Red Cabbage Patch, Art Tip #18 Thumbnail Sketch

" Red Cabbages "

Oil (in process)

24"x24"

Here is the current painting I am working on. I like to use acrylic Yellow Oxide to tone gessoed canvas or linen. The background is completed and some of the cabbage leaves are roughed in. You can see my premixed palette in use (I posted it a few days ago before I started painting. The colors across the top are straight from the tube colors, not part of the painting, just hanging out ready to remix more color if needed.

I use Liquin as a medium, also for mixing glazes. My current favorite brushes are Robert Simmons Titanium. For the small 6x6 panels I will do the entire painting with a #4 Bright.

Art Tip #18: Thumbnail sketch...a tiny little sketch, 3"x 4" or so, of my idea for a painting. I try several to see basic shapes/line/form/value....it's a necessary plan, step one in composing a painting. You need a "road map" or "plan" to see where you are going..otherwise you'll be making changes when you get into the painting process..one change leads to another and pretty soon you have a "mess" and most likely a weak painting. Start with a simple plan...a strong base on which to later/lastly put some details, if needed.

Succulents III, Art Tip # 17

" Succulents III "

Oil

30"x30"

Available

This is number three in this succulent series. The first two were painted in 1985! I love this subject because it has many contrasting elements. The soft blue greens/warm yellow greens. Softly mottled leaves (or are they pettles?) constrast with sharp pointy tips. Red with green. This plant is in a terra cotta chicken planter..I think being contained created more "chicks". The ones in my gardern seem to have more "Hens" next to each other with fewer "chicks".

Art Tip #17: I hope I'm not repeating myself here: For a great brush holder for oil painters. Take a large, deep, plastic container (like the ones dried dates come in) about 8" in diameter. Fill it with those round, little black beans (Azuki?). Stand your wet brushes in this holder as you paint. I don't know if watercolorists or acrylic painters can do this, as the water would run down into the ferrule.

Going Places, Farm Geese, Zebras, White Rhino

"Going Places"

Oil

20"x35"

Available

Finally...here is the completed painting that I posted in stages a month or more ago. I will add the image back on the last of the posted stages so you can see the process step by step.

Hope your summer is going well..we are having sunny weather after weeks of record rains.

My trip to Florida was fabulous..here's a couple of the photos taken from the back of an open pick up..9 amazing White Rhinos! I signed up for a private photo session..just me and two gamekeepers. The outside of all their vehicles are well dented! I could have reached out and touched them, they were that close. The baby rhino was 6 months old. I now have some wonderful reference photos for zebra paintings, too. I have done many zebra paintings in the past when I was sprecializing in batik on silk. Email me if you would like information on this game park.