Sergei Bongart: Notes on Painting

Graphic designer and fine artist Norm Nason has compiled and posted a page of Sergei Bongart's Notes on Painting. A student of Russian realism and American impressionism, Bongart was an influential painter and instructor until his death in 1985. Here is some of the guidance that he gave his many students (and note the encouraging disclaimer at the end):

It is vital at the start of a painting to cover the white of the canvas with chosen silhouettes of color. Do this as soon as possible. A white canvas masks the truth of the color relationships.

It is entirely possible, and often advisable, to spend 90% of your time merely adjusting the big, simple shapes before ever moving to the rendering.

Of all the properties of color, value is by far the most powerful. Value and design set the painting; all else builds from them.

When dealing with complimentary colors in a composition (warms against cools), a good rule of thumb is to shift both to the same side of the color wheel. This may help harmonize and otherwise sharp composition. Take, for example, yellow and violet. Move them both to, say, the red side. The yellow then becomes a yellow-orange, while the violet becomes a reddish violet.

A light object against a dark background (in intense light) will have its edges flare and soften into the darkness, taking on the intense color of the light. The human eye naturally focuses on one distinct area at a time, leaving everything else softly out of focus. When painting, pick out a few hard edges at points where you want the viewer to concentrate and soften the edges elsewhere.

Disclaimer. All of the above are basic observations of light on form. Things tend to play in reality the way I've stated. However, you can easily find wonderful exceptions in the art world to everything I've told you. Use the information as a tool to learn color, but don't feel inhibited by it. Remember that art, at its best, is the seeing of life in new and exciting ways, not as rote formula.

Stay in the paint!

Sergei Bongart

The Ontario Plein Air Society

These people don't give up just because it's winter. The Ontario Plein Air Society has posted a video and some tips for painting in the cold. Don't use glass or metal palettes, dress in 6 (count 'em) layers of clothing, take a break every 20 minutes to warm up, add some gylcerine to acrylics or watercolors, bring something hot to drink. We've also heard of putting "hand warmers" under your palette to keep paint from getting stiff, using an umbrella as a windbreak and wearing ice cleats to keep your feet off the cold ground.

Here's something that hadn't occurred to us: "We begin to prepare for the winter by hardening the body to cool mornings in the fall. You know, bare hands, inadequate layering etc. until it warms up. The body makes amazing adjustments. So much so that the recent warm spell here in November required us to remove some early layers to accommodate the over heating body in its early winter adaptation."

The winter landscape does offer dramatic "chiaroscuro" effects for those brave enough to capture them.

Richard McKinley - Pastel Pointers

Richard McKinley paints in both oils and pastels and teaches workshops nationwide in both mediums. He grew up in the Rogue Valley in Oregon, where he was first inspired to pay attention to nature and the way light defines the location.

His weekly blog for Pastel Journal magazine, entitled Pastel Pointers, is available online and is useful for any painter, whether using pastels or another medium.

Titles of recently posted articles include "Reflecting on Reflections," "Digital Thumbnail Sketch," "A Lesson From Sargent" and "A Painterly Approach to Drawing."

Gesso - Traditional and Acrylic

Gesso (which is Italian for "gypsum" or chalk) comes in two kinds - acrylic and traditional - depending on the binder used. In Europe, the word gesso is reserved for animal-glue mixtures, while the modern product is called "acrylic polymer primer." This acrylic "gesso" doesn't create a chemical bond with oil paint, but a mechanical bond is formed if the proportions of acrylic and chalk are correct. It's helpful to wipe acrylic-primed canvas with a damp cloth to remove any residual surfactant from the surface (and let it dry) before applying paint. Acrylic gesso creates a flexible surface suitable for paintings on stretched canvas.

Traditional gesso offers a unique surface which is both smooth and absorbent. It is inflexible when dry, and this makes it an appropriate foundation for oil paint, which also becomes hard and brittle when dry. It's possible to use it on stretched canvas, but only if the canvas is subsequently mounted on a rigid panel. When painting outdoors, it's usually easier to paint directly on panels, which are sturdier and more compact than stretched canvas.

There are recipes for homemade gesso, but to make it easier and to avoid problems caused by inexact proportions, Gamblin's Traditional Gesso is what we recommend.

Book Review - An Artist's Book of Excuses

We discovered a great new product at the National Art Materials trade show in May: a spiral-bound (take it in the field with you) guidebook written by artist and Soltek Easel inventor Jim Wilcox. Illustrated with cartoons by his friend and fellow-painter John Potter (check out this page on his website that shows his painting process from sketch through beautiful finished painting) the book contains 52 reasons why things can go wrong and suggestions on how to survive the situation, put it right and possibly avoid it in the future.

