On Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 09:12 PM,
Martin Law <martin.rainbowmaker@gmail.com>
wrote:
PAINTING
ROSES.
A brief update of work in progress. I like to share the process, show the stages it goes through. I'm not trying to mystify anybody, and i hope it will be helpful to somebody somewhere.
I took a good photo of my roses in bloom. Enlarged it to canvas size and made a tracing to show where the shapes and details go. Traced it on to primed canvas meticulously by putting strong pencil shading on the back of the tracing, only where the lines are and with a soft pencil (4B). Then, taping it in place, and with a hard pencil (4H) followed the network of lines, and it's transferred to canvas.
A brief update of work in progress. I like to share the process, show the stages it goes through. I'm not trying to mystify anybody, and i hope it will be helpful to somebody somewhere.
I took a good photo of my roses in bloom. Enlarged it to canvas size and made a tracing to show where the shapes and details go. Traced it on to primed canvas meticulously by putting strong pencil shading on the back of the tracing, only where the lines are and with a soft pencil (4B). Then, taping it in place, and with a hard pencil (4H) followed the network of lines, and it's transferred to canvas.
Roses
are a complex challenge to paint authentically, so much subtle detail
in the petals. So i decided to do a two stage tracing, the first one
just for the black shadow areas.
Filling
in the black areas with paint, ( a whole night's work at least), but
itching to get some colour into it. So i did.
Suddenly,
tired of tedious following guidelines, i departed from the tracing
altogether and instead, with a soft pencil (4B) started drawing the
petal forms by eye.
Just
as suddenly, i departed from this and drew directly with brush and
colour and no guidelines.
Even though it wasn't as accurate it gained in spontaneity, freeing 'the spirit' of roses with no loss of botanical authenticity.
Layers of modification and fine-tuning can be added and tidied up later. But it's all about a balance of 'feeling' and 'discernment', and i took two good photos at this stage to clearly show what i mean by these words.
The roses seem to be emerging fluently after only one session. A nice stage of evolution to be at. Of course, i have been doing this all my life. But there's no trick to it. Only that, the more you do what you love to do, it evolves by itself.
Even though it wasn't as accurate it gained in spontaneity, freeing 'the spirit' of roses with no loss of botanical authenticity.
Layers of modification and fine-tuning can be added and tidied up later. But it's all about a balance of 'feeling' and 'discernment', and i took two good photos at this stage to clearly show what i mean by these words.
The roses seem to be emerging fluently after only one session. A nice stage of evolution to be at. Of course, i have been doing this all my life. But there's no trick to it. Only that, the more you do what you love to do, it evolves by itself.
So,
there. I hope this is of use to you, wherever you may be.
“One
showing is worth a thousand sayings”, as the Zen people do actually
'say.'
While i am born under the sign of The Bull...
i don't charge 'anything.'
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Rainbowmaker%
While i am born under the sign of The Bull...
i don't charge 'anything.'
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Rainbowmaker%
Photos: Painting Roses Process 1&2, martin law, 28 August 2013
dear martin
ReplyDeletei love you so much. and miss our fireside chats and tea with honey. You come into my life through people i meet. if i get to west cork again you will be the beacon of light drawing me there. thank you for being so open and sharing your process. so helpful. love to you. enjoy the ever changing sky. audrey