Been watching a lot of "Landscape Artist of the Year," and I realize I could probably use some practice in observation and strict paining, meaning no sketch or anything. So, this afternoon and this evening, I did just that, using a cheap little kids mask I had hanging around. iPad and Procreate and looking.
This is also an experiment with palettes. I've been reading about the "Zorn Palette," based on the artist of the same name. It consists of only four colors: Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Light (originally Vermillion), Ivory Black and Titanium White. Great for portraits, apparently, terrible for everything else that might have actual blue or green in it. Since the mask was red, black and yellow, seemed appropriate. Tried mixing colors on the page using the blending tool but it ended up being too awkward, so I tried to only 'add black,' or 'add white' or some such while painting. Wish there was a different way to mix colors but that's me trying to make one tool act like another.
5 comments:
OMG that is amazing! I thought it was photo of the mask when it came up in my feed this morning, not the painting. You really captured not jsut the form but the materials, it looks like that plastic masks are made from. Bravo. Another reason to be jealous of your talents.
Thanks, Vince! It's not really anything more than a lot of observation and color matching. Realism, I think, is a good exercise but ultra-realism and realism without context is meaningless to me.
Not everything needs added meaning to it. This exists simply as a really nice painting of a mask, which sort of has it's own context because it's a thing that exists and it's not something I see that often so it sort of makes me think about its history. I suppose it's can be thought of as visual but empty, but the exercise of making something so well is worth doing and lauding for what it is. Full confession: I absolutely love looking at pencil studies of anything. I wanted to buy some renderings of feet and hands and an uncut penis by the artist who did the painting in my living room but could not afford them. They were just so beautifully done they make you see details in everyday things only a drawing can bring out.
I can see that. Thanks for the additional set of eyes. :D There are lots of pieces of art I see online and even in galleries that I wish I could own. Takes a much higher standard of living than mine to consider such things. Sometimes, a moment's glance at an image or two can live with us forever. Seems like those pencil sketches were that to you. Wonder if they've informed your own drawing. :D
I love DaVinci sketches... who doesn't really? And they reminded me of those sons ethey were on grey paper and done with white and brown pencils. That style pencil with white highlight pencil i use now and then and really like it.
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