My Painting Experiences

• This is the third pastel paper that I am testing out of a sample package of twelve sample-size papers. Each is approximately 9x12 inches. There is an assortment of colors, types and shades of paper.

• My hope is to take each paper and produce a piece of artwork using it and then provide feedback on each paper. 

• Art Spectrum Colorfix Suede (light blue). Remember those old velvet paintings done on suede, well, this paper is like working on a very short-textured velvet. Soft. Smears and blends really easily, but the colors seem to sink into the paper and disappear when blended. It does make for some nice, soft edges. It is okay as a paper goes, but I do not see myself using it again.
• Paper Qualities.
  • The paper is very light blue with a suede-like, soft texture.
  • I did not use a light watercolor wash or any undercolor. I just sketched in the basic compositional sketch.
  • The surface is very smooth and soft. There is not much there for the pastel to grab onto, but it does seem to get the job done. I suppose it would be good for those who like to blend. I did use one of the blending stumps, a paper towel and finally my fingers. Fingers worked best for blending. I do not really like to use them, but in this case I just could not find anything else that worked as well.
  • Fill qualities: So-so. It is suede after all.
  • Blending: I tried a cotton rag (t-shirt material) and a tortillon blending stick. When blending with the rag, I would use short strokes in areas that I wanted to soften the pastel. The blending stick would great and I used it quite a bit.However, the best tool I found were my fingertips!!
  • Fixative: Did not use.

• This paper gets a 3 of a scale of 1 to 5. It is just not something the fits my needs. Too soft. I would like to try it in different colors. Blue is not a color that I normally would choose for a background color. This paper might work nice for a portrait. I may try it again, but I hope to use a different base color.

Caboose

This is is the last little character of an old wooden pull toy. The end. My hope is to do a few more paintings of this little pull toy. The next will be of one of the other little characters on this pull toy and then another painting of the entire thing. This will probably a long painting so that all the little guys fit on the canvas. When completed the paintings will make a cute grouping. Available in my gallery and at auction at Daily Paintworks.

Enjoy!

The color of the year according to The Patone Company is "Tangerine Tango", a beautiful and vibrant orange. The above painting is in response to the Daily Paintworks challenge for this week. The challenge is to paint something using the color chosen for 2012, tangerine tango.

It did not take me much time to decide what to do. A few years back I spent a couple of weeks in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. The sunsets there still remain in my memory. I did take lots and lots of photos during my stay. This brought back some wondrous memories of days in the sun....especially as I stand in my studio today, the coldest day so far this winter, and the temperature is a few degrees below zero F.

Enjoy!

P.S. Make sure to come back and check on my future testing of more pastel papers. The next one will be a blue colorfix suede surface. I am not sure what I am going to do with that one.

"Winter Stillness"

pastel on paper, 7.5 x 11 inches

• This is the second pastel paper that I am testing out of a sample package of twelve sample-size papers. Each is approximately 9x12 inches. There is an assortment of colors, types and shades of paper.

• My hope is to take each paper and produce a piece of artwork using it and then provide feedback on each paper. What I hope to gain from this exercise is more experience on different surfaces using pastels. One should "rock the boat" now and then and try new things. For me, this is a way to learn and experience new methods - Maybe even gain some useable knowledge.

• Art Spectrum Colorfix Supertooth. This paper surprised me. After my experience with the Colored Colorfix paper, I did not have great expectations for this paper.  The surface quality is much coarser than the first colorfix paper that I tried. I has a lot more surface area to grab the pigment of the pastel.
• Paper Qualities.
  • The paper is creamy white tone. 
  • I did use a light watercolor wash for an undertone. It helps me with blocking in shapes gives me a bit of guidance in the design. Also, since the paper is light in color less pastel is needed to fill in the different values when an underwash is used.
  • The surface is fairly textured a bit like sandpaper. The surface appears to have tiny little bubbles that popped providing a rough textured surface (more surface area so that there is more for the pastel to grab onto.)
  • Fill qualities: Compared to the first paper that I used, I actually liked this one. I would even consider purchasing it. I could layer, blend and have fun working the pastel. I did not make much pastel dust with this paper as compared to the first one.
  • Blending: I tried a cotton rag (t-shirt material) and a tortillon blending stick. When blending with the rag, I would use short strokes in areas that I wanted to soften the pastel. The blending stick would great and I used it quite a bit.
  • Fixative: Did not use.

