Study for Papaya with Bowl of Walnuts graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper 11 x 15″
Do you make studies before you start a painting? Seems like most painting students don’t. We want to paint, not prepare to paint. Making a study prior to painting isn’t required for good artwork, but we learn about a subject every time we draw or paint it, so the act of sketching sure can help to clarify the conversation before we get knee deep in the sloppy stuff.
If drawing before painting causes you have fits of impatience because you want to paint and you want to paint right now, then let ‘er rip!
Here’s the test: take a look at the painting after you’ve made it. (“After” is wide open on the time scale. This be minutes, hours, or months.) Disregarding efficiency, did you get what you wanted out of both the painting session and the finished work? If yes, then continue with your sketch-as-you-go process. If no, then consider shifting how you think about your creative time. It might just be a matter of renaming your “painting” session to a “creative observation” session, or something that includes sketches. That way drawing and studies are seen as part of painting, not something in the way of painting.
Take a look at these drawings below. Notice the attention to individual objects, the spaces, proportions, and the interactions of shapes. Notice the compositional changes that were made after the drawing. She still had plenty of puzzles to figure out in the painting phase, but the conversation behas been clarified.
Blueberries in a White Cup
Study for Blueberries in a White Cup graphite/colored pencil on hand-toned paper 11 x 14 3/8″
Grapefruit with Black Ribbons
Study for Grapefruit with Black Ribbons graphite/charcoal/colored pencil/egg tempera on hand-toned paper 10 1/2 x 13 1/2″
Blueberries in A Bowl with Bean Pod, Cork, and Knife
Study for Blueberries in A Bowl with Bean Pod, Cork, and Knife graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper 11 x 13 1/2″
Elle
Study for Elle graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper 11 1/2 x 12 3/4″
Papaya with Bowl of Walnuts
Study for Papaya with Bowl of Walnuts graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper 11 x 15″
“The Colorist” Casey Klahn is an American pastel artist born in 1958 in Hoquiam, Washington, now living in Davenport. His pastel landscapes are abstracted shapes where color gets to play.
In most dynamic compositions, the artist uses contrast and diagonal or serpentine pathways to lead the viewer in and around the painting. Morandi did the opposite with his still lifes. He grouped similar dust covered objects together to become one object instead of several interacting objects. He minimized differences to create a sense of quiet …
Few things are as evocative, intimate, and private as moments spent bathing. The bathtub offers an emotional framework. Door locked, body submerged, the bathtub is an internal world. The figure can literally be soaked in it. Most painted bathers are young attractive women, of course, so the gender, race, and body issues are very present. I’d …
Alla Prima Sketch in Oil by Shane Wolf Before I begin, I assemble my brushes. For an alla prima sketch of this size (canvas size approximately 20×15) these are the brushes I’ll likely use. You’ll notice mostly flats. For the male figure I use mostly flats; I like the planal, sculptural strokes they provide. For female figures I’ll …
Studies by Susan Jane Walp
graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper
11 x 15″
Do you make studies before you start a painting? Seems like most painting students don’t. We want to paint, not prepare to paint. Making a study prior to painting isn’t required for good artwork, but we learn about a subject every time we draw or paint it, so the act of sketching sure can help to clarify the conversation before we get knee deep in the sloppy stuff.
If drawing before painting causes you have fits of impatience because you want to paint and you want to paint right now, then let ‘er rip!
Here’s the test: take a look at the painting after you’ve made it. (“After” is wide open on the time scale. This be minutes, hours, or months.) Disregarding efficiency, did you get what you wanted out of both the painting session and the finished work? If yes, then continue with your sketch-as-you-go process. If no, then consider shifting how you think about your creative time. It might just be a matter of renaming your “painting” session to a “creative observation” session, or something that includes sketches. That way drawing and studies are seen as part of painting, not something in the way of painting.
Take a look at these drawings below. Notice the attention to individual objects, the spaces, proportions, and the interactions of shapes. Notice the compositional changes that were made after the drawing. She still had plenty of puzzles to figure out in the painting phase, but the conversation behas been clarified.
Blueberries in a White Cup
graphite/colored pencil on hand-toned paper
11 x 14 3/8″
Grapefruit with Black Ribbons
graphite/charcoal/colored pencil/egg tempera on hand-toned paper
10 1/2 x 13 1/2″
Blueberries in A Bowl with Bean Pod, Cork, and Knife
graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper
11 x 13 1/2″
Elle
graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper
11 1/2 x 12 3/4″
Papaya with Bowl of Walnuts
graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper
11 x 15″
See more on her website: https://www.susanjanewalp.com/
Related Posts
Casey Klahn
“The Colorist” Casey Klahn is an American pastel artist born in 1958 in Hoquiam, Washington, now living in Davenport. His pastel landscapes are abstracted shapes where color gets to play.
Day 10: Morandi #30SAL
In most dynamic compositions, the artist uses contrast and diagonal or serpentine pathways to lead the viewer in and around the painting. Morandi did the opposite with his still lifes. He grouped similar dust covered objects together to become one object instead of several interacting objects. He minimized differences to create a sense of quiet …
In the Bathtub
Few things are as evocative, intimate, and private as moments spent bathing. The bathtub offers an emotional framework. Door locked, body submerged, the bathtub is an internal world. The figure can literally be soaked in it. Most painted bathers are young attractive women, of course, so the gender, race, and body issues are very present. I’d …
Figure Painting Demo by Shane Wolf
Alla Prima Sketch in Oil by Shane Wolf Before I begin, I assemble my brushes. For an alla prima sketch of this size (canvas size approximately 20×15) these are the brushes I’ll likely use. You’ll notice mostly flats. For the male figure I use mostly flats; I like the planal, sculptural strokes they provide. For female figures I’ll …