11/27/2013 6:58:40 PM
Now for the Book List.
Everyone has their weakness and mine is art books. If I win a prize I buy an art book. If I'm feeling low, a new art book is sure to make me happy. Teaching has been the perfect excuse to give into my book jones. I will even design a new workshop to justify a purchase.
They have been a surprisingly good investment. A book I was going to put on this list, was purchased five years ago for $30.00. It is now out of stock and in demand and my $30.00 purchase sells for $170.00 (I own two copies!). That said, this year I made sure the books are all available (at least at the time I'm writing this) and reasonably priced. Most of them can be bought on Amazon.com with exception of the self published books by Richard Schmid. All the books have links to where they are sold.
Enjoy!
Anders Zorn: A European Artist Seduces America.
By Oliver Tostman
Finally a book on Anders Zorn written in English! In 2013 two US museums held exhibitions of his work and books were published to coincide with them. The one listed here is from the show at the Gardner Museum in Boston last spring. If you are not familiar with Ander Zorn, he was a Swedish artist who painted from 1880 to 1920. Like Sargent and Soralla, he was traditionally trained and like them he expanded his painting to capturing the figure in outdoor settings. What is unusual about his work is that he used a limited palette of three primary colors plus white to make the majority of his paintings. This is a nice introduction to this Swedish artist who is gaining long deserved fame in this country.
The other exhibit on Zorn is currently showing in San Francisco. There is a book that goes along with it and is receiving rave reviews. Santa, if you are reading this please put it on your list for me? That one is also available on Amazon.
The self portrait on the left shows Zorn with his limited palette. The painting on the right shows his skill at painting figures out-of-doors.
Price: $35.84 To purchase this book click here
Painting More Than The Eye Can See.
By Robert Wade
I have owned this book for 30 years and still find Robert Wade’s teachings to be timely and engaging.
Wade is a great interpreter. He can take a scene before him and completely change the elements to reflect a different time of day or weather condition. He can do this because he understands light. Wade explains in a simple straightforward manner how artists can learn to control the light to create the work they want.
Even though this is a watercolor book I find the concept applies to all mediums and subject matter.
Prices vary from $38.00 to $11.00 depending on format and condition.
To purchase this book click here
The War of Art:
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
By Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
This is a powerful book for combating creative resistance for all artists. What do I mean by resistance? Ever have one of those days where you find every excuse to do something else besides paint (write, sing, dance, or whatever creative endeavor calls to you), even though it is what you long to do?
This is a poetic book on the power of resistance and how to break it. There is also an interesting section in the back on the artist’s muse.
This is my go-to read when I feel like procrastinating or am feeling a lack of inspiration.
Price:$9.38 paperback on Amazon. To purchase click here
ALLA PRIMA II ~ Expanded Edition
Everything I Know About Painting, and More
By Richard Schmid
I own the original ALLA PRIMA, and consider it my one "must have" art book.
Schmid has updated ALLA PRIMA and it is currently for sale on his site. Below is his description of the updated version:
For fifteen years, the original edition of ALLA PRIMA has been considered one of the most comprehensive art instruction books on the market and the standard in classical art education both in the United States and abroad. Now, it's even better. Alla Prima II is over a third larger overall, with over 328 pages, and 262 images of paintings, photos, step-by-step sequences, diagrams and bibliography. Plus, ALLA PRIMA II includes a comprehensive index for convenience.
Price:$125.00 Hardcover, $85.00 Softcover. To order click here
Richard Schmid, The Landscapes
I have been lent this book on several occasions and always find it inspiring. This is not an instructional book like ALLA PRIMA but it is a collection of Schmid's beautiful landscapes. Here is a description from his website:
In this landmark, large format book, Richard Schmid not only takes us to the many places he has painted, but also shares with us the fifty year path he traveled from youthful painter to seasoned artist. This is the visual tale of an artist and his lifelong romance with the colors and light of our earth. With delightfully candid narrative and over 300 full color images, Richard reveals what it is like to go out and capture life as it is happening. Discover how landscape painting is unlike any other form of art; and that artistic skill is only one of the many abilities demanded.
Price:$135.00 for hardcover $75.00 for softcover
Both books can be ordered from Richard Schmid.com
11/19/2013 12:27:10 PM
So many of you told me how much you liked the favorite books list that I published in my previous newsletters and asked if I would do it again. I am happy to, and just in time for the holidays! This year I will be sending out a newsletter for the next four weeks featuring different lists. There will be one for books, one for materials, one for DVDs and downloads, and one for publications. This first one is for materials. I will also post the list on my blog in case you want to show someone your holiday wish list....
