 Painting from a Photo on Your Device Pros: Your reference photo is handy, right there on your device, and it looks so colorful! Cons: You will never be able to match the colors on a backlit screen. Your device makes the colors more brilliant and saturated, which is a radically different color environment than a printout. But a good hard copy printout is far closer to what your painting will eventually look like than on a backlit device. So if you want color and value accuracy, then a printout is better. Below left: Device shows bright colors. Right: A printout is not as colorful but its colors will be truer to what you can achieve with paint.  Why is it difficult to get a good quality printout from my printer at home? 1. Because most printers are not designed for high-quality printing. 2. Because you're using regular copy paper which will never, ever, produce a good-quality reference photo. Below left: Regular copy paper. Right: High quality copy paper.  Furthermore, you need a high-quality printer to produce high-quality prints. I have a Canon Pixma Pro 100 (around $600). It is outstanding, but I do no recommend getting one unless you are printing lots of professional high-quality photos. Instead, get your prints from FedEx Office and Print. High-Quality Prints from FedEx Office and PrintBy request: Here are instructions for getting good-quality prints from FedEx Office and Print. Step 1: Go to FedEx Office and Print: https://www.office.fedex.com/#!upload/multiple/pid%3D1456773326927/false Select: Copies & Custom Documents    Next page:  Next page:  Scroll down to select a FedEx Office and Print location:  Scroll down to contact information:  Once you make your purchase, you will receive a notice from FedEx Office and Print that they have begun your order. Then later, usually within 24 hours, you will receive a notice that your order is finished and ready for pick up.
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 See this six minute canvas mounting video. Here are the supplies you will need to mount a loose canvas painting onto board. 1. Your 8” x 10” painting on loose canvas. 2. One 8” x 10” Hardboard Panel for mounting--Or one 8” x 10” cradled board for mounting. (See picture below). The hardboard panel, or the cradled board, do not need to be primed. Just get plain wood. 3. The smallest container of YES Paste that they sell.--Or, the smallest bottle of PVA Size. YES Paste and PVA Size do the same thing. 4. Paper. You will be placing your painting face-down on the table, so if you want to protect it, bring some paper, Or plastic, to place under Face down painting. 5. A sharp utility blade or X-Acto knife. 6. If you have a brayer, bring it. If not, we can press the painting down against the board with the palm of our hands. (If you don't have a brayer, don't buy one just for this one exercise). This is an experiment, so it may be best if you can buy just one hardboard panel or cradleboard to see how it goes for you. If you buy online, you may have to buy a large quantity. I don't think you can buy just one online. But you can buy a single item at a brick-and-mortar store such as Artist and Craftsman, or Blick Materials (or wherever you shop for your brick-and-mortar supplies). It's always good to call the retailer first to make sure they have these items in stock before leveling to the store. (Do not get the kind of board that is already covered with canvas). (Do not get Ampersand Gessobord. It's a high-quality board with a beautifully prepared surface. But it's more expensive and unnecessary for this experiment).  At left: Single pieces of hardboard. At right: the backside of a cradle board.  Smallest container of YES Paste, or the smallest container of Gamblin PVA Size. They both do the same thing.  Brayer (if you already have one it would be handy, but not required) Review this blog post on mounting loose canvas on board.  One of the painters in my program, Amanda Baumgartner, recently finished this painting of a dramatic cloud and reflections in water.  Please check out Amanda's Instagram video of her in the process of painting: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8CsyGjJmjS/ Painting pictures of the sea in oils is both challenging and rewarding. Capturing the dynamic movement of waves, the play of light on water, and the vastness of bodies of water requires skill and patience. The challenges include rendering realistic textures and achieving the right balance of colors to depict depth and motion. The rewards come in the form of creating a scene that evokes the power and beauty of the sea, and offers viewers a sense of tranquility and awe. Famous sea painters include J.M.W. Turner, whose dramatic seascapes are legendary, and Winslow Homer, known for his realistic and evocative marine scenes.  "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)" by Winslow Homer was painted between 1873 and 1876  J.M.W. Turner- "The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up", 1838
Oil Painting on Gold Leaf: A Fusion of Metallic Reflection with Opaque and Glazed oil Paint6/3/2024   Gustav Klimt created his gold leaf paintings primarily during his "Golden Phase," which spanned from the late 1890s to the early 1910s. This period is characterized by his extensive use of gold leaf, inspired by Byzantine mosaics and the Art Nouveau movement. Oil painting on gold leaf is a technique that marries the luminous quality of gold with the rich texture of oil paints. The process begins by applying thin sheets of gold leaf to a prepared surface, using an adhesive called ‘size’ to ensure it adheres smoothly. Once the gold is set, artists paint over it with oil paints, often using glazed layers to allow the gold to shimmer through. This method creates a striking visual effect, enhancing the depth and brilliance of the artwork. Historically used in religious iconography and fine art.  Gustav Klimt. Noticed the scale of this piece compared to the stairs on the left, it's quite large  Stephanie Rew https://www.stephanierew.co.uk/  Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room; James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903); 1876–77; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, and wood.  Chinese Women and Children in a Palace Garden - screen, formerly attributed to Kano Eitoku
While I do not teach gold leaf techniques in my studio at the Phinney Center in Seattle, if you are interested in experimenting with gold leaf techniques, there are many informative instructional videos on YouTube. |
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Patrick Howe, Artist, Author and Educator Seattle, WA. Contact: [email protected] |
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