Let's paint oils from life!

[Hostajunkie]

Wonderful contributions!!! This is the kind of thread that I need to inspire me to crack open my new box of oils. I’ve hesitated far too long, but I’ve never painted with oils before… and I have two cats. Lol!

 

[P. Barrie]

The palette for the apples, as I best remember:ultramarine deep; burnt sienna; PR255; PR154; PR108 (purple Rembrandt); PV19; PY35(lemon); PY35(deep); Cad Orange.

 

[Enyaw]

Dealing with getting wet oils home is one of the plein air stumbling blocks for me

Unfortunately the pictures are missing but I'm sure you can see the simplicity and how it works. You may have to read it all. I don't know. It's not with my box so it may be in the shed with my aluminum easel. Not sure where it went as I don't Plein Air anymore.

Plein Air Wet Panel Carrier

 

[moscatel]

Ntl, excellent work and very good view with clear shapes and interesting colors to paint. You asked for C&C so I might pick one thing that might be ok in your painting but show different in photo: anyway .. the distant line where the blue lake area meets the distant green foliage is the same value (and color) as the tree branches. At first it looks to me that this distant line is one of the tree branches. By painting it different from the branches you can add something lighter to the mixture like I would mix OH Ultramarine Blue deep and white. What ever you mix there to make it lighter (bluer, greyer) check the mixture if it corresponds to the tone and value of that line, meaning the value of course but also if the line is warm or cool tone. Yellows and reds drop out first (I think in that order) when it comes to distance but there is one guy who could make those work in the distance, his name is Levitan.

Grotius, thank you!

DM, thank you for your comments earlier!

P.Barrie, thank you for commenting! Those apples are ready pick and eat! Beautiful colors. I like their wax kind of feel on the surface. Lovely lost edges and interesting reflected shadows. Composition to me looks perfect. Shiny table top gives a lot to this painting. I can see the light coming from outside in the brightest lights on the apples. Well done! Lovely work!

Triss, thank you for your comments! Your latest painting is excellent, fresh and moving textures. Do you play this instrument? Violin?
What I do when I return home with wet paintings is I have pieces of cork (need to be equal sizes) from bottles and in the corners of the wet boards I set cork pieces and masking tape will hold the package together. Never fails. Easy, cheap, home made "carrier" .

Hostajunkie, thank you! Welcome to the 'Oil from Life' thread. This thread helps also me to do more daily paintings and trying different objects to paint. We can post here good and not so good work without hesitation. Also wip's are ok, I think and studies from life.

Arty, you have a show coming up? Where? When? Plein air sketches sound fun, I hope you get to go out to draw/paint. I go less now pleinairing b/c it's cold but I still do go time to time. Although, cat stays now home, for her it's too cold, she only has a thin outer fur. Please, do try painting from life objects: at first it's demanding but after you notice how much more information you get from life observation. Hmmm .. I'd go paint a barrel cactus if I had them here ..

Ugh, duh .. I have so many to finish and yet last nite I started another pumpkin ...

I post here just a crop of the next pumpkin painting which is oil on canvas and slightly bigger one. Quite a disaster now but I hope I can fix it tonight:

 

[ntl]

moscatel, your painted pumpkins are good renditions of the models, this one in particular, I think. Colors and shapes appear on my monitor to be life-like, very believable. Well done.

 

[Lazarus]

moscatel, your painted pumpkins are good renditions of the models, this one in particular, I think. Colors and shapes appear on my monitor to be life-like, very believable. Well done.

Agree.

 

[ntl]

moscatel said "Ntl, excellent work and very good view with clear shapes and interesting colors to paint. You asked for C&C so I might pick one thing that might be ok in your painting but show different in photo: anyway .. the distant line where the blue lake area meets the distant green foliage is the same value (and color) as the tree branches. At first it looks to me that this distant line is one of the tree branches. By painting it different from the branches you can add something lighter to the mixture like I would mix OH Ultramarine Blue deep and white. What ever you mix there to make it lighter (bluer, greyer) check the mixture if it corresponds to the tone and value of that line, meaning the value of course but also if the line is warm or cool tone. Yellows and reds drop out first (I think in that order) when it comes to distance but there is one guy who could make those work in the distance, his name is Levitan."
First, thanks so much for these comments. They are appreciated, and I will keep them in mind.
That lake area--thanks for recognizing it as water, I wasn't sure at all it came across that way. It's actually not a lake but rather a drainage pond for the neighborhood I live in. It stretches maybe 150 yards, and is maybe 10-15 yards wide behind our house.
You're correct about that shore line, and I should not have left it like that.