Favorite Materials list
Rosemary Brushes 
I love these! Rosemary Brushes are the best brushes I have ever used, especially the Ivory Synthetic White Bristle Brushes. They have a great "spring" to them, pick up a good amount of paint, and hold a sharp edge even after a year of painting. A few years ago I heard artists such Richard Schmid and David Leffel praising them and thought they must be expensive but they are not! The largest size Ivory synthetic Flat sells for $ 14.20. That is cheaper than any other "premium" brush. The mongoose brushes are another great buy and can lay down loads of paint in a single swipe. They are made in England and not sold through the big art supply stores. You can purchase them in the U.S. from Legacy Art Products
Arches Oil Paper
This is my new favorite surface to work on in oils! You can get an array of different effects painting on this paper. An oil wash looks like watercolor and combining that with thick opaque paint makes application exciting.
Unlike other papers, it requires no preliminary preparation. This 140 lb. paper features a powerful and efficient oil barrier that absorbs water, solvents and binders evenly while allowing the paint and pigment to remain on the surface.
This revolutionary surface is essential for any professional oil painter looking to capture their oil painting on paper all while saving time. Professional Oil painters as well as Oil painting students will love the convenience and ease of use that this art paper offers.
This paper can be purchased at most art supply stores and is priced around $15.00 for a 12 pack of 9x12 sheets. There are different size packs and they are also sold in large sheets with deckle edges like watercolor paper.
Terry Ludwig Pastels -These are my favorite pastels! The range in color and value exceeds other pastels and the shape allows me to make strokes similar to using a brush. They are highly pigmented and lay down a lot of color with very little pressure. At the International Pastel Societies Conference his booth is refered to as "the candy store." Here is the description from the Terry Ludwig Pastel Website:
Frustrated with the lack of color options available and few choices for very soft pastels, Terry Ludwig began experimenting with formulas for making his own pastels in 1995. His goal was to create a vast array of color in pastels that were uniformly soft across all densities of hue. The results were more than 500 intense colors, some of which are unavailable elsewhere, in a unique square pastel.
Each pastel is crafted with a broad range of pigments by hand with minimal natural binders. This renders a highly concentrated, velvety pastels. The square shape delivers thick, broad strokes or thin, precise lines where necessary.
You can purchase sets or open stock from his website: TerryLudwig.com If you are new to his pastels Isuggest a set of the darks and lights to extend the value range of your pastels.
Or
I sell two sets of Terry Ludwig pastels with my name on them. One is a portrait set and one is a still life set. There are 30 pastels in each set and each one features a full value range and cools and warms of the primary and secondary colors. I often paint with these sets exclusively. Blue was painted using only the pastels in the portrait set. Green Apple Shine was painted using only the still life set.
Green Apple Shine painted with the Terry Ludwig still life set!
Holiday special - Get an autographed box of pastels on sale!
If you would like a personalized message, let me know!
Buy one 10% off retail price $129.00 +tax
Buy two at 20% off retail price $120.00 each +tax
Order online using Paypal by clicking here or contact me directly by email at [email protected]. Please put "Pastels" in the subject line.
Portrait Set
Still LIfe Set
These pastels are handmade, please allow 2 weeks for delivery.
Sanded Paper-
I like to use a sanded paper as my pastel surface. Sanded paper is the most versitale surface for pastels. I can paint a wash, glaze endless layers, or grind the pastel into the surface for a thick application. My two favorite surfaces are Kitty Wallis paper and U-Art 400 grit. Wallis Paper is my preferred surface. The pure white paper shows through under a wash and gives an effect of watercolor painting. Unfortunately it is hard to come by and is often out of stock. An excellent substitute is U-Art 400 grit. It takes washes and layering as well as Wallis does. The color is a soft beige but it still works well with washes. The benifit of the sanded paper is that if you do not like your painting you can brush off the surface and start again! Both papers can be purchased at online art supply stores. An online store that features everything a pastel painter could desire is Dakota Pastels.
Scotts Shop Towels- Paper towels are an essential piece of my painting equipment. I use them in to clean my brushes and pastels between strokes. I also use them when painting with pastel to soften edges and drag light areas into dark with out disturbing the drawing ( I will post a demo of this technique on my blog). I used to be a Viva fan but found I was using too many paper towels. These towels are so tough I only use a couple during a painting session and they give me a sharp edge needed for"dragging" my pastels.