Here are some sample pages, including the excuse and Jim Wilcox's advice:

"I just can't paint (a) trees (b) figures (c) animals.
"The really wonderful news about painting is that we don't need to be able to paint any particular subject. All we need to do is find the shapes of color in our subject and repeat them on our canvas, thus putting the right color in the right place."

"They said art is a relaxing hobby, but I get so uptight!
"Some people have said that they find painting relaxing. Either they are missing something or I am. It can be pleasant and occasionally rewarding, but I find it taxing and mentally challenging as well. On occasion, a most successful painting appears to 'fall off the brush.' It will be easy to paint and exhilarating, but even this wonderful experience isn't usually what I would describe as relaxing."

"It was too (a) hot (b) cold (c) rainy (d) windy.
"The more comfortable you are when painting, and the fewer unpleasant distractions, the better you should paint. However, some of the most dramatic moments in nature are a result of atmospheric stress."

And, our favorite (based on a true incident):

"A bear ate my white paint.
"Don't try to get your white paint back - you can't outrun a bear. If you brought your watercolors as well, you are in luck. If you brought a friend with paint, your luck is even better, and painting can continue...assuming the bear has left."

This helpful guide is available from soltekarts.com or from our website.

Dianna Shyne - Demos

Dianna Shyne studied Russian Impressionism for 15 years and has worked in oils, watercolor and acrylic. In 2000, health issues caused her to discontinue working with oils and turn to acrylics instead.

This is a link to a demo about keeping acrylics from drying on your palette, and here is a page on her website where she does a 30"x40" painting on location.

The painting shown (above) was done during an artist-research project in the Northwest rainforest, sponsored by National Geographic magazine. The artists climbed trees and painted on platforms high above the ground.

Sketching Birds from Life

If you sit inside a blind (maybe near a water source), remain quiet, wear subdued colors or camouflage, use binoculars and your peripheral vision, have your materials at the ready (using toned paper would be less disturbing to wildlife) and practice patience, you can fill your sketchbook with all kinds of birds and other wild creatures. Focus closely for a second or two (take a "snapshot" with your eyes), then look at your paper and re-create the pose & gesture.

Here is a birder's blog, and here is a quote from one of the posts:

To draw something is to own it. You take home a sheet of paper with an image filtered through you, and you have an intense experience of the subject that can’t be taken away. You have absorbed it’s every motion, nuance, feather tract and life-force and it becomes a member of the academy of brain cells and nerve fibers. If, someday, you see that species again, you have the reserves to work from, the muscle memory, and the proportions are stored where you can retrieve them again. ~ Debby Kaspari

This is her website. Most of her work is done on paper, either in graphite and pastel, pen and ink, or watercolor; acrylic on board or canvas is used as well.

Video demonstration of the Jewell Box Viewfinder

This is a very helpful demo about how to use the Jewell Box Viewfinder. Artist, educator and inventor Dr. Russell Jewell shows how to find and capture an effective composition when you're outdoors, surrounded by infinite possibilities.

Dr. Jewell originally discovered the concept for this product while teaching a quadriplegic student to paint (by using his mouth to hold the brush). He realized that any painting student could benefit from this useful tool. There will be an article by him in the June 2009 Watercolor Artist Magazine.

Alla Prima Demonstration by Larry Seiler

Packing for Plein Air

Preparation is key when packing for plein air excursions. Just like backpacking, every ounce counts. These are some tips to consider when deciding what to bring or leave in the studio:

• Take only the colors you need. Consider the time of year and the location you are planning on visiting when thinking about your palette. This may mean just 6 small tubes of paint, or a handful of half stick pastels.
• Do you really need all those brushes? Fewer brushes will also help with space and cleanup.
• Small amounts of turpentine/mineral spirits. Store in tightly sealed containers to prevent spills.
• Take panels instead of canvases (see previous post)
• Paper Towels are always a good idea; you can cut the roll in half to reduce size/weight!
• When looking for other art supplies, travel sized/travel friendly options are always your best bet.
• Don’t forget sunscreen, bug repellent, water, snacks, and a hat.

How will you carry your supplies? Pochade Boxes and Plein Air Easels (French, Soltek, etc.) are specially made to hold your art supplies inside them, and are great ways to limit what you take with you in the field. Otherwise a small bag or tackle box can do the trick. If you are hiking into the field, or even just down the street, you should be able to carry everything comfortably in one trip. This could be a comfortable backpack, shoulder bag, cart, or any combination.

Every artist has their own particular way of doing things. Try out different options and see what works best for you.