I will make an explanation here--not as excuse, but to further understand:
my own understanding: I got somewhat energized reading this thread at my computer, looking at the burning bush, knowing I had wanted to paint it a few weeks ago while it still had some green.
I had this paper gessoed and handy, along with two brushes, and my tiny plein air study kit that I thought had enough paint in it waited in the freezer. I retrieved it, a bottle of oil and my palette, got settIed at my desk, and opened the paint case to find myself short on most colors, including yellow, green, and blue. I did have white, 3 reds, orange, cad yellow deep, a touch of a lemon color, and a bit of cerulean and even less ultramarine.) I chose to use what I had --thinking of DM here, and running out of paint--make do--rather than go replenish what was missing. Normally, when I finish with this little paint kit I do clean out the bays and add paint as needed. I guess I didn't do that last time.
I was afraid I'd get distracted and not do this...This is not where I generally paint with oils.
I obstructed myself by not being prepared--not taking the time to better prepare, and by rushing through this, keeping in mind a "plein air time limit" of about 2 hours, and getting frustrated because of lack of blues, yellow and green.
This is the result. I really appreciate you taking the time for such a good crit and suggestions for improving.
One for me is, take the time to be sure I have all my paints ready.

Geoff, I don't know what red that is, it could have been a naptha red. I have several different reds and have been using them instead of cad red light in this little study kit. I did add cad orange to V left, and alizeron crimson to V right, near the green bush, trying for lights and shadows.
My kit has been re-filled and is now in the freezer waiting for the next time.
moscatel, again, thanks.

 

[Artyczar]

Geoff, I have a question about painting "from life." It's probably a stupid question, but is it not the same or the same as Plein air, or still life? Meaning, can it be from photographs? I paint from photos I take from real life, but then I change them up significantly. It is a little scary to show my original reference shots, but I would here.

Moscatel, I have a solo show coming up in 2022 at the gallery that reps me in Santa Monica (CA), and my last solo show was in 2019. They usually give me a big solo exhibition every couple of years and it's a lot of planning to work towards since it's my livelihood. I have to spread those month and a half of sales (during the show) to last me more than a year, pretty much. The bulk of my income comes from those shows. Of course, I sell between the shows too, but I don't know when those sales will come--so it's hard to count on them on a regular basis.

The basic theme of this show is about land in the high desert, and ownership of the parcels being bought up in recent years, because it's been incredibly vast. The basis/theme is still being ironed out in the text I've been writing. The gallery wants the synopsis before the end of the year in order to start the marketing plans. These things are done way ahead of time because many magazines require months of lead time. I also have to produce a number of paintings in various sizes at different price points. There's a lot of wall space to fill...The show is also going to have a wall of loose drawings (an installation) which will include preliminary sketches, Plein air drawings, and location photos. The exhibit is entitled This Land.

Thanks for asking about it! It's going to open next fall. I am a very slow painter, yet my goal is about 30 pieces. I'll have to use a few older ones with the body of work I'm working on, which isn't great, but when it takes me something like three weeks to finish an oil painting, I won't have much of a choice.

 

[Grotius]

@triss Wow, that instrument picture is sublime! Is it just one color of oil stick? Those aren’t oil pastels, right? Can you recommend a stick or two I could try? Can I use a linens panel with them? Your picture is an inspiration!

@Artyczar Yes, painting from life normally means painting something at least partly from direct observation, like a live model at a figure drawing session, a still life you set up in your studio, a landscape you paint plein air or by looking outside your window, as @ntl did. In fact I’ve often heard students refer to a nude-model session as “life class”, which is sort of a funny term.

