Pencil Commission

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Has anyone ever had an unpleasant UPS driver? I think they must all be screened by personality before getting hired. If they are high energy, extroverted, optimistic, friendly, and have a good sense of humor along with a great memory, then they are candidates to drive those big brown trucks.

My UPS driver will retire soon, and he likes my art. He knows about my art because our buildings have murals on them, he delivers supplies to me, and I often greet him with a paintbrush in each hand.

He has the privilege of delivering to Sequoia National Park, and has taken some fun pictures of his truck surrounded by beautiful scenery. He wants a pencil drawing of his truck in one of these scenes, and has been sharing ideas with me for a few months. 

Recently, we figured out the best combination of brown truck with Sequoia scenery. Because the photos he shared with me belong to him, and because I don’t know the rules of a huge company like UPS, I will only show you my beginning sketches.

This is okay, but could be better. Trail Guy and I discussed the possibilities, because he actually has a very good sense of composition. (And zero desire to learn to draw or paint, so don’t even suggest that to him). We agreed on a solution.

Mr. UPS is good with either idea, but this one is definitely the winner.

He has no deadline, but it is nice to draw in my studio with reliable heat so I dove in quickly. Stay tuned. . .

A Little Work, A Little Walk, A Little More Work

While I am waiting to begin the murals at the giant church in Visalia, I have time to paint. However, I don’t have any deadlines, no upcoming shows, no commissions (there are a couple, but they are still in the conversation stage), and it has been BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL outside.

So, I work a little, walk a little, and work a little more.

When I am thinking about walking, it is a little bit hard to focus on detail. So, the detail on this 6×18″ oil painting of Tulare County’s best will have to wait. 

Let’s make like a tree and leaf.

Nothing in particular to photograph, just the same beautiful scenes of February in my Three Rivers neighborhood.

The elephant on Alta Peak is very clear, with a shadow making an ear and a rocky place making an eye. His back leg is significantly larger than his front. And there is Moro Rock.

A neighbor’s narcissus are in bloom. Mine are too, but I don’t want you to get too bored with the repetition here.

Back to work, Central California Artist!

This is 10×20″. Sawtooth is the peak on the left, and Homer’s Nose is visible on the right. 

I photographed this at an angle so you could see a bit of the reference photo minus the glare.

Nothing is finished after today’s disjointed painting attempts, but there was progress made, and February was enjoyed. Such a short month. Sigh.

I Have a Feeling that. . .

Are all these posts looking alike to you? (That’s a rhetorical question, one that I don’t want to hear the answer to.)

I decided that this 6×12″ painting is finished. “Citrus and the Sierra #forty-eleven”, perhaps?

Time to put more layers on the 12×16″. Normally I paint back to front, meaning I start with the parts that are farthest away in real life. This day I started with the closest items instead.

After putting detail on the closer trees, I moved to the row of trees that is next, trying to make the perspective look believable.

That looks right to me now.

So Tucker and I sat back and studied the painting. It caused me to do more work on the mountains, not photographed yet because you prolly won’t know the difference. Yes, I wrote “prolly”. The green hills need a lot of attention too. Oops, one of those trees looks like a fuzzy green ball. 

I have a feeling that I will be working on this one for awhile.

Slowly Painting Tulare County’s Best Scenes

This 12×16″ unfinished painting has been spoken for, so it is taking precedence over the other unfinished paintings.

The printed photos arrived from Shutterfly. Sometimes it is easier to paint from the laptop; sometimes it is easier to paint from printed photos. I haven’t evaluated why this is so. I do know that it is really difficult to photograph the shiny print.

Here you can see that the mountains are taking shape. I might keep adding layers, tightening up the detail to match the photo even more. But, in painting, the things that are farthest away are supposed to have less detail than the things that are closer. On the other hand, the most detailed areas are where your eye goes first in a painting.

What is more important—the Sierra Nevada or the citrus groves?(Don’t answer that unless your initials are MBW)

Those green hills have a lot of details, but I am not planning on counting the distant oak trees or boulders.

This is enough for this layer today.