Using Cast Shadows

Here is a link to an informative article on Empty Easel about the use of cast shadows. It has some great tips for all kinds of painting and drawing, not just plein air.

Brian Buckrell's Plein Air Acrylic Set-up and Procedure

I have been plein air painting for about 4 years. In that period I have had the good fortune of taking numerous workshops from skilled painters doing plein air in both acrylics and oils. I am a bit of a gear-head (according to my wife), and as a result I have tried most set-ups and modified most of what I have purchased. Through trial and error, and studying the set-ups of others, I now have equipment that I am happy with.

I have purchased and used the 9x12 and 6x8 Guerrilla Boxes™, the Soltek Easel, and two sizes of the Easy L. I find any of these work fine for me when using oils - although each has its particular advantages. But for acrylics, after trying all, I have setteled on the 9x12 Guerrilla Box™ slightly modified to fit my needs. It is the sturdiest of the bunch and holds the most. I find painting with acrylics requires more supplies and the Guerrilla Box™ handles it well. If I am painting in an urban setting or some place close to my car, I transport my equipment in a folding hand truck equipped with plastic containers held in with quick ties.

I have modified the Guerrilla Box™ as follows: I have attached two bungees across the top of the lid of the Guerrilla Box™ to hold my Slip in Easel. I use the Slip in Easel to raise the base of the panel above the palette. I use a bungee that ties to the handle of the tripod and hooks over to the top of my panel - adequate for panels up to 16x20. For larger panels I put a bungee around the back of the box lid which hooks to each side of the panel. The Sta-Wet palette is held in place by two small nails that I hammered into the front edge of the Guerrilla Box™ and cut off the nail heads. These grab the plastic ridges on the base of the Sta-Wet and prevent it from sliding.

Painting Procedure:

It took a while to get it through my thick head, but I have finally learned that time spent planning is probably the most important time spent when doing plein air. I do at least two thumbnail sketches, selecting what to include and what to eliminate. I try to clearly define a foreground, midground and background. I then transfer the sketch to the panel using water soluble pencil, then re-draw it using a waterproof black marker pen - many brands bleed but some, like Sharpie, do not. I then wash off the water soluble pencil.

Once the sketch is in place I choose a transparent color (generally warm) and, using glazing medium, apply the under painting. Sometimes I apply it evenly and quite heavy; other times I wipe it off selectively, creating a value pattern. While the under painting is drying I select my palette (color choices vary from day to day). Unlike with oils, I do not put out all paints until I require them - and am constantly adding paint as needed (which is conveniently below my palette with the Guerrilla Box™). I begin by putting out the dark transparents and usually just put them on the 9x12 disposable palette which I discard once finished with these. If the weather is not too drying I put them on either the 9x12 plastic palette (using both the lid and bottom - stacking them on the slider) or the Sta-Wet 12x16 with disposable palette paper or, if conditions suggest, I will use the Sta-Wet moistened paper and sponge. I then lay in my darks using the transparent - often quite loosely - creating shape and value as much as possible. I avoid adding white - including colors made opaque with white - as long as I can. I often start with the foreground - using as much transparent as possible - and cut out the mid ground shapes with opaques as I create the background. Once the basic plan is in place I often glaze with transparent darks - often phthalos (green, blues or magenta) sometimes with ivory black added - always with glazing medium and a bit of water. This drops the overall value and creates harmony (a mother color if you wish). Then I come back with opaques and re-develop the lighter values.

I have a history of overworking many paintings. I have learned that I am better off not trying to finish many of my paintings on site - although about 20% of pieces I do call finsihed. The others I return to my studio to finish without reference, trying to make the piece stand on its own. Probably 25% are complete junkers - but that is down from 50% two years ago and I have to remember that these are the ones I learn from. I credit most of my improvement to the advance planning and the application of a correct drawing before I start - particulary in complex urban scenes.

Generally I prefer to paint plein air with acrylics. I find I paint more imaginatively and with more color. I paint fast and furiously. I no longer experience trouble with drying as I only put out paints I am using - and I have painted in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. I have tried the slow drying brands but prefer to keep them for the studio.

- Brian Buckrell

Brian Buckrell.com

How to Make Your Own Conservation Quality Canvas Panels

Making a conservation-quality canvas panel requires a reversible adhesive. In this example, we'll be usng Lascaux 498 HV, a water-soluble, solvent-reversible acrylic adhesive.

1. Lascaux 498 HV has a thick consistency similar to acrylic gel medium. It should be applied generously. Beyond this step, you need to know whether to use the 498 HV inits aqueous or solvent'reactivated form. Raw or acrylic-primed cnvas (cotton or linen) can be glued directly with 498 HV in the aqueous form, just as it comes from the jar. Oil-primed canvas (cotton or linen) is usually sized with rabbit skin glue, which will soften if it gets wet and cause the oil priming to separate from the canvas. Therefore, the 498 HV will need to be used in its solvent-reactivated form (see steps Alt 2a and Alt 2b at the bottom).

