This is just a tiny 5x7 sketch of a 150ml tube of Ultramarine Blue, the tube is bigger then the painting.
Today was a busy one in Studio de Dan, I oil primed 5 ea 24x36 and 5 each 30x40 and 5 16x20 canvases. All to get ready for my show coming at the end of April. That might not sound like alot to some of you, but any painter that has had their home decorated with fresh primed canvas can attest to the smell being a bit overbearing (alkyd based) and man that paint flew to places I was nowhere near, but I got it all. (i think) I also painted a 12x12 of the snow bank in the driveway but no good light to photo by(or paint), so you get the paint tube. When I was getting started on my painting; my bulk order of white and some fresh Utrecht brushes got delivered (WOOHOO) so hopefully no more brush strokes that look like I made them with my fingers,YAY. Quote:" The successful painter is continually painting still life." Charles Hawthorne..
6 comments:
You've got your work cut out for you, this is an exciting time! I hope there is good weather for you, just be sure to bring plenty of coffee or tea when you paint.
I'm interested in learning more about the ground you are using vs. an acrylic ground and hearing if you like the brushes. I am meaning to get some Utrecht french ultramarine as I hear it's the best.
Completing that many large canvases before April is some challenge. Have you planned the subject matter or are you intending to base them on your plein air work?
Hey Kyle, Thanks for the well wishes on the weather, I could use it here. The Oil Ground I'm using is Winsor Newton "Oil Ground" its an alkyd based almost house paint consistency primer. I add a bit of oderless thinner to it to make it more fluid then I scrub it into the acrylic primed canvases. This does two things for your surface 1 The surface becomes faster, and can accept your sketch and color massing with out killing your brushes. 2 The surface is not so porous and lets me not waste paint filling in the weave of the canvas, cause the primer already did. As for the brushes, I feel Utrecht brushes are great and also like Princeton flats. Pretty much any flat that stays sharp for at least a week is OK in my book, alot turn into like a wide round brush with a very thick tip , not sharp like it should be. As for the French UltraMarine, I don't think Utrecht even manufactures that color anymore, just regular Ultramarine Blue(less red in regular)
Hey Mick,, yeah it should be quite a challenge, they are going to be done in plein air, so to anwser you yes.. :)
Thanks for the advice on primer and brushes, I'm going to give the oil ground a shot.
Kyle
Just wish I could get to see the results. Good luck.
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