Creator of the Universe simply spoke into existence when He said "Let there be light" and there was light, I spend hours upon hours and days and months striving to capture so inadequately.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

But I do feel that quote by Dan McCaw is true. The reaching for something and the frustration when the thing is unattainable gives rise to all sorts of ideas of how to create illusions with my paint. 

Click to see the blog post of the larger version of this painting:

It's such a privilege to do what I do. Today I feel blessed.

* The title of this painting was taken from Psalm 119. It says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”.

From small painting to larger work: Summer's Glow, 24x24

 

Summer's Glow (small)

6x6, oil

sold

Often a small work turns into a larger, more "completed"& detailed piece. The small piece requires a little less investment -- of time and materials. If it flops I feel like it's no big deal. If it turns out well the study helps me know how to approach painting a larger work. I'll know how to mix the colors, what things to emphasize or tweak in the larger piece. There is usually one or two drawings as well as small paintings behind each larger work.

Here's an example of a 6x6" study that turned into a 24x24"piece.

Stay tuned for the step-by-step photos of these pieces later in the week.

Summer's Glow

24x24

Available at For Art's Sake Gallery May 1-28.

Tools of the Trade: The best invention in the world

I really thought I needed a new tube of Titanium White paint, but instead I "invested" in a two-buck paint squeezer.

I'm telling you. 

Best invention. In the World.

Next time you're looking at a new twenty-plus dollar tube of paint, check out the paint tube squeezers.

Tools of the Trade: Expressive Brush Strokes

Several weeks ago I wrote a post about one of the tools of the trade -- the pallet knife.
Today I want to introduce you to two more tools, ones that I myself only recently discovered the brilliance of...

1. The soft bristle brush.

All brushes are not created equal, just like all products. The qualities vary, the sizes vary, the shape of the bristles vary and the rigidity of the bristle vary (just a few of the many facets of what makes a great brush).
I'm hear to talk about the bristles today.
The bristles of the brush can be synthetic  or natural. They can by "fine" or "course". They can be rigid or soft and supple.

I tend to be all over the map with the types of brushes I use. However, I recently purchase this wonderful tool:

A very soft natural bristle brush. It's about one inch wide and filbert shaped. Makes beautiful, poetic strokes as well as rugged and abrupt. I'm loving it.

If you paint, you must uses a variety of brushes. Using the same brush, your canvas and strokes start getting monotonous. Anyway, on to tool number 2.

2. Music. Namely classical flamenco guitar.

 I was not prepared for how much it would effect my painting. I'm telling you folks, it was fun. And I didn't even realize what was happening. My tree tops were having a fiesta. Take a look:

Tool #1 (soft bristle brush) is especially useful when combined with tool #2 (flamenco music).

I can't show you the final outcome of the painting on the internet until after the "Pathways" opening. You'll either have to (a) come see the painting in real life (info here) or (b) wait till after May 3. Hope you pick option (a)!

Pathways Facebook Event

Process: Train Bridge Over the James

A few of you have mentioned you enjoy the step-by-step shots of my painting process.

I just gathered the shots from the Train Bridge Over the James painting which I completed a few months ago. I didn't get a shot of the underpainting (done in burnt umber, which is a rich brown).

First layers of color over top the underpainting: Glazes of alizarin crimson, indian yellow, cadmium yellow, and cadmium red in the sky as well as glazes of green (mixture of various yellows and blues) to define the trees in the background.

Giving some color definition to the trees/bushes/grass/plants in the middle and foreground and painting the bridge.

Lightening up the sky, starting to give the river some color, retouching the bridge & drenching it in sunlight, adding the highlights to the plants.

Darkening the dark areas, lighten the sky, give the background a dose of "summer haze" by glazing with color with a higher concentration of cool white.

Warming up the foreground, cooling down the colors of the background, toning down the sky.

And the final:

24x12, oil

sold

Tools of the Trade: Palette Knife & "Dusk" 8x6

Dusk

8x6, oil

sold

A bit about the tools of the trade.

Everyone knows about paint brushes. Yes, I use them to apply paint. Just as important are the tools to remove paint and push it around on the canvas.

The palette knife is not only useful for mixing paint, but for controlling the amount of paint on the canvas. In the photo below I scraped a "spot" for the spindly tree on the left as well as removing some of the too-wet-and-too-thick paint in the foreground.

The more I paint the more I find there is no formula to making a painting. What worked yesterday won't work today. The each landscape brings another discovery in my journey as a painter.