They can be purchased at Home Depot or other department stores.
Plumb Line and small level - A must have for those of us who can't draw a straight line! My plumb line is made out of dental floss tied to a washer and my level was purchased at local hardware store. Read about how I use them in my blog called Stay Straight and Keep Level.
Jewell Box Classic Viewfinder - I don't own this (yet) but I will soon! A viewfinder is a must have when I am working from life and this one has all the bells and whistles, It adjuts so your view matches your canvas size. It also has a grid for superimposing on your view as well as a reducing glass to give a wide angle of the landscape. You can purchase this at Judson Art Outfitters for $16.87 This would be a nice present for a painting buddy!
Watch a video of how to use the viewfinder at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2mtAUJBgn8
Next Weeks List-Favorite Books!
11/13/2013 9:10:35 AM
I can’t draw a straight line! Buildings challenge me because whenever I draw a vertical line it will pull to the right towards the bottom. This is especially prevalent when I am painting plein air or doing a demo. I am so focused on getting the large value shapes and sense of light correct that I don’t notice the wonky lines until I get back to the studio. It may be a lovely picture with interesting shapes and great sparkle of color, but all I can see is that my perspective is off.
Perspective is only important when it is wrong.
I have come up with a couple of tools that help remedy this problem. They are inexpensive and fit neatly into a small pocket of my plein air bag
The first tool is a plumb line. I made mine from dental floss and a washer. The washer provides weight, and dental floss is the ideal line because it is unlikely to become a tangled mess while sitting unused. I hold this simple device up in front of the vertical lines on my painting to see how they compare to the vertical lines of the subject. Gravity does the work and the plumb line always gives me a true vertical. If there is a difference I make a light mark where the plum line is and adjust my painting accordingly.
The second tool is a mini level. If my canvas or paper is not level all my marks will be off including the horizon line. By placing a mini level on the panel holder of my easel I can adjust for uneven surfaces and know that the plumb line and bottom of the panel are perpendicular to each other.
These tools won’t stop me from making lines that pull to the right, but with my snazzy new devices I can compensate for this tendency and overcome the problem.
11/5/2013 1:51:25 PM
In my workshop “A Simple Approach to Dynamic Color” students learn to identify color and use that information to mix any color they desire. I have them test out this method by giving them an assortment of objects that they match by mixing their pastels or paints. Students discover they can easily match leaves, fabric, and other materials but this weekend I added a piece of aluminum foil and the class was stumped. The question they asked was, “How do we mix this when it constantly changes in color?”
That was the point exactly.
We run into the same trouble with color that we do with drawing, in that we resort to what we think a color should be rather than really looking and using visual language to create paintings. We have difficulty with drawing when we use symbols to describe an object. We have this same problem when we describe parts of our paintings using only the local color.
The art of seeing color is learning to read the nuances and what affects them.
Learning to read color is similar to blind contour drawing. A common exercise used to teach blind contour is drawing your hand while not looking at the paper. To do this you record the direction that your eyes move. Rather than drawing “hand”, “finger nail” or any other noun you simply say, “Start, move up to the left, high point , turn slightly to the right, down.” This directional conversation allows the hand with the pencil to follow the eye like a seismograph follows the movement of an earthquake. If you trust this process a surprisingly good drawing will appear. This is what I refer to as “reading” the shape.
We can also read color.
The photo below shows examples of lemons painted two different ways. The top one was painted by coloring in the shapes with the local color such as, “yellow lemon,” and “red tablecloth.” These are nouns that have color symbols attached to them. The bottom lemon was painted by identifying the pattern of light and shadow on the forms then assigning colors to those values. The feeling of dimension and light are enhanced by reading all the subtle color changes. When an artist is describing the process of reading the colors the conversation sounds like this:
Lightest light- highlight – violet with a bias towards blue with yellow orange of same value along the right edge.
Light - yellow with a bias towards red- as form rounds away from the light, it becomes ½ step darker with stronger red influence. Red becomes violet at transition into shadow value.
Shadow- 2 steps darker value greenish with a bias towards blue at the core then becoming ½ step lighter with green with a bias towards yellow.
The conversation continues until the subject is completely described with all the nuances and how they relate to the color values surrounding them.
In conclusion, learning to read color is the heart of the painting process. Try painting a piece of aluminum foil to test this out.