Photographs certainly can support direct observation. I routinely photograph a subject I’m painting (as does @moscatel ).

So if you do some plein air sketches, take reference photos, and then paint the finished landscape in the studio, by all means post here. I’d just ask that you post your on-location sketches as well as the finished piece. Likewise, if we sketch a portrait from life and later finish with the aid of photos— as most portrait artists do—by all means post. Just post the sketches as well as the finished product. The hope is that we take at least a stab at sketching or drawing the subject from direct observation, even if we later finish with the aid of reference photos. It’s fun to see how people address the challenge of painting from direct observation!

 

[triss]

Wayne & moscatel - Thanks so much - ingenious solutions to wet oils, and I appreciate the simplicity. I was looking at wet panel carriers online and frowning a lot at the prices!

Hostajunkie - Hope you're inspired to get your oils out. No tips with the cats, I'm afraid. I do have a white dog who's a magnet for any dark paint.

moscatel - Thank you, I do play a bit, and love stringed instruments. That one's a cello that's sitting around awaiting some repair. Love your latest pumpkin idea - the colours on the pumpkin are very nicely caught, and it looks like the leaves in the background will give you some interesting depth.

Artyczar - The theme of your next solo show sounds fascinating, thanks for sharing some of your plans and explaining how much work goes into pulling something like that together.

Grotius - I use R&F sticks, and really recommend the little tester set they do with Ivory Black/ Mars red/ Sienna Yellow Extra Pale. The sticks are about 1/3 of the length of the regular ones, and you can try some tonal/monochrome stuff to see if you like them - that's how I got started - they'll work on any surface you'd usually use for oil painting. The couple of sketches I've posted here were done with just one large stick - Graphite Grey.

 

[wirfi]

A little new still life. Apples and lime. 33 x 24 cm (12 x 9 inches), canvas panel. The lime was really tricky, to my surprise.

 

[Lazarus]

A little new still life. Apples and lime. 33 x 24 cm (12 x 9 inches), canvas panel. The lime was really tricky, to my surprise.

So damn alive. brilliant colors.

 

[Artyczar]

Beautiful work wirfi!

Thank you for answering my questions Geoff! I really appreciate you going into more detail. When I start some new stuff, I'll be sure to post the finished work, but I haven't started anything as of yet. I do have some older ones with a few references though. I may post that just to show something.

triss, thank you for your comments on my upcoming show. I really appreciate you reading all that!

 

[ntl]

Hostajunkie, oils are fun! I do not use solvents, only refined walnut oil, and for cleaning after work, soap and water. Hope you enjoy them.
Triss, Wayne's wet panel carrier is an inexpensive and quick, easy way to make a carrier. I saw a different set of similar directions, and used hinges on one side of the frames, rather than glue and screw 2 frames together. I added a cord'handle so I could carry it in my hand if needed. Your instrument is kind of exciting. It has a metallic appearance. I like it. How do you store your bars?

Mr. Barrie, your apples are almost too perfect, and the reflections are so very well done.

wirfi, welcome. Your piece is beautiful, the beautiful drapery "nest" almost says it's a gift for someone.

Geoff, the oil bars/sticks from different manufacturers are of different softnesses. From my understanding, R&F is softest, Sennalier not quite so, my bars, WN's, are a bit firmer. I also have Kama sticks. Kama, and Shiva, too, IIRC, are pretty hard, You might have to go to a place like etsy to get WN's.

To me, painting "oils from life" means having that subject in front of me, whether it's a landscape, a life model--nude or clothed, a still life, a model of some kind, such as a toy, a piece of furniture, a box, the spatula (clean, or with the still egg on it ) drapery, etc.
It does not mean painting the photo of the subject even if the photo was taken minutes prior. I will take a photo when finished if I plan to post it somewhere, such as here, or for me to judge it myself.

​

 

[wirfi]

wirfi, welcome. Your piece is beautiful, the beautiful drapery "nest" almost says it's a gift for someone.

