Friday Funnies

I still haven't given up my idea of doing something with the poplar trees in my backyard. I suppose because they will soon be without leaves and it will all grow a little desolate looking out there! Yesterday I had a quick 15 minutes while supervising children and making dinner, so I did this little sketch through the window. (Sorry about the photo - not my morning for technology! ;-)

Onto the funnies...I read this little story about Monet the other night. In 1889, he began painting a rocky hillside in the valley of the Creuse in winter. These works (here is one, the blurb mentions this story) were all about the forbidding mood of winter. Trouble was, he didn't finish until May. So, being ever authentic, he hired two gardeners to pull the leaves off of the budding oak tree during the spring, while he finished painting the series. His comment: "Isn't it just too much to be finishing a winter landscape at this time of year?" (House, Monet: Nature Into Art, p.25)

I guess Monet was human after all...hey, wait a minute, I could hire a couple of workmen to paste the leaves back on my poplars while I work on this idea through the fall and winter! :D

Quickie Today

Gawler Ranges, Australia, WIP
colored pencil on drafting film, 12 in x 15 in
copyright J. Rose Welty

This needs some more tweaking, I think. It may need to sit for a few days...i.e. I need it to sit for a few days so I can "see" it again.

Just a quickie today...here's what I'm off to do...

Monet on Having a Style

Gawler Ranges, Australia, WIP
colored pencil on drafting film, 12 in. x 15 in.
copyright J. Rose Welty

Have you heard that you need to develop an artistic style? Something that you are thereafter known for? Are you trying to find/develop that elusive style? Up and coming artists are often advised to develop something that makes them stand out, something that immediately identifies their work. This often becomes a major hazard for a young artist who struggles to find that defining element. Their work can then stagnate and become troublesome as they search for that "it" factor.

So, I chuckled when I read a quote last night about Monet's view on "style". He had been branching out in subject matter on recent travels in 1863. Paul Durand-Ruel, an art dealer that bought and sold many Monet works, objected to Monet's new experiments. Monet replied, "There's no point in my being the man of the sunlight, as you call it, one mustn't specialise in a single theme." (House, Monet:Nature Into Art, p. 25)

It's doubly funny that Monet saw no point in specialization, because Monet, in today's terms, definitely had that style or "it" factor. His work is some of the most recognizable on the planet. Did he just try to say that he didn't have a style, but he really did? Did he not recognize that he had a style? Did he realize later the value of style? Were his experiments so bad that he ended up deciding style wasn't such a bad thing? Maybe an artist is never the best one to know his style, in other words, he/she is just too close to the thing to see it, until someone else points it out? What do you think?

Above you see more progress on the Gawler Ranges. I do hope to finish it soon and get some different images up for you to see. :-)

Monet on Drawing

Gawler Ranges, Australia, WIP
colored pencil on drafting film, 12 in x 15 in
copyright J. Rose Welty

We threw our book-loving selves at the mercy of the local half-price book store on Saturday. I came up trumps. I found John House's Monet: Nature into Art (hardback) for $8. It has a few short biographical sections in the front and then proceeds into a more detailed examination of his work and working methods.

The first appendix is about his sketchbooks. Katherine made a claim in her post on Monet's sketchbooks that his drawings were mainly to gather compositional ideas. House agrees. He apparently examined Monet's canvases and claims that Monet rarely made any preliminary sketches to begin painting. There are two surviving exceptions to this rule, both being unfinished portraits. House suggests that these were experiments in a different way of working, one Monet quickly abandoned (House, p.230).

For me, I almost can't understand this. I suppose because paint is a new medium for me. But, to create forms with paint? How do you control that? Maybe it helped that he worked in oils and could scrape off whatever wasn't working. I also think it is interesting that Monet got his initial success as an artist with drawing caricatures. I wonder if in his earlier works, the more realist ones, he did do more preliminary sketches and studies.