The correct colors were mixed up, ready to go on the palette, so it was efficient to use the paint for the next canvas. This one is 6×12″.

The day ended with a fistful of paintbrushes to wash. For a couple of weeks, instead of washing them each day, I just wrapped them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. Eventually, I run out of the brushes I like and then the brushwashing vacation ends.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GLB!!

Three Edges, Two Layers, One Finish

That title is a description of a whole day of painting.

Trail Guy started the furnace in the painting workshop, turned on the fan to move the warm air to the opposite end of the room where the easels are, and shut the doors to keep the warmth in and the cats out. They were invited to be in, but if you know anything about cats, you know how much they hate closed doors. (Trail Guy turned on the furnace for me because it makes a big POPPPHWHOOOFSSSHH! when starting and sometimes blows out the pilot light.)

Let’s move on before I add more letters to the noise the furnace makes.

It was a brilliantly sunny day, so much that I could not see the computer screen or take good photos of my progress. But, it is warm by the easels in the sun before the furnace does its job. So, I just worked with what I’ve got. . . what? You want me to build an actual studio?? Not a chance.

See the brilliant sunshine?

Pippin liked being inside before he figured out that the doors were closed.

Someone (Hi BW) asked for the 12×16″ painting, so I started there.

Hi Pippin.

Sky first.

Work downward and forward, saving the closest things for last. Not everyone paints this way, but since it is the way I first learned and it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixin’ it.

Next!

Layer, by layer. Same deal, top to bottom, back to front.

I felt like a cog in a wheel, a factory worker. So, I decided to do a 6×12″ from beginning to end. (That is the smallest size canvas in this series of Tulare County citrus with mountains scenery.)

Sky first, moving forward, ridge by ridge.

 

Detail is so engrossing that I forgot to photograph the steps.

This looks pretty good, but not good enough. Remember, I am a pencil artist, and I draw with my paintbrush. (So there, Art World snobs.)

This looked good enough to sign. So, I did. 

There was still time for another layer on this other 6×12″ canvas. 

With the leftover sky paint, I covered edges on three more canvases. Of course there wasn’t enough, so I had to squeeze out about four more times.

I could add that to the title. Four Squeezes, Three Edges, Two Layers, One Finished.

Nah. Trail Guy turned off the heater and I am ready to move into the house.

A Little Walk and A Little Paint

The end of January gave us some brilliant days. Instead of just planting myself in front of the easels, I went for a walk first. I haven’t been on this walk for many months and was thrilled by all the greenery and flowing (and standing) water. When we moved to Three Rivers 24 years ago, there wasn’t much traffic here, either bicycle or foot. Now it is rare to be alone out there, and usually we run into someone we know. There are many more trails, added steps on steep areas, new corrals, and a few maintained bridges.

When we got home, I was very pleased to see some bulbs sprouting out in the afternoon sunshine. The ones in shade haven’t yet emerged.

GET TO WORK!!

I painted until I was almost frozen. It was a fine fine day of enjoying the beauty of January in Three Rivers, the best place to live in Tulare County (unless you prefer conveniences).

 

Painting While Waiting

The project manager for the mural job at the giant Catholic Church in Visalia called me. The mural portion is stalled until the niche project is completed. “Niche project”? I am not very conversant in Catholic, so she explained to me that there will be little compartments (niches) to put people’s ashes, about 2400 people’s ashes, in some granite thing called a columbarium. There are troubles with procuring both labor and materials, so I will just start some new oil paintings until further notice.

After choosing what subjects and canvas sizes, I assign an inventory number and put hanging hardware on the backs. I don’t know what other artists do; none have told me their particular systems, so I just made this up in March of 2006 when I started painting. It has served the customers and me quite well.

Seven of the eight canvases are ready to go; the eighth is in that unopened box from Blick art materials.That’s where I get most of my art supplies; in the beginning, many came from people whose mothers-in-laws used to paint.

After the hardware, I began with the base coat, just the skies first.

Next, I systematically did a very messy application of thin paint in approximately the right colors and places. This keeps little white spots of canvas from peeking through.