2. To use 498 HV directly in its aqueous form, you need to work fast because it dries quickly. Before it dries it is opaque white. If it starts to turn clear before you get the canvas on, you have applie the 498 HV too sparingly and/or have not worked quickly enough.

3. A soft brayer is useful. Using moderate pressure, work quickly from the center outward. Don't press so hard that you squeese the 498 HV out.

4. - 5. Allow the adhesive to sure under weight for at least 24 hours. A piece of commercial carpet placed between the panel and the weight will protect the surgace when mounting a finished painting. Several panels can be prepared in series and stacked one on top of another.

6. It's faster and easier to work with pieces of oversized canvas, which can be trimmed after teh panel has cured.
Substitute these steps for Step 2 above if you are gluing oil-primed canvas or linen:

Alt 2a. To use 498 HV in its reactivated form, it should be allowed to dry overnight. Then flood the surface liberally and quickly with Xylene. Make sure you have lots of ventilation.

Alt 2b. Quickly place the oil-primed canvas on the reactivated surface.

Final Note: If the painting ever needs to be removed by a restorer, the 498 HV can be reversed with Xylene.

Brush Cleaning Tips

• Don't let your brushes soak in solvent, it can seep into the ferrule and weaken the glue holding the bristles in place.



• Don't strike your paint brushes against a surface. Striking the brushes can damage the ferrule and cause bristles to fall out.
  


• For hardened paint on brushes, clean by soaking in a pot of distilled vinegar for an hour, then proceed to bring the pot of vinegar to a simmer until the brushes are clean. Rinse brushes in warm water afterwards.



• Never allow a brush to stand or be stored standing on its tip. The tip will become malformed.
  


• For a malformed brush tip: soak the clean tip in brush conditioner, shape the tip and wrap in butcher paper overnight to hold the shape. The tip should be reformed by morning.
  


• Synthetic bristles can be restored by placing the brish in hot, but not boiling, water. Be aware that nylong bristles can dissolve in such solvents as acetone.



• Watercolor brushes need to be washed in gentle soap and warm (not hot) water. Anything you would feel comfortable washing your own hair with is good enough to use for your watercolor brushes.

Staying Warm

Winter seems to have finally set in here in Colorado, and with the exception of artists living or traveling in warm climates during the winter, staying warm is a major issue when plein air painting. Below is a great article by Aaron Holland on how to dress when the temperature drops. Aaron currently resides in Wisconsin, where he doesn't let the cold stop him from getting outdoors and painting.

http://hollandartstudio.com/node/211

Tips for Tripods

When using a tripod for painting plein air with a pochade box, use the legs - not the head - to level your box. Start by really tightening all the head adjusting knobs, then set up the tripod and attach the box. Now adjust the legs for angle and length to level the box.

When installing a quick release plate, install it at an angle rather than square with the tripod mount. This will intrease the stability of the pochade box on the tripod and will reduce the tendency wobble.

Tips for Painting Foliage

For some, painting foliage can be a very difficult endeavor. When plein air painting, it's practically impossible to ignore the trees and brush in the area; so understanding the basics is very important. Here is a nice link for those who would like to learn a few tricks about painting foliage. It is done with watercolor, but the techniques can easily be used by acrylic and oil painters as well.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/14541/302/index.php

If You Aren't Already Painting Outdoors and When You Travel...

IT'S TIME TO GET STARTED!


Painting outdoors (en plein air) - what could be more rewarding than to keep a journal or add to a scrapbook with your own painted illustrations done on the spot? Or how about hand painted post cards done on your travels to send to your family and friends? Or, if you don't sell them first, your paintings will become treasured family heirlooms to be passed down to future generations.

But above all, there isn't anything like seeing the world through the eyes of a plein air painter.

• Everything you look at becomes more interesting - you'll see so many details you never noticed before.


• Every color is richer and more vivid - you'll discover colors you never imagined.

In the 19th and 20th centuries many people considered painting outdoors from nature one of the essential pursuits of a well rounded person - no wonder, because there is no better way to achieve intimacy with nature and the world around you. Today outdoor (plein air) painting is experiencing a renaissance among people looking for a rewarding and contemplative way to enjoy the outdoors and deepen their appreciation of nature. Men and women alike report painting out in nature to be deeply satisfying. What a wonderful outdoor activity to be enjoyed alone of with like-minded companions, your partner or spouse!