One time Monet tried to do some drawings for publication (with a book of poems) but eventually said that he couldn't make anything of interest with them and backed out. He did do a few drawings of his paintings for magazine reproduction, but only as absolutely necessary (even sanctioning others to do it for him.) He said that he "didn't like to isolate drawing from colour." (House, p.227-8)

Above you see my progress on the Gawler Ranges.

Advice to a Young Monet, 1859

Gawler Ranges, Australia, WIP
colored pencil on drafting film, 12 in x 15 in
copyright J. Rose Welty

After Monet gained some local notoriety as a caricaturist in Le Havre, he was sent to Paris in 1859 to develop his talents. He eventually meant Constant Troyon, who gave him the following advice:

• learn to draw
• work in the studio with live models
• make copies of originals in the Louvre
• work from nature

Monet was also encouraged by Eugene Boudin to paint en plein air. As Monet explains it, it was a big moment for him as an artist.

I guess advice to budding artists hasn't changed very much over the years!

Monet on Painting

Monet said, "When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have in front of you, a tree, a field. Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here is an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape until it gives you your own naive impression of the scene." (Quote from River of Light, by Douglas Skeggs, p.53)

Do you agree with Monet? There is some truth to what he is saying, certainly focusing on just object shapes, angles and negative shapes revolutionized my drawing. But when I tried it with trees...it definitely didn't work. I had to think about trees and how they are structured. So, I generally agree with Monet, but not specifically. But then, he was a master and I am not, so maybe I should try it again :-).

Above you see the completed "backside" of my next Gawler Ranges piece. I added some more value from yesterday. Then I flipped it over and have begun coloring on the front. Another update tomorrow.

Web-Wise Wednesday 9/19/2007

Gawler Ranges, Australia, WIP
colored pencil on drafting film, 12 in x15 in
(see below for more information)
copyright J. Rose Welty

Web-Wise Wednesday - my weekly look at what I use around the web.

Site of the Week: Tutorial Man
This site is a massive collection of free photoshop tutorials. When I say massive, I mean massive. There are tutorials for several versions of Photoshop. Unfortunately, they all seem to be mixed up. But, even one tutorial that I looked at for a very old version of PS, was useful for me with the latest PS Elements.

Tutorial of the Week: Coloring Your Artwork
This tutorial was one of the ones that I found particularly useful in understanding how PS can be used in the art world. I haven't colored a sketch yet, but I do understand now how it could be done.

Gawler Ranges:
So I am continuing my series on the Gawler Ranges. My last piece was the same reference done in acrylics. This piece I will do in CPs. I started again with the grisaille technique. I've done about three hours work so far on this. I plan to do a little more on this, then flip it over and begin the coloring. I haven't done a CP piece this large before, but I just threw caution to the wind and went for it. Come to think of it, I haven't done any piece this large before!

Secrets from the Playbook 9/17/2007

This Week's Tip: Grease the Squeaky Wheel

Do you have a time of day when you are not as productive as other times? Find a way to "grease the track" for yourself during that time. For instance, I am very slow in the morning. I usually don't speak for an hour. My thinking is on "ultra-slow", it just takes me a long time to warm up all the cylinders. So, I try and make it as easy on everyone as it can be. I set up the coffee pot the night before, set the table for breakfast, make the lunches, lay out the clothes etc. It makes the night a little longer, but it enables me to just slide through the morning until I am awake enough to deal with things!

Above you see a painting I did of the Gawler Ranges in Australia at sunrise. The reference photo was taken by Susan Borgas. She has several from a trip to this part of South Australia. Check out her FreeSnapShots blog, it is definitely worth a look.

When I saw Susan's photo, Monet instantly popped into my head. It just seemed to be calling out for a Monet-type painting. I had a fun few hours painting this, it is 9in x 12in on acrylic paper. It was a new experiment in painting for me. I just began, no sketch underneath (although I had done a few value studies.) I started with some middle tone washes to break the area into sky, far distance, and foreground. Then I just went for gradual detailing with middle, light and dark values.