Thanks, you mean my old t-shirt that served as a base

 

[Enyaw]

Thanks, you mean my old t-shirt that served as a base

honesty is so pleasant.

 

[Enyaw]

my cup of coffee .. inside a half hour .. knife and brush .. the hard part was not drinking the coffee while I painted. Drawn with the brush as I painted .. probably 8 x 10 as it's just haphazard paint job painted on a throw away piece of paper. The other side was a failed painting. I actually should have looked at it before I called it done but I wanted the coffee.

 

[wirfi]

my cup of coffee .. inside a half hour .. knife and brush .. the hard part was not drinking the coffee while I painted. Drawn with the brush as I painted .. probably 8 x 10 as it's just haphazard paint job painted on a throw away piece of paper. The other side was a failed painting. I actually should have looked at it before I called it done but I wanted the coffee.

That's impressive speed. I like it It is very interesting to see your interpretation of the colours, compared to your photograph. What your eyes captured is more interesting then what the camera captured.

 

[moscatel]

Ntl, thank you for commenting on the pumpkins. I've been painting till 5:30 am and am almost done with the "Pumpkins and Ivy" still life. I can't sleep so I paint. Guess what, I read with great interest your story about how you start painting and we are the same: When I started to paint this last pumpkin in the middle of the process I started to look for my paints. My studio is a chaos, I can't help it.
Lazarus, thank you!

Arty, your exhibition plans are interesting to read. Thank you for writing about it. Since your yearly income depends on this exhibition I would say it's a very lucky thing that there is this particular gallery who shows your work and also makes effort to find clients. Yes, I think 3 weeks is very little time per one painting to prepare. I can not even imagine how much work is to fill entire gallery walls with paintings. I just found yesterday "Art Talk" forum and I saw there pictures of your latest sales exhibition, it was interesting to read but I didn't quite understand why the dates went wrong to the brochure!? Will you be posting photos and updates of your 2022 Gallery Exhibition to "Art Talk" too? Will be checking there ..

Triss, the link ntl provided is very good and yes, I read that you can paint on any support as we do with oils and the surface needs to be acrylic or oil primed with gesso. If I find these bars/sticks at a local art store I might buy a few. I'm now curious. Also, so lovely to have different instruments as model to a painting. I have a big black piano but to paint that I need to think how to paint a black color reflecting piano.

Hostajunkie, I didn't get your comment about two cats earlier. Now I do .. lol .. wet paints are fine with cats. At first my cat when kitten stepped twice on my palette. We cleaned the paws but she learned soon that she doesn't want to step on any wet paint. Cats like to be clean. She did get couple of time Michael Harding bright orange color to her fur but that was only in the beginning. Cats are smart, they learn fast. Besides I have learned with my cat her route where she walks, she always tends to walk in the same path here at home and by knowing that I don't put my palette or wet paintings there. It's actually pretty easy with cats.

Wirfi, excellent still life! To me the limes look like plums so you could just call your still life "Apples and plums".
Wayne, very well done still life! The cast shadow is curious, I like it. That's a fair reason to stop painting: have a cup of coffee.

Will post my latest pumpkin painting soon. It's almost finished, only needs some more leaves of ivy which I paint tonight.

 

[Grotius]

@Enyaw Thanks for posting your coffee. Like @moscatel ‘s onions, your subject was in danger of being consumed before it could be painted! I like the vignette style and the color choices, especially of your shadows. I also like to
draw with the brush.

@wirfi , amazing work. How did you pull of that subtle lighting around the old t shirt? The dark and light passages are neat.

@triss I just suck it up and pay the outrageous prices for Raymar wet panel carriers. I like them
because they’re light, and with a history of
hernias, I can’t carry a lot of weight. This summer I forgot to bring them to a plein air event and I cursed my stupidity every day. Absolutely essential.

@Hostajunkie Like @ntl I paint in oils without chemical solvents, using walnut oil to clean brushes. Sometimes I use water miscible oils, mostly at the sketch/lay-in/underpainting stage. I also use Utrecht cadmium free oils for some yellows and reds.