They all sort of look alike, and sometimes I got confused while following the photos with the odd titles on my laptop, along with the new inventory list. I’ve ordered printed photos for most of these, and when they arrive, I will secure each one behind its canvas in hopes of minimizing the confusion.

This is only five. Tomorrow, more on this topic of painting the best of Tulare County.

 

Favorite Subject, Favorite Month

With apologies to my long distance friends who live where there is real winter, I LOVE FEBRUARY! Along with this being one of my very favorite months (March and April rate very high), I love to paint orange groves with foothills and mountains in the distance. Two favorites, right here in Tulare County. (DON’T MOVE HERE because we are fat, undereducated, unemployed, and don’t have a Trader Joe’s).

I thought this one was showing great promise, wondering if perhaps it should be the scene I paint 18×36″ instead of this measly 6×18″.

Then I realized I used the wrong photo for this size canvas. They do all sort of look alike, and until I get them titled and more detailed, I am prone to making these mistakes.  So, I just smeared everything around to cover the canvas better.

Some of the wet paintings got hung on the board to dry.

Others got piled on the table so I could paint the edges a little bit, mostly just to use up the paint in the brushes and on the palette.

Still haven’t opened that big box. I’m waiting for all the photos to come, because I think that might lessen the chances of further mix-ups.

Next week, I’ll show you a few recent photos of why I love Tulare County so much at this time of year.

 

Planning Paintings, Part Two

When deciding what to paint, there are several factors to consider. What subjects will sell, which sizes will sell, what do I already have on hand, has anyone expressed an interest in a particular shape, size, or subject, and do I have good photos to work from?

After studying my stack of photos in the Citrus file, I chose eight to paint. You saw four yesterday, and here are the other four.

This will be 18×36″($1200) and I will raise the mountains in the distance, might make the hills more green, and grow those orange trees larger. And, I might hang it in my dining room, unless/until someone buys it.

 

6×12″ for this one, $125, maybe add some distant snow-covered peaks and grow the trees a bit, or crop off the dirt at the bottom so it fits the canvas.

 

This will be 10×20″ ($400), and it is almost perfect, except for needing more oranges on the trees.

 

6×12, ($125) more oranges on the trees, some cropping on the sides to make it fit the ratio of 1:2.

Next, I will wire the backs of the canvases, assign inventory numbers, think of good (or mediocre. . . this gets difficult after awhile) titles, and then start with base layers.

Which one would you like to reserve? Because sometimes your Central California artist needs to remind people that. . .

Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that you can understand of places and things you love for prices that won’t scare you.

Planning Paintings, Part One

There is a file on my computer named “In Progress”, with one inside of it called “Paint”. Inside that folder is yet another folder named “Citrus”.

“Citrus” isn’t entirely the right title. The right title would be too long: “My Current Favorite Subject to Paint” or perhaps “Orange Groves, Foothills, and Mountains” or we could call it “The Best Things About Living in Tulare County”.

The file has 30 photos, so it takes awhile to study, compare, name them (so that I can find the right ones again), and think about the best proportions and ways to crop.

After I choose a stack that I want to paint, then I inventory my canvases, finding a variety of sizes and shapes that will work best for each of the paintings.

Recently I chose eight new scenes, and then assigned various canvas sizes to them. I price according to size, rather than difficulty, which means the prices are consistent. (I’ve shown them with the sizes in case you want to reserve one or more of the paintings.)

Have a look at the first four photos and canvas sizes:

This one will be 6×18″ ($165), and I will make mountains appear behind the foothills; there will also be a bit of squishing and stretching of the scene so it will fit the chosen canvas ratio of 1:3.

 

This one will be 10×20″ ($400), and the oranges will be more visible on the trees; more trees will be added at the bottom to better match the proportions of the canvas, or some sky added; maybe some of the mountains will be condensed.

 

This one will be 12×16″ ($350), and the oranges will be more visible; I might take away the little avenue that appears in the lower left corner. (Now spoken for.)

 

This one will be 6×18″ ($165), so it will be more cropped than the photo, (which you might be able to tell is a couple of photos melted together with Photoshop in an attempt to widen the scene.)

Tomorrow I will show you the other four photos that I plan to paint.