Later in the evening, I was reading a bit about Monet. The author claimed that in the early days, i.e. before Giverny, Monet started with middle values and then added lights and darks. That made me feel good :-). I have read that his methods changed over the years, so I guess it wasn't always this way. But, for me, it was a nice way to work.

I plan to try this next in CPs on drafting film.

Organizing Your Artwork

First, as I missed "Wed-Wise Wednesday" this week, I owe you a good link.

Last week, my friend Belinda wrote a great post on how to organize your artwork. I'd just begun thinking about this issue, how wonderful to read her post and realize that she had the answer. Belinda even has kindly shared her tables. So, my next piece is "001". I really do think this is a helpful system. I work regularly on two computers, so I have a job of keeping it all straight. This system is going to help me know what is where, and how to keep it all consistent.

Above you see a value study for my piece "001". :-) It is from a reference photo by Susan Borgas on her FreeSnapShots blog. She just returned from a long holiday, no doubt she'll be posting again sooner or later. She is a fabulous artist with a generous spirit. Her photos are really something to check out.

Monet and the presence of light

River of Light by Douglas Skeggs is one of my resources for Monet this month. There are several books on Monet, and I doubt that this is one of the highly ranked ones, but it is helping me to understand Monet better.

The picture referenced in the following quote is Terrace at Sainte-Adresse:

"The subject matter of this picture has begun to slip into second place. Monet is no longer interested in what he looks at, only in what he sees: in this sense it makes little difference to him whether he paints his aunt's portrait or her parasol. What is quite evident is that light has now become a physical presence in the painting. " (p.36, River of Light, Skeggs)

Of course, everyone talks about Monet and light. But when I read the above quote, the penny dropped in my mind. Ah, yes, that's it. I guess that I've always seen movement in Monet's work, but never asked myself movement of what - movement of light. Light as a presence, extending itself all over surfaces in a scene - itself being the action of the painting.

The image at top is where I've come to with the poplars. Honestly, this just isn't what I had in mind when I started this piece. I had a large tree, maybe even a forest in mind. In this post, I describe how I came to wanting to draw poplar trees with light in and amongst them. These few leaves just aren't that. So, I'm off to a new piece, with a short reflection:

What I learned here:

• I like using a grisaille technique, it really helps me.
• Colored pencils are magnificent on drafting film and I almost never want to use them on paper again. (To me, they feel like painting should feel!)
• You can back away from drawing trees because you are afraid of their structure, but then you'll find that leaves have structure too.
• Copic markers for my tool of choice for value studies.
  

Fine Art Friends

In May of 2006 I decided to challenge myself to draw for 15 minutes a day. I needed an outlet in the midst of the crazy life of a stay-at-home mom to three boys under 5. Drawing had always been something that I did now and then, but it was time to make it a regular thing. So, I started drawing for 15 minutes a day, no excuses - no "too tireds", no "nothing to draw", no "I'm not good at this." Just 15 minutes a day to lose myself.

Well, that led into researching information and techniques online, which lead to becoming a regular blog reader...leading to becoming a regular blog writer. All these things have been very good for me - I truly believe that I am a better wife and mother because I have my artwork and blog. I believe my family would agree. :-)

Anyway, I recently realized that I was missing another key component. I really need a group of fellow artists who would be brutally honest with me - so I can grow as an artist. A couple of months ago Maggie Stiefvater encouraged her readers about her own group Fineline Artists. And I thought, "well, yes, lovely, but how to find the people?" Then recently Katherine Tyrrell made a similar point in one of her posts. I suddenly realized that I already knew a group of people.

So I decided to email 3 other ladies whose blogs I read on a regular basis, and who I have had some email contact with. I sent them an email asking if they were interested in joining up as a group for the purposes of critique, encouragement, and laughter (laughing is always a good thing!) I made it clear that I would understand if they were not interested, but I wanted to try. All three came back eager to do it. We swapped some emails and now we have a private blog.