• This paper gets a thumbs up. I did use a light watercolor wash and I found the paper to take the watercolor nicely. The surface is a little weird looking, but it did the job.

After I complete the comparison of papers, I will put together a chart of sorts with the name of the actual paper used, the pros, the cons, the cost, colors available and the type of pastels that seem to work best (pencils, hard or soft)...of course, this is just my humble opinion.

Two papers tested and ten more to go...also a handmade surface to be included.

• This is the first pastel paper that I am testing out of a sample package of twelve sample-size papers. Each is approximately 9x12 inches. There is an assortment of colors, types and shades of paper.

• My hope is to take each paper and produce a piece of artwork using it. What I hope to gain from this exercise is more experience on different surfaces using pastels. One should "rock the boat" now and then and try new things. For me, this is a way to learn and experience new methods - Maybe even gain some useable knowledge.

• Art Spectrum Colored. Initially, I thought that I would love this dark gray pre-toned paper. Wrong. I started two different paintings on this paper, and I eventually wiped each one of them off after struggling with each one of my trials. They say the third time is a charm. That seems to be the case with this paper.
• Paper Qualities.
  • The paper is colored with a very dark gray tone. If one compared this paper to a gray scale finder, the value would be around a no.2 with one being black and ten being white.
  • The surface is fairly smooth like a very fine sandpaper. However, if a pastel is dragged across the paper on its side, there are dimples that pop out and do not fill with pigment. This quality annoyed me.
  • Fill qualities: I had difficulties with this one. I like to layer the pastels typically starting with a hard pastel and then using a softer version. The paper seemed to fill quickly and after a couple of layers, the pastel would just make a lot of dust and not seem to want to stick very well.
  • Blending: I tried a paper towel and a blending stick. The paper towel did blend the pastel, but a lot of it just came off. A blending stick worked well, especially for getting the pastel into those little dimples.
  • Fixative: This is something that I typically do not use. However, after struggling with trying to get something onto the paper, I sprayed a workable fixative onto it. The pastel just seemed to sink into the dark paper and disappear.

• I believe this paper probably works fine for someone who likes fine lines and a lot of detail work. Just not me. Maybe I need to work more with it. In the end, the paper and I did not click - maybe a different colored paper would work better for me.

Fogginess: an atmosphere in which visibility is reduced because of a cloud of some substance. This is according to my online dictionary and thesaurus.

Yesterday, as I looked through a pile of paintings that I had done, I came across this one. For the past month, as I try to paint or think about painting, I seem to become clouded and filled with a heavy fogginess that surrounds me. I feel as if my muse has left me for greener pastures. (In a sense, that may be true. It is winter and the green pastures are filled with yellow ochres and patches of snow.) My muse seems to be on a wanderlust with very, itchy feet and the inability to stay focused. I am not sure what that so-called muse is up to at the moment. Searching. Seeking. Exploring. Probing. Investigating. Hmmmm, making doll clothes for the grand kids. I am wondering if every artist goes through these phases where creating art just seems to stagnate and makes no sense.

I am having one of those phases. Wondering what to do? Wondering what happened to my muse?

Sometimes it is good to look back at the places of creativity of the past. To look at the past and where one has been. Sometimes it is not. Today it is. Looking back can give one a sense of accomplishment and progress made. With that, today I look towards the future. Towards who and what I want to be.

Something magical happened when sorting through those old paintings. I know now that creating art is my true passion in life. I know that it is something I must do. Without art, I am lifeless. I need to create. I now realize that my muse never left. She seemed to be hiding right in front of me, clouded by my thoughts and lack of action. The fog truly has lifted. My muse has returned. That magical entity seems to have emerged from the fog, being present and by my side all along.

Creativity happens in many ways. For me, the magic of making my wee grand children doll clothes, showed me that my muse is still with me. Nudging me to create. To design. To produce. It may not be with a brush or a pencil, but my creative mind combines fabric, designs patterns, and magically one-of-a-kind creations are made for the special wee ones in my life.

I found my muse. Now to create with a bit of paint........to the studio.

MaryAnn

Crex Meadows 3