One down, one to go...

"Turning Red" Study

 Vine Charcoal on Paper

18 1/2" x 19 1/2"

SOLD

All done! I love it. I love charcoal. It is such a romantic medium. I get to use my fingers to shmear and shmooth and push the particles around... and then erase and carve out those highlights I love so much! Just as if I was holding a brush. Charcoal really allows for such a soft feel, yet with the added benefit of just a hint of texture in the strokes. 

I can't help but to include this one in my next upcoming show in May. In fact, this was so fun that I will most likely do a charcoal for the next 3 pieces too and hang them with the final paintings that are in color - kind of a before and after with two totally different feels.

So time for a selfish plug.. my next show:

The Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk

Seattle, WA

Friday night -May 8th from 6 pm- 9:30 pm

Saturday night - May 9th from noon - 5 pm

My show location is designated the same as last year at"

Equinox Healing Arts Massage Studio (click for directions)

Now onward to step two. The painting. The part that always scares me to death. STARTING. I must have stared at my blank white gessobord today for like 2 hours, then looked back at my empty palette, and then back at my drawing, back and forth back and forth. I sort of do this every time I start a big project. I tend to paint in my head first. As if I am an actor reciting my lines before a performance. Kind of a ritual for me, mixed with anxiety and excitement. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

What is your pre-painting ritual?

Turning Red - A Preliminary Drawing...

You can call it what you want... A preliminary drawing, a warm up exercise, value study, my brain on paper, compositional conditioning, a get over your fear session, or even a get to know your subject - date on paper... For me, it is all of those.

I am starting a new painting. It is larger this time. 30" x 30" and in color. A gorgeous tree that I snapped a shot of at Discovery park last Autumn in the most amazing shade of red I have ever seen - I realized that I am a bit intimidated by it. So this time, I decided to take a "baby steps" approach to it. 

Today I began a study of this tree, in charcoal. Made it all the way to the "almost finish" and my paper decided to poop out on me. All the little texture bumps filled up with charcoal and the only way to keep layering more on top is to use workable fixative. I, Jennifer Phillips, the hoarder of everything art supply, IS OUT OF FIXATIVE! 

Nothing is more frustrating than getting close to the end of a piece and running out of materials. So I will be off to Daniel Smith tomorrow to buy more. In the mean time I have posted some of the stages of my drawing from today. I will post the final work tomorrow after it puts an end to my last piece of vine charcoal!

First stage blocking in loose line drawing with a soft charcoal pencil.

... Breaking the foliage down into shapes...

Using soft vine charcoal to begin adding my darks...

...Shmearing to create mid-tones...

Creating a the range of lights and darks is a constant adjusting process - additive and subtractive methods are used here.

This stage I begin to bring out more definition in the foliage while still maintaining a loose feel in the strokes of the charcoal. Always thinking about edges, contrast between soft and hard.

I use a Magic Rub eraser to lift out the highlights. 

Working left to right I work pull out the edges of the trees where they meet the sky.

Detail of the right side. My favorite part is lifting out (subtractive method) - I love depicting the light that flickers through the leaves...

This was a great exercise to help me see the lights and darks that I need to include in my final color painting. I hope that I get it right!