So, I am very proud to announce that I am a part of Fine Art Friends...with Belinda Lindhardt, Jo Castillo, and Kasie Sallee and Valerie Jones. I have to say that I am very excited to work with these ladies, I admire all of their work.

If you are looking for a similar group, start one. People can always respectfully decline your offer. All the ladies above have more experience than I do. I honestly feel amazed that they agreed to do this with me. I was very nervous sending out that email - I didn't want to lose the few friends I had made on the web! Already, this group has been a good thing for each of us. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking about joining a group to do so.

The image at the top is a detailed value study for my poplar tree experiment.

Value Studies

Alright, so inspiration hit as I was working on that Monet tree. One "scene" that often captivates me is hearing the wind blow through my trees and seeing the sunlight dance on the leaves. When I've had enough of life and need a break, I often go out in my back garden and watch the trees in the light - and if it's dark, I just listen. Fourteen of my trees are hybrid poplars, they have big waxy leaves that shine when the sun hits them. They make the most wonderful sound when the wind slaps the leaves together. I just love hearing that sound and watching the light.

Seems like a Monet moment doesn't it? Anyhoo, I've been playing with how to capture that. I started out wanting to do a large chunk of tree. Then I moved to a couple branches with clouds and sky behind. Then downsized to a clump. I'm currently down to around five leaves and blue in the background. Well, no harm in starting small.

I decided to do my value studies in a new way this time. I read Jana Bouc's post about Copic markers and value studies (found via Katherine's web roundup). I so had to try that. Above you see my efforts. I think I love these markers for this sort of thing - very quick to color a space, two tips to use for line and blocking in. My only regret is that I don't have a more middle gray, I just couldn't quite gauge the colors ordering online. I shall have to remedy that, soon.

More on Monet and light tomorrow.

Secrets from the Playbook 9/10/2007

Do What Matters
This sounds silly. In one sense, all housework and cleanliness matters, right? In another sense, none of it matters - who wants "she kept a clean house" on her tombstone? But the key to remember is to do what matters to your family - do the things that you and your family will notice or care about and be more scanty with the rest. I remember reading about one woman who worked really hard on ironing her husband's shirts - really hard. Then she suddenly realized that he didn't notice, didn't care about his shirts, and he was very discouraged that she wasn't getting to other things around the house. Moral of the story: do what matters (which varies.)

More on Monet's Tree

Here's the tree from yesterday, colored to a point. I've darkened the darkest darks. I am really happy with the grisaille. I definitely will do that again.

I think I may stop here on this one, it is only an exercise. My drawing wasn't really strong enough to warrant further work on this. But, as for trying the grisaille, it was a success. As for learning how Monet did trees (at least in the early years), it was a partial success.

I learned:
* Monet is more subtle and thoughtful than I initially gave him credit for.
* He was, even at this early stage, entranced by light and it's effects.
* I still don't know how to execute a successful tree!

Off to a busy day, have a good weekend everyone!

Values in Monet

While I am very excited to be learning about Monet this month, and I couldn't wait to get started researching, I could wait to get started on the art. You see, I'm intimidated by Monet. This is probably because our preferred subject matters differ, our mediums differ, and well, he's just so good! So, I decided to start with something less than a full Monet piece.

Above you see a copy of the tree in the Women in the Garden, 1866 piece. It was rejected by the 1867 Salon. I have not included the women for now, I'm just trying to understand how he painted such a great tree.

As I was beginning this, Wendy Prior suggested that I try doing this as a grisaille, to better understand the values. So, I've done a black/white/gray version on the back of my drafting film (the top image). The second image is how that looks on the front of the film where I will put in the colors. The idea here is to get a hold of the values before I get distracted with the colors and forget all about the values.

The eagle-eyed among you are ready to point out that I don't have any dark darks in there. (Hey, at least I recognize it this time! :-) That's only because I am a little afraid of going totally hard-core black on the back, because I am not sure how the colors will go on the front side. Last night I went to bed crushed that I had just gone way too dark all over the place and wasted a bunch of time. This morning, I'm still not entirely sure that I haven't just gone and made a mess, but I'm going to go ahead and try the colors on the front now. I can always flip it over and rework or erase what isn't working. This isn't going to be a finished piece, this is technique practice and exploration.

Finally, Monet:

• the paint might give the impression of being slapped on, but alot of thought went into those slaps.
• Monet was very careful to have darks and lights near each other - to force the tree trunk forward.
• This tree is massed in with values very carefully. He creates the tree, trees behind it, and bushes around it in a consistent space. (Most of which you don't see above.)
• In the original there are four women around the tree. In that respect, I do see a minor flaw with this. The women share space, but I think it is clear that the same woman posed for all four ladies (Camille, his mistress and later wife). The figures don't quite "join up" or look like they are in the same space at the same time. But, it is a great painting of Monet's, in my opinion.
  

Master of the Month: Monet

This month's FineLine Artists' master is Claude Monet. Above are two sketches done from a photo printed in a book. The first I did with pencil. The second, in the spirit of Jo Castillo, I did without a pencil outline. They are in my rapidly filling Moleskine! Not great sketches, but a fun start to what I hope will be a month of learning.

Here are a few starters on Monet:
His palette
Biography - and a search feature for seeing some of his works
Summary
A fun little article on his work and where to discover an unknown Monet

Here's what my local library had on Monet:
The Essential Claude Monet by Catherine Morris
Essential Monet by Vanessa Potts
River of Light: Monet's Impressions of the Seine by Douglas Skeggs

Katherine posted several links to books and sites this morning. She's a Monet expert, so I'll definitely check them out!

I actually know very little about Monet, so it should be a fun month for me! So far, I like that everything I have consulted says that he worked very hard to be successful! That first book is a very quick read, hopefully I'll have a review for you tomorrow.

Secrets from the Playbook - 9/3/2007

This week's tips are of the "more clean with less cleaning" variety...

Swish N' Swipe
This is a tip that I picked up from FLYLady. I have to say that this one revolutionized my whole perspective on cleaning. I realized that I needed to stop having a cleaning day and just apply the principle of the Swish N' Swipe all over the house. Anyway, a Swish and Swipe is basically cleaning your bathroom when you have one extra minute to be in there, every day or near every day. By giving it a quick wipe down often, the nasty stuff doesn't have time to grow! I usually do this as the last thing before bed. When I'm in there, rinsing with mouthwash, I grab the windex and a paper towel. I squirt the mirror, wipe it, then wipe the counter (with the same paper towel), then wander over to the toilet wipe the top of the tank and seat lid, then I wipe the seat and discard the towel. Then I squirt a little windex in the toilet, grab the brush and give it a swish. Then I spit out the mouthwash, wash my hands and go to bed, feeling like a goddess of house management :-).

Obviously, you do need to give it a good antibacterial scrub now and again, but this will keep it respectably clean for a while. If I'm sitting there and see hair on the floor, I don't whine that I can never keep the house clean, I grab some toilet paper and do a quick sweep where I see the hair. Unsightly problem fixed, no whining or guilt involved!

Fire Drill on Clutter
This is another FLYLady tip. Take 2 minutes (and I mean only two minutes!) and do a quick spot check of your clutter hotspots. One of the last things I do before heading to the bedroom is give a quick glance to our kitchen bar area - that's where the mail, the boys' precious scribbles, etc pile up. I do a quick run-through. I only spend two minutes. At first, I only reduced the pile. Now, as I do it everyday, I rarely have more than a minute's work there.

For me, these two tips make the house basically company ready all the time. I do vacuum and dust of course, but those are 10 minute jobs I do when I see they need to be done.

The sketch above is from a WetCanvas reference image, just a quickie to keep the drawing muscles limber this weekend.