Jessica Crabtree

A word on finishing

If you tend to be a perfectionist (like me), it can be hard not to get hung up with the tiny details and lose focus. I usually face this toward the finish of a painting, when last-ditch efforts to “get it just right” leave me with a potentially never-ending project. This is the point where I tell myself, “It’s almost done – just focus on the essentials and only fix what’s needed in order to have it ready for framing.” Sometimes it’s helpful to set yourself a deadline in order to avoid this kind of dilemma.

As artists, it’s our nature to keep challenging ourselves to do even better things, yet we also have to learn to work within self-imposed limits and move on, or we’ll never truly accomplish anything. It’s a hard line to straddle, but a lesson well worth the learning.

Painting a Wolf in Pastels, Part 2

(To catch up on the project from the beginning, check out this post:
Sneak Peek: Mexican Wolf – Day 1)

Now let me show you how we got this far – lots more in-progress photos below (click any of the pictures to enlarge)

I left off work last time with a good start on the head, so I’m moving on to the rest of the body.

Just like I did before, I start out with black, shading in the darkest areas. (More on the advantages of this later.) When this done I can come in with a base color, in this case one of my primary browns. I go over lightly and blend this first layer in with my fingers.

For each color that appears in the fur, I apply another full layer so it doesn’t show up in isolated patches. Blending together the browns, reddish-browns, yellows, grays, and beiges (like the ones you can see laid out in the photos) makes it much easier to recreate the texture and color diversity of real fur. I can just draw out whichever tones I need to emphasize in a particular area.

Notice again, I’m working from dark to light, as I mentioned before. Only later, after the other colors are blended in, do I apply anything like white or beige, because I find it really hard to work with. If used correctly it can come across looking soft and fluffy, the way I’ve tried to show here.

You can see the layers really starting to come together in the following pictures. I’ve added Nupastels 253 (cocoa brown) and 223 (burnt umber) to my palette for undertones; 233 (raw sienna) for golden highlights; charcoal gray; and 276 (buff beige) as the brightest layer. This project has a fairly limited color range – in all I won’t need more than a dozen or so chalks.

Right: The blunt edge of a Nupastel is perfect for making the short, choppy strokes that imitate layers of thick fur.

Another advantage to this kind of layering is that with the darks underneath, anytime you mess with the chalk you’ll get some nice rich undertones showing through (that’s why you’ll want to choose your base coat carefully).

One of my favorite techniques – particularly when doing hair or fur – is using a tortillion, or paper stump, to pull the darker layers out between the lighter hairs. This is much easier than trying to add dark chalk between the light areas to make them stand out, and running the risk of blurring the edges.

Think of it as a kind of “reverse pencil.” In general, I like to use tortillions in lieu of my fingers in any places too small for me to work.

Left: A well-loved paper tortillion.

Next up: A little closer to the finish – finishing the fur, paws, and small details.

Painting a Wolf in Pastels

By popular demand, I’m finally doing a wolf on suede. It took me quite a while to find just the right shot (thanks to April King for a gorgeous photo of a Mexican wolf – read more here).

My matboard is 16×24 black suede and I’m using mostly Nupastels. This is what it looks like after the first day’s work.

(Click on any of the pictures to see them larger.)

I’m taking a lot of stage shots of this one (compared to the usual 3-step photos) so I can use it as a kind of demonstration piece for my pastel series. So many people are interested in the pastel blending process that I thought this particular project would serve as a good illustrated tutorial. (continue reading…)

This is the first installment of my new series filed under the Artist’s Tip Bag category. You can keep posted with the latest updates by using this post’s RSS feed, or by subscribing to my free monthly e-newsletter.

> When you say “pastel on suede” exactly what do you mean? What materials are involved?

I use mostly soft pastel sticks – brands like Sennelier and Prismacolor, occasionally a few pencils.

Instead of paper I use suede matboard as a painting surface. It’s a heavy paper board just like regular picture frame mat, but on the top surface is a thin, carpet-like layer of velvety suede. It’s this fine layer of pile that enables you to “rub” the chalk down into the suede, instead of just sitting on the surface as it would with paper.

(Product photos from DickBlick.com.)

> How is the suede different from paper?

Using chalk on paper with a heavy tooth gives you a more textured feel; suede on the other hand lets you blend in a color – even several colors – and have a very smooth, even finish that almost resembles airbrush. But there are still plenty of ways you can add variety to the texture. It’s very versatile. And unlike paper, it can hold quite a bit of chalk – and the more chalk you’re able to use, the more realism you can achieve.

> Where can I get suede matboard?

This can be obtained from a local picture framer or ordered through an art supply store. I get mine through Dick Blick. It comes in many colors; my preference is black. Whatever color you pick, it has the advantage of a naturally mottled texture which is a great backdrop in itself.

It comes in large sheets measuring 32″ by 40″ – you can use the entire canvas if you paint big. If you have the tools you can cut it into any number of smaller pieces, or have a local framer cut it down to size.

An important thing to remember is that you can’t store unused pieces by standing them upright or leaning them against a wall. They will warp and bend under their own weight, creating major complications in painting. A warped matboard is pretty much unusable.

> How does pastel on suede compare to other mediums?

I would say it compares very favorably. Not being an expert with paints (my previous background is mainly graphite/charcoal pencil) I can’t elaborate on the finer details. But on the whole I find it to be a very forgiving and versatile medium with enormous potential, and one that requires relatively few supplies. (continue reading…)

Using white chalk on suede

White chalk is very difficult to work with on suede because it has such low binder and pigment content. White pastels of both hard and soft varieties are essentially just chalk – and consequently they look and feel chalky. Compared to other colors they almost never layer or blend well.

Your best bet is to start off with a base coat of a color other than white – for instance a rich dark gray – depending on what undertones you want. The base layer of pastel will act as a primer to make blending and molding on the suede possible.

Using this technique, you can develop your painting without losing the pastels’ flexibility. Use the base coat to your advantage to help with the shading, and just add the white tints as a final top coat. They will show up much brighter and the suede mat won’t peek through.

Chiaroscuro is one of the most important and fundamental techniques in art, particularly in any style that makes use of realism. The textbook definition for chiaroscuro (Italian for “light-dark“) is simply the use of value (shading) to create an illusion of depth and volume on a two-dimensional surface. More commonly, it refers to the use of strong contrast or unusual lighting to create a strong dramatic effect.

A painting or drawing, even if it is proportionally correct, looks flat and lifeless without shading. Chiaroscuro is an essential element, especially in portraits and still life, where it is not only functional – giving the shapes depth and definition – but a potentially explosive means of conveying drama and emotion.

The basis of chiaroscuro stems from the observation of the way light behaves on surfaces. By reproducing this behavior accurately on paper or canvas, you can create an image that is visually authentic to the eye of the viewer. We all have an intuitive grasp of how light interacts with the world around us – for instance, we all expect to see an area of brightness where light reflects off an object, or a patch of shadow where light is blocked. But light sometimes behaves in more subtle ways of which we aren’t always conscious. The artist can take advantage of these subtleties to create a convincing chiaroscuro effect.

Image: University of Evansville

Adding the dimension of color creates a whole new set of complexities in working with chiaroscuro. Because the level of intensity in the lighting changes the way we perceive a given hue, color chiaroscuro is more challenging for artists to work with than just black and white or gray-scale (more on light and color here). But black and white is the best way to learn chiaroscuro, since it illustrates how powerful a tool it is even in the absence of color. With a little study, it is a simple and effective application of the comparatively difficult science of optical physics.

Chiaroscuro first came to prominent use during the Italian Renaissance. An especially popular form known as tenebrism, pioneered by painters such as Caravaggio, used exaggerated lighting contrast for heightened effect. This was a favorite style of painters like Rembrandt and El Greco and heavily influenced later styles of painting in the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is interesting to note that many of the famed artists who made the strongest use of chiaroscuro were also great draftsmen, having first mastered the use of shading through drawings in mediums such as pencil or silverpoint.

Rembrandt, The Philosopher in Meditation

More on this subject:

Chiaroscuro in Painting: The Power of Light and Dark – illustrated article from Empty Easel

WebExhibits: Color Vision & Art – fully interactive, with lots more on the history of contrast & color in art

HINTS OF COLOR: Light & Color

TOP 3 ELEMENTS THAT DRAW THE EYE

1. Contrast
2. Gradient
3. Pattern

The primary goal of art is to draw the eye of the viewer in order to capture their attention, and then focus it on the detail and meaning of the piece. Since this principle is the same whatever medium or genre you work in, it’s good to be familiar with the fundamentals of aesthetics.

Generally, we are most attracted to things that display these elements:

? CONTRAST:
Contrast, next to color, is possibly the most striking feature in visual art. As a rule, the stronger the contrast, and the sharper the dividing edge, the higher the visual attraction.


Photo: interfacelift.com

? GRADIENT:
A smooth gradient from one color to another, or between tints (color > white) or tones (color > black) suggests light and depth. The sense of texture it creates is a powerful and appealing visual element.


Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service – public domain

? PATTERN:
Patterns – including implied patterns, such as broken lines – create symmetry and direction for visual interest.

They’re found everywhere in nature (a good example is fractals, for instance) and our brains are hard-wired to recognize them – so unless you’re working in something completely abstract, it’s important to work some kind of pattern into every composition.


Photo: Wikimedia Commons

You can take advantage of these simple elements to make any artwork more compelling.

Click on the “Artist’s Tip Bag” tag below for more posts like this one.

More on CONTRAST in art: Chiaroscuro

Really nice interactive website from WebExhibits – explores the historic use of pigments, the science of painting, and color theory. One of my favorite reference sites!

WebExhibits: Pigments Through The Ages

A few sample screenshots (click